1778. THE PACIFIC OCEAN, 225 



tion more accurately than my description in words. 

 As they are not more than fifteen or eighteen inches 

 broad, those that go single (for they sometimes join 

 them as at the other islands), have out-riggers, which 

 are shaped and fitted with more judgment than any 

 I had before seen. They are rowed by paddles, such 

 as we had generally met with ; and some of them 

 have alight triangular sail, like those of the Friendly 

 Islands, extended to a mast and boom. The ropes 

 used for their boats, and the smaller cords for their 

 fishing-tackle, are strong and well made. 



What we saw of their agriculture, furnished suf- 

 ficient proofs that they are not novices in that art. 

 The vale ground has already been mentioned as one 

 continued plantation of taro, and a few other things, 

 which have all the appearance of being well attended 

 to. The potatoe fields and spots of sugar-cane or plan- 

 tains on the higher grounds, are planted with the 

 same regularity, and always in some determinate 

 figure, generally as a square or oblong ; but neither 

 these nor the others are inclosed with any kind of 

 fence, unless we reckon the ditches in the low 

 grounds such, which, it is more probable, are in- 

 tended to convey water to the taro. The greater quan- 

 tity and goodness of these articles may also, per- 

 haps, be as much attributed to skilful culture, as to 

 natural fertility of soil, which seems better adapted 

 to them than to bread-fruit and cocoa-nut trees ; the 

 few which we saw of those latter not being in a 

 thriving state, which will sufficiently account for the 

 preference given to the culture of the other article, 

 though more labour be required to produce them. 

 But notwithstanding this skill in agriculture, the 

 general appearance of the island showed that it was 

 capable of much more extensive improvement, and 

 of maintaining at least three times the number of the 

 inhabitants that are at present upon it ; for the far 

 greater part of it that now lies quite waste, seemed 

 to be as good a soil as those parts of it that are in 



vol. vi. Q 



