Inside the greatest depth found was twenty fathoms, with numerous small coral patches showing themselves so clearly as easily to be avoided--outside, the water suddenly deepens to no bottom with one hundred fathoms of line, at the distance of a mile from its edge.
WESTERN ISLANDS OF THE LOUISIADE.
For several days we continued making traverses off and on the line of barrier reefs extending to the westward, obtaining negative soundings, and occasionally communicating by signal with the Bramble, which was meanwhile doing the inshore part of the work.

The next islet seen was Ile Lejeune of D'Urville, situated in latitude 10 degrees 11 minutes South and longitude 151 degrees 50 minutes East, eight miles to the westward of the nearest of the Duperre group, with a wide intervening passage.

The sea-face of the barrier now becomes continuous for twenty-one miles further, its northern side broken into numerous openings, leading into shoal water.

It is, in fact, an elongated, almost linear atoll, with islands scattered along its sheltered margin.

After this, the barrier becomes broken up into a series of small reefs, with passages between, still preserving a westerly trend, until it ends in longitude 150 degrees 58 minutes East.