426 Transactions. 



sea in an agreeable site, and which they named " Skoi-Tehai,"* 

 they gave us to understand that they were about to leave us, 

 but that they would return the following day to the anchorage 

 with their women. So they departed in their canoes, but four 

 chiefs demanded of me to remain on board, to which I consented 

 with much pleasure, astonished at this proof of their hardihood 

 and the entire confidence with which we had inspired them. 



I did not dream otherwise than to direct our course towards 

 the anchorage, which I hoped to find on the west coast, between 

 the shore and the two islets near which we had passed the pre- 

 vious evening. The wind having freshened from the N.N.E., 

 it was necessary to make some tacks, with a constant depth of 

 10 to 15 fathoms. At 5.30 p.m. arrived within a mile of Adele 

 Island. I sent M. Lottin on ahead to clear up our route. At 

 6 p.m. I doubled, at less than half a cable's length, the N.E. 

 point of the island, and a few minutes after let go the anchor 

 in a bay [pi. xxxvii], which received the name of our ship, in 

 5 fathoms of water. This time our two chains served to moor 

 us in that port, and we found them hold well. . . . 



With what pleasure we enjoyed again the calm and repose 

 after the torments which we had suffered in the channel of 

 New Zealand [Tasman Sea], and the inquietude inseparable from 

 the difficult navigation we had had for eight days along those 

 dangerous and mostly unknown coasts ! The basin where our 

 corvette reposed, sheltered in all parts, offered to the eye a 

 coup (Tail the most picturesque, and promised to our eager 

 regards all sorts of discoveries. A land agreeably broken, 

 although generally mountainous ; of fresh and sombre forests ; 

 of spaces more open, covered only with high fern ; of beautiful 

 beaches of sand, occupied all our attention, and we lamented 

 that we had to await to-morrow to satisfy our ardent curiosity. 



On their side, our guests continued to be well satisfied with 

 us, nor manifested any regrets or fear of our intentions towards 

 them. Notwithstanding, everything about them caused us to 

 believe that they had never had any relations with Europeans 

 before, but only had confused notions conveyed to them by 

 their neighbours, or perhaps by the warriors of their tribe, who 

 had encountered some dining their voyages. They frequently 

 repeated that their canoes would return in the morning with 

 women, as if that were a powerful interesl to us. They ex- 

 plained to us that some neighbours armed with guns came often 

 from the N.W. to pillage and exterminate them, and they feared 



* .Imlire .M.H'kav. who knows tins pari well, cannot recognise this 

 name, nor does lie know of an old settlement in that part. It may have 

 been a temporary camp. (Teanslatob.) 



