182 FIND ACCESS PREVENTED BY A REEF. 



June 12th was spent in worMng- to windward to 

 weather the eastern end of Rossel Island, — Cape 

 Deliverance of Bougainville, — ^the barrier reef to the 

 southward of the two large islands in sight pre- 

 venting us from closely approaching the land from 

 that quarter. 



June IQth. — Having gained a good offing, we 

 bore up at daylight, and stood in for Eossel Island 

 with the Bramble a-head. We passed at a distance 

 AdMe Island (so named after Coutance's ship), low 

 and woody, situated at the eastern extreme of the 

 barrier reef surrounding Bossel Island, at a variable 

 distance from the land. The southern portion of 

 this great coral reef here makes a sharp turn round 

 the islet, and runs back ten miles to connect it with 

 Rossel Island, where it loses the character of a 

 barrier, becomes narrow and fringing and almost 

 disappears for a time. Passing Cape Deliverance* 

 and getting into smooth water on the northern side 

 of Rossel Island, we ran along it at a distance from 

 the shore of about two miles and a half. 



Rossel Island (named after one of D'Entre- 

 cast«aux' officers) is 22 miles in length from east to 

 west, and 10^ in greatest width ; it is high and 



* As the longitude of Cape Deliverance varies considerably in 

 different charts, its determination by the three best authorities 

 may here be given : — 



D'Bntrecasteaux places it in long. 154« 26' E. of Greenwich. 



D'Urville . 154" 26' do. 



Owen Stanley . 154° 20' do. 



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