1777* THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 301 



The lth and the 13th were spent in attempting 

 the recovery of Captain Clerke's anchor, which, 

 after much trouble, was happily accomplished ; and 

 on the 14th in the morning we got under sail, and 

 left Annamooka. 



This island is somewhat higher than the other 

 small isles that surround it ; but still it cannot be 

 admitted to the rank of those of a moderate height, 

 such as Mangeea and Wateeoo. The shore, at that 

 part where our ships lay, is composed of a steep, 

 rugged coral rock, nine or ten feet high, except 

 where there are two sandy beaches, which have a 

 reef of the same sort of rock extending cross their 

 entrance to the shore, and defending them from the 

 sea.. The salt-water lake that is in the centre of the 

 island is about a mile and a half broad ; and round it 

 the land rises like a bank, with a gradual ascent. 

 But we could not trace its having any communication 

 with the sea. And yet the land that runs across to 

 it from the largest sandy beach being flat and 

 low, and the soil sandy, it is most likely that it may 

 have formerly communicated that way. The soil 

 on the rising parts of the island, and especially to- 

 ward the sea, is either of a reddish clayey disposition, 

 or a black loose mould ; but there is no where any 

 stream of fresh water. 



The island is very well cultivated, except in a few 

 places ; and there are some others which, though 

 they appear to lie waste, are only left to recover the 

 strength exhausted by constant culture ; for we fre- 

 quently saw the natives at work upon these spots to 

 plant them again. The plantations consist chiefly 

 of yams and plantains. Many of them are very ex- 

 tensive, and often inclosed with neat fences of reed, 

 disposed obliquely across each other, about six feet 

 high. Within these we often saw other fences of 

 less compass surrounding the houses of the principal 

 people. The bread-fruit and cocoa-nut trees are 

 interspersed with little order, but chiefly near the 



