for the sickle. at 8h. a.m. on Cape. We passed well inside the dangerous Ariel Rocks, and Captain Steward, the Governor's Secretary, who has had much experience on this coast, and is a most observant man in everything relating to the weather, had prepared me for a gale of wind off this cape. Hitherto all his predictions had been fulfilled; this once they were falsified, for the weather was magnificent, and we enjoyed a good view of the land, which is dotted with settlers' huts and Maori villages near the water. The high ground behind is uncleared and seems a dense forest. I steamed well to windward of the care, and after exercising at general quarters, made sail and got the screw up. The wind was dead on end, with a nasty head sea, so we made very slow progress. Sunday, January 15th.-We did very little yesterday, but this morning we were well inside the bay of Plenty, and as the wind declined to almost a calm, I got the steam up, and stood for "White Island," on which there is a volcano in active operation, being determined to pay it a visit if possible, as such an opportunity may never occur again. The white cloud of smoke that always hovers over it was in sight before eight o'clock, in shape like a huge palm tree, and at eleven the engines were stopped about half a mile off, and H.E. the Governor gladly accompanied me ashore, with all the officers of the ship that could be spared from duty. As we approached the island, its aspect was of the most singular and forbidding description. Except on its northern face, to which the sulphureous vapour does not appear to reach, it is utterly destitute of vegetation here there are a few patches of underwood; but in every other direction the island is bald, bleak, and furrowed into countless deep-worn ravines. The centre of the island has been hollowed out by the crater of the volcano into a capacious basin, almost circular, and excepting to the South, where there is a huge cleft or rent, its sides or edges rise, almost perpendicular, full eight hundred feet from the base. After some trouble, patiently waiting and carefully backing in with the swell, a landing was effected on the South side, when a most extraordinary sight was displayed to our view. Before us, in the hollow of the basin, was a lake of yellow looking liquid, smoking hot, about a hundred yards in diameter, as near as could be guessed. Around this, but chiefly towards the North side, were numerous jets of steam spouting out of the ground; a strong sulphureous smell pervaded the atmosphere, and warned us what was to be expected from a nearer proximity to the crater in active operation at the further end of the lake, to which, nothing daunted by its appearance, our party was determined to penetrate. Our advance was made cautiously; the surface of the ground was in some places soft and yielding, and we knew not to what brimstone depths an unwary step might sink us. There were little ravines to be crossed, which had to be first carefully sounded. As we proceeded on the soft crustaceous surface, little diminutive spouts of vapour would spit forth as if to resent our intrusion. In skirting the edge of the lake, its temperature and taste were both : tested the former varied with the distance from the seething bubbling going on at the extremity; in some places the hand could be kept in, but 130° was the highest registered without risk to the thermometer by Mr. Lawrenson, Assistant Surgeon: the taste may be imagined, but not described! Continuing our advance, the roaring and hissing became louder and louder, as though a hundred locomotives were all blowing off together, while the steam from the crater and numerous geysers surrounding it was emitted in huge volumes, ascending full two thousand feet into the air. Most fortunately it was a perfect calm, or the fumes of the sulphur would alone have sufficed to stop our progress; but there was also every reason to believe, judging from the description I have by me of a former visit, that the volcano was to day in a more quiescent state than usual. Everywhere sulphur was strewed around, and we had only to enlarge any of the vapour holes to obtain it in its pure crystallized state. We were now within a few yards of the crater,huge bubbles of boiling mud were rising several feet from the surface of the lake, the heat and sulphureous vapour were almost insupportable, it was evident that no animal life could long exist here. But before leaving this cauldron, one of the mids., more venturous than the rest, climbed up a small semi-detached hill, and his example being followed, we beheld a display which beggars all description. In full activity a roaring fountain shot up into the scorching atmosphere: we deemed this to be molten sulphur, but no flame was visible in the daylight; stones were thrown in, but they were projected into the air as high as the ship's mast-heads. It was a sight never to be forgotten; and we retraced our steps to