EOSSEL ISLAND. 183 



mountainous, and tliickly wooded, with occasional 

 large, clear, g-rassy patches. Towards the western 

 end the hills become lower and more detached, but 

 present the same features. The mountain ridges, 

 one of which, but not the highest elevation (which 

 was obscured by clouds), is 2522 feet in height — 

 form sharp narrow crests and occasional peaks, but 

 the outline is smooth and the rock nowhere exposed, 

 even the steepest ridges being covered with vegeta- 

 tion. Some of the trees appeared to be of great 

 dimensions, others were taU and straight, branching 

 only near the top, and many, probably Melaleuca 

 leucodendrum — were conspicuous from the whiteness 

 of their trunks. Large groves of cocoa-palms 

 scattered about from the water's edge to half way 

 up the hills, formed a pleasing break in the sombre 

 green of the forest scenery. The shores are either 

 bordered with mangroves with an occasional sandy 

 beach, or clothed with the usual jungle of the 

 island. 



As we advanced to the westward the reef 

 gradually extended out from the island with a short 

 space inside, and this appearance continued for 

 several miles, until, upon the land trending away to 

 the south-west, the line of reef left it and ran out 

 to the westward as far as the eye could reach, in an 

 apparently unbroken line of surf. This is Rossel 

 Reef of the charts along which we ran for* 35 



* It extends 17 miles beyond the westernmost point of 

 Rossel Island. 



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