GENERAL OBSERVATIONS. 165 



After running thirty-two miles without seeing any 

 indication of further dangers, of which, moreover, 

 the long ocean swell rolling in convinced us, we 

 steered to the northward. 



It may be proper to conclude our account of Hout- 

 man's Abrolhos with a few general remarks. They 

 form three groups instead of one, as was formerly sup- 

 posed ; Pelsart Group being separated from Easter 

 Group by a channel, the least width of which is four 

 miles, whilst the middle passage between the latter 

 and the Northern Group is six miles wide. The Abrol- 

 hos extend in a N. N. W. direction forty-eight miles, 

 diminishing in breadth towards the north ; the 

 greatest width of Easter and Pelsart Groups being 

 twelve miles -in a W. S. W. direction. In Easter 

 Group the outer reefs are most distant from the 

 islands, being there four miles from the nearest, which 

 is Rat Island. In the Northern Group the islands are 

 more detached than in the others, and North Island 

 is separated from them by a distance of ten miles. 



We have already alluded to the regularity and 

 sameness in the soundings in these groups, and be- 

 tween them and the main, clearly shewing that they 

 are not connected with each other, but rest on the 

 outer extremity of a level or bank, stretching out 

 from the main, and having a slight southerly in- 

 clination, the depth (29 fathoms) between the south- 

 ern group and the coast being greater by four fa- 

 thoms than between the coast and the northern 

 group. On either side of the Abrolhos, at the same 



