264 PUBLIC REGISTER, 1852. 
immediately set about wooding the ship, and 
exploring the country, which is evidently of 
coral formation. The soil is very scanty, and 
totally unfit for cultivation. Various specimens 
of marine shells are dispersed all over the sur- 
face of the island, which, in combination with 
the thickly scattered pieces of coral, renders 
travelling both difficult and dangerous. Water 
is found on the north-west part of the island 
slowly dripping from the roof of a cave, which 
cannot be reached without the aid of ropes. The 
island rises about sixty feet above the level of 
the sea. Eight human skeletons were also 
found upon the island, lying in caves. They 
were doubtless the remains of some unfortunate 
shipwrecked seamen, as several pieces of a wreck 
were found upon the shore. 
" 27tk. Sarah Adams died from a disease of 
the spine, aged fifty-five years. 
" Dec. 13th. Philip M'Coy and Sarah 
Quintall, Benjamin Buffett and Eliza Quintall, 
married. 
" 1852, Jan. 2^. Abraham B. Quintall elect- 
ed chief magistrate ; Frederick Young and David 
Buffett councillors. 
"7tk. At about 1 P.M. intelligence was 
brought to the village that Eobert (a native of 
one of the Society Islands, and who was left 
here sick from the American whale-ship Balcena) 
was washed from off the rocks by the surf; 
those who were at hand when the news was 
told, immediately hastened to the place to learn 
the truth of the statement. Upon arriving 
there, and not seeing anything of him, search 
