swain's reefs. 321 



till they attain a width of about ninety miles. These 

 are called Swain's* Reefs. The outside or eastern 

 edge of them was traced to lat. 21°, where, from 

 running due north and south, it seems to trend more 

 to the north-west. The bank of soundings is still 

 continued outside these reefs, as far as 21° 53\ in 

 which latitude a line of soundings w 7 as run off them 

 out to seaward, the depths being 34, 54, 65, 76, 

 and 83 fathoms, which latter cast was obtained at a 

 distance of fifteen miles to the eastward of the reefs. 

 For fifty miles further north, soundings in 40 and 

 50 fathoms were obtained two or three miles out- 

 side the reef; but then the depths became much 

 greater, and the bank of soundings seems not to 

 extend outside the reefs at all. In lat. 21° 5' no 

 bottom was found with 80 fathoms inside a small 

 projecting reef, and outside it no bottom with 50, 

 120, and 200 : the latter cast was made five miles 

 from the reefs. 



At this point our examination of the southern 

 part of the Great Barrier terminated, and so far it 

 can hardly be said that any true barrier exists. 

 There is merely a bank of soundings running to a 

 greater or less distance off shore, with large masses 

 of coral reef settled upon it, and within its outer 

 boundary — almost equally large clear spaces inter- 

 vening between the different groups of reefs. In 



* Because first traversed by Mr. Swain, in the brig Eliza, 

 1798. 



VOL. I. Y 



