177^. THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 179 



upon this side of the island rises in a gentle slope, 

 from the sea to the foot of the mountains, which oc- 

 cupy the centre of the country, except at one place 

 near the east end, where they rise directly from 

 the sea, and seemed to be formed of nothing but 

 stone, or rocks lying in horizontal strata. We 

 saw no wood, but what was up in the interior part 

 of the island, except a few trees about the villages ; 

 near which, also, we could observe several plantations 

 of plantains and sugar-canes, and spots that seemed 

 cultivated for roots. 



We continued to sound, without striking ground 

 with a line of fifty fathoms, till we came abreast of a 

 low point, which is about the middle of this side of 

 the island, or rather nearer the north-west end. Here 

 we met with twelve and fourteen fathoms, over a 

 rocky bottom. Being past this point, from which 

 the coast trended more northerly, we had twenty, 

 then sixteen, twelve, and, at last, five fathoms over 

 a sandy bottom. The last soundings were about a 

 mile from the shore. Night now put a stop to any 

 farther researches ; and we spent it standing off and 

 on. The next morning we stood in for the land, 

 and were met with several canoes filled with people ; 

 some of whom took courage, and ventured on board. 



In the course of my several voyages, I never be- 

 fore met with the natives of any place so much asto- 

 nished, as these people were, upon entering a ship. 

 Their eyes were continually flying from object to ob- 

 ject ; the wildness of their looks and gestures fully 

 expressing their entire ignorance about every thing 

 they saw, and strongly marking to us, that, till now, 

 they had never been visited by Europeans, nor been 

 acquainted with any of our commodities except iron ; 

 which, however, it was plain, they had only heard 

 of, or had known it in some small quantity brought 

 to them at some distant period. They seemed only 

 to understand, that it was a substance much better 

 adapted to the purposes of cutting, or of boring of 



N 2 



