PAUMOTU GROUP. oon 
OiO 
observation, and also the force and direction of the current The 
ST" V^ Wat6r ^ 0ne ' h ™ dre ° fathoms was 75°, whils 
S u- s was 77 °' We were in longitude 125 ° w - latitude 
« Je he , "f f f '!? 8tl i 9th ' 10th ' and 1Uh ' the mete °™ lowers 
were looked for, the officers and naturalists keepino- watch each 
quarter of the heavens being under vision at the sametime On £ 
8 h upwards of one hundred shooting stars were seen, but the nights 
of the 9 h 10th, and 11th, were cloudy. On the former we had 
much lightning, thunder, and rain, with squalls from the southwest 
On the 12th Corporal Alexander Ogle of the marines, died of 
inflammation of the brain. He was a valuable man, and had been 
promoted for his good conduct. He had the confidence of his officers 
and the esteem of his corps. In the afternoon all hands were called 
to bury the dead, and his body was committed to the deep, the usual 
ceremonies being performed by the chaplain, and the vessels of the 
squadron having their colours at half-mast. 
On the 13th of August, at 5 o'clock, p. „., we made Clermont de 
Tonnerre or Minerva Island, and by careful observations the next 
day, found its southeast point to be in longitude 136° 21' 12" W lati 
tude 18° 32' 49" S. Clermont de Tonnerre being the first low'coral 
island we had met, naturally excited a great deal of interest We had 
Pictured them to ourselves as being a kind of fairy-land, and it there- 
fore was looked for with anxiety. At first sight, it appeared much 
like a fleet of vessels at anchor, nothing but the trees being seen in the 
distance, and as the ship rises and sinks with the swell of the ocean 
they are alternately seen and lost sight of. On a nearer approach! 
the whole white beach was distinctly seen, constituting a narrow belt 
of land, of a light clay colour, rising up out of the deep ocean, the surf 
breaking on its coral reefs, surrounding a lagoon of a beautiful blue 
.t»a-as 
tint, and perfectly smooth. This island was twelve feet above the 
level of the sea, and six hundred feet wide to its lagoon, and is com- 
