320 THE VOYAGE OF H.M.S. CHALLENGER. 



vessel, the " Catherine," Captain Henry Fanning, landed a gang of sealers on Possession 

 Island, since which time the group has been constantly visited at intervals by these 

 adventurous navigators. In 1820 a cutter called the " Princess of Wales " was wrecked 

 on Possession Island whilst engaged in the seal fishing, and from one of her crew named 

 Charles Goodridge an interesting account of their two years' residence was obtained and 

 published in 1833. 1 Previously to 1820, hogs were landed on the island which now 

 bears that name, but by whom or how is doubtful, and Goodridge relates that large numbers 

 of them were seen in that year. In 1838 the islands were visited by Captain Cecille of 

 the French sloop " Heroine," which vessel had been despatched to assist and report on 

 the French deep-sea fisheries. Captain Cecille anchored in Navire Cove, which he 

 surveyed, and he also fixed the position and made a running survey of all the islands. 

 Captain Cecille found on Possession Island the crews of two American vessels, which had 

 been lost, and a French ship, the " Bordelais," in Navire Bay. 



In 1840 the group was visited by Sir James Eoss in the " Erebus," who found a sealing 

 party of eleven men on Possession Island, one of whom had been there three years. 



Since the visit of the Challenger the Apostles Islands have been the scene of a terrible 

 calamity, the wreck of the " Strathmore," in July 1875, which has resulted in the group 

 being visited by H.M.S. " Wolverene " on her passage to Australia. From the several 

 descriptions published from time to time, and from information received from the whalers 

 and sealers at Kerguelen, the following account of the islands has been drawn up : — 



The Crozet Islands are situated between the parallels of 46° 0' and 46° 35' S. lati- 

 tude, and the meridians of 50° 20' and 52° 20' E. longitude, and they may be said to 

 consist of two groups, an eastern and western. The western group consists of four 

 islands, lying in a north and south direction from each other— the two Apostles, Hog, 

 and Penguin or Inaccessible Island, and the Heroine Breakers ; the eastern group con- 

 sists of Possession and East or Aride Islands, with a few outlying rocks in no case 

 exceeding a distance of 3 miles from the shore. Hog Island is round-backed, the 

 summit rising to an elevation of certainly 2000 feet above the level of the sea ; 

 the north point is a perpendicular cliff some 200 feet in height, the south point 

 being low, with several detached rocks close off it. Against its western shore 

 the constant westerly swell breaks violently, rendering landing impossible on that 

 side ; on the leeward or eastern side it is occasionally accessible, but even here 

 it is frequently very dangerous, as the rollers often come round both ends, and 

 even the experienced crews of whaling boats are sometimes swamped and drowned.- 

 There were no pigs in 1873, but the whole place was overrun with rabbits. 

 The Apostles Islands do not exceed 500 feet in height ; they are only separated 

 by a narrow chasm, and have the appearance of being a number of islands from seaward 

 owing to their rising in detached boulder-like peaks, twelve in number, hence their 



1 Narrative of a Voyage to the South Seas, &c, by C. M. Goodridge. London, Hamilton & Adams, 1833. 



