284 LEAVE THE BEUMEE ISLANDS. 



thers of a cassowary^ a scarlet lory^ and a few other 

 bii'ds. No fish were caug-ht at the anchor ag-e^ pro- 

 bably on account of the nature of the bottom — a 

 tenacious_, g'reenish^ muddy clay — and the streng'th 

 of the current which prevented our Imes from restmg- 

 on the bottom. Observations made with the lead 

 along"side at the time of hig'h and low water indicated 

 by the shore shewed in thirteen days' observations 

 a rise and fall of only from two to six feet. Neither 

 during' the ebb nor the flood tide was there any 

 appreciable difference in the direction of the current 

 at our anchorag*e which set constantly to the west- 

 ward between AVest and W. S. W.^ at the rate of 

 fi'om one to one-and-a-half knots an hour. This cur- 

 rent may reasonably be conjectm^ed to come from the 

 northward and sweep round the S. E. cape of New 

 Guinea (distant from this anchorag-e about fifty 

 miles)^ thus making* it appear probable that a clear 

 passag'e exists between the S. E. extreme of New 

 Guinea and the western termination of the Louisiade 

 Archipelag'o : indeed so far as Lieut. Yule's obser- 

 vations were carried in this direction no reefs were 

 seen to impede his progTess to the north-east. 



Sept. 4:th. — Five daj^s ag'o we sailed from the 

 Brumer Islands^ and continued running lines of 

 sounding's off and o-n the coast^ the in-shore details 

 being- left as usual to the Bramble. On one occa- 

 sion^ while within a few miles of the shore^ the water 

 suddenly shoaled to twelve^ ten_, and six fathoms^ 

 rock or coral^ althoug-h half an hour before no 



