242 TRAXSACTIOXS AND PEOCEEDINGS OF THE [Sess. lviii. 



occupied in crossing we suffered considerably from the 

 effects of sea-sickness. 



As we neared our destination and came into smoother 

 water in the lee of the west side of the island, we were 

 enabled to have occasional glimpses over the gunwale of 

 the boat, and note the general appearance of the island. 

 .As the name implies, the general outline of Eound Island 

 is that of a rounded dome rising abniptly out of the ocean 

 and reaching an elevation of 1055 feet above sea-level. 

 The island is 1 mile long from north to south, and | mile 

 broad from east to west. From a distance the island has a 

 very barren aspect, its steep, brown, rocky sides ha^dng 

 only small clusters and scattered plants of palms and 

 screw-pines to enliven the desert appearance of the Lsland. 

 In this respect it forms a marked contrast to the luxuriant 

 evergreen forests of Mauritius. The tree-flora appeared to 

 be entirely composed of palms and screw-pines, and, in 

 this respect also, it differed entirely from the native forests 

 of Mauritius and other tropical countries I have visited, 

 where the great bulk of the trees belong to the Dicoty- 

 ledons, and palms stand out only here and there, giving the 

 landscape its well-known tropical appearance. 



At about one o'clock in the afternoon our boat approached 

 tlie landing-place on the west side of the island. There 

 was very little swell on at the time, but we had to exercise 

 caution in landing on account of the exposed po.5ition of 

 the coast, which is unprotected by any natural barrier. 

 There is no beach, and the shelving cliffs rise out of water 

 about two fathoms deep. As we neared the landing-place, 

 which is formed of a flattish portion of rock 5 feet above 

 the surface of the sea, one of the boatmen dropped a heavy 

 stone attached to a rope over the stern of the boat, and 

 allowed the stone to reach the bottom of the sea. Then 

 by means of the rope he allowed the boat to drift towards 

 the landing-place, until the bow of the boat was sufficiently 

 near the rock to allow another boatman to jump on shore, 

 and pass another rope, attached to the bow of the boat, 

 through an iron ring fastened in the rock. By these 

 means the bow of the boat was steadied within about a 

 foot of the landing-rock, and watching our opportunity, as 

 the boat rose and fell with the swell, we jumped on shore 



