1777* THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 275 



got safe on shore. I could, from the ship, see that 

 they had succeeded so far ; and I immediately sent 

 a small boat to know what farther assistance was 

 wanting. She did not return till three o'clock in 

 the afternoon, having waited to take in a lading of 

 what useful produce the island afforded. As soon as 

 she was cleared she was sent again for another cargo; 

 the jolly boat was also dispatched, and Mr. Gore 

 was ordered to be on board, with all the boats, be- 

 fore night ; which was complied with. 



The supply obtained here, consisted of about a hun- 

 dred cocoa-nuts for each ship ; and besides this re- 

 freshment for ourselves, we got for our cattle some 

 grass, and a quantity of the leaves and branches of 

 young cocoa-trees, and of the wharra tree, as it is 

 called at Otaheite, the pandanus of the East Indies. 

 This latter being of a soft, spungy, juicy nature, the 

 cattle ate it very well, when cut into small pieces ; 

 so that it might be said, without any deviation from 

 truth, that we fed them upon billet wood. 



This island lies in the latitude of 19 51' S. 

 and the longitude of 201 37 ' E. about three or 

 four leagues from Wateeoo, the inhabitants of which 

 called it Otakootaia ; and sometimes they spoke of it 

 under the appellation of TVenooa-ette, which signifies 

 little island. Mr. Anderson who was on shore with 

 our party, and walked round it, guessed that it could 

 not be much more than three miles in circuit. From 

 him I also learned the following particulars. The 

 beach within the reef, is composed of a white coral 

 sand , above which, the land within does not rise 

 above six or seven feet, and is covered with a light 

 reddish soil ; but is entirely destitute of water. 



The only common trees found there were cocoa- 

 palms, of which there were several clusters ; and 

 vast numbers of the wharra. There were, likewise, 

 the callophyllum, suriana, guettarda, a species of 

 tournefortia, and tabernce montance, with a few other 

 shrubs j and some of the etoa tree seen at Wateeoo. 



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