COLOUR OF THE SEA. 217 



us, and, as the wind was light, we anchored. 

 About half an hour after the ebb tide began to 

 run, we observed a strong ripple advancing towards 

 us from the shore at a great rate, with a curved 

 but well defined outline or edge. It was formed 

 by a strong current of very muddy water, appa- 

 rently river water, running out over the green 

 water of the sea. On approaching the coast of 

 New Guinea, the. sea quite loses the deep and 

 transparent blue it preserves among the islands and 

 coral reefs of the Great Barrier, and acquires a 

 dirty green colour, like that of the sea in the English 

 Channel. This river water, however, was of a 

 brown mud colour. 



May 4. — The wind freshened a little to-day, and 

 on standing to the northward, we came in sight of 

 two low mangrove points, projecting from the coast, 

 and apparently forming islands. Outside these we 

 saw the boats under sail, and also the Prince George, 

 all standing towards the north. The water was as 

 shoal as usual. 



May 5. — It began to blow more freshly, and in 

 standing N.E. we got on to a bank of three fathoms, 

 and were obliged to tack and beat to windward, in 

 order to weather it. Squalls of wind and rain, with 

 dirty weather, came up in the afternoon, and as 

 these shoals were dead to leeward of us, it was 

 thought prudent to beat up to gain something of an 

 offing, and we anchored at night in seven fathoms, 

 with a short, nasty sea breaking round us. 



