218 



BYERS'S ISLAND. 



[1825. 



elephant and sea-leopard resort to the islands in the summer season, 

 in large rookeries, and the former are perfectly tame. Great numbers 

 of green turtles are found on the sand-beaches, where they come to 

 deposite their eggs. The hawk's-bill turtle, also, sometimes visits this 

 place, but in small numbers. 



The water is very bold on the east side of this group, there being 

 a depth of one hundred fathoms within three times that distance from 

 shore. On the west side, however, the water runs off shallow for a 

 considerable distance, to thirty-five fathoms. From thence it deepens 

 very suddenly to one hundred and twenty fathoms ; and half a mile 

 farther off-shore no soundings are to be found. The rookeries of sea- 

 fowl on this group bear no comparison to those on Lisiansky Island, 

 owing, perhaps, to the island's being so very narrow ; not one of them 

 exceeding a hundred fathoms in width, from east to west, and all of 

 them are destitute of vegetation. From the lava and pumice-stone to 

 be seen here, I am led to believe that this whole group has been, at 

 some distant period, one tremendous volcano. There is no fresh 

 water to be found here ; but turtle and fish can be had in abundance, 

 at all seasons of the year. 



July \\th. — We now took our leave of this dangerous group, and 

 steered to the westward, a little northerly, with a fine breeze from north- 

 east-by-north, the weather still pleasant. It is here proper to remark, 

 that between Pearl and Hermes and the Sandwich Islands, we tried 

 the current several times, and uniformly found it setting about west-by- 

 south, from three-fourths of a mile to a mile and a quarter an hour. 

 After fresh trades we found the current strongest. 



July Vlth. — We crossed the meridian of 180°, the ne plus ultra of 

 longitude, in lat. 28° 30' north, and on the 13th we landed on Byers's 

 Island, situated in lat. 28° 32' north, long. 177° 4' east. This island 

 is moderately elevated, and has some bushes and spots of vegetation. 

 It is about four miles in circumference, and has good anchorage on the 

 west-south-west side, with fifteen fathoms of water, sand and coral 

 bottom. There are no dangers around this island, excepting on the 

 south-east side, where there is a coral reef, running to the southward 

 about two miles. Sea-birds, green turtles, and sea-elephants resort to 

 this island ; and a plenty of fine fish may be caught with hook and 

 line about its shores. Fresh water may be had here from the south- 

 south-west side of the island, which is of volcanic origin. 



At 6, P. M., we bore up and stood to the north-west ; and at 4, A. M., 

 the men aloft saw breakers ahead. We then tacked ship, and stood 

 to the south-east one hour, when we again tacked, and stood for the 

 reef. At 6, A. M., we were within half a mile of the breakers, and no 

 land in sight. We bore up, and passed around the west end of the 

 reef, which was distant about two miles. We then hauled on a wind 

 to the north, the water being perfectly smooth ; and after running along 

 under the lee of the reef at the rate of seven miles an hour, for two 

 hours, on a north-by-west course, we saw the land from the mast-head, 

 bearing north-west. We immediately kept off for it, and at 10, A. M., 

 we were close in with a small low island, covered with sea-fowl, and 

 the shores of which were lined with sea-elephants. Green turtles 



