to its northwest end; while its southern part looks like a separate
island, saddle-shaped. The island does not appear to be permanently
inhabited; in March, 1885, it was occupied by parties from Busuanga,
burning the grass and digging cassava.

Lagat is a small island 334 feet high, surrounded by a reef with a
narrow passage between it and the reef off the south of Tara.

Botak Island, 800 feet high, is fairly well cultivated. Off its
northern end there is a queer pin-shaped rock, and off its southern
end are same sharp-pointed rocks. The vicinity has not been sounded.

The space included between the Sulu Archipelago to the south and
Mindoro to the north, and having the Philippine Islands on the
east and Palawan on the west, is distinguished by the name of the
Sulu Sea. Although of great depth, 2,550 fathoms, this sea, which
is in connection with the China and Celebes seas, and also with the
Pacific by San Bernardino and Surigao straits, has a minimum deep-sea
temperature of 50.5 degrees, reached invariably at 400 fathoms. As this
temperature in the China Sea is at the depth of 200 fathoms, and in the
Celebes Sea at 180 fathoms, and in the Pacific at 230 fathoms, it may
be inferred that the Sulu Sea is prevented from freely interchanging
its waters with those seas by ridges which do not exceed those depths.

In the Sulu Sea easterly winds with fine weather prevail in October,
and the northeast monsoon is not established until November. In
January and February it blows hardest, but not with the force of
the China seas, and it is felt strongest before the openings between
Panay and Negros, and Negros and Mindanao. At the end of May southwest
winds begin to blow, and in a month become established, to terminate
in October, bringing with them a season made up of rain squalls
and tempests, which take place principally in July and August. In
September a heavy mist hangs about the coast of Mindanao.

The island and province of Paragua is the most western of the
Philippine Archipelago, and is situated to the north of Borneo. It is
long and narrow, following a northeast direction, and nearly closes
on the southwest the Sea of Mindanao, which enters from the China
Sea by Balabac Strait on the south and between Mindoro and Paragua
on the north. A chain of high mountains, some 6,560 feet high, runs
lengthwise of the narrow belt formed by the island, whose length is
266 miles. The northwest and northeast slopes are narrow. The is