372 SOLITARY ISLAND. 



Eleven miles from Red Hill, a detached rocky ledge 

 extended two miles from the shore, and at the end 

 of twenty, commenced a line of low red sandstone 

 cliffs five miles in extent. Here we, for the first 

 time, saw native fires ; and the country was evidently 

 higher. 



Oct. 15. — In the evening the ship was anchored 

 five miles from a small island, bearing S.S.E., 

 which we found to be in latitude 19° 55' S., long. l^O"" 

 55' E. ; and which, from its lonely situation, was 

 named Solitary Island. Six and nine miles N. by E. 

 from it we had crossed several lines of ripplings 

 and shoal patches of 4 and 5 fathoms. On visit- 

 ing it next morning (16th), it was found to be of 

 red sandstone formation, thirty feet high, and devoid 

 of vegetation. Although lying a mile from the 

 shore it is connected at low water by a flat of sand. 

 From its summit the view of the interior presented 

 a slight change. At the distance of six miles there 

 was a bank or rise in the country having rather a 

 fertile aspect, above a hundred feet high, trending 

 S. W. with dense woodland intervening-. 



On the same afternoon the ship was moved four- 

 teen miles further on. The many patches of rip- 

 plings we now saw in every direction westward, 

 assured us that the Amphinome Shoals were close 

 at hand ; on patches one and two miles west and 

 south of the ship there was only six and nine feet. 



Oct. 17. — In the morning another party visited the 

 shore, landing under a low sand hill, sixty feet high, 



