KUSAIE. 333 



U. S. S. " Nero " ' to the eastward of Guam, probably in continuation of 

 the same " Deep " called the " Caroline Deep '' by Professor Supan.^ 



Kusaie- 



Plates 18^, fig. 3 ; '184.-187, ns, 229. 



The easternmost island of the Carolines, Kusaie, is about seven and three- 

 quarters miles long from north to south, and nearly nine miles from east to 

 west. It is a volcanic island ; the central part, Mount Crozer, rises to over 

 2100 feet in height; the northern summit. Mount Buache, rises to nearly 

 2000 feet (PI. 229). 



Kusaie is the first of a series of islands differing from any we had seen 

 since leaving the volcanic regions of the Society, Cook, and Fiji Islands. 

 High peaks with needles of all possible shapes show the extent of erosion 

 and denudation which has taken place in the volcanic summits of the Caro- 

 lines (Pis. 184, fig. 2; 185, fig. 2). Kusaie, as seen coming from the ea.st, at 

 a distance of from three to four miles, steaming towards Chabrol Harbor, 

 shows perhaps as well as any other island of the group the extent to which 

 its volcanic rocks have been subjected to erosion and denudation. It is cut 

 into a number of deep valleys centering towards the middle of the i.sland, 

 with here and tliere a marked point or pinnacle of harder material left to 

 indicate the former height of the range. 



Between the northern and central part of the island runs a deep 

 valley connecting Chabrol Harbor on the east to Coquille Harbor on the 

 west (PI. 229). Kusaie is somewhat irregular in outline; a deep indenta- 

 tion on the east side forms Chabrol Harbor, flanked on the north by Lele 

 Island. The southern shore forms a deep bight; in the centre of which 

 is the reef harbor Port Lottin. Coquille Harbor is a similar reef harbor 

 on the west side. 



The principal ridge of the island runs east to west from Point Duperrey 



' The deep soundings of the " Nero " have been marked " Nero Deep " on II. O. Chart .529, pub- 

 lished .June, 1900, but it does not give the deep sounding of the "Challenger" to the westward 

 (44 75 fathoms), whieh was the first indication of the probable existence of a deep trough south of Guam. 

 The deepest sounding made by the " Nero " attained the enormous depth of 5269 fathoms. 



2 Petermann's Mitteil., 1899, Vol. 45, VIII., p. 180. 



