254 BRUMER ISLANDS. 



her in and broug'lit up after sunset in 35 fathoms^ 

 niud^ about a mile from the shore. 



The island under which we thus anchored^ is the 

 westernmost and largest of a g-roup of five_5 the next 

 in size being' about a mile in leng-th^ moderately 

 hig'h and wooded^ and the remaining* three mere 

 rocks. The larg*e Brumer Island is long- and nar- 

 row^ running- E.N.E. and W.S.W.^ two miles and 

 two-thirds in g-reatest width * it is situated in lat. 

 10*^ 45' 80" S. and long-. 150^ 23' E. The whole 

 island presents a luxuriant appearance^ being- 

 covered with cocoa-palms and other trees^ and on 

 the high ground several large fenced enclosures of 

 cultivated ground — where among other plants we 

 could distmo'iiish the banana and suo-ar-cane — 

 attested the fertility of the soil. The western^ and 

 at present the leeward side of the island^ as viewed 

 from our anchorage exhibits the appearance of a 

 broken rido-e on its southern half with several 

 eminences topped by immense detached blocks of 

 rock^ partially concealed by the trees^ — to this^ in 

 the centre^ succeeds a break occupied by a very low 

 irreg-ular cliff behind a bay with a sandy beach_, — 

 afterwards the land rises suddenly to form a hill^ 

 G65 feet in height^ with a steep face to the north- 

 west^ and a gradual slope backwards^ — and be^-ond 

 this another hill; not so high (38 G feet); but some- 

 what similar in form^ shut out our further view in 

 that direction. The mainland of New Guinea filled 

 the back ground with a broken outline of ridges of 



