1897.] THE FTJR- SEAL ISLANDS. I'Jl 



A few hours were spent at Honolulu, in the Sandwich Islands, 

 on the 17th of June, and Yokohama was finally reached on the 

 night of the 29th of the same month. 



On arrival at Yokohama Mr. Barrett -Hamilton found H.M.S. 

 ' Edgar ' ready to convey him to Hakodate in the northern 

 island of Hokkaido, so that only a few hours were spent in 

 Yokohama and Tokio, as the ' Edgar ' sailed on July 1st. 

 Hakodate was reached on the 3rd, and H.M.S. ' Spartan ' was 

 found there under orders to convey the speaker to Robben Island 

 and the Commander Islands : various causes, however, delayed the 

 start until the 8th of July. 



On the way up from Yokohama to Hakodate, while following 

 the eastern coast of the island of Nippon, on the 2nd of July, the 

 effects of the terrible seismatic wave of the 15th of June were 

 very plainly visible, not only by the quantity of wreckage, dead 

 animals, and even corpses passed at sea, but also by a distinct mark 

 on the shore. The coast was here very much indented and highly 

 suited to assist the action of such a catastrophe. 



Hakodate was left on the 8th of July, en route for Eobbeu 

 Island, and the coast of Hokkaido followed on that day and the 

 9th, many sea-birds being seen and occasionally a whale. On 

 the 10th the ' Spartan ' passed through the Straits of La Perouse, 

 and late in the day made Cape Siretoko, a magnificent head which 

 formed the eastern termination of Animaraa Bay and the south- 

 eastern extremity of the island of Saghalien. Thence the ' Spartan ' 

 made for Eobbeu Island, which was reached early on the morning 

 of July the lith. 



Eobben Island was a very small rock with a sandy beach all round 

 it. It lay under Cape Patience in the island of Saghalien. It was 

 a most inaccessible island, and there were no means of landing on 

 it in bad weather, so that the ' Spartan ' was very lucky to find 

 a fine and clear morning there on the 11 th. 



There was a small Eookery of the Fur-Seals on Eobben Island, 

 which belonged to the Eussian Government, and photographs of 

 this as well as of the Eookery were taken. The season was 

 evidently not long begun, and the young Seal-pups were still very 

 small. 



The ' Spartan ' sailed from Eobben Island on the same day, and 

 steered her course across the foggy Sea of Okhotsk for Amphi- 

 trite Straits in the Kurile Islands, which were passed through in 

 dense fog on the 13th. On the morning of the 14th she passed 

 up the coast of Kamtchatka from Cape Lopatka to Petropaulowsk, 

 and the weather being now clear a splendid view of the beautiful 

 volcano and mountains of the peninsula was obtained. [Mr. 

 Barrett-Hamilton exhibited some photographs to show the moun- 

 tains and the character of the coast.] 



The ' Spartan ' remained three days at Petropaulowsk and in 

 Tareinski Harbour, as some fresh meat was needed. Salmon 

 and trout were exceedingly abundant in the harbour, the former 

 comprising several species of the genus Oncliorhynclius, and the 

 latter being a species of Salvelinus. The fishes of these seas were 



