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Appendix. 2
SANDWICH ARCHIPELAGO.
HAWAII; in the chart in Freycinet's "Atlas," small portions of the coast
are fringed by reefs; and in the accompanying "Hydrog. Memoir," reefs are
mentioned in several places, and the coral is said to injure the cables.
On one side of the islet of Kohaihai there is a bank of sand and coral with
five feet water on it, running parallel to the shore, and leaving a channel
of about fifteen feet deep within. I have coloured this island red, but it
is very much less perfectly fringed than others of the group.--MAUI; in
Freycinet's chart of the anchorage of Raheina, two or three miles of coast
are seen to be fringed; and in the "Hydrog. Memoir," "banks of coral along
shore" are spoken of. Mr. F.D. Bennett informs me that the reefs, on an
average, extend about a quarter of a mile from the beach; the land is not
very steep, and outside the reefs the sea does not become deep very
suddenly; coloured red.--MOROTOI, I presume, is fringed: Freycinet speaks
of the breakers extending along the shore at a little distance from it.
From the chart, I believe it is fringed; coloured red.--OAHU; Freycinet, in
his "Hydrog. Memoir," mentions some of the reefs. Mr. F.D. Bennett informs
me that the shore is skirted for forty or fifty miles in length. There is
even a harbour for ships formed by the reefs, but it is at the mouth of a
valley; red.--ATOOI, in La Peyrouse's charts, is represented as fringed by
a reef, in the same manner as Oahu and Morotoi; and this, as I have been
informed by Mr. Ellis, on part at least of the shore, is of coral-formation:
the reef does not leave a deep channel within; red.--ONEEHOW;
Mr. Ellis believes that this island is also fringed by a coral-reef:
considering its close proximity to the other islands, I have ventured to
colour it red. I have in vain consulted the works of Cook, Vancouver, La
Peyrouse, and Lisiansky, for any satisfactory account of the small islands
and reefs, which lie scattered in a N.W. line prolonged from the Sandwich
group, and hence have left them uncoloured, with one exception; for I am
indebted to Mr. F.D. Bennett for informing me of an atoll-formed reef, in
latitude 28 deg 22', longitude 178 deg 30' W., on which the "Gledstanes"
was wrecked in 1837. It is apparently of large size, and extends in a N.W.
and S.E. line: very few islets have been formed on it. The lagoon seems
to be shallow; at least, the deepest part which was surveyed was only three
fathoms. Mr. Couthouy ("Remarks," page 38) describes this island under the
name of OCEAN island. Considerable doubts should be entertained regarding
the nature of a reef of this kind, with a very shallow lagoon, and standing
far from any other atoll, on account of the possibility of a crater or flat
bank of rock lying at the proper depth beneath the surface of the water,
thus affording a foundation for a ring-formed coral-reef. I have, however,
thought myself compelled, from its large size and symmetrical outline, to
colour it blue.
SAMOA OR NAVIGATOR GROUP.
Kotzebue, in his "Second Voyage," contrasts the structure of these islands
with many others in the Pacific, in not being furnished with harbours for
ships, formed by distant coral-reefs. The Rev. J. Williams, however,
informs me, that coral-reefs do occur in irregular patches on the shores of
these islands; but that they do not form a continuous band, as round
Mangaia, and other such perfect cases of fringed islands. From the charts
accompanying La Peyrouse's "Voyage," it appears that the north shore of
SAVAII, MAOUNA, OROSENGA, and MANUA, are fringed by reefs. La Peyrouse,
speaking of Maouna (page 126), says that the coral-reef surrounding its
shores, almost touches the beach; and is breached in front of the little
coves and streams, forming passages for canoes, and probably even for
boats. Further on (page 159), he extends the same observation to all the
islands which he visited. Mr. Williams in his "Narrative," speaks of a
reef going round a small island attached to OYOLAVA, and returning again to
it: all these islands have been coloured red.--A chart of ROSE Island, at
the extreme west end of the group, is given by Freycinet, from which I
should have thought that it had been an atoll; but according to Mr.
Couthouy ("Remarks," page 43), it consists of a reef, only a league in
circuit, surmounted by a very few low islets; the lagoon is very shallow,
and is strewed with numerous large boulders of volcanic rock. This island,
therefore, probably consists of a bank of rock, a few feet submerged, with
the outer margin of its upper surface fringed with reefs; hence it cannot
be properly classed with atolls, in which the foundations are always
supposed to lie at a depth, greater than that at which the reef-constructing
polypifers can live; not coloured.
