208 cook's voyage to feb. 



quired an acquaintance with the dialects of the South 

 Pacific islands. It is, however, to be regretted, that 

 we should have been obliged, so soon, to leave a place 

 which, as far as our opportunities of knowing reached, 

 seemed to be highly worthy of a more accurate ex- 

 amination. 



Atooi, from what we saw of it, is, at least, ten 

 leagues in length from east to west ; from whence its 

 circuit may nearly be guessed, though it appears to 

 be much broader at the east than at the west point, 

 if we may judge from the double range of hills which 

 appeared there. The road, or anchoring-place, 

 which we occupied, is on the south-west side of the 

 island, about six miles from the west end, before a 

 village which has the name of Wymoa. As far as we 

 sounded, we found that the bank has a fine grey sand 

 at the bottom, and is free from rocks ; except a little 

 to the eastward of the village, where there spits out 

 a shoal, on which are some rocks and breakers ; but 

 theyarenot far from shore. This road would be entirely 

 sheltered from the trade wind, if the height of the 

 land, over which it blows, did not alter its direction, and 

 make it follow that of the coast ; so that it blows at 

 north-east, on one side of the island, and at east south- 

 east, or south-east, on the other, falling obliquely upon 

 the shore. Thus the road, though situated on the lee- 

 side of the island, is a little exposed to the trade-wind ; 

 but notwithstanding this defect, is far from being a 

 bad station, and much superior to those which neces- 

 sity obliges ships daily to use, in regions where the 

 winds are both more variable and more boisterous; as 

 atTeneriffe, Madeira, the Azores, and elsewhere. The 

 landing too is more easy than at most of those places; 

 and, unless in very bad weather, always practicable. 

 The water to be got in the neighbourhood is excel- 

 lent, and easy to be conveyed to the boats. But no 

 wood can be cut at any distance, convenient enough 

 to bring it from, unless the natives could be prevailed 

 upon to part with the few etooa trees (for so they call 



