170 NORTHMOST AUSTRALIA 



tion estimated at 300, besides fifty South Sea Islanders and three 

 or four Europeans. Further evidences of progress were a police 

 station and a mission station, with plantations of bananas, coco-nuts, 

 sweet potatoes and bamboos. 



On ist June, the voyage was resumed, and the vessels passed 

 STEPHENS' and DALRYMPLE ISLANDS, and made for the south end 

 of the WARRIOR REEF. " On the right," says the Admiral, " was 

 the Grand Reef, off which is the little WARRIOR ISLAND, called 

 TOUD l by the natives. I wished to anchor behind this little 

 island and establish our second stage. I kept close to the reef on 

 the starboard side, confident that it was completely charted. The 

 blacks of Toud Island ran out on the reefs to watch us." The 

 Surgeon puts it more elegantly : " We entered a calm channel, 

 bordered with islets which looked like oases on the surface of the blue 

 sea. There were shady dwellings beneath clumps of vegetation 

 and coco-nut groves. The natives ran out on the reefs to see us 

 pass and invited us to approach. We sailed confidently, being 

 provided with the carefully constructed charts of the scientific 

 King. . . . But here are two passages, one wide, free and open, 

 and the other narrow, tortuous and bristling with reefs. The 

 " Astrolabe " takes this one. There are shoals ahead. . . ." 



Both vessels GROUNDED in the narrow channel, on which the 

 name of CANAL MAUVAIS was appropriately bestowed. They were, 

 in fact, on the wrong side of Warrior Island. The channel on the 

 south side, which Moresby named BASILISK PASS in 1871, had 

 already been used by BLIGH (" Providence " and " Assistant ") in 

 1792 and by BAMPTON and ALT (" Hormuzeer " and " Chesterfield ") 

 in 1793. 



The ships, which had, unfortunately, grounded at high water, 

 were very seriously it seemed for a time hopelessly in danger, 

 and there was something maddening in the thought that the brave 

 ships which had triumphantly come through the storms of the 

 southern seas were cast away on a mud-bank in good daylight and 

 fine weather, while the crews would have to make their way in 

 boats to Timor. But by dint of superhuman exertions the ships 

 were at last floated, the " Zelee " on the 2nd and the " Astrolabe " 

 on the 4th June. Naturally, they had sustained considerable 

 damage ; and, while the necessary repairs were being effected, the 

 way out of the passage was carefully surveyed and sounded. 



The NATIVES of the island were considered to be of New Guinea 

 origin, as by their hair, their habits, and especially their custom of 

 tattooing, they recalled the Papuans. They were entirely distinct 

 from the Australian aborigines, and much more industrious and 

 enterprising. They possessed about thirty very fine carved canoes 

 or dugouts, and fishing was their daily avocation. Near the south 

 end of the island were about a dozen huts. As there was no fresh 



1 TUTTE in modern charts. 



