Feb. 22 , 1858.] 
WALLACE ON THE ARRU ISLANDS. 
163 
Samuel M. Peto , Bart. ; Edward Beldam ; N. Bridges ; J. H. and W. 
J. Browne ; A. C. Gregory ( late Commander North Australian Expedition ) ; 
Wm. Gaussen ; John Kirk, m.d. ; and P. L. Simmonds, Esqrs. were elected 
Fellows. 
Auditors. — Thomas H. Brooking and E. Osborne Smith , Esqrs., on the 
part of the Council , and Thomas Lee and W. Foster White , Esqrs., on the 
part of the Society , were appointed Auditors . 
Exhibitions. — A bust , by Mr. Wyon, and photographs of Dr. Living- 
stone, by Claudet and Clarkington ; instruments, by Casella, for the Living- 
stone Expedition, presented by the Society ; and a Chinese Map of the 
World, presented by Mr. Lockhart, were exhibited at the meeting. 
The first Paper read was— - 
1, On the Arru Islands. By Alfred R. Wallace, f.r.g.s. 
During a six months* residence in these islands (January to June, 
1857) my movements were very limited, owing to a visit of the 
Magindanao pirates, who devastated some of the northern islands 
and the eastern coast, and struck such terror into the natives, that 
they could scarcely he induced to leave their homes. I, however, 
succeeded in reaching the eastern side of the main island by one of 
the curious channels which traverse it, and which I was most 
anxious to examine myself, as from the accounts of the traders I 
could make out nothing of their real nature. This journey, with 
some other excursions into the interior, has enabled me to under- 
stand the accounts I have received of the remaining portion, and 
obtain a general idea of the geography of this interesting group. 
The position of Dobbo, the Bugis trading village, has been deter- 
mined by Captain Stanley, and the northern and southern limits are 
pretty well known by the observations of the Dutch and French 
exploring vessels ; my remarks will, therefore, be principally con- 
fined to the physical features of the islands, which are in many 
respects highly interesting. 
The Arru group may be said to consist of one very large central 
island with a number of smaller ones scattered around it. The 
great island is called by the natives and traders “ Tanna busar ” 
(great or main land), to distinguish it as a whole from any of the 
detached islands. It is of an irregular, oblong form, about 80 miles 
from north to south, and 50 from east to west, in which direction it 
is traversed by three channels or rivers dividing it into four por- 
tions. The northernmost of these, the river Watelai, I passed 
through, and found the entrance about 25 miles S.S.E. from 
Dobbo, in the southern angle of an extensive bay. The entrance is 
0 2 
