412 cook's voyage to 



JULY, 



As we lay at anchor, this island bore a very differ- 

 ent aspect from any we had lately seen, and formed 

 a most beautiful landscape. It is higher than any 

 we had passed, since leaving New Zealand (as Kao 

 may justly be reckoned an immense rock), and from 

 its top, which is almost flat, declines very gently 

 toward the sea. As the other isles of this cluster 

 are level, the eye can discover nothing but the trees 

 that cover them ; but here the land, rising gently 

 upward, presents us with an extensive prospect, 

 where groves of trees are only interspersed at irregu- 

 lar distances, in beautiful disorder, and the rest 

 covered with grass. Near the shore, again, it is quite 

 shaded with various trees, amongst which are the 

 habitations of the natives ; and to the right of our 

 station, was one of the most extensive groves of 

 cocoa-palms we had ever seen. 



The 13th, in the afternoon, a party of us made an 

 excursion to the highest part of the island, which 

 was a little to the right of our ships, in order to have 

 a full view of the country. About half way up, we 

 crossed a deep valley, the bottom and sides of which, 

 though composed of hardly any thing but coral rock, 

 were clothed with trees. We were now about two 

 or three hundred feet above the level of the sea, and 

 yet, even here, the coral was perforated into all the 

 holes and inequalities, which usually diversify the 

 surface of this substance within the reach of the tide. 

 Indeed, we found the same coral, till we began to 

 approach the summits of the highest hills ; and it 

 was remarkable, that these were chiefly composed of 

 a yellowish, soft, sandy stone. The soil there, t is, in 

 general, a reddish clay ; which, in many places, 

 seemed to be very deep. On the most elevated part 

 of the whole island, we found a round platform, or 

 mount of earth, supported by a wall of coral stones ; 

 to bring which to such a height, must have cost 

 much labour. Our guides told us, that this mount 

 had been erected by order of their chief ; and that 



