1777* THE PACIFIC OCEAN, 389 



height ; and, when broken off, appears sometimes of 

 a reddish, though oftener of a brownish yellow colour, 

 and of a pretty stiff consistence. Where the shore 

 is low, the soil is commonly sandy, or rather com- 

 posed of triturated coral ; which, however, yields 

 bushes growing with great luxuriance ; and is some- 

 times planted, not unsuccessfully, by the natives. 



" Of cultivated fruits, the principal are plantains ; 

 of which they have fifteen different sorts or varieties; 

 bread-fruit ; two sorts of fruit found at Otaheite, 

 and known there under the names of jambu and 

 eeevee ; the latter a kind of plumb ; and vast num- 

 bers of shaddocks, which, however, are found as 

 often in a natural state as planted. 



" The roots are yams, of which are two sorts; one 

 black, and so large, that it often weighs twenty or 

 thirty pounds ; the x other white and long, seldom 

 weighing a pound ; a large root called kappe ; one 

 not unlike our white potatoes, called mawhaha ; the 

 talo, or coccos of other places ; and another, named 

 jeejee. 



"Besides vast numbers of cocoa-nut trees, they have 

 three other sorts of palms, two of which are very 

 scarce. One of them is called beeoo ; which grows 

 almost as high as the cocoa-tree, has very large leaves 

 platted like a fan, and clusters or bunches of globular 

 nuts, not larger than a small pistol ball, growing 

 amongst the branches, with a very hard kernel, 

 which is sometimes eaten. The other is a kind of 

 cabbage-tree, not distinguishable from the cocoa, 

 but by being rather thicker, and by having its leaves 

 more ragged. It has a cabbage three or four feet 

 long ; at the top of which are the leaves, and at the 

 bottom the fruit, which is scarcely two inches long, 

 resembling an oblong cocoa-nut, with an insipid 

 tenacious kernel, called, by the natives, neeoogoola, 

 or red cocoa-nut, as it assumes a reddish cast when 

 ripe. The third sort is called ongo ongo, and much 

 commoner, being generally found planted about their 



c c 3 



