VOYAGE OF H.M.S. HERALD. 333 
The Voyage of H.M.S. HERALD. 
The following account of the recent cruise of the surveying voyage 
of Captain Denham, in H.M. Surveying-ship Herald, has been com- 
municated by J. M‘Gillivray, Esq., the chief Naturalist of the Expe- 
dition.* 
“ We sailed from Sydney on May 27th for New Zealand, and on our 
passage across, when nearly 300 miles from land, deep soundings were 
obtained on the detached bank to the westward of Cape Maria Van 
Diemen. We reached Auckland, June 8th, and left the watering-place 
at Waieki on the 22nd. On the 28th and 29th, the ship passed over 
two of the eastern positions assigned to the Rosaretta Shoal, on which 
occasion 859 and 930 fathoms of line failed to reach bottom. On 
July 2nd we reach the Sunday Island of whalers (Raoul Island of its 
discoverer), where we remained surveying until the 24th, during which 
the ship took up no less than six anchorages, not one of which is safe, 
except under very favourable circumstances, such as we did not meet 
With. An American of the name of Halstead (with two Kingsmill 
Women, and some half-caste children), has settled here, and supplies 
Whalers in their season with wood, stock, and vegetables: his flagstaff 
is in lat. 29° 15' S.,and long. 192? 5' E., or 1772 55' W. After leaving 
Sunday Island we visited three positions of shoals to the northward, 
and two of Vasquez Island, with the usual negative results; as the 
latter may have gone down, it was diligently searched for with the lead. 
Minerva Reef, of which so many contradictory accounts and positions 
have been published, was next sought for, and found to consist of two 
detached reefs. North Minerva is nearly 81 miles in diameter, with a 
navigable lagoon and entrance to leeward. The centre is in lat, 23° 38” 
S., and long. 178? 46'E. On a bearing S.40° W. (true), distant eighteen 
miles, is the South Minerva, which in shape somewhat resembles an 
hour-glass or the figure eight, and extends 43 miles in length, from 
E. by N. to W. by S. The centre is in lat. 23? 57' S., and long. 179° 2 E. = 
Ships may enter the eastern lagoon of this reef; the western one is 
blocked up. After much unsuccessful searching for neighbouring shoals 
in their assigned positions, we proceeded to Moala, one of the southern- 
most of the Feejee Islands, where we remained from the 4th till the 
* The botanical collection of this portion of the survey, formed by Mr. Milne, 
has been safely received at the Royal Gardens, 