BEVERIDGE Reef, 20 deg S., 167 deg W., is described in the "Naut. Mag."
(May 1833, page 442) as ten miles long in a N. and S. line, and eight wide;
"in the inside of the reef there appears deep water;" there is a passage
near the S.W. corner: this therefore seems to be a submerged atoll, and is
coloured blue.
SAVAGE Island, 19 deg S., 170 deg W., has been described by Cook and
Forster. The younger Forster (volume ii., page 163) says it is about forty
feet high: he suspects that it contains a low plain, which formerly was
the lagoon. The Rev. J. Williams informs me that the reef fringing its
shores, resembles that round Mangaia; coloured red.
FRIENDLY ARCHIPELAGO.
PYLSTAART Island. Judging from the chart in Freycinet's "Atlas," I should
have supposed that it had been regularly fringed; but as nothing is said in
the "Hydrog. Memoir" (or in the "Voyage" of Tasman, the discoverer) about
coral-reefs, I have left it uncoloured.--TONGATABOU: In the "Atlas of the
Voyage of the 'Astrolabe'," the whole south side of the island is
represented as narrowly fringed by the same reef which forms an extensive
platform on the northern side. The origin of this latter reef, which might
have been mistaken for a barrier-reef, has already been attempted to be
explained, when giving the proofs of the recent elevation of this island.--
In Cook's charts the little outlying island also of EOAIGEE, is represented
as fringed; coloured red.--EOUA. I cannot make out from Captain Cook's
charts and descriptions, that this island has any reef, although the bottom
of the neighbouring sea seems to be corally, and the island itself is
formed of coral-rock. Forster, however, distinctly ("Observations," page
14) classes it with high islands having reefs, but it certainly is not
encircled by a barrier-reef and the younger Forster ("Voyage," volume i.,
page 426) says, that "a bed of coral-rocks surrounded the coast towards the
landing-place." I have therefore classed it with the fringed islands and
coloured it red. The several islands lying N.W. of Tongatabou, namely
ANAMOUKA, KOMANGO, KOTOU, LEFOUGA, FOA, etc., are seen in Captain Cook's
chart to be fringed by reefs, in several of them are connected together.
From the various statements in the first volume of Cook's "Third Voyage,"
and especially in the fourth and sixth chapters, it appears that these
reefs are of coral-formation, and certainly do not belong to the barrier
class; coloured red.--TOUFOA AND KAO, forming the western part of the
group, according to Forster have no reefs; the former is an active
volcano.--VAVAO. There is a chart of this singularly formed island, by
Espinoza: according to Mr. Williams it consists of coral-rock: the
Chevalier Dillon informs me that it is not fringed; not coloured. Nor are
the islands of LATTE and AMARGURA, for I have not seen plans on a large
scale of them, and do not know whether they are fringed.
NIOUHA, 16 deg S., 174 deg W., or KEPPEL Island of Wallis, or COCOS Island.
From a view and chart of this island given in Wallis's "Voyage" (4to
edition) it is evidently encircled by a reef; coloured blue: it is however
remarkable that BOSCAWEN Island, immediately adjoining, has no reef of any
kind; uncoloured.
WALLIS Island, 13 deg S., 176 deg W., a chart and view of this island in
Wallis's "Voyage" (4to edition) shows that it is encircled. A view of it
in the "Naut. Mag." July 1833, page 376, shows the same fact; blue.
ALLOUFATOU, or HORN Island, ONOUAFU, or PROBY Island, and HUNTER Islands,
lie between the Navigator and Fidji groups. I can find no distinct
accounts of them.
FIDJI or VITI GROUP.
