UNABLE TO FIND ANCHOEAGE. 249 



the smooth and moderately deep water inside, but it 

 was not judged safe for us to follow, so the pinnace 

 was hoisted in-board, and the ship kept under 

 weigh all night. 



Aiig. 6th. — We passed out to sea to the southward 

 by a wide and clear channel between the Duperre 

 and Jomard Islands. The former are five in num- 

 ber, all uninhabited, small, low, and thickly covered 

 with trees. They extend over a space of about six 

 miles on the northern margin of a large atoll or 

 annular reef extending eleven miles in one dii'ection 

 and seven in another, with several openings leading 

 into the interior, which forms a navigable basin 

 afterwards called Bramble Haven. Inside the 

 greatest depth found was tAventy fathoms, with 

 numerous small coral patches shewing themselves so 

 clearly as easily to be avoided, — outside, the water 

 suddenly deepens to no bottom with one hundred 

 fathoms of line, at the distance of a mile from its 

 edge. 



For several days we continued making traverses 

 off and on the line of barrier reefs extending to the 

 westward, obtaining negative soundings, and occa- 

 sionally communicating by signal with the Bramble, 

 which was meanwhile doing the in-shore part of the 

 work. The next islet seen was He Lejeune of D'Ur- 

 ville, situated in lat. 10° 11' S. and long. 151° 50' E., 

 eight miles to the westward of the nearest of the 

 Duperre group, with a wide intervening passage. 

 The sea face of the barrier now becomes continuous 



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