the boats with the satisfaction of having been permitted to make a closer inspection of this grand natural curiosity than any previous visitor. We saw no indication of either ani mal or insect life, and it is not likely that any can exist on this island. On the beach, which was composed of large boulder stones, lay the bleached bones of an enormous whale, and a couple of whale-birds hovered round the boats as they pulled back to the ship. At one o'clock we bade adieu to this extraordinary island and stood to the northward, passing very close to three remarkable islets, one of these appeared like a perfect spire, on a N.W. bearing; another, like a fortified castle, reminding me of Melilla, on the Riff coast. Shaped a course for Cuvier Island, which we rounded at 4h. a.m. on Monday; at nine o'clock Cape Colville, the extreme North of the Coromandel district, was abeam, and before one p.m. we were at an anchor off the Wynyard Pier, at Auckland once more, having been absent eight weeks and two days on this very pleasant expedition. (To be continued.) for the sickle. at 8h. a.m. on Cape. We passed well inside the dangerous Ariel Rocks, and Captain Steward, the Governor's Secretary, who has had much experience on this coast, and is a most observant man in everything relating to the weather, had prepared me for a gale of wind off this cape. Hitherto all his predictions had been fulfilled; this once they were falsified, for the weather was magnificent, and we enjoyed a good view of the land, which is dotted with settlers' huts and Maori villages near the water. The high ground behind is uncleared and seems a dense forest. I steamed well to windward of the care, and after exercising at general quarters, made sail and got the screw up. The wind was dead on end, with a nasty head sea, so we made very slow progress. Sunday, January 15th.-We did very little yesterday, but this morning we were well inside the bay of Plenty, and as the wind declined to almost a calm, I got the steam up, and stood for "White Island," on which there is a volcano in active operation, being determined to pay it a visit if possible, as such an opportunity may never occur again. The white cloud of smoke that always hovers over it was in sight before eight o'clock, in shape like a huge palm tree, and at eleven the engines were stopped about half a mile off, and H.E. the Governor gladly accompanied me ashore, with all the officers of the ship that could be spared from duty. As we approached the island, its aspect was of the most singular and forbidding description. Except on its northern face, to which the sulphureous vapour does not appear to reach, it is utterly destitute of vegetation here there are a few patches of underwood; but in every other direction the island is bald, bleak, and furrowed into countless deep-worn ravines. The centre of the island has been hollowed out by the crater of the volcano into a capacious basin, almost circular, and excepting to the South, where there is a huge cleft or rent, its sides or edges rise, almost perpendicular, full eight hundred feet from the base. After some trouble, patiently waiting and carefully backing in with the swell, a landing was effected on the South side, when a most extraordinary sight was displayed to our view. Before us, in the hollow of the basin, was a lake of yellow looking liquid, smoking hot, about a hundred yards in diameter, as near as could be guessed. Around this, but chiefly towards the North side, were numerous jets of steam spouting out of the ground; a strong sulphureous smell pervaded the atmosphere, and warned us what was to be expected from a nearer proximity to the crater in active operation at the further end of the lake, to which, nothing daunted by its appearance, our party was determined to penetrate. Our advance was made cautiously; the surface of the ground was in some places soft and yielding, and we knew not to what brimstone depths an unwary step might sink us. There were little ravines to be crossed, which had to be first carefully sounded. As we proceeded on the soft crustaceous surface, little diminutive spouts of vapour would spit forth as if to resent our intrusion. In skirting the edge of the lake, its temperature and taste were both tested the former varied with the distance from the seething bubbling going on at the extremity; in some places the hand could be kept in, but 130° was the highest registered without risk to the thermometer by Mr. Lawrenson, Assistant Surgeon: the taste may be imagined, but not described! Continuing our advance, the roaring and hissing became louder and louder, as though a hundred locomotives were all blowing off together, while the steam from the crater and numerous geysers surrounding it was emitted in huge volumes, ascending full two thousand feet into the air. Most fortunately it was a perfect calm, or the fumes of the sulphur would alone have sufficed to stop our progress; but there was also every reason to believe, judging from the description I have by me of a former visit, that the volcano was to day in a more quiescent state than usual. Everywhere sulphur was strewed around, and we had only to enlarge any of the vapour holes to obtain it in its pure crystallized state. We were now within a few yards of the crater.