﻿eiTMMARr. 
  3 
  

  

  Ou 
  the 
  14th 
  June, 
  1880, 
  we 
  bade 
  adieu 
  to 
  the 
  South-Americaa 
  

   coast 
  and 
  sailed 
  for 
  Tahiti, 
  spending 
  much 
  time 
  on 
  the 
  way 
  in 
  

   searching 
  for 
  the 
  so-called 
  Minerva 
  Eeef, 
  which 
  was 
  reputed 
  to 
  

   exist 
  some 
  60 
  miles 
  to 
  the 
  north-east 
  of 
  Manga 
  Eeva, 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  

   Paumotu 
  group. 
  Arriving 
  at 
  Tahiti 
  on 
  the 
  6th 
  of 
  August, 
  we 
  made 
  

   a 
  stay 
  of 
  twelve 
  days 
  at 
  that 
  interesting 
  island, 
  when 
  we 
  again 
  got 
  

   under 
  way 
  and 
  pursued 
  a 
  circuitous 
  route 
  towards 
  the 
  great 
  Fiji 
  

   group. 
  

  

  The 
  first 
  place 
  at 
  which 
  we 
  touched 
  on 
  this 
  voyage 
  was 
  Nassau 
  

   Island, 
  whence 
  we 
  proceeded 
  to 
  the 
  Union 
  group, 
  in 
  80^° 
  S. 
  lat., 
  

   passing 
  within 
  sight 
  of 
  Tema 
  Reef 
  and 
  the 
  Danger 
  Islands, 
  which 
  

   were 
  found 
  to 
  be 
  incorrectly 
  placed 
  on 
  the 
  charts. 
  We 
  made 
  a 
  short 
  

   stay 
  at 
  Oatafu, 
  the 
  most 
  westerly 
  island 
  of 
  the 
  Union 
  group, 
  and 
  

   thence 
  proceeded 
  to 
  Fiji. 
  

  

  We 
  anchored 
  off 
  the 
  settlement 
  of 
  Levuka 
  in 
  the 
  island 
  of 
  Ovalau, 
  

   Fiji, 
  on 
  the 
  18th 
  of 
  September, 
  and 
  remained 
  there 
  until 
  the 
  10th 
  

   of 
  October, 
  We 
  then 
  steamed 
  over 
  to 
  Tongatabu, 
  in 
  the 
  Friendly 
  

   Islands, 
  where 
  wo 
  made 
  a 
  pleasant 
  stay 
  of 
  ten 
  days, 
  but 
  subse- 
  

   quently 
  spent 
  some 
  very 
  dull 
  weeks, 
  aggravated 
  by 
  unusually 
  

   boisterous 
  weather, 
  in 
  an 
  uneventful 
  search 
  for 
  the 
  La 
  Eance 
  Bank, 
  

   the 
  non-existence 
  of 
  which 
  was, 
  however, 
  satisfactorily 
  demon- 
  

   strated. 
  We 
  returned 
  to 
  Levuka 
  on 
  the 
  4th 
  of 
  December, 
  and 
  

   remained 
  in 
  harbour 
  for 
  ten 
  days, 
  when 
  we 
  entered 
  upon 
  the 
  last 
  

   portion 
  of 
  our 
  Pacific 
  cruise, 
  viz. 
  the 
  voyage 
  from 
  Fiji 
  to 
  Sydney. 
  

  

  We 
  arrived 
  at 
  Sydney 
  on 
  the 
  23rd 
  of 
  January, 
  1881, 
  and 
  re- 
  

   mained 
  there, 
  refitting, 
  until 
  the 
  15th 
  of 
  April, 
  when 
  we 
  steamed 
  

   up 
  the 
  east 
  coast 
  of 
  Australia 
  to 
  our 
  next 
  surveying-ground. 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  ensuing 
  six 
  months 
  we 
  visited 
  Port 
  Curtis, 
  Port 
  

   MoUe, 
  and 
  Port 
  Denison 
  on 
  the 
  east 
  coast 
  of 
  Queensland 
  ; 
  Lizard 
  

   Island, 
  Flinders 
  Island, 
  Clack 
  Island, 
  Bird 
  Island, 
  Percy 
  Islands, 
  

   Clairemont 
  Islands, 
  and 
  Albany 
  Island, 
  adjoining 
  the 
  coast 
  ; 
  and 
  

   while 
  engaged 
  on 
  the 
  survey 
  of 
  the 
  Prince 
  of 
  Wales 
  Channel, 
  in 
  

   Torres 
  Straits, 
  we 
  anchored 
  off 
  Wednesday, 
  Thursday, 
  Friday, 
  

   Home, 
  West, 
  Prince 
  of 
  Wales, 
  Hammond, 
  Goode, 
  and 
  Booby- 
  

   Islands. 
  In 
  aU 
  these 
  localities 
  marine 
  specimens 
  were 
  collected, 
  as 
  

   well 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  more 
  open 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  Prince 
  of 
  Wales 
  Channel, 
  

   where 
  the 
  depth 
  rarely 
  exceeds 
  30 
  fathoms. 
  A 
  good 
  many 
  inter- 
  

   esting 
  specimens 
  were 
  also 
  obtained 
  through 
  the 
  assistance 
  of 
  the 
  

   pearl-shell 
  divers, 
  who 
  have 
  an 
  extensive 
  and 
  lucrative 
  industry 
  in 
  

   these 
  waters. 
  

  

  On 
  leaving 
  this 
  channel 
  we 
  proceeded 
  westwards 
  through 
  the 
  

   Arafura 
  Sea, 
  sounding 
  and 
  dredging, 
  until 
  we 
  reached 
  Port 
  Darwin, 
  

   in 
  North-west 
  Australia. 
  Here 
  we 
  remained 
  from 
  the 
  3rd 
  to 
  the 
  

   ISth 
  of 
  November, 
  when 
  we 
  again 
  got 
  under 
  way 
  and 
  steamed 
  

   through 
  the 
  Eastern 
  Archipelago 
  to 
  Singapore. 
  We 
  reached 
  this 
  

   port 
  on 
  the 
  18th 
  November, 
  1881, 
  and 
  remained 
  there 
  for 
  two 
  and 
  

   a 
  half 
  months, 
  spending 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  time 
  in 
  dock, 
  where 
  our 
  

   ship 
  underwent 
  an 
  extensive 
  refit. 
  We 
  now 
  received 
  orders 
  to 
  

   undertake 
  a 
  survey 
  of 
  the 
  Amirantes 
  and 
  neighbouring 
  islands 
  and 
  

   reefs 
  in 
  the 
  South-Indian 
  Ocean, 
  using 
  Seychelles 
  as 
  our 
  base 
  for 
  

  

  b2 
  

  

  