HISTORY OF THE ATOLL FROM 1871 37 



In 1878 the islands underwent a political change, which, 

 like the annexation of 1857, made but little difference to 

 the internal affairs of the settlement. In November 1878 a 

 proclamation was issued to the effect that the Cocos-Keeling 

 islands were annexed for the purposes of administration to the 

 Government of Ceylon, " to prevent any foreign Power step- 

 ping in and taking possession of them for the purposes of 

 settlement or for a coaling station." 



This change was the outcome, so it is said, of a report that 

 Kussian agents had been examining the atoll and its neigh- 

 bourhood. Letters patent were granted to George Clunies- 

 Ross, and until the visit of H.M.S. Zefliyr, eight years after- 

 wards, the Government of Ceylon remained as the immediate 

 appeal for the settlers. 



In August 1885, H.M.S. Espoir arrived at the islands, 

 and Mr. E. W. Birch went ashore to make a thorough 

 examination of the colony on behalf of the Government of the 

 Straits Settlements. The outcome of this visit is a very 

 interesting record of the condition of the settlement at the 

 time, but Mr. Birch did not meet George Ross, for at that 

 time he was absent from the islands on the first visit he had 

 made to Europe since his arrival in the colony. 



This first journey home was one of the most remarkable 

 achievements of Ross Tertius, and was a piece of hardy enter- 

 prise, the full reality of which it is very hard to picture. 

 When to-day we make ocean journeys in powerful, punctual 

 steamers, it is diflficult to realise the daring of George Ross, 

 who built his own ship, and sailed her half round the globe, 

 that he might take his children home to be educated. 



Daring the life of his father the vessel had been laid 

 down, and her design was the outcome of a great amount 

 of thought and careful attention to detail, but the rate of 

 her building was of necessity slow. She was a schooner of 

 one hundred and seventy-eight tons, built in thorough Cocos 

 fashion, with every minute detail laboured over until there 

 Avas no part of her that was not perfect. The building of 

 boats in Cocos is an object-lesson in these days of hurried 



