TO RADACK. 35 



the afternoon we reached the fifth island, where 

 I resolved to stay for the night, and to continue 

 our voyage to the east at day-break. I purposely 

 made so short a way to-day, that my people, who 

 were obliged to row incessantly, might not be too 

 much fatigued; besides, we all wished to satisfy 

 our curiosity here by examining the corals, as well 

 on the island as on the reef. It happened that we 

 arrived just when the tide was at the highest, and 

 were therefore able conveniently to bring the 

 boats into a channel between the fifth and sixth 

 islands ; at the ebb they were indeed left dry, so 

 that we had to take care to get them afloat again 

 at high water, twelve hours afterwards. We pitched 

 our tent on a pleasant meadow, under the shade of 

 a pandanus tree ; and, while a fire was lighting to 

 make tea, I strolled about the island with my gun, 

 and our naturalists busied themselves with the 

 corals. I had soon traversed the island in all di- 

 rections, it being only half a mile in circumference. 

 The interior of it consists of large dead blocks of 

 coral, which are covered with a layer of mould 

 not more than two inches deep at the most, whereas 

 on Goat Island it is in many places at least three 

 feet deep. This difference proves how much more 

 recently this Httle island has arisen ; and, on the 

 whole chain, the remark was subsequently con- 

 firmed, that the smaller islands, in comparison with 

 the larger ones, were much behind, and the vegeta- 

 tion but poor, because they are destitute of earth, 



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