Coral Reefs [95]
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.
SANTA CRUZ GROUP.
VANIKORO (Figure 1, Plate I.) offers a striking example of a barrier-reef: it was first described by the Chevalier Dillon, in his voyage, and was surveyed in the "Astrolabe"; coloured pale blue.--TIKOPIA and FATAKA Islands appear, from the descriptions of Dillon and D'Urville, to have no reefs; ANOUDA is a low, flat island, surrounded by cliffs ("'Astrolabe' Hydrog." and Krusenstern, "Mem." volume ii., page 432); these are uncoloured. TOUPOUA (OTOOBOA of Dillon) is stated by Captain Tromelin ("Annales Marit." 1829, page 289) to be almost entirely included in a reef, lying at the distance of two miles from the shore. There is a space of three miles without any reef, which, although indented with bays, offers no anchorage from the extreme depth of the water close to the shore: Captain Dillon also speaks of the reefs fronting this island; coloured blue.-- SANTA-CRUZ. I have carefully examined the works of Carteret, D'Entrecasteaux, Wilson, and Tromelin, and I cannot discover any mention of reefs on its shores; left uncoloured.--TINAKORO is a constantly active volcano without reefs.--MENDANA ISLES (mentioned by Dillon under the name of MAMMEE, etc.); said by Krusenstern to be low, and intertwined with reefs. I do not believe they include a lagoon; I have left them uncoloured.--DUFF'S Islands compose a small group directed in a N.W. and S.E. band; they are described by Wilson (page 296, "Miss. Voy." 4to edition),
SANTA CRUZ GROUP.
VANIKORO (Figure 1, Plate I.) offers a striking example of a barrier-reef: it was first described by the Chevalier Dillon, in his voyage, and was surveyed in the "Astrolabe"; coloured pale blue.--TIKOPIA and FATAKA Islands appear, from the descriptions of Dillon and D'Urville, to have no reefs; ANOUDA is a low, flat island, surrounded by cliffs ("'Astrolabe' Hydrog." and Krusenstern, "Mem." volume ii., page 432); these are uncoloured. TOUPOUA (OTOOBOA of Dillon) is stated by Captain Tromelin ("Annales Marit." 1829, page 289) to be almost entirely included in a reef, lying at the distance of two miles from the shore. There is a space of three miles without any reef, which, although indented with bays, offers no anchorage from the extreme depth of the water close to the shore: Captain Dillon also speaks of the reefs fronting this island; coloured blue.-- SANTA-CRUZ. I have carefully examined the works of Carteret, D'Entrecasteaux, Wilson, and Tromelin, and I cannot discover any mention of reefs on its shores; left uncoloured.--TINAKORO is a constantly active volcano without reefs.--MENDANA ISLES (mentioned by Dillon under the name of MAMMEE, etc.); said by Krusenstern to be low, and intertwined with reefs. I do not believe they include a lagoon; I have left them uncoloured.--DUFF'S Islands compose a small group directed in a N.W. and S.E. band; they are described by Wilson (page 296, "Miss. Voy." 4to edition),