CO885-(6-7) — Page 227

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :-

LLC.O. 885

MY LORD,

British Consulate General, Honolulu,

October 25, 1894.

I HAVE the honour to report to your Lordship that on the 13th instant I proceeded with Mr. Sandford Fleming to Bird Island (Nihoa), one of the uninhabited islands of the chain belonging to the Hawaiian group, in order to ascertain whether it offered any facilities as a landing place for the Pacific Cable, as its situation is preferable to that of either Necker Island or French Frigate Shoal.

We took passage on board H.M.S. "Hyacinth," and arrived off Bird Island on the morning of the 14th. In the afternoon of the same day, when a series of soundings had

+ No 47.

• Not printed.

O 83769.

† No. 44.

F

6

COPYRIGHT

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC-

PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO

42

been taken on the extensive bank which surrounds the island, we landed on the south side. A heavy swell that was setting in rendered both getting on shore and re-embarking

difficult.

very

Bird Island is a rock about of a mile in length and mile in width, which rises 900 feet out of the sea. Its sides are precipitous, except on the south, where the land gradually slopes down to a small sandy beach, and two inlets where boats can land in smooth weather. The beach appears to be a good spot to land a cable at, and it could easily be sufficiently protected by a breakwater to render it safe for boats to land in almost any weather.

We found no water on the island, but from a report published in 1857 by Captain Patey of the schooner "Mannokawai," who then explored this island, he appears to have discovered a small drain of fresh water near the sandy beach. This was probably drainage from a gully close by, which evidently, from the marks on the rocks, carries off a considerable quantity of water during rains.

There is a second gully more to the right, where the moisture seems to be retained, as we found clusters of small palm trees growing at intervals. Doubtless, if the sea birds which now cover the island were much disturbed, they would leave these gullies, and water for use could then be collected and saved in tanks or reservoirs, but at present the water is too polluted with guano to be fit even for washing purposes. The soil is light, and much mixed with disintegrated rocks.

The enclosed extract from Captain May'e report of proceedings to Rear-Admiral Stephenson, and the tracing from the Hawaiian Government survey, showing the soundings recently taken by H.M.S." Hyacinth," which I forward under separate cover, will convey to your Lordship further information respecting this island.

I have, &c.

The Earl of Kimberley, K.G.

&c. &c. &c.

A. G. HAWES,

H. B. M. Commissioner and Consul-General.

EXTRACT from Captain MAY's "Letter of Proceedings," addressed to Rear-Admiral STEPHENSON, dated 19th October 1894.

34

the (Bird) Island being 255 miles off, I was only able to make a hurried examination of the surrounding waters in the six hours that I spent there.

The islet consists of a most precipitous lava rock, 900 feet high, with scarcely any vegetation and apparently no water; with an area of some 150 acres, there may be an acre or so level enough for building.

It is the resort of myriads of sea birds that nest all over the island, and whose droppings would make any rain water that was collected from the gullies undrinkable.

A confused cross swell from the N.E. and S. rendered landing difficult; still it was' effected without damage to boat or other accident, and, with such appliances as are common on the harbourless coasts of these islands, there would probably be no real difficulty in

communicating with the south side of the island in almost any weather.

The northern, western, and eastern sides of the island are sheer precipices.

All round the island is a most extensive bank of dead coral, very smooth and regular, with from 25 to 35 fathoms. I traced this bank to a distance of 14 miles from the island in a north-easterly direction, whilst to the eastward its edge comes some three miles nearer in.

I had no time to examine the seaward slope, but, from the few soundings I took, it does not appear to be as steep as is commonly the case with banks of coral.

At a distance of half a mile from the shore the depth is about 20 fathoms on the precipitous sides and 14 fathoms on the accessible south coast, so that anchorage could always be obtained under the lee, according to the direction of the wind, the bottom consisting of sand and broken coral.

A sandy beach, about 100 yards long and apparently clear of rocks, faces the south-east, and would appear to offer a favourable landing place for the cable. The water is exceedingly clear, the bottom being plainly visible in 15 fathoms, yet no under-water dangers were seen, and there is every appearance of there being deep water right up to the cliffs.

The longitude of the island is erroneously given as 161° 45', the true longitude as ascertained by us being 161° 55'. This makes the island 255 miles from Honolulu,

ᅥ

223

14.

cable

· the

sty's

hip's ed to

N.

94.

of the

ession of the

irs of

94.

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference -

TILLC.O. 885

posed

r the

!onsul view

on

L

on

IE

ulu,

eeded

of the d any

hat of

n the

had

6