88 AMBOLON. [1846. 



would recommend a vessel to call for supplies; there 

 they can be obtained cheap, and good humour seems to 

 animate all classes. 



The country in the neighbourhood of our survey was 

 particularly mountainous, but the coast-line for a great 

 distance inland on Mindoro, traversed by estuaries form- 

 ing an extensive swampy Mangrove Archipelago. Not so 

 the Island of Ylin, it was accessible on ah 1 sides, and some 

 of its southern cliffs rose abruptly to the height of 200 

 feet. The island is well wooded, but excepting on the N.W. 

 near the village, but very little cleared land. Another por- 

 tion, in a deep bay opposite to the ship, appeared to be 

 undergoing the same process of clearing, and near this spot 

 another of our boats was treated with a flight of arrows, 

 probably at the same time that they paid me the compli- 

 ment. Ambolon is uninhabited and uncultivated. It is 

 almost, if not quite, divided by a swampy lagoon, forming 

 a small harbour on the west. The rocks throughout these 

 parts are of slaty mica schist, excepting the south point of 

 Ylin, which is a compact coralline limestone with caves con- 

 taining stalactites, &c. We found all the channels between 

 the islands navigable, but requiring caution. The dangers 

 reported westerly of Ambolon were not discovered ; none 

 exist westward of a north and south line grazing that island, 

 within half a mile, but several within it are now placed on 

 the Charts. The general scenery is pleasing, some of the 

 sequestered bays delightful, and our cruize of six days in 

 the boats formed quite a pleasurable excursion. Deter- 

 mined to prove the security of the channels, the ' Sanaa- 

 rang ' was taken through the Ylin Strait, and anchored off 

 the village of Ylin, where we contrived to take on board 



