PIPER ISLES. 117 



islets, situated on two reefs separated by a deep 

 channel. The larg'er of the two on the south-eastern 

 reef, off which the ship lay, is about half a mile in 

 circumference. The trees are chiefly a kind of 

 JSrythrina, conspicuous from its light coloured trunk 

 and leafless branches; one of the most abundant 

 plants is a Capparis, with long* drooping branches, 

 occasionally assisted by a Cissus and a Melotria, in 

 forming small shady harbours. In the evening, 

 vast numbers of white pigeons came over from the 

 mainland to roost, and of course, all the fowling- 

 pieces were put in requisition. Some deep pits 

 dug in the centre of the island were perfectly dry, 

 and are probably so during the latter half of the 

 dry season, or after the month of July. On this 

 island we observed the remains of a small establish- 

 ment for curing trepang— a large sea slug found on 

 the reefs and in shoal water, constituting a valuable 

 article of commerce in the China market, where in a 

 dried state it fetches, according to quality, from £5 

 to £200 a ton. This establishment had been put 

 up by the crew of a small vessel from Sydney, and 

 several such have at various times made voyages 

 along this coast and in Torres Strait, collecting 

 trepang and tortoiseshell, the latter procured from 

 the natives by barter. 



Sept. 28th.— On our way to the northward to- 

 day, we passed Young Island, of King, which had 

 been previously examined in one of our boats, and 

 found to be merely a reef covered at high water. 



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