134 VOYAGE TO THE 



c ^y P> taro, and is treated in the same manner. All the 

 N — v^ above-mentioned farinaceous roots thrive extremelv 



Dec ... . 



1825. well in