snatched him from the arms
of his murdered mother, and sheltered him within her own. Nor did her
kindness stop here, the never-failing maternal solicitude of the sex,
inducing her to protect and console the child.

EXAMINATION OF BOYDAN ISLAND.

We had just read Captain P.P. King's interesting pamphlet in relation to
this sad event, detailing with minuteness all the circumstances of the
tragedy, and with our minds so recently imbued with the horrors it
inspired, naturally advanced to the search with zeal and activity;
anxious, if possible, to place the locality of its occurrence beyond a
doubt. The isle was easily traversed, being of small extent, not more,
indeed, than a mile in circumference. We crossed it accordingly in every
direction, and discovered the remains of native fires, near which great
quantities of turtle bones, and some coconut shells were scattered about.
It was remarkable that wherever boughs were cut, an axe or some other
sharp instrument had been used. A topmast with the lower cap attached to
it, was found on the South-East side of the island, which we afterwards
discovered to be a portion of the brig William, wrecked on the outer
barrier three months before.

Captain King drew his conclusions relative to this island from the
circumstance of young Ireland's stating, that on their way to it in the
canoe, after leaving the raft, they first passed three islands on the
right northward, and one on the left southward.

CORRECT CHART.

From the bearings, however, and from our run on the following morning we
found it necessary to correct the chart, thus decreasing the number of
islands. We found that marked 5, to have no existence, and 6, far too
much to the westward, while 8 and 10 were placed to the eastward of their
true position. These errors occasionally occur where they are numerous,
much alike, and are passed quickly. The change in the number and position
of the islands is in some measure hostile to the views of Captain King,
and I am further inclined, from these corrections, to draw the conclusion
that Number 4 of the group is Boydan island, a name given by the Murray
islanders, to the spot rendered notorious by the cold-blooded massacre we
have already alluded to, and which will be described more in detail in
Captain Stanley's highly interesting narrative, further on in the present
work.

On examining the reef fronting the island, which is a more perfect
specimen of a lagoon than any we had