FLINT ISLAND.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 12967, 21 November 1907, Page 4

FLINT ISLAND.

a aonsmrto Esm>mbit!?' <araasa ••, «tw mum.") . ;- -', l>tTJfM)rN t , Noreaber W,; The Taviuni isio be withdrawn from Iter preessrt raaaing ia tb»W«M Obati aerrioe, in order to'make a -speciii trip to the Eastern Paeiftc. Oie bates Auckland on the 12th fei£ the Islands, „ arriving at Papeete (Tahiti) about tha-Sltt IDwemW, an* leiring thefre on January 'dtfc' fort ; Autklsnd via the Cook, group. During th« Interval betweetf the Taviuni's arrival at : and' deper- 1 ture from Tahiti, she will mak* a ipe-'* rial trip with <a party of eeisntutta to Flint Island; WMre they intftnd ta remain for seren day** in ;«rder *• make *-> astronomical obserrationa. Da scientists, who are now 1 in Auckland, oompleting their arr*ngett*nU;' h*t*i oome from Home for the purpose, ot making .special;ttfcntific observations In' the Eastern Pacific. The Tavitmi has been specially hired by Mr McLean, the organiser of the expedition,' to make the trip fr-onuTahitl to Flint' Island. Flint Islsnd lies a little to.th-p riorth-west, and is some 400 miles dis-*'. tsnt from Papeete. It is lowlylfig, with an exposed coastline. There il'no' anchorage, snd lending is fraught with difficulty, and depends to a great ex-., tent on the -' prevailing conditions ■*- ofthe westher. At one time the island was profitable for its guano deposits, but when these were exhausted the soil was planted with coooanuts by a Mel* bourne company, who still work tHe. lonely island as a copra station.'