A vessel intending going into this harbour, should make the S.E. end of the island; as the land is approached, a remarkable conical hill, resembling a sugar loaf, will be seen, which steer for, until a large native house is seen, (it is the only one visible,) which get to bear S.W. by S., which course steer until the opening in the reef is perceived, when a mid-channel course must be pursued. This passage is nearly a mile wide, but there are no soundings until well in. After passing the entrance reef about a mile, there is a dangerous sunken bank with only two fathoms on it, nearly in mid-channel, a little over on the S.E. side, it is very small, and does not extend more than 100 yards in length and 40 is breadth. It may also, with the shoal water on the east side of the channel be easily seen from the mast-head. When abreast of this shoal a small island to the S.E., called Narrapola, will be just on with the extreme point of the main island ; when it is shut in, this danger is past. The leading mark then, is a low wooded point, on with centre of a small bay; keep the north point also shut in, and all dangers are avoided ; the anchorage is just round this point, in fifteen fathoms good holding ground, with the conical hill already mentioned, will open; the watering place at the base of this hill.

The position of this island is very erroneously laid down in the charts ; I made Matalina harbour (entrance) in latitude 6� 51' N., longitude 158� 15' E., being thirty-eight miles to the eastward of the assigned position. The above position exactly agrees with the observations made by the officers or the French corvette Danaïde, who visited this place a few months precious to my arrival.

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