First Impression of the Coral Reefs. 559 



like an elegantly hewn clock, we had to pass tln-ovigh a very- 

 narrow channel in the reef, barely 50 fathoms wide, which 

 indeed was pretty plainly indicated by the colour of the 

 smooth water, besides being well marked out by regular 

 buoys, but winds in a direction first westerly and then north- 

 wards, and accordingly was inaccessible to us with a west 

 wind blowing. There was no alternative but to let the an- 

 chor go among the naked coral rocks forming the sub-marine 

 plateau over which we now lay. But anxiety for the safety 

 of the ship did not admit of her being suffered to remain in 

 circumstances so dangerous. While therefore the frigate once 

 more made sail, a survey of the island and harbom- was ordered 

 by a boat expedition. 



About 9 A.M. the Commodore, accompanied by some of the 

 scientific staff, set off for land in a slim, flat-floored, Venetian 

 gondola, admirably adapted for such j)^rposes. When we 

 had passed the twin Nahlap Islands and Sandy Island, we 

 found ourselves in a channel about 100 fathoms in length by 

 not quite 80 in width, which led directly into the interior of 

 this huge basin constructed exclusively by insects, and sur- 

 rounded by a triple wall of coral, an unfathomable, mirror-like 

 pool, in which a ship lies calm and motionless as though 

 in a dock. A buoy at the S.W. angle of the channel indi- 

 cates some sunken rocks. On the farther side of the coral 

 reef one perceives the low-lying group of the Ants' Islands, 

 tliickly covered with trees. Although our Venetian boat drew 

 hardly any water, we nevertheless found great difficulty in 



