548 • Transactions. — Geology. 



noticed. The weather at the time was clear, with a gentle 

 south-east breeze." 



About one mile north of Bridges Point is a hot salt-water 

 creek. 



On the mainland of New Britain, abreast the Duportail 

 Islands, are the North Son, Father, and South Son Moun- 

 tains, which attain respectively heights of about 1,300 ft., 

 4,00Uft., and 3,000 ft. The former is apparently an extinct 

 volcano ; the two latter are still active. 



Leaving New Britain, and travelling on further west and 

 north, we come to Eook Island, of volcanic origin, the highest 

 of whose mountain-peaks reaches 5,000 ft. Volcano Island, 

 off the north-east point of Eook Island, is in latitude 5° 32' 

 'S., longitude 148^ 6' E. Its form is that of a regular cone, 

 broken at the summit, about 3,500 ft. high. In March, 1700, 

 Dampier described this island as being in active eruption. 

 Lottin Island — not far from Volcano Island — is also a vol- 

 canic cone, 5,200 ft. high, from which smoke issues from a 

 large hollow on the north-east side. North Island is about 

 thirty miles further north. In November, 1861, Captain 

 Lass, of the brig " Wailua," discovered a singular shoal five 

 miles north-west of it. The shoal is about half a mile wide 

 and five miles long, in the form of a crescent. Captain Lass 

 reported that on approaching the shoal an appearance was 

 observed as of a whale spouting, which was found to be a 

 boiling spring, emitting water to a height which he estimated 

 at 150 ft. A boat was lowered, and a sounding of 10 ft. was 

 obtained on the shoai. 



About fifteen miles to the northward of North Island lies 

 Gipps Island, a round sugar-loaf- shaped island about three 

 miles in circumference. The island is thickly populated. 

 There is a boiling spring on a sandy beach on the south-east 

 side, and also one on the south-west side, which threw up 

 water at times to a height of 20 ft. 



Near the south-west end of the largest of the ITuportail 

 Islands, lying sixty miles to the eastward of New Britain, 

 there is an active volcano. 



With regard to the D'Entrecasteaux group of islands, at 

 Seymour Bay, Ferguson Island, on the south-west coast, there 

 are saline lakes and several small hills giving forth sulphur 

 fumes, and there are also several boiling springs. 



Germany having lately named the harbours and rivers 

 upon the north coast of New Guinea differently from those 

 upon the map, I can but refer now to the seismic phenomena 

 I have gathered in that direction for subsequent verification. 



Starting from Cape King William, passing Astrolabe Bay, 

 and following the coast-line of New Guinea in a north-westerly 

 direction, we come to Vulcan Island, of which I attach a 



