We ran off with a fine breeze, and at half-past three, A.M., made the Duke of York's Island, directly ahead, and sooner than we expected. It was not more than three or four miles off; the deep hollow roar of the surf could be distinctly heard, and its foaming white crest seen through the mists of the night, as it tumbled on the shore. We hove to until morning, when we made sail along the land, towards the south end of the island. This island is noted on the chart, as uninhabited, when discovered by Commodore Byron, in 1791; and it may be supposed, that we were not a little surprised, on approaching the southern point, to see two canoes putting off for us. One of them came alongside, the other kept at a distance. The first had but one man in it, who exchanged a mat for a piece of iron hoop, and returned immediately to the shore, followed by his consort. When we got to the southward of the point, which was the lee side of the island, we hove to, and sent a boat to look for anchorage. The shores were similar to those of Caroline and Clarence Islands,--of coral, and shelving suddenly into deep sea-water. It was somewhat better here, however, for within half a cable's length of the surf, we let go our anchor in twenty fathoms water. Although we veered eighty fathoms of cable, the bottom was so smooth, and its angle of depression so great, that we drifted off. We stood in again, and running the vessel close in with the edge of the surf (the wind blowing off shore) came to in eight fathoms. In a few minutes, a native made his appearance on the coral bank, near us, with his arms full of cocoa-nuts, which he held up, as if for our acceptance, waving at the same time a green branch, and frequently jumping about upon the rocks, in a childish, playful manner. A boat was sent to bring him off; but when he saw her approaching pretty near, he threw the nuts in the water towards her, and hastily retired. A coral bed, like that at Caroline Island, extended off fifty or a hundred yards from the shore, which, like that, was perforated every where with holes, and resembled, in its frail appearance, ice that has been for a long time exposed to rain. The tide was low, and the surf breaking but lightly upon it, we were enabled to land without difficulty. At our approach the natives all ran off, and for a considerable time could not be prevailed upon to come near us. After a while their timidity relaxed, and they came round us, one by one, until we had a dozen of them assembled. Still they were very much afraid, starting with every motion we made, and if we attempted to touch them, they ran from us, and became as shy as ever. From our place of landing, we could discover that this island was similar to the Duke of Clarence, being a narrow chain of little islets and reefs, of coral formation, covered with bushes and cocoa-nut trees, and comprehending within the chain a lake of many miles in circumference.