the Denimah man brought me a circular weighty piece of brass, which I suppose belonged to a ship's chain-pump. He told me he found it on the reef at Paiow some years ago; from whence he took it, and the weather becoming boisterous, he was compelled to throw it overboard when he reached this place, where it had since remained. Making allowance for the truth of this story, I determined to search this part of the reef diligently, in hopes of finding something more; but did not succeed.

"We then sailed for Paiow, where we arrived at 2 P.M. and dined. As it was ebb tide in the evening, we stood out for the reef, and were conducted by the Denimah men to the spot where we picked up the guns yesterday. They said that one ship was lost here, and the other farther to the westward, but from the latter nothing was saved. Here we found two other openings in the reef, about a mile apart, each large enough to admit ships of the greatest size clear of all danger, and could be sailed into and out of easily with the prevailing trade wind. Night now approaching, and the tide not having sufficiently ebbed to admit of further search, we stood in for Paiow, where we anchored.

"In the morning we sailed out at daylight to the reef, and as the tide ebbed made a diligent search, and found the undermentioned articles.

I joint or upper part of a composition pump with the fi

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gure "4" engraved on it. It is 14 inches in diameter with four holes in it for the screw bolts to join it on the other part.-3 feet 3 inches of an iron tiller for a ship, with a round hole in the end for the tackle-blocks.-1 small-gun's leaden apron.-4 pieces of sheet lead with several nail-holes in each. -1 earthen brick of European manufacture.-A circular piece of brass, 6 inches in diameter, exactly cut and shaped like the piece of copper placed round a common glass bull'seye in a ship's deck.-1 brass guard of a musket trigger.1 piece of brass tube much bruised.-The shank or socket of a copper candlestick with 2 other pieces of brass copper work. -3 musket-flints,-several pieces of broken glass bottles and some other kinds of glass.—A quantity of broken earthen and china-ware.-2 whitish glass beads of foreign manufacture.

"Finding there was nothing more to be procured, I asked the Denimah people to conduct me to the place where the other ship was lost. They pointed to the westward, and I sailed close along the inside edge of the reef until I came to a fourth opening in it, about two miles distant from the passage discovered yesterday. It was clear of all dangers and almost threequarters of a mile wide, and so situated that a ship can enter and sail out of it with the prevalent trade winds. I passed out to sea through this passage. The Denimah people told me that the other ship was lost somewhere about that spot; that she struck in the night, and sunk in deep water close to the edge of the reef, and nothing was saved out of her.

"I continued my route, and sailed on to the north-west and along the outside of the reef

four or five miles, when a fifth opening presented itself of about one hundred and twenty fathoms wide, clear of all dangers, but of a serpentine form, and such as with the trade wind a ship could not sail out of with safety. We entered this passage, and steered along the inside of the reef to that part which we left off examining before the ship found anchorage in Bayley's Bay, without finding any other opening than those already described.

"The boats arrived off Amma at 2 P.M., where we were kindly received, as formerly, by the natives. They shewed me a small copper boiler and some iron bolts. Here I left the two Denimah men at their own request, having paid them for their trouble. We then sailed along-shore to Whannow, and at 3 P.M. anchored off that village, where I procured a few articles. We did not remain long but made the best of our way to the ship, where we arrived at 7 P.M.

"The undermentioned articles were procured from Amma and Whannow :

1 large iron thimble, such as is used for the slings of ships' lower yards, or stays to reeve lanyards in. 1 piece of earthen brick, as before.-1 small copper boiler, 10 inches in diameter and 8 inches deep.-1 iron bolt with fore-lock hole in its end.-4 other pieces of iron.-1 hook for a ship's tackle-block.-1 spike-nail."

4th.-At 8 A.M. I set out with three boats to examine Commodore Hayes' Channel, which

leads from sea into Lushington's Bay, and at 10 A.M. reached its narrow part, when a squall of wind from the south-east came on, with a torrent of rain, which enveloped both reefs and land in obscurity for some time.

The narrowest part of this channel is at its inside, leading into the bay, where it is from onequarter to half a mile broad. The weather or eastern reef, which forms that side of the channel, runs out north-east, and breaks off the sea on that side: under its lee is fine smooth water. The lee, or westward reef, runs out to the north-west. From the direction the reefs take there is a large space between them, in which we did not discover any dangers. On the inside of the narrowest part of this channel, between it and Cape Hayes, there are five patches or coral banks, on some of which there is not more than one and a half fathom water; on others from two to two and a-half. banks can be easily avoided, there being a good passage on both the east and west sides of them. I would recommend those banks to be kept on the left hand, by ships proceeding from Lushington's Bay to sea.

These

At 1 P.M. reached the ship, having been thoroughly drenched by the rain. I found that one of the officers had procured some mangoes yesterday at Whannow, which having intimated to my Davey friends, I was quickly presented

with a large basket-full unripe. Those brought on board yesterday were nearly ripe, of a good flavour, but not so large as the Bengal mango. This is the second Asiatic fruit I have found among the South Sea Islands. In 1825 I met with the mangosteen on Tanna, one of the New Hebrides: thus demonstrating the fallacy of the eastern proverb, that " mangoes are only to be had where there are Hindoos, and mangosteens where there are Malays."

5th.-First and middle parts of the day squally wet weather at 1 P.M. the rain cleared off, and the wind became settled to the E.S.E., blowing a gentle gale. Finding there was no likeli hood of a westerly wind to take the ship out of this bay before the change of the monsoon from the north-west took place, which I did not expect before the middle of December, I determined to run through the channel which bears my name a most dangerous one, and which ought not to be attempted by any vessel drawing more than six or seven feet water.

The passage by which I entered Bayley's Bay is strewed with dangers; they may, however, be avoided with a fair wind and a good look-out kept from the mast-head. I had now only the alternative of sailing through Dillon's Channel, which is not more than ninety feet wide at the part I intended to pass, or remaining at anchor in my present situation for two months