REEFS OF THE CORAL SEA.

In traversing the Coral Sea, the numerous detached reefs were so carefully avoided that we saw none of them—­thus in one sense it is to be regretted that the passage through them of a surveying vessel, with seventeen chronometers on board, was productive of no beneficial result by determining the exact position of any one of these dangerous reefs, most of which are only approximately laid down upon the charts.*

(Footnote.  About this time a new reef was discovered during the passage from Cape Deliverance to Sydney of H.M.S.  Meander, Captain the Honourable H. Keppel.  While this sheet was passing through the press, I saw an announcement of the total wreck upon Kenn Reef—­one of those the position of which is uncertain—­of a large merchant ship, the passengers and crew of which, 33 in number, fortunately however, succeeded in reaching Moreton Bay in their boat—­a distance of 400 miles.)

PRACTICAL RESULTS OF THE SURVEY.

The most important practical result of Captain Stanley’s survey of the Louisiade Archipelago and the south coast of New Guinea, was the ascertaining the existence of a clear channel of at least 30 miles in width along the southern shores of these islands, stretching east and west between Cape Deliverance and the north-east entrance to Torres Strait—­a distance of about 600 miles.  This space was so traversed by the two vessels of the expedition without any detached reefs being discovered, that it does not seem probable that any such exist there, with the exception of the Eastern Fields of Flinders, the position and extent of which may be regarded as determined with sufficient accuracy for the purposes of navigation, and the reefs alluded to in Volume 1, which, if they exist at all, and are not merely the Eastern Fields laid down far to the eastward of their true position, must be sought for further to the southward.  The shores in question may now be approached with safety, and vessels may run along them either by day or night under the guidance of the chart—­without incurring the risk of coming upon unknown reefs, such as doubtless exist in other parts of the Coral Sea further to the southward—­judging from the occasional discovery of a new one by some vessel which had got out of the beaten track.  Whalers will no doubt find it worth their while—­with the characteristic enterprise of their class—­to push into those parts of the Coral Sea now first thrown open to them, and, although we have not as yet sufficient grounds to warrant the probability of success in the fishery, yet I may mention that whales were seen on several occasions from both of our vessels.

USEFUL PRODUCTIONS OF NEW GUINEA.