ROTUMA. 
569 
plainly at this distance as if it were but a stone’s throw. Yonder pale- 
blue hills are the Cape Arid Range, with Mount Baring, Gin go tup, 
Mount Mica, and the Pups closer in. Still further to the south-west 
are the Twin Peaks and the hill at the Bay of Due D’Orleans. Quite 
south-west, like a faint blue cloud on the horizon, is the Frenchman’ s 
Peak in Cape Le Grand. That hill to the westward is Mount Key, and 
beyond in the dim distance is Mount Ridley. There, beyond Pine Hill, 
is the large salt lake with its numerous banks and islands looming white 
and glaring. That hill to the north-west is Breminna, the western 
extremity of the rocky range which runs past Bundaminua, Walbye- 
roonia, Wadramilla, Gillarginma, Mingamo, Boocy-booer-inia, Chooka- 
la-oonia, Daralinia, right round to the northward till it runs out at 
Bowinia, nearly at the back of Balbinin. 
I am, dear Sir, faithfully yours, 
* ' J. P. BROOKE. 
P.S . — Be meteorology, we had here a brilliant Aurora Australis 
in March, a snowstorm lasting two hours on 30th May, and another 
aurora on 20th instant. Two aboriginal young men said they had 
seen snow before when they were children, that it came in the night, 
and the ground was white with it in the morning. Ou this occasion 
it melted as soon as it reached the ground. Some older natives had 
never seen it before, and they have no name for it, but say it is water. 
J. P. B. 
8.— ROTUMA. 
By the Rev . W. ALLEN. 
Rotuma is said to be in 12° 30' south latitude, and 177° 10' east 
longitude, and visible at a distance of 35 miles. It lies east of 
Brisbane about 1,600 miles, and is said to have been discovered by 
Pandora in 1793. 
Configuration . — A glance at the accompanying map shows the 
peculiar configuration of the island. Roughly speaking, I should say 
the island is about ten miles long and four miles broad. The narrow 
neck of land shown on the map is only about 100 yards across. It is 
composed of sand, and is flat, so that a boat can easily be taken 
across from one side to the other. On this isthmus the natives have 
sunk wells for water eight and ten feet deep, through sand only. 
Rotuma, I believe, was once two islands more than a mile apart. By 
the daily flowing of the tide from east to west, and, perhaps, more 
especially by the moving of vast quantities of sand during hurricane 
seasons lasting for long periods of time, such an accumulation of 
sand has been caused at this place as to fill up the channel between 
these two islands. 
No Biver or Lalce . — Although Rotuma has an average rainfall of 
about 150 inches each year, yet there is not a single river, lake, creek, 
or stream of water on the island. All the rain seems to be absorbed 
by the porous nature of the country. The inhabitants get their 
supply of water from wells which they have sunk ; but all the water 
found in these wells is brackish, and appears to be the ocean water 
