.. palm-clad islands,
the gaps between which were to the south undiscernible, the white sand
shores and the whiter gaps where breakers appeared, and, lastly, the
lagoon itself, seven or eight miles across from north to south, and
five to six from east to west, presented a sight never to be
forgotten. After some little delay, Mr. Sidney Ross, the eldest son of
Mr. George Ross, came off to meet us, and soon after, accompanied by
the doctor and another officer, we went ashore." "On reaching the
landing-stage, we found, hauled up for cleaning, etc., the _Spray_ of
Boston, a yawl of 12.70 tons gross, the property of Captain Joshua
Slocum. He arrived at the island on the 17th of July, twenty-three
days out from Thursday Island. This extraordinary solitary traveler
left Boston some two years ago single-handed, crossed to Gibraltar,
sailed down to Cape Horn, passed through the Strait of Magellan to the
Society Islands, thence to Australia, and through the Torres Strait to
Thursday Island."]
The Keeling Cocos Islands, according to Admiral Fitzroy, R. N., lie
between the latitudes of 11 degrees 50' and 12 degrees 12' S., and the
longitudes of 96 degrees 51' and 96 degrees 58' E. They were
discovered in 1608-9 by Captain William Keeling, then in the service
of the East India Company. The southern group consists of seven or
eight islands and islets on the atoll, which is the skeleton of what
some day, according to the history of coral reefs, will be a
continuous island.
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