THE BRONUS ISLKS. 277 



chain ; and their position and distance from Ra- 

 dak being now ascertained, there will hereafter 

 be little difficulty in discovering the remaining 

 groups of the chain. 



From the Eschscholtz Isles we steered for the 

 Bronus Isles, it being my wish to try the ac- 

 curacy of their geographical position, and to 

 ascertain whether the interval between the two 

 groups was wholly free of islands. On the 11th 

 of October, at noon, being in latitude 11° 21' 

 39", and longitude 196° 35', the Bronus Isles 

 were descried from the mast-head, at a distance 

 of twenty miles. We approached within a mile 

 and a half of the southern extremity of the 

 group, from which point we were able to survey 

 the whole, which we found, like other coral 

 groups, to consist of a circle of islands connected 

 by a reef. The Bronus Isles, however, appeared 

 of more ancient formation than any we had yet 

 seen ; the land was somewhat more elevated, and 

 the trees were larger and stronger. Here also 

 we saw no appearance of inhabitants. 



A calm which suddenly set in exposed us to 

 the danger of being driven by a powerful cur- 

 rent upon the reef; but when we were already 



