By permission of Captain Maxwell, I have named this excellent harbour, Port Melville, in honour of Lord Viscount Melville, First Lord of the Admiralty. [Illustration: _Draught_ _of_ PORT MELVILLE _on the N.W. side of_ _GREAT LOO-CHOO_ Island _by_ _Captain Basil Hall_ _and_ _the_ OFFICERS _of_ _His Majesty's Sloop_ LYRA _11th Octr. 1816._] From the top of a range of hills which we ascended, rising on the south side of the upper bay of Port Melville, we could see the south-west corner of the great western bay, the whole range of Port Melville, and the coasts adjacent. [Sidenote: Geographical position of Port Melville.] The latitude of Herbert's Island, which lies directly off the entrance of Port Melville, is 26º 42-2/3' north, by meridian altitude of the sun observed on shore. Its longitude, which is also the longitude of Port Melville, is 127º 55' east, or 17' east of Napakiang observatory. The Sugar Loaf bears from the centre of the island, west 4-1/2º north, about ten miles. [Sidenote: Coast skirted by coral reefs.] As the whole part of this coast is skirted by dangerous coral reefs, the greatest attention should be paid to the lead, and the ship ought to be put about the instant that the water shoals to eight, seven, or six fathoms. On running in for the west end of Herbert's Island, on the morning of the 11th of October, we passed over a coral ledge having nine fathoms on it. The west point of Herbert's Island bore at this time south 8º 40' west, distant four or five miles. Before and after passing this we had from thirty to sixty fathoms; whether it was shoaler than nine fathoms at any place, was not ascertained, but the circumstance is deserving of notice, and ought to teach the necessity of constant vigilance, when near coral reefs. [Sidenote: Montgomery islands.] The cluster of islands to the northward of Port Melville lies between 26º 54' and 27º 4-1/2' north, the north end of the northern one being in longitude 127º 57' east, or 19' east of the observatory. It does not appear that there is any good anchorage about them; and there are dangerous reefs off the south and south-western ones. [Sidenote: Hope Point.] The north end of the Great Loo-choo lies in 26º 52-1/2' north, and this is probably within one, or at most two miles of the truth. We observed in 27º 00' 15" north, at which time the northern extreme bore east 59º south, nine miles by estimation, an inference which was checked by the distance run on a direct course afterwards. The longitude is 128º 9' east, or 31' east of the observatory. [Sidenote: Sidmouth Point.]