﻿TOYAGE 
  OF 
  H.M.S. 
  ' 
  ALERT,' 
  

  

  supplies. 
  We 
  accordingly 
  sailed 
  from 
  Singapore 
  on 
  the 
  5th 
  Feb- 
  

   ruary, 
  1882, 
  and 
  steered 
  for 
  the 
  Seychelle 
  Islands, 
  touching 
  ou 
  the 
  

   way 
  at 
  Colombo, 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  4th 
  of 
  March 
  we 
  reached 
  Bird 
  Island, 
  the 
  most 
  northerly 
  

   of 
  the 
  Seychelle 
  group 
  ; 
  and 
  as 
  we 
  remained 
  at 
  anchor 
  there 
  until 
  

   tlie 
  following 
  morning, 
  we 
  had 
  an 
  opportunity, 
  among 
  other 
  things, 
  

   for 
  exploring 
  the 
  island 
  and 
  accomplishing 
  some 
  dredging-work 
  in 
  

   the 
  shallow 
  water 
  about 
  the 
  ship. 
  On 
  the 
  next 
  day 
  we 
  steamed 
  

   over 
  to 
  Mahe, 
  the 
  chief 
  island 
  of 
  the 
  group. 
  After 
  some 
  days 
  spent 
  

   here 
  in 
  provisioning 
  and 
  coaling 
  the 
  ship, 
  during 
  which 
  time 
  our 
  

   boats 
  did 
  some 
  useful 
  dredging 
  in 
  the 
  channel 
  between 
  Mahe 
  and 
  

   St. 
  Anne's 
  Islands, 
  we 
  steamed 
  over 
  to 
  the 
  Amirante 
  group, 
  the 
  most 
  

   northerly 
  of 
  which 
  is 
  only 
  about 
  a 
  day's 
  run 
  from 
  Mahe, 
  \Ye 
  had 
  

   orders 
  to 
  make 
  a 
  survey 
  of 
  the 
  Amirantes, 
  and, 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  time 
  would 
  

   permit, 
  of 
  the 
  other 
  coral 
  islailds 
  which 
  extend 
  thence 
  in 
  an 
  irregular 
  

   chain 
  southward 
  towards 
  Madagascar. 
  

  

  The 
  Amirante 
  group 
  consists 
  altogether 
  of 
  twenty-one 
  low 
  coral 
  

   islets, 
  resting, 
  with 
  the 
  exception 
  of 
  He 
  des 
  Eoches 
  (which 
  is 
  sepa- 
  

   rated 
  by 
  a 
  deep 
  channel), 
  on 
  an 
  extensive 
  coral 
  bank, 
  which 
  is 
  89 
  

   miles 
  in 
  length, 
  with 
  an 
  average 
  breadth 
  of 
  19 
  miles, 
  and 
  whose 
  

   long 
  axis 
  lies 
  in 
  a 
  N,N.E. 
  and 
  S.S.W. 
  direction. 
  It 
  is 
  included 
  be- 
  

   tween 
  the 
  limits 
  of 
  4° 
  50^' 
  and 
  6° 
  12^-' 
  S. 
  lat., 
  and 
  53° 
  45' 
  and 
  

   52° 
  50|' 
  E. 
  long., 
  and 
  is 
  thus 
  about 
  700 
  miles 
  distant 
  from 
  the 
  

   nearest 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  East-African 
  coast. 
  Some 
  of 
  the 
  islets 
  and 
  

   sand-cays 
  of 
  which 
  it 
  is 
  composed, 
  and 
  which 
  are 
  included 
  in 
  the 
  

   above 
  enumeration, 
  are 
  so 
  arranged 
  in 
  clusters 
  that 
  for 
  all 
  practical 
  

   purposes 
  the 
  group 
  may 
  be 
  regarded 
  as 
  consisting 
  of 
  nine 
  islets, 
  

   which 
  have 
  been 
  named 
  African, 
  Eagle, 
  Darros, 
  Des 
  Roches, 
  Poivre, 
  

   Etoile, 
  Marie 
  Louise, 
  Des 
  Neufs, 
  and 
  Boudeuse 
  Islands. 
  

  

  From 
  the 
  Amirantes 
  we 
  moved 
  over 
  to 
  Alphonse 
  Island, 
  which 
  

   occupies 
  an 
  isolated 
  position 
  (50 
  miles 
  S.W. 
  by 
  S. 
  of 
  the 
  southern, 
  

   extremity 
  of 
  the 
  Amirante 
  Bank 
  ; 
  and 
  thence 
  proceeded 
  to 
  Pro- 
  

   vidence 
  Island, 
  which 
  is 
  about 
  240 
  miles 
  from 
  the 
  Amirantes 
  in 
  

   a 
  S.W. 
  by 
  S. 
  direction, 
  and 
  about 
  2(J0 
  miles 
  from 
  Cape 
  Amber, 
  in 
  

   Madagascar. 
  After 
  a 
  short 
  stay 
  at 
  each 
  of 
  these 
  islands, 
  we 
  steamed 
  

   over 
  to 
  the 
  Glorioso 
  group, 
  which 
  consists 
  of 
  three 
  islands, 
  also 
  of 
  

   coral 
  formation, 
  and 
  situated 
  about 
  120 
  miles 
  W. 
  by 
  N. 
  of 
  the 
  

   northern 
  extremity 
  of 
  Madagascar. 
  Every 
  effort 
  was 
  made 
  to 
  

   investigate 
  the 
  fauna 
  and 
  flora 
  of 
  these 
  islands 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  time 
  and 
  

   other 
  circumstances 
  would 
  permit, 
  so 
  that 
  sufficient 
  materials 
  were 
  

   accumulated 
  to 
  connect 
  their 
  natural 
  history 
  with 
  that 
  of 
  Seychelles 
  

   to 
  the 
  northward 
  and 
  Madagascar 
  to 
  th^ 
  southward. 
  

  

  With 
  our 
  departure 
  from 
  the 
  Glorioso 
  Islands 
  the 
  surveying 
  opera- 
  

   tions 
  of 
  the 
  ' 
  Alert 
  ' 
  were 
  brought 
  to 
  a 
  close. 
  On 
  the 
  12th 
  of 
  May 
  

   we 
  reached 
  Mozambique, 
  whence, 
  after 
  a 
  stay 
  of 
  a 
  few 
  days, 
  we 
  

   proceeded 
  on 
  our 
  homeward 
  voyage, 
  stopping 
  en 
  route 
  at 
  AlgoaBay, 
  

   Simon's 
  Baj^, 
  Cape 
  of 
  Good 
  Hope, 
  St. 
  Helena, 
  and 
  Fayal 
  (in 
  the 
  

   Azores), 
  and 
  arrived 
  in 
  Plymouth 
  Sound 
  on 
  the 
  3rd 
  of 
  September, 
  

   1882, 
  after 
  an 
  absence 
  of 
  nearly 
  four 
  years. 
  

  

  