38 
Leaving Samarai, Louisiade Archipelago (said to have been 
discovered in 1606 by Louis Vaez de Torres), our course was generally 
south east. We passed between the Lebrun Islands and the Bell Rock, 
and anchored for a while off the north coast of Ware (Teste) Island. 
When approached from the north-west, Bell Rock, as its name implies, 
presents the appearance of a gigantic bell. The islet, the altitude of 
which according to the Admiralty Charts is 420 feet, rises abruptly 
from the water which varies from 16 to 30 fathoms in depth. The cliffs 
are perpendicular, and those on the north appeared to be absolutely 
inaccessible. Bell Rock is composed of a yellowish white brecciated 
limestone, dipping at a low angle to the north. This island is a raised 
coral reef. Cliffy Island, adjoining, in reality a low elongated rock, 
was of a similar nature. 
The north western end of the island of Ware shewed a long es 
carpment of a hard cream colored sonorous limestone, resting on a 
calcareous breccia, containing fragments of olivine, derived in all 
probability from the olivine-basalt which forms a portion of the island. 
Skirting the north coast, Ware (Teste Island) appeared to be of 
coral limestone also. A marked peculiarity was the disposal of the 
beds, when viewed as a whole, into a series of gentle folds, the axis of 
which trended roughly north and south. 
Leaving this interesting island we anchored in the Bagavarina 
(Conflict) Group for the night, and on the following morning steamed 
slowly through the group, heading for the Pannaet (Deboyne) Islands. 
Eventually we dropped anchor in a channel between the reef (west of 
Panapompom) which encircles the Deboyne Group. Approaching 
the island from our anchorage, in a whale boat, we had to pull over a 
tract of very shallow water about a mile in width. A considerable 
portion of this shore platform appears to be laid bare at low water. 
The seaward face of the platform plunges down very rapidly into very 
deep water. The first feature that attracts the attention of a geologist 
on landing is a conspicuous, white, perpendicular cliff from 7 to 10 feet 
in height, continuous along the whole length of the beach. The cliff 
is composed of a white coral limestone, which weathers into curious 
cavernous forms. The limestone contains fragments of coral and 
shells ; in one piece an unnameable brachiopod was collected. The 
summit of the cliff forms a low tableland of great extent, upon which 
natives have erected their gardens and homes. The rest ol the island, 
the highest summit of which rises to 1500 feet above sea level, is made 
up of ancient crystalline schists. The neighbouring island of 
Panapompom, about 4 square miles in area, and having an altitude ol 
500 to 600 feet, I found to consist of dark basic crystalline schists, in- 
clined at a low angle to the south-east. 
