332 



Islands. I could not discover that they gave " any general 

 name to the whole group ; but they invariably designated the 

 mainland of the northern of the two larger islands by the 

 name Yarndtuaf while they 8j>oke of the southern portion 

 as Si'laru, which, in their language, is -the word for Indian 

 com. 



In examining the Tenimber islands, one is struck with the 

 resemblance that exists between them and the Aru group, in 

 the curious way in which both are cut up by narrow channels, 

 "Some of the southern islands of Aru (I quote from the 

 narrative of the voyage of the Dutch corvette Triton in 3828) are 

 of considerable extent, but those to the north, lying close to 

 the edge of the bank, art- rarely more than five or six miles in 

 circumference, Tlie laud is low, being only a few feet above 

 the level of the sea except in spots where patches of rock rise 

 to the height of twenty feet, but the lofty trees which cover 

 the face of the country give h the aj>pearance of l>eiug much 

 more elevated." 



The island of I.arat is st/parated from the mainland by a 

 narrow strait, which 1 have dt^ignated with the honoured name 

 of the author of the * JIalay Archipelago '—Wallace Channel, 

 which forms a fairly good harbour at its northern entrance, 

 but shallows away towards the south end so much that only 

 small boats can come thrtiugh it at low tide, and in fact, to 

 the south of Ititiibel village the bottom can be reached all 

 the way across, with the exception of a f<*w yards, by a pulitig- 

 rod. 



Between Larat and Yordate then- i.^, in ralm weather, a 

 safe channel, yet on Captain Stanley*s authority it is quite, 

 shoal. The sea to the northward, again, is very shallow, only 

 narrow passages separating the islands of Friemin, Maru, antl 

 Mohi, as I gather from my Inintcrs (whose iiit'ormnti«>n 1 

 lielieve to be correct) whom 1 sent there fur a few weeks to 

 collect, and gather information. 



The lowness also of the country in our immediate neigh* 

 bourhood struck me much. 1 could see on Larat and on the 

 mainland, no ground rising at the most over a hundred feet 

 or so, fur standing on the shore I could look right across the 

 main island, and see the greater part of the only height 

 worthy uf the name of mouutain, witliiu the range nf vision, 



