186 WHITE— A Sketch of the Life of Samuel White. 



wooded gullies, pine-clad bills, clothed with Araucaria cuwung- 

 liamii to the top, and others little sandy beaches, with small 

 flats at the back, over which are scattered beautiful green 

 ornamental trees, like a park. Others again were thickly 

 clothed with jungle and palms. The landing place at Whit- 

 sunday Island was very picturesque. After running through 

 a narrow passage between two islands for about two or three 

 miles a sandy beach was seen, and Samuel White gave orders 

 to bring the yacht up, and the anchor was dropped in four 

 fathoms of water, smooth *as a lagoon, over a bottom of soft 

 ooze. A landing was made upon a small patch of sandy 

 beach, near a rocky gorge, up which Samuel White and his 

 collectors scrambled for about a mile. On either hand stood 

 points of land or elevated knolls, thickly covered in pines 

 {Araucaria), with here and there a slope of golden-green grass, 

 which, from the ship, looked most charming, but on reaching 

 it we found it to be steep and stony, the grass, although green, 

 long and coarse. The place was very bare of bird life, all 

 that were seen were fruit pigeons, pittas, colluricincula, 

 rJiipidura, campephaga, and serioornis. Next morning at day- 

 light this most energetic ornithologist landed again with his 

 collectors, and in his notes he says : "This morning at daylight 

 three of us landed with guns, and proceeded up the stony 

 gorge to the top of the island, but saw little in bird life. One 

 of my collectors procured a fine White Gosshawk, and two 

 other small birds were taken. I found two species of Helix, 

 one about the size of a large marble, marked with light and 

 dark rings, and a small one, which I found attached to the 

 under surface of leaves. We were on board and under weigh 

 again before noon, and the birds collected were preserved. 

 With a strong breeze Port Benison was passed at 2 p.m. We 

 are fairly in the trades now; the weather is not cloudy, but 

 hazy." The yacht was kept under weigh all night, owing to 

 the coast being fairly clear of islands. At eight o'clock 

 Cape Bowling Green was passed, and at four in the morning 

 Cleveland Light; at 2 p.m. the south end of Hinchinbrook 

 Island was abeam. In Samuel White's notes under June 4th 

 he says: "I expect to be at the Barnard Islands early to-mor- 

 row; the run yesterday was 157 miles. It is rather remark- 

 able we passed through the Whitsunday Passages on the 111th 

 anniversary of Cook's discovery, he having passed through it 

 on the .3rd of June, 1769. Navigation is much simplified 

 since Cook's time; there are now soundings in every direction, 



