NORTH MAHLOS BANE. 169 
channels into North Mahlos in view of such’. Soundings towards the inner sides of the 
passages yielded no results on account of the impossibility 
of comparison, and it was the same within the bank. 
Indeed, so far as they went, they only served to show 
that there is little or no change in either position. 
Bottom samples were never obtained in passages except 
by the dredge, but elsewhere the “snapper” gave oc- 
casional fragments of corals with coarse sand in a few 
places, the latter only in protected situations or near the 
centre of the bank. The bottom character generally can 
only be described in most situations as hard rock, the 
lead being repeatedly sent down with no result; tallow 
showed further a clean bottom in such positions. 
The comparison of the present condition of the 
western faro with that of the chart is instructive (Plate 
XI. and fig. 32). On the whole the topography of 
Moresby’s survey is so accurate that it is evident that 
the survey was an extremely careful one. From the fact 
that soundings are given in some of the lagoons and 
not in others, and that where depths are given from 
native report it is expressly stated, it is certain that 
Moresby’s officers visited all those whose depths are 
recorded :— 
Maregirt, Sand island with dunes 28 feet high, nearly 
triangular in shape with base to west-by-south and acute 
angle to east-by-north, the latter point growing out with 
no reef, west reef 110 yards broad, north and south 120 
yards. 
Bodufaro. Sand island to south, elongated in an east 
and west direction, equivalent to the north half of the 
island represented in the Admiralty chart; sand bank covered 
by a few seedlings to the north-north-east. Lagoon or velu 
varying up to 12} fathoms in depth, in size more than 
twice that shown on the chart, extending far up to the 
north end and down into the south-west horn. No surface- 
reef for 14 to 2 miles along the middle of the east side, 
but a line of reef at 2 to 6 fathoms, less than 100 yards 
broad. 
Dinafaro. Rock patch to the south of the west end, 
and sand island to the south-east, rapidly washing away, the 
north half of the island marked on the chart having dis- 
appeared but left traces in lines of beach-sandstone. Small 
velu, scarcely yet defined. 


nae AC 
Ekuru . ie aN > 
-1ar0/ 5-6 x\ 
Moy uerton” 
1 @ 
Fugiri f ey 
-farok 22° 

al 2 
Kuda faro(\ 
Wa -faroj 
GQ», 
J 

Dina -faro', \ 
, 

Fic. 32. Reefs of the western rim of North 
Mahlos, to show the present condition for 
comparison with Moresby’s chart (Plate XI.). 
Scale 4 miles to 1 inch, same as Plate XI. 
1 The winds and currents were so strong during our getting through the outer mile of the channel to the south 
visit to this bank that it was extremely dangerous to go to on my return. In the passage south of Maduni-faro there 
leeward (i.e. west) of the western faro. I went round Cooper were two points, apparently small reefs occasionally breaking, 
Island in a small boat and took more than two hours in but the sea was running too high to allow of their examination. 
22—2 
