182 FIND ACCESS PEEVENTED BY vi REEF. 



June 12th was spent in working- to windward to 

 weather the eastern end of Rossel Island^ — Cape 

 Dehveranee of Bougainville^ — the barrier reef to the 

 southward of the two larg-e islands in sig*ht pre- 

 venting' us from closely approaching* the land from 

 that quarter. 



June ISth, — Having* g-ained a g'ood offing-^ we 

 bore up at daylig'ht^ and stood in for Rossel Island 

 with the Bramble a-head. We passed at a distance 

 Ad^le Island (so named after Coutance's ship)^ low 

 and woody^ situated at the eastern extreme of the 

 barrier reef surrounding* Bossel Island^, at a variable 

 distance from the land. The southern portion of 

 this g-reat coral reef here makes a sharp turn round 

 the islet^ and runs back ten miles to connect it with 

 Rossel Island^ where it loses the character of a 

 barrier^ becomes narrow and fring-ing* and almost 

 disappears for a time. Passing* Cape Deliverance* 

 and 2'ettino' into smooth water on the northern side 

 of Rossel Island^ we ran along* it at a distance from 

 the shore of about two miles and a half. 



Rossel Island (named after one of D'Entre- 

 casteaux' officers) is 22 miles in leng'th from east to 

 west^ and 104 in g-reatest width ', it is hig*h and 



* As the longitude of Cape Deliverance varies considerably in 

 different charts, its determination by the three best authorities 

 may here be given : — 



D'Entrecasteaux places it in long. 154*' 26' E. of Greenwich. 



D'UrviUe . 154" 26' do. 



Owen Stanley . 154^20' do. 



