EXPLORATION OF PEEL ISLAND. 69 



ward, whence the stream came down a long ravine between two peaks. The natives informed 

 us that the sea was about half a mile distant, from which I should judge the entire length of 

 the valley to he a mile and a quarter, with a" breadth of a quarter of a mile at its base, expand- 

 ing at its junction with its northern branch, and then gradually diminishing until it loses itself 

 in the ravine. Its bed, therefore, comprises from 120 to 140 acres of the richest vegetable 

 mould. All the vegetables planted by the settlers were unequalled of their kind, although no 

 labor had been expended on their cultivation, beyond the mere planting. I saw several lemons 

 in the Judge's hut, which he informed me were produced in the valley. The tobacco was five 

 feet in height, and had the same pale-green, velvety leaves, which characterizes the famous to- 

 bacco of Latakich. The stream of water is sweet and pure, and the supply is constant in all 

 seasons. 



We proceeded in an E.S.E. direction into the ravine, which we ascended, following the 

 watercourse. Large rounded masses of trap rock lay in its bed; and still farther we came upon 

 nearly perpendicular cliffs of greenstone, from ten to thirty feet in height. This was the only 

 place where I found the terraced form of the trap rock observed by Dr. Fahs on the northern 

 side of Port Lloyd. In some places, beds of a coarse conglomerate, which had frequently an 

 appearance of sandstone, rested upon the trap. But this evidently belonged to the same forma- 

 tion, since the only rock I found on the island was trap, running into greenstone occasionally, 

 and taking a basaltic character in the vicinity of the sea, as in the caverns of the Southern 

 Head, at the entrance of Port Lloyd. 



The forest was very dense, and, from the moist, unctuous nature of the soil, our progress was 

 exceedingly toilsome. The Otaheitan informed us we were in the neighborhood of wild boars, 

 and we crept forward in silence. Two of the party, who were in the rear, started a boar, and 

 shot at him, but unsuccessfully. After leaving the watercourse, we climbed the southern side 

 of the ravine, by clinging to the roots of trees and the tough cordage of parasitic vines. 



The party became scattered, owing to the absence of any path, and the impossibility of seeing 

 more than ten yards in advance. Among the palms, I noticed here the latina, with the broad 

 fan-leaves and leaf-stems, six to eight feet in length, the jagged edges of which wounded our 

 hands. There was also a variety of the pandanus, with a single straight trunk, from near 

 the base of which projected a number of shoots or props, which became roots after they reached 

 the soil. There were frequently upwards of twenty or thirty of them, forming a conical basis 

 to the slender column, which rose about fifteen feet in height, crowned with its leafy capital. 

 We found several plants of a species of morus, or mulberry, with fruit six inches in length. 

 The tree-ferns were of remarkable size and beauty. Some were upwards of fifteen feet high, 

 with leaves eight to ten feet in length. In fact, the entire vegetation of the island is of a 

 thoroughly tropical character, embracing many plants which are generally found in the neigh- 

 borhood of the equator. Its dissimilarity in this respect to that of Lew Chew, which is one 

 degree further south, must be owing to the fact of its being within the range of the north 

 Pacific trade-winds, and without the influence of the cold currents and winds which sweep the 

 coast of China. 



While halting on the top of a ridge, the dogs commenced barking in a ravine on the other 

 side. Two of the party, following the sound, succeeded in shooting a boar, about a year old, 

 and of a dark brownish-grey color, with a long snout, resembling a Chinese hog. One of the 

 party, overcome by the laborious nature of the journey, was taken sick at this juncture ; but, 

 as the Otaheitan stated that we were but two miles from the southern extremity of the island, 