— huge bubbles of boiling mud were rising several feet from the surface of the lake, the heat and sulphureous vapour were almost insupportable, it was evident that no animal life could long exist here. But before leaving this cauldron, one of the mids., more venturous than the rest, climbed up a small semi-detached hill, and his example being followed, we beheld a display which beggars all description. In full activity a roaring fountain shot up into the scorching atmosphere: we deemed this to be molten sulphur, but no flame was visible in the daylight; stones were thrown in, but they were projected into the air as high as the ship's mast-heads. It was a sight never to be forgotten; and we retraced our steps to the boats with the satisfaction of having been permitted to make a closer inspection of this grand natural curiosity than any previous visitor. We saw no indication of either animal or insect life, and it is not likely that any can exist on this island. On the beach, which was composed of large boulder stones, lay the bleached bones of an enormous whale, and a couple of whale-birds hovered round the boats as they pulled back to the ship. * At one o'clock we bade adieu to this extraordinary island and stood to the northward, passing very close to three remarkable islets, one of these appeared like a perfect spire, on a N.W. bearing; another, like a fortified castle, reminding me of Melilla, on the Riff coast. * Shaped a course for Cuvier Island, which we rounded at 4h. a.m. on Monday; at nine o'clock Cape Colville, the extreme North of the Coromandel district, was abeam, and before one p.m. we were at an anchor off the Wynyard Pier, at Auckland once more, having been absent eight weeks and two days on this very pleasant expedition. (To be continued.) THE MEDINA BANK, S.E. OF MALTA,-By Captain Spratt, R.N., C.B., H.M.S. "Medina." Before the soundings required in connection with the new sheet of Malta were finished, the calm moonlight nights induced me to stretch out to the new banks S.E. of the island that had been unexpectedly found by our casual soundings last year, when returning from the Syrtis and Cyrene. As these banks raised the question of the possibility of finding a shallow upon them, that might have originated the belief in the old story of a rock to the eastward of Malta by many old Mediterranean pilots and captains, my first object was to define their limits, so as to recognize any indications of their shallowest heads. This I had effected to the extent shown in the enclosed chart when the change of weather and want of coal obliged me to return to Malta. The extent of these banks to the eastward by this examination was found to be much greater than expected. They have, however, a very steep and deep slope on their eastern side, descending from 200 fathoms to over 1,000 fathoms within a distance of five or six miles. And although extending out in a spur to a distance of 120 miles S.E.b.E. from Malta, they still leave the old suspected position of the rock (viz., from East to E.S.E.) with water much too deep for its possible existence there. The shoalest part found by us is a large patch at the western extreme of the banks, with 74, 80, and 90 fathoms upon it, distant from sixty to eighty miles S.E.b.S. of Malta. The bank itself runs nearly East and West, in the parallel of about 34° 55', for about seventy miles in length. It also seems to be separated from the "plateau" extending from Malta by a narrow gully or deep of not less than 200 and 300 fathoms. But yet it has a shallower connection with the Karkesia Bank and coast of Tripoli. This curious and extensive submarine plateau, between the S.E. extreme of Malta and Tripoli, bearing some resemblance to the Adventure Bank, between the N.W. extreine of Sicily and Tunis, has induced me to name it the "Medina Bank." Then, again, as that bank has its Skerki Rocks and Keith Reef on its outlying margin, with very deep water near them, it is quite possible that it may have a shallower head than we could find (although not a danger); and thus originated the old reports which have caused so much anxiety to the mariner navigating these waters in the early part of this century. Should these apprehensions be again revived by any future report of such a danger on the Medina Bank, the shallow heads of it being now shown, where such a danger might possibly be found, they may then be more carefully sounded. In fact, those parts may be then examined in such detailed manner as would be then both desirable and necessary, so as to relieve the mind of the seaman of all doubt on the |