170 CAPT. DUMONT d'uRVILLE. 



vessel^ visited the northern part of the Louisiade 

 Archipelag'o in 1800^ but added nothing- of conse- 

 quence to our knowledg-e of the gToup^ although 

 various islands were named anew_, as if discoveries 

 of his own. His Satisfaction Island is clearly Kos- 

 seFs^ and Eruption Island is St. Aig-nan's of D'En- 

 trecasteaux.* 



Since Boug'ainville's voyag^e the southern shores 

 of the Louisiade remained unvisited until the year 

 1840^ when Captain Dumont d'Urville^ with the 

 French corvettes L' Astrolabe and La Zelee^ during* 

 his last voyage round the world^ determined upon 

 attempting' their exploration. On May 23rd^ the 

 expedition (coming* from the eastward)^ rounded 

 Adele Island and Cape Deliverance^ at the distance 

 of about twenty miles. Next morning*^ the thick- 

 ness of the weather prevented them from clearly 

 distinguishing' the features of the land. They 

 steered towards South-east Island^ but found close 

 approach prevented by an immense continuous reef^ 

 supposed to be part of that seen on the previous da}^ 

 to the southward of Rossel Island. On Conde's 

 Peninsula^ some natives and a small village Avere 

 observed. In the eveninof a lono' line of islands 

 (the Cah'ados group)^ appeared to the north^ and the 

 reef; which before had been continuous^ with the 

 exception of some small openings^ now existed only 

 as a few isolated patches. D'Urville stood off to 



* See Kiuscnstcrn's Recueil de Memoires Ilydrographiques, 

 &c p. 154. 



