At the western extremity of the reef there appeared to be a clear opening, but the day was too far advanced to admit of entering it to search for an anchorage, and the ship was hove to for the night.
(*Footnote.

It extends 17 miles beyond the westernmost point of Rossel Island.) ITS INHABITANTS.
Rossel Island, judging from the little we saw of it, appears to be well inhabited.

The first natives seen were a party of five men, apparently naked, who came out upon the beach from a grove of coconut trees, and stood gazing at the unusual sight to them of two vessels passing by.
Opposite a pretty creek-like harbour, the windings of which we could trace back a little way among the hills, several canoes of various sizes were seen, each with an outrigger on one side, and one of them furnished with a large mat-sail of an oblong shape, rounded at the ends.

The people, of whom there were usually about six or seven in each canoe, appeared to be engaged in fishing in the shoal water.

One man in a very small canoe was bailing it out with a large melon-shell so intently that he appeared to take no notice whatever of the ship which passed within a quarter of a mile of him.