The best chart of the numerous islands of this group, will be found in the
"Atlas of the 'Astrolabe's' Voyage." From this, and from the description
given in the "Hydrog. Memoir," accompanying it, it appears that many of
these islands are bold and mountainous, rising to the height of between
3,000 and 4,000 feet. Most of the islands are surrounded by reefs, lying
far from the land, and outside of which the ocean appears very deep. The
"Astrolabe" sounded with ninety fathoms in several places about a mile from
the reefs, and found no bottom. Although the depth within the reef is not
laid down, it is evident from several expressions, that Captain D'Urville
believes that ships could anchor within, if passages existed through the
outer barriers. The Chevallier Dillon informs me that this is the case:
hence I have coloured this group blue. In the S.E. part lies BATOA, or
TURTLE Island of Cook ("Second Voyage," volume ii., page 23, and chart, 4to
edition) surrounded by a coral-reef, "which in some places extends two
miles from the shore;" within the reef the water appears to be deep, and
outside it is unfathomable; coloured pale blue. At the distance of a few
miles, Captain Cook (Ibid., page 24) found a circular coral-reef, four or
five leagues in circuit, with deep water within; "in short, the bank wants
only a few little islets to make it exactly like one of the half-drowned
isles so often mentioned,"--namely, atolls. South of Batoa, lies the high
island of ONO, which appears in Bellinghausen's "Atlas" to be encircled; as
do some other small islands to the south; coloured pale blue; near Ono,
there is an annular reef, quite similar to the one just described in the
words of Captain Cook; coloured dark blue.
ROTOUMAH, 13 deg S., 179 deg E.--From the chart in Duperrey's "Atlas," I
thought this island was encircled, and had coloured it blue, but the
Chevallier Dillon assures me that the reef is only a shore or fringing one;
red.
INDEPENDENCE Island, 10 deg S., 179 deg E., is described by Mr. G. Bennett,
("United Service Journal," 1831, part ii., page 197) as a low island of
coral-formation, it is small, and does not appear to contain a lagoon,
although an opening through the reef is referred to. A lagoon probably
once existed, and has since been filled up; left uncoloured.
ELLICE GROUP.
OSCAR, PEYSTER, and ELLICE Islands are figured in Arrowsmith's "Chart of
the Pacific" (corrected to 1832) as atolls, and are said to be very low;
blue.--NEDERLANDISCH Island. I am greatly indebted to the kindness of
Admiral Krusenstern, for sending me the original documents concerning this
island. From the plans given by Captains Eeg and Khremtshenko, and from
the detailed account given by the former, it appears that it is a narrow
coral-island, about two miles long, containing a small lagoon. The sea is
very deep close to the shore, which is fronted by sharp coral-rocks.
Captain Eeg compares the lagoon with that of other coral-islands; and he
distinctly says, the land is "very low." I have therefore coloured it
blue. Admiral Krusenstern ("Memoir on the Pacific," Append., 1835) states
that its shores are eighty feet high; this probably arose from the height
of the cocoa-nut trees, with which it is covered, being mistaken for land.
--GRAN COCAL is said in Krusenstern's "Memoir," to be low, and to be
surrounded by a reef; it is small, and therefore probably once contained a
lagoon; uncoloured.--ST. AUGUSTIN. From a chart and view of it, given in
the "Atlas of the 'Coquille's' Voyage," it appears to be a small atoll,
with its lagoon partly filled up; coloured blue.
GILBERT GROUP.
The chart of this group, given in the "Atlas of the 'Coquille's' Voyage,"
at once shows that it is composed of ten well characterised atolls. In
D'Urville and Lottin's chart, SYDENHAM is written with a capital letter,
signifying that it is high; but this certainly is not the case, for it is a
perfectly characterised atoll, and a sketch, showing how low it is, is
given in the "'Coquille's' Atlas." Some narrow strip-like reefs project
from the southern side of DRUMMOND atoll, and render it irregular. The
southern island of the group is called CHASE (in some charts, ROTCHES); of
this I can find no account, but Mr. F.D. Bennett discovered ("Geographical
Journal", volume vii., page 229), a low extensive island in nearly the same
latitude, about three degrees westward of the longitude assigned to
Rotches, but very probably it is the same island. Mr. Bennett informs me
that the man at the masthead reported an appearance of lagoon-water in the
centre; and, therefore, considering its position, I have coloured it blue.
--PITT Island, at the extreme northern point of the group, is left
uncoloured, as its exact position and nature is not known.--BYRON Island,
which lies a little to the eastward, does not appear to have been visited
since Commodore Byron's voyage, and it was then seen only from a distance
of eighteen miles; it is said to be low; uncoloured.
OCEAN, PLEASANT, and ATLANTIC Islands all lie considerably to the west of
the Gilbert group: I have been unable to find any distinct account of
them. Ocean Island is written with small letters in the French chart, but
in Krusenstern's "Memoir" it is said to be high.
MARSHALL GROUP.
