Feb.] LIVINGSTON'S ISLAND. 381 



pleasure and amazement. I feel confident that they never saw a white 

 man, or any vessel much larger than a canoe, before the 23d of Feb- 

 ruary, 1830, when the Antarctic rose on their astonished view, like 

 some white-winged monster emerging from the ocean. On showing 

 them a piece of biche-de-mer, they gave me to understand that they 

 could collect any quantities of it, and wondered what use I could make 

 of it. They intimated the same also when I inquired for mother-of- 

 pearl shells, of which I exhibited some specimens. The impression 

 was favourable. 



By several sets of observations and altitudes, I determined the situa- 

 tion of the centre of this group to be in latitude 7° 5' N., long. 152° 

 15' E. As it is not laid down on any chart, nor mentioned in any 

 epitome, I named it Bergh's Group, in honour of my excellent friend 

 Edwin Bergh, Esq., of New- York. 



February 26th. — On Friday, the 26th, at eight o'clock in the evening, 

 we were safely out of this little labyrinth of coral, and shaping our 

 course for Manilla, with a fine breeze from north-east, and light squalls 

 of rain. We continued steering to the north and west until the follow- 

 ing morning at eight, A. M., when the man at mast-head suddenly ex- 

 claimed, " Breakers ! three points on the starboard bow !" 



Knowing that there was no reef or land laid down on the charts in 

 this vicinity, I immediately hauled up for the westernmost part of the 

 reef. When we had come within about one mile of the breakers, land 

 was discovered bearing north-north-west, which proved to be an un- 

 inhabited island at about fifteen miles' distance. The reef, we found, 

 extended, with one uninterrupted chain of breakers, to the south part 

 of the island, and was composed entirely of coral, with not more than 

 ten feet of water on it at any time. 



At twelve o'clock, M., we were close in with the west side of 

 the island, which proved to be about eight miles in length, from north 

 to south, and half that distance from east to west ; its greatest eleva- 

 tion being not more than fifty feet above the level of the sea. It was 

 covered with shrubbery and palm-trees, beneath which grew a long 

 coarse grass. This island affords water of a good quality, and is 

 thickly tenanted by land and sea-birds of different species. It is fre- 

 quented by turtles also ; both the hawk's-bill and the green turtle resort 

 to its shores ; while the waters are teeming with an exhaustless variety 

 of fish. Shellfish of the most beautiful species abound here ; and rare 

 specimens may be collected in great abundance by having divers on 

 board, to go down outside of the surf. Biche-de-mer is tolerably 

 abundant on the reefs ; and mother-of-pearl shells and pearl-oysters 

 are found in the lagoon between the reefs, with many other kinds of 

 shell of the pearl species. 



It may here be proper to state, that there is a reef of about the same 

 length as the one already mentioned, running off from the north end 

 of the island, bending to the east-south-east and south, until it meets 

 the other at the south end of the island ; forming, to the eastward of 

 the island, one large lagoon. The west side of the island is bold, and 

 clear of dangers, with good anchorage near the southern point, in 



