1778. THF. PACIFIC OCEAN. 185 



unnecessary, I left the command to Mr. Williamson, 

 who had landed with me, and made an excursion into 

 the country, up the valley, accompanied by Mr. 

 Anderson and Mr. Webber; the former of whom was 

 as well qualified to describe with the pen, as the lat- 

 ter was to represent with his pencil, every thing we 

 might meet with worthy of observation. A numerous 

 train of natives followed us; and one of them, whom 

 1 had distinguished for his activity in keeping the rest 

 in order, I made choice of as our guide. This man, 

 from time to time, proclaimed our approach ; and every 

 one whom we met fell prostrate upon the ground, and 

 remained in that position till we had passed. This, 

 as I afterward understood, is the mode of paying 

 their respect to their own great chiefs. As we ranged 

 down the coast from the east, in the ships, we had 

 observed at every village one or more elevated white 

 objects, like pyramids or rather obelisks ; and one of 

 these, which I guessed to be at least fifty feet high, 

 was very conspicuous from the ship's anchoring 

 station, and seemed to be at no great distance up 

 this valley. To have a nearer inspection of it, was 

 the principal object of my walk. Our guide perfectly 

 understood that we wished to be conducted to it. But 

 it happened to be so placed that we could not get at it, 

 being separated from us by the pool of water. How- 

 ever, there being another of the same kind within 

 our reach, about half a mile off, upon our side of 

 the valley, we set out to visit that. The moment we 

 got to it, we saw that it stood in a burying-ground, 

 or morai ; the resemblance of which, in many res- 

 pects, to those we were so well acquainted with at 

 other islands in this ocean, and particularly Otaheite, 

 could not but strike us; and we also soon found that the 

 several parts that compose it, were called by the same 

 names. It was an oblong space, of considerable ex- 

 tent, surrounded by a wall of stone, about four feet 

 high. The space inclosed was loosely paved with 

 smaller stones ; and at one end of it stood what I 



