Besides A Sort Of Whistle, Made Of Wood, About Two Inches
Long, And Shaped Like A Bell, Having Two Holes At Its Base And One At
The Upper End, We Never Saw A Musical Instrument Among The People Of
New Caledonia.
Their dances and songs are equally unknown to us; and
what we observed during our short stay, gave us reason to suppose,
that even laughter is an uncommon guest among them." - G.F.
SECTION X.
Proceedings on the Coast of New Caledonia, with Geographical and
Nautical Observations.
Everything being in readiness to put to sea, at sun-rise, on the 13th of
September, we weighed, and with a fine gale at E. by S., stood out for the
same channel we came in by. At half past seven we were in the middle of it.
Observatory Isle bore S. 5 deg. E., distant four miles, and the isle of Balabea
W.N.W. As soon as we were clear of the reef, we hauled the wind to the
starboard tack, with a view of plying in to the S.E.; but as Mr Gilbert was
of opinion that he had seen the end, or N.W. extremity of the land, and
that it would be easier to get round by the N.W., I gave over plying, and
bore up along the outside of the reef, steering N.N.W., N.W., and N.W. by
W., as it trended. At noon the island of Balabea bore S. by W., distant
thirteen miles; and what we judged to be the west end of the great land,
bore S.W. 1/2 S., and the direction of the reef was N.W. by W., latitude
observed 19 deg.
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