1?77 THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 7 



risk losing the advantage of a fair wind, for the sake 

 of examining an island that appeared to be of little 

 consequence. We stood in no need of refreshments, 

 It' I had been sure of meeting with them there ; and 

 and having already been so unexpectedly delayed in 

 my progress to the Society Islands, I was desirous of 

 avoiding every possibility of farther retardment. For 

 this reason, after making several unsuccessful attempts 

 to induce these people to come alongside, I made 

 sail to the north, and left them ; but not without 

 getting from them, during their vicinity to our ship, 

 the name of their island, which they called Toobouai. 



It is situated in the latitude of 22 15' south ; and 

 in 210 37' east longitude. Its greatest extent, in 

 any direction, exclusive of the reef, is not above five 

 or six miles. On the north-west side, the reef ap- 

 pears in detached pieces, between which, the sea 

 seems to break in upon the shore. Small as the island 

 is, there are hills in it of a considerable elevation. 

 At the foot of the hills, is a narrow border of flat 

 land, running quite round it, edged with a white 

 sand beach. The hills are covered with grass, or some 

 other herbage, except a few steep, rocky cliffs at one 

 part, with patches of trees interspersed to their summits. 

 But the plantations are more numerous in some of 

 the valleys ; and the flat border is quite covered with 

 high, strong trees, whose different kinds we could 

 not discern, except some cocoa-palms, and a few of the 

 etoa. According to the information of the men in 

 the canoes, their island is stocked with hogs and 

 fowls ; and produces the several fruits and roots that 

 are found at the other islands in this part of the Pa- 

 cific Ocean. 



We had an opportunity, from the conversation we 

 had with those who came off to us, of satisfying our- 

 selves, that the inhabitants of Toobouai speak the 

 Otaheite language ; a circumstance that indubitably 

 proves them to be of the same nation. Those of 

 them whom we. saw in the canoes, were a stout cop- 



b 4< 



