The cargo of the _Myrtle_ consisted of general merchandise, and "trade," valued at L1,000. Captain Tornaros offered them at Sydney cost price, with five per cent. added, and succeeded in disposing of a large quantity. He then went to Queensland and informed the underwriters of the loss. They called for tenders for the purchase of the _Myrtle_ as she lay at anchor in China Straits. Messrs Burns, Philps and Co., a Queensland firm of shipowners and merchants, bought her for L200, and sent one of their own steamers to tug her to Queensland. Captain Tornaros was a heavy loser by the disaster, and evidently felt his loss keenly. In a few days, to our surprise, the cutter _S----l_, supposed to have been lost, suddenly made her appearance in port. I immediately boarded her, and congratulated Messrs. S----g and W---- upon their safe arrival. This was the third time that they had been reported as murdered. At this time preparations were being made by K----, a trader, to form a coffee plantation on the mainland. The land selected for the purpose was situated near a creek, the mouth of which is close to Coast Island (China Straits). The entrance to the creek is guarded by a small "bar" of sand, which is almost fordable at low water, but at high tide is navigable for small craft. The creek is a tidal one, and of no great depth. The banks are lined with mangroves, whose roots extend far into the water. On the branches are numerous oysters, known by the name of mangrove oysters. They are capital eating, and almost equal to the famous Rock oysters. The creek is about 15 yards wide, and at a little over a mile from the mouth suddenly narrows and becomes shallow. Here there is a small native village, containing seven or eight houses. The houses are built on a flat, and in time of heavy rains must be very damp. The natives are not numerous, and are of a peaceable disposition. Their plantations are situate some distance away. Shortly after leaving the village the mangroves are lost sight of, and you enter a thick forest, lightly timbered and easily penetrated. This forest valley is well watered by numerous small creeks, and is flanked by lofty hills, covered with timber, of no great size, with a tropical under-growth, and not too difficult of access. The rain-fall here is heavy, but is quickly drained off by the above-mentioned creeks. Following the creek for some distance, the country gradually becomes more mountainous, and continues so until you get to the other side of the coastal ranges, when you come upon the densely wooded shores of Milne Bay.