59^ Voyage of the Novara. 



so as to fetch the open passage between San Christoval (the 

 most south-easterly of the Solomon Islands) and the Nitendi 

 group. We thus had to beat with much difficulty against a 

 S.E. wind and a strong current, so that we barely made 

 15 miles a day. 



On the 13th October, towards evening, we found ourselves 

 about opposite the large mountainous island of Malayta. 

 This island presents fine richly- wooded mountain scenery, 

 but without any traces of volcanic contours. The natives do 

 not appear to dwell near the shore, but among the hills we 

 could observe cleared spots and huts. Curiously enough the 

 highest peak of the island, 3900 feet high, is named Kolowrat, 

 a renowned Austrian name, although it could hardly have 

 been an Austrian navigator who gave it to this mountain. 

 Many others of these islands, however, have German names, 

 though the majority indicate their discovery by the French 

 navigators, Bougainville, Senville, and Dumont d'Urville, to 

 whom the seafaring world are indebted for their first ac- 

 quaintance with this interesting group. During the after- 

 noon a heavy blow came on from the S.S.E., upon which 

 we put about and steered E. by S., but had hardly made the 

 alteration, ere it came on to blow from N.N.E., with such 

 fearful violence that the cross-jack-yard, which was already 

 sprung, broke in two, and the sheet of the main try-sail gave 

 way. It was the heaviest squall we encountered during the 

 voyage. Fortunately the cross-jack-yard had as a precaution 

 been firmly lashed, so that the two ends continued to hang 