We are well acquainted with this group from the excellent charts of the
separate islands, made during the two voyages of Kotzebue: a reduced one
of the whole group may be easily seen in Krusenstern's "Atlas," and in
Kotzebue's "Second Voyage." The group consists (with the exception of two
LITTLE islands which probably have had their lagoon filled up) of a double
row of twenty-three large and well-characterised atolls, from the
examination of which Chamisso has given us his well-known account of
coral-formations. I include GASPAR RICO, or CORNWALLIS Island in this group,
which is described by Chamisso (Kotzebue's "First Voyage," volume iii.,
page 179) "as a low sickle-formed group, with mould only on the windward
side." Gaspard Island is considered by some geographers as a distinct
island lying N.E. of the group, but it is not entered in the chart by
Krusenstern; left uncoloured. In the S.W. part of this group lies BARING
Island, of which little is known (see Krusenstern's "Appendix," 1835, page
149). I have left it uncoloured; but BOSTON Island I have coloured blue,
as it is described (Ibid.) as consisting of fourteen small islands, which,
no doubt, enclose a lagoon, as represented in a chart in the "'Coquille's'
Atlas."--Two islands, AUR KAWEN and GASPAR RICO, are written in the French
chart with capital letters; but this is an error, for from the account
given by Chamisso in Kotzebue's "First Voyage," they are certainly low.
The nature, position, and even existence, of the shoals and small islands
north of the Marshall group, are doubtful.
NEW HEBRIDES.
Any chart, on even a small scale, of these islands, will show that their
shores are almost without reefs, presenting a remarkable contrast with
those of New Caledonia on the one hand, and the Fidji group on the other.
Nevertheless, I have been assured by Mr. G. Bennett, that coral grows
vigorously on their shores; as indeed, will be further shown in some of the
following notices. As, therefore, these islands are not encircled, and as
coral grows vigorously on their shores, we might almost conclude, without
further evidence, that they were fringed, and hence I have applied the red
colour with rather greater freedom than in other instances.--MATTHEW'S
ROCK, an active volcano, some way south of the group (of which a plan is
given in the "Atlas of the 'Astrolabe's' Voyage") does not appear to have
reefs of any kind about it.--ANNATOM, the southernmost of the Hebrides;
from a rough woodcut given in the "United Service Journal" (1831, part
iii., page 190), accompanying a paper by Mr. Bennett, it appears that the
shore is fringed; coloured red.--TANNA. Forster, in his "Observations"
(page 22), says Tanna has on its shores coral-rock and madrepores; and the
younger Forster, in his account (volume ii., page 269) speaking of the
harbour says, the whole S.E. side consists of coral-reefs, which are
overflowed at high-water; part of the southern shore in Cook's chart is
represented as fringed; coloured red.--IMMER is described ("United Service
Journal," 1831, part iii., page 192) by Mr. Bennett as being of moderate
elevation, with cliffs appearing like sandstone: coral grows in patches on
its shore, but I have not coloured it; and I mention these facts, because
Immer might have been thought from Forster's classification
("Observations," page 14), to have been a low island or even an atoll.--
ERROMANGO Island; Cook ("Second Voyage," volume ii., page 45, 4to edition)
speaks of rocks everywhere LINING the coast, and the natives offered to
haul his boat over the breakers to the sandy beach: Mr. Bennett, in a
letter to the Editor of the "Singapore Chron.," alludes to the REEFS on its
shores. It may, I think, be safely inferred from these passages that the
shore is fringed in parts by coral-reefs; coloured red.--SANDWICH Island.
The east coast is said (Cook's "Second Voyage," volume ii., page 41) to be
low, and to be guarded by a chain of breakers. In the accompanying chart
it is seen to be fringed by a reef; coloured red.--MALLICOLLO. Forster
speaks of the reef-bounded shore: the reef is about thirty yards wide, and
so shallow that a boat cannot pass over it. Forster also ("Observations,"
page 23) says, that the rocks of the sea-shore consist of madrepore. In
the plan of Sandwich harbour, the headlands are represented as fringed;
coloured red.--AURORA and PENTECOST Islands, according to Bougainville,
apparently have no reefs; nor has the large island of S. ESPIRITU, nor
BLIGH Island or BANKS' Islands, which latter lie to the N.E. of the
Hebrides. But in none of these cases, have I met with any detailed account
of their shores, or seen plans on a large scale; and it will be evident,
that a fringing-reef of only thirty or even a few hundred yards in width,
is of so little importance to navigation, that it will seldom be noticed,
excepting by chance; and hence I do not doubt that several of these
islands, now left uncoloured, ought to be red.
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