a deeper blue than any I had ever seen before, even in the Straits of Magellan. They were intersected by tremendous gorges; and, from the foot of the lowest ranges, a considerable tract of low and apparently alluvial soil reached to the beach.

"To give an idea of the scene by description would be utterly impossible. The intense blue of the mountains contrasted strangely with masses of white fleecy clouds, driven rapidly past them by the gale; the bright gleams of the setting sun on the nearer hills, covered with most luxuriant vegetation, from which most mysterious little jets of very white smoke from time to time burst out; and the two surveying ships quite in the foreground, completed the picture, which we did not enjoy very long; for in these latitudes, as you very well know, there is no twilight; and, in less than an hour from the time the clouds began to rise, all was dark; and, though we saw many of the peaks again, we never had another chance of seeing the whole range so clearly.

"From subsequent observations, I find that some of the hills must have been fortyeight miles off, and were at least as high as the Peak of Teneriffe."

We recollect to have seen a similar effect, just before sunset, in the single mountain group of the Peak of Lombock, which rises boldly from the sea, to a height of 11,400 feet. Just before sunset the clouds that had hitherto obscured the mountain suddenly broke, disclosing first its topmost peak clear in the upper air (seeming just overhead, though twenty miles distant), and then they slowly settled down, fold after fold, with many a sweep and swerve, into the great valleys and ravines, that only became apparent by their swallowing these huge billows of vapour, and their dark and jagged erests becoming for a moment visible against them.

This effect, carried out on so extensive and grand a mountain range as that of New Guinea, must have been a sight such as it is given to few men, and those only once, to behold.

On a subsequent occasion Mr. Macgillivray says:

"As an instance of the clearness of the atmosphere, so different from what we had usually experienced during our former visit to these shores, it may be mentioned that on one occasion, during a light breeze from the north-west, we clearly saw Mount Yule (10,046 feet high) and the summit of Mount Owen Stanley (13,205 feet high), distant respectively 120 and 80 miles from the ship. On this occasion also we had a full view of

the whole of Mount Astrolabe, which, although 3824 feet in greatest height, and appearing to D'Urville, as he ran past, to be the highest land on this portion of the coast, is rendered quite insignificant by the lofty though distant range behind. Mount Astrolabe differs in character from any other of the New Guinea mountains seen by us, indicating a different geological formation. The summit extends thirteen miles, running parallel with the coast line, and distant from it about eight miles. Viewed from the north-westward the outline is regular, exhibiting a series of nearly flat tops, with slight interruptions; but from the southward it appears as a succession of terraces or projecting cliffs, precipitous in front near the summit, with a long steep slope below, probably of debris; while the flat top slopes backwards with a very gentle declivity. Owen Stanley range again presented quite a different aspect, as seen on the occasion alluded to, when nearly one half of its whole length (300 miles), from Mount Yule to Heath Bay, was in full view: the outline was irregular, but never suddenly so, and no peaks or other remarkable points were seen."

This great mountain chain appears, from descriptions of former voyagers, to run along the whole north coast of New Guinea as far as Geelvink Bay, when it probably turns to the southward. The whole of the south coast appears to be low, except where these two ends of the mountain chain strike out on it. The drainage from such a great mountain chain would be quite sufficient to produce a river large enough to form the delta of 140 miles in length, like that surveyed by Captain Blackwood.

It does not appear that this mountain chain is volcanic, although volcanoes are found active in the islands off its north-east end, and extinct in Torres Straits. In the Louisiade archipelago all the rocks were mica slate.

Mr. Macgillivray's book contains many interesting and graphic descriptions of objects of natural history, both botanical and zoological. It also has much ethnological matter of great value, and many amusing and instructive accounts of his adventures with the different savage tribes he falls in with, and of their manners, habits, customs, and appearance.

One very interesting story he tells of a white woman, Mrs. Thompson, the sole survivor of a wreck in Torres Straits, having lived four years and a-half among the "black fellows" there,

whom she at length persuaded to allow her to see her friends the "white men." She, of course, remained with them, and was taken back to Sydney. From her he got a large quantity of interesting information, and many additions to his vocabulary.

On these subjects, however, we must refer our readers to the work itself, assuring them it will well repay perusal.

Our object has been, while reviewing the two works placed at the head of this chapter, to give the reader some idea of the form and aspect, the relative size and situation, of some of the principal islands of the eastern archipelago. We commenced with the Straits of Malacca, and the great and flourishing settlement of Singapore, as the starting point of our supposed packet route through this great archipelago. We shall close with some description of Cape York and Torres Straits, as the best spot for the intermediate coaling station for the packets between Singapore and Sydney.

Torres Straits lies between the north point of the east coast of Australia and New Guinea, being about eighty geographical miles in width from north to south. The northern end of the Great Barrier reef, here about seventy miles from the land, stretches nearly across its eastern entrance. Its northern half is completely blocked by coral reefs and shoals stretching from New Guinea, so that all ships passing through it, whether they come through one of the openings in the Great Barrier reef, or double its northern extremity, are compelled to come within sight of the land of Australia, and to pass close to either the mainland of Cape York, or one of the many islands just detached from it.

Having premised so much, we will let Mr. Macgillivray do the rest. While lying at anchor at Cape York, he says

"The frequent excursions of our shooting parties, being more extended than during our last visit, became the means of adding considerably to our knowledge of the surrounding country. One of the immediate consequences was, the discovery of several small streams of fresh water. The principal of these, which we named Mew River (after its finder, the serjeant of marines aboard), has its mouth in a small mangrove creek, three quarters of a mile to the eastward of Evans Bay. About five miles farther up, its source was found to be a spring among rocks, in a dense calamus scrub. It waters

a fine valley running nearly east and west, behind the range of hills to the southward of Evans Bay, and its line is marked by a belt of tangled brush, exceeding in luxuriance anything of the same description which I had seen elsewhere.

"The lower part of the valley is open forest land, or nearly level and thinly wooded country, covered with tall coarse grass. Farther up it becomes more beautiful. From the belt of wood concealing the windings of the river, grassy sloping meadows extend upwards on each side to the flanking ridges which are covered with dense scrub, occasionally extending in straggling patches down to the water. The soil of these meadows is a rich sandy loam. Here, at the end of the dry season and before the periodical rains had fairly set in, we found the stream at half-way up to be about six feet in breadth, slowly running over a shallow gravelly, or earthy bed, with occasional pools from two to four feet in depth."

This matter of permanent fresh water is one that only those who have visited Australia, can adequately appreciate. While the Mæander lay at Port Essington, they could only just get enough of water for their daily consumption, and were obliged to go to the Moluccas to water the ship.

In another place, Mr. Macgillivray mentions that on Albany Island, immediately adjacent to Cape York,

was

"A small sandy bay with a sufficient depth of water close in shore, which, after a minute examination by Captain Stanley, was considered to be well adapted to the running out of a jetty, alongside of which the largest steamer could lie in perfect safety."

He finally sums up, as to Cape York, in the following terms:

"I need scarcely repeat the arguments which have been adduced in favour of the expediency, I may almost say necessity, of establishing a military post, or small settlement of some kind, in the vicinity of Cape York simply because, while perfectly agreeing with Mr. Jukes, and several other persons, who have drawn the public attention to the subject, I have little in addition to offer. Still, a few words on the question may not be out of place. The beneficial results to be looked for, were such a settlement to be formed, would be:

"1st, A port of refuge would be afforded to the crews of vessels wrecked in Torres Straits, and its approaches, who otherwise must make for Booby Island, and there await the uncertainty of being picked up by

some passing vessel, or even attempt in the boats to reach Coupang in Timor, a distance of 1,100 miles further. And now that the settlement at Port Essington has been abandoned, the necessity for such a place of refuge is still greater.

"2nd. Passing vessels might be supplied with water and other refreshments; also stores, such as anchors, &c., which last are frequently lost during the passage of the strait.

"3rd. The knowledge of the existence of such a post would speedily exercise a beneficial influence over our intercourse with the natives of Torres Strait, and induce them to refrain from a repetition of the outrages which they have frequently committed upon Europeans; the little trade in tortoise-shell, which might be pushed in the strait, as has frequently been done before by small vessels from Sydney, and even from Hong Kong, would no longer be a dangerous one, and protection would be afforded to the coaling depôt for steamers at Port Albany.

"4th. In a military point of view, the importance of such a post has been urged upon the ground, that in the event of a war, a single enemy's ship stationed in the neighbourhood, if previously unoccupied, could completely command the whole of our commerce passing through the strait.

"5th. From what more central point could operations be conducted with the view of extending our knowledge of the interior of New Guinea, by ascending some of the large rivers of that country, disemboguing on the shores of the Great Bight?

"6th. And lastly-but on this point I would advance my opinion with much diffidence I believe that were a settlement to be established at Cape York, missionary enterprise, judiciously conducted, might find a useful field for its labours in Torres Strait, beginning with the Murray and Darnley islanders; people of a much higher intellectual standard than the Australians, and consequently more likely to appreciate any humanising influence which might be exercised for their benefit."

Most readers, perhaps, take up a book of voyages or travels, as they

would a novel, seeking a passing amusement from the adventures therein described, or perhaps only from the illustrations given. Such voyages as these now described, however, and especially such as the latter book of Mr. Macgillivray's, admit of a more careful and studious perusal for the amount of information they contain, whether to the naturalist, the geogra pher, or the statesman.

To the man of science, perhaps, it matters not of what nation were the observers, nor in what language their history is written. For the interests

of the British empire, however, with her colonial possessions and foreign dependencies scattered over the whole globe, her subjects and her commerce penetrating to even the most out-ofthe-way corners of it, new trades, new sources of wealth, new commercial relations every day springing up, it is essential that competent observers and describers of our own nation should be always travelling the globe, and from time to time giving to the public the results of their observations.

These may be a source of amusement to the idle man, and of information to the man of science, but by no man ought they to be more thoroughly mastered, and frequently perused, than by any one who aspires to become a leader in the affairs of the British empire.

Of this empire the United Kingdom is only the heart-its limbs and members embrace the world. Would that every politician would keep this fact present to his mind! We should then have fewer petty squabbles and local and party disputes and prejudices, here at home should legislate and govern in a purer and larger spirit, with the consciousness that every throb of the national heart is felt, in its pulsations, to the uttermost ends of the earth.

VOL. XLI.NO. CCXLIII.

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