284 LEAVE THE BRUMER ISLANDS. 



thers of a cassowary, a scarlet lory, and a few other 

 birds. No fish were caug-ht at the anchorage, pro- 

 bably on account of the nature of the bottom — a 

 tenacious, greenish, muddy clay — and the strength 

 of the current which prevented our lines from resting' 

 on the bottom. Observations made ^ith the lead 

 alongside at the time of high and low water indicated 

 by the shore shewed in thu'teen days' obsei'vations 

 a rise and fall of only from two to six feet. Neither 

 during the ebb nor the flood tide was there any 

 appreciable difference in the du'ection of the current 

 at our anchorage which set constantly to the west- 

 ward between West and W. S. W., at the rate of 

 from one to one-and-a-half knots an hour. This cur- 

 rent may reasonably be conjectured to come from the 

 northward and sweep round the S. E. cape of New 

 Guinea (distant from this anchorag-e about fifty 

 miles), thus making it appeal- probable that a clear 

 passage exists between the S. E. extreme of New 

 Gruinea and the western termination of the Lo\iisiade 

 Archipelago : indeed so far as lieut. Yule's obser- 

 vations were carried in this direction no reefs were 

 seen to impede his progress to the north-east. 



Sept. 4:th. — Five days ago we sailed from the 

 Brumer Islands, and continued running lines of 

 soundings off and on the coast, the in-shore details 

 being left as usual to the Bramble. On one occa- 

 sion, while within a few miles of the shore, the water 

 suddenly shoaled to twelve, ten, and six fathoms, 

 rock or coral, although half an horn* before no 



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