Carried back to times past, we stood upon the summit of the height, dwelling in thought upon the adventurous career of the great navigator, when suddenly, as if by magic, the whole scene below and around was obscured, and we found ourselves wrapped in a dense cloud of vapour, which came sweeping across the island, drenching us to the skin, with a rapidity which spoke volumes for the penetrating character of an Australian fog.  Cold and shivering we hailed the temporary re-appearance of the sun with delight, and our clothes were dried almost as speedily as they had been wetted.  Our satisfaction was however but of short duration, as the same agreeable operation, of alternate drenching and drying, occurred several times during our stay on the Peak.

BARRIER REEF.

The opening through which Captain Cook passed out to sea, bore about North by East 9 miles, the outer line of the Barrier Reef, curving from thence to the North-West, and following the trend of the land.  When this singular wall of coral, the most extensive perhaps in the world, is surveyed, it will I think be found to follow the direction of the coast it fronts with such exactness, as to leave little doubt that the vast base on which rests the work of the reef-building Polypifers, was, contrary to the opinion which I am aware prevails, upheaved at the same time with the neighbouring coast of the Australian continent, which it follows for a space of upwards of a hundred miles.

CORAL REEFS.

From the elevation on which I stood, I had an excellent view of some reefs within the Barrier; whether they encircled an islet, or were wholly beneath the water, their form was circular, although from the ship, and indeed anywhere, viewed from a less height, they appeared oval-shaped.  This detection of my own previously erroneous impressions, seemed to account for the recurrence in charts of elongated-shaped reefs, others having doubtless fallen into the same error.  It is very remarkable that on the South-East or windward side of these coral reefs, the circle is of a compact and perfect form, as if to resist the action of the waves, while on the opposite side they were jagged and broken.*

(Footnote.  In the Pacific the islets are generally on the weather side of the lagoon reefs.)

The South-West side of the peak rises perpendicularly from a grassy flat, which stretches across that part of the island, separating two bays, the beaches of which with the rest on the island are composed of granulated quartz, and coarse shingle.  A stream of water, rising in the peak, runs through the green, while a few low gumtrees grow in small detached clumps; a ship may therefore procure both water and fuel; finding this to be the case, and as it was a convenient stopping place, we made a plan of the island, connecting it with those in the immediate neighbourhood.  It is the more advantageous as an anchorage, in that it can be reached during the night, whereas this could not be done in the inner channel near Turtle Islands, it lying so much to the westward, and being more intricate.  Indeed it is not prudent to approach these isles even in the afternoon, from the number of reefs, and the difficulty in seeing them with the sun ahead.