COMORO ISLANDS. 351 



more ignoble offices. Comoro is the largest island : the 

 body of it is in lat. 11° 32' south, long, about 43° 25' east. 

 It is high water at 4h. 45m., and the tide rises twelve feet on 

 the springs. The anchorage is on its north-west part, but 

 is deep, dangerous, and unfrequented. The land is gen- 

 erally steep-to, having no soundings at a small distance 

 from the shore, except to the north-west. Mohilla, the 

 smallest of these islands, lies in lat. 12° 20' south, long. 

 43° 50' east ; it is ten leagues west-south-west of Johanna, 

 and twelve leagues south-east-and-by-south from Comoro. 

 In the ship Sibbald a rocky islet was seen, which appeared 

 to lie seven or eight miles nearly east from the body of Mo- 

 hilla, and may be dangerous to ships passing in the night. 

 Mayotta is the easternmost of this group, being about 

 twelve leagues east-south-east half south of Johanna. On 

 its south end stands a high conical mountain called Valen- 

 tine's Peak, by mean of many observations in lat. 12° 54' 

 south, long. 45° 14' east. 'The island is surrounded by 

 reefs, and ought not to be approached nearer than five miles. 

 In 1798 the variation at Mayotta was 17° 36' west ; and 

 at these islands the variation has not materially changed for 

 fifty years. A reef with breakers is thought to lie about 

 four leagues off shore to the eastward of Mayotta. 



Johanna is higher than Mohilla or Mayotta, but not so 

 high as Comoro ; it has a peak, sometimes mistaken for 

 Valentine's Peak, which has the appearance of an oblong 

 mountain, and is in lat. 12° 15' south, long. 44° 34' east. 

 The anchorage is in lat. 12° 7' south, long. 44° 30' east, 

 three or four miles to the west of the tovsm, abreast a range 

 of cocoanut-trees, and having a large black rock to the 

 eastward, between the trees and the town. Off the rock 

 soundings may be obtained in passing. The south-west 

 and north-west points of the bay are bounded by reefs pro- 

 jecting two miles from the shore. To anchor at Johanna, 

 steer direct for its north-west point, where is situated a 

 small island called Saddle Island, to which a berth of a 

 mile and a half must be given in passing, as the reef which 

 connects it with Johanna projects a considerable distance 

 round it. When past Saddle Island haul in for the anchor- 

 age, and borrow to the shore with hand and deep-sea lead 

 going. Cantain Owen's latitudes and longitudes differ so 



