ARRIVE AT THE LOUISIADE ARCHIPELAGO. 181 



Moreton Bay for the Louisiade on May 26th. 

 Next day it beg- an to blow fresh, commencing- at 

 south-east and coming- up to east, and on the 28th 

 the wind had increased to a heavy gale from E.S.E. 

 to E. On the following- morning the gale broke, 

 the wind having suddenly fallen and shifted round 

 from E. to N.E. and N.W. by W. until it became 

 variable, and at night died away altogether. On 

 June 3rd we picked up the south-east trade-wind in 

 lat. 20" 8' S. ; and next day and those following 

 until we made the land, having left the beaten track 

 from Sydney to the outer passages leading to Torres 

 Strait,* we hauled on a wind at night so as to avoid 

 going over unexplored ground. No reefs, however, 

 were seen between Moreton Bay and the Louisiade. 

 On June 10th (our noon position of that 

 day being lat. 11° 38' S. and long. 154° 17' E.), at 

 daylight, high land was seen extending from N. to 

 N.W., distant about twenty-five miles. It proved 

 to be the largest He du Sud Est of D'Urville's chart, 

 and Rossel Island, the latter forming the eastern 

 termination of the Louisiade Archipelago. Next 

 day we fell in with the Bramble in the neighbourhood 

 of Cape Deliverance of the English chart (by Laurie), 

 her rendezvous in case of separation ; we had 

 parted company during the late gale, in which she 

 lost her jib-boom and stern-boat. The whole of 



* See a very useful chart of the Coral Sea, constructed by Mr. 

 J. 0. Evans, formerly master of H.M.S. Fly. 



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