﻿1875.] 
  

  

  Cruise 
  of 
  H.M.S. 
  'Challenger/ 
  

  

  247 
  

  

  with 
  clubs, 
  spears, 
  and 
  bows 
  with 
  sheaves 
  of 
  poisoned 
  arrows) 
  were 
  

   sufficiently 
  friendly, 
  nearly 
  all 
  the 
  officers 
  landed 
  and 
  spent 
  a 
  few 
  hours 
  

   rambling 
  about 
  the 
  shore. 
  It 
  was 
  not 
  thought 
  prudent 
  to 
  go 
  far 
  into 
  

   the 
  forest, 
  which 
  was 
  very 
  dense 
  and 
  luxuriant 
  and 
  came 
  close 
  down 
  to 
  

   the 
  beach. 
  

  

  The 
  natives 
  were 
  almost 
  entirely 
  naked, 
  and 
  certainly 
  bore 
  a 
  very 
  

   savage 
  and 
  forbidding 
  aspect. 
  One 
  of 
  them 
  was 
  manifestly 
  greatly 
  

   superior 
  to 
  the 
  others, 
  and 
  appeared 
  to 
  exercise 
  a 
  considerable 
  influence 
  

   over 
  them. 
  He 
  wore 
  trowsers 
  and 
  a 
  shirt 
  and 
  a 
  felt 
  hat, 
  and 
  could 
  

   speak 
  English 
  fairly. 
  He 
  recognized 
  me, 
  at 
  once, 
  as 
  having 
  seen 
  me 
  at 
  

   the 
  sugar-plantation 
  in 
  Queensland, 
  where 
  he 
  had 
  been 
  for 
  the 
  usual 
  

   three-years' 
  engagement, 
  and 
  showed 
  me, 
  with 
  great 
  pride, 
  a 
  note 
  from 
  

   his 
  former 
  employer, 
  saying 
  that 
  the 
  bearer 
  was 
  anxious 
  to 
  return 
  to 
  his 
  

   service, 
  and 
  that 
  he 
  would 
  willingly 
  pay 
  his 
  passage-money 
  and 
  all 
  

   expenses, 
  in 
  case 
  of 
  his 
  being 
  given 
  a 
  passage 
  to 
  Brisbane. 
  I 
  had 
  been 
  

   paying 
  some 
  attention 
  to 
  the 
  South-Sea 
  labour 
  question, 
  and 
  had 
  formed 
  

   a 
  very 
  strong 
  opinion 
  of 
  the 
  value 
  to 
  the 
  inhabitants 
  of 
  these 
  islands 
  of 
  

   the 
  opportunity 
  given 
  them, 
  by 
  this 
  demand 
  for 
  labour, 
  of 
  testing 
  their 
  

   capacity 
  to 
  enter 
  into 
  and 
  mix 
  with 
  the 
  general 
  current 
  of 
  working 
  men, 
  

   and 
  thereby 
  possibly 
  avoid 
  extermination 
  ; 
  and 
  I 
  was 
  greatly 
  pleased 
  to 
  

   see 
  the 
  result 
  in 
  this 
  instance. 
  

  

  Erom 
  the 
  island 
  of 
  Api 
  we 
  shaped 
  our 
  course 
  to 
  the 
  north-westward 
  

   towards 
  B-aine 
  Island, 
  m 
  a 
  breach 
  of 
  the 
  great 
  barrier 
  reef 
  not 
  far 
  from 
  

   the 
  entrance 
  of 
  Torres 
  Strait. 
  On 
  the 
  19th 
  of 
  August 
  we 
  sounded, 
  lat. 
  

   16° 
  47' 
  S., 
  long. 
  165° 
  20' 
  E., 
  at 
  a 
  depth 
  of 
  2650 
  fathoms, 
  with 
  a 
  bottom 
  

   of 
  " 
  red 
  clay 
  " 
  and 
  a 
  bottom-temperature 
  of 
  1°*7 
  C. 
  (35° 
  E.). 
  A 
  serial 
  

   temperature-sounding 
  was 
  taken 
  to 
  the 
  depth 
  of 
  1500 
  fathoms 
  ; 
  and 
  it 
  

   was 
  found 
  that 
  the 
  minimum 
  temperature 
  (1°*7 
  C.) 
  was 
  reached 
  at 
  a 
  

   depth 
  of 
  1300 
  fathoms, 
  and 
  that 
  consequently 
  a 
  stratum 
  of 
  water 
  at 
  that 
  

   uniform 
  temperature 
  extended 
  from 
  that 
  depth 
  to 
  the 
  bottom. 
  

  

  Serial 
  temperature-soundings 
  were 
  taken 
  on 
  the 
  21st, 
  the 
  24th, 
  the 
  

   25th, 
  the 
  27th, 
  and 
  the 
  28th 
  of 
  August 
  in 
  2325, 
  2450, 
  2440, 
  2275, 
  and 
  

   1700 
  fathoms 
  respectively; 
  and 
  in 
  each 
  case 
  the 
  minimum 
  temperature 
  

   of 
  l° 
  - 
  7 
  C. 
  (or 
  a 
  temperature 
  so 
  near 
  it 
  as 
  to 
  leave 
  the 
  difference 
  within 
  

   the 
  limit 
  of 
  instrumental 
  or 
  personal 
  error 
  of 
  observation) 
  extended 
  in 
  a 
  

   uniform 
  layer, 
  averaging 
  7000 
  feet 
  in 
  thickness, 
  from 
  the 
  depth 
  of 
  1300 
  

   fathoms 
  to 
  the 
  bottom. 
  

  

  It 
  will 
  be 
  seen 
  by 
  reference 
  to 
  the 
  chart 
  that 
  on 
  our 
  course 
  from 
  Api 
  

   to 
  Eaine 
  Island 
  we 
  traversed 
  for 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  1400 
  miles 
  a 
  sea 
  included 
  

   within 
  a 
  broken 
  barrier, 
  consisting 
  of 
  the 
  continent 
  of 
  Australia 
  to 
  the 
  

   west, 
  the 
  Louisiade 
  archipelago, 
  the 
  Solomon 
  Islands, 
  and 
  a 
  small 
  part 
  

   of 
  New 
  Guinea 
  to 
  the 
  north, 
  the 
  New 
  Hebrides 
  to 
  the 
  east, 
  and 
  New 
  

   Caledonia 
  and 
  the 
  line 
  of 
  shoals 
  and 
  reefs 
  which 
  connect 
  that 
  island 
  

   with 
  Australia 
  to 
  the 
  south. 
  The 
  obvious 
  explanation 
  of 
  this 
  peculiar 
  

   distribution 
  of 
  temperatures 
  within 
  this 
  area, 
  which 
  we 
  have 
  called, 
  for 
  

  

  