NARRATIVE OF THE VOYAGE OF H.M.S. RATTLESNAKE, COMMANDED BY THE LATE CAPTAIN OWEN STANLEY, R.N., F.R.S. ETC. DURING THE YEARS 1846-1850. INCLUDING DISCOVERIES AND SURVEYS IN NEW GUINEA, THE LOUISIADE ARCHIPELAGO, ETC. TO WHICH IS ADDED THE ACCOUNT OF MR. E.B. KENNEDY'S EXPEDITION FOR THE EXPLORATION OF THE CAPE YORK PENINSULA. BY JOHN MACGILLIVRAY, F.R.G.S. NATURALIST TO THE EXPEDITION. PUBLISHED UNDER THE SANCTION OF THE LORDS COMMISSIONERS OF THE ADMIRALTY. IN TWO VOLUMES. VOLUME 1. 1852. TO MRS. STANLEY, THIS WORK IS DEDICATED AS A TRIBUTE OF RESPECT TO THE MEMORY OF HER SON, UNDER WHOSE DIRECTION THE PRINCIPAL OBJECTS OF THE VOYAGE OF THE RATTLESNAKE WERE SUCCESSFULLY ACCOMPLISHED. PREFACE. It was originally intended that an account of the Surveying Voyage of H.M.S. Rattlesnake should have been undertaken conjointly by the late Captain Owen Stanley and myself, in which case the narrative would have been constructed from the materials afforded by the journals of both, and the necessary remarks upon hydrographical subjects would have been furnished by that officer, whose lamented death in March, 1850, prevented this arrangement from being carried out. Not having had access to Captain Stanley's private journals, I considered myself fortunate, when the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty--in addition to sanctioning the publication of my account of the Voyage in question--directed that every facility should be afforded me in consulting the manuscript charts and other hydrographical results at their disposal, and to Rear-Admiral Sir F. Beaufort, C.B., Commander C.B. Yule, R.N., and Lieutenant J. Dayman, R.N., I beg to express my thanks for the liberal manner in which they carried out their Lordships' intentions. To the other gentlemen who have contributed Appendices to this work--George Busk, Esquire F.R.S., Dr. R.G. Latham, Professor Edward Forbes, F.R.S., and Adam White, Esquire, F.L.S.--I have also to offer my best thanks. It also affords me great pleasure to record my obligations to T. Huxley, Esquire R.N., F.R.S., late Assistant-Surgeon of the Rattlesnake, for the handsome manner in which he allowed me to select from his collection of drawings those which now appear as illustrations; and I may express the hope, which in common with many others I entertain, that the whole of his researches in marine zoology may speedily be laid before the scientific world. My own collections in Natural History have been submitted to the examination of various eminent naturalists. Many of the novelties have already been described, and the remainder will appear from time to time. CONTENTS OF VOLUME 1. CHAPTER 1.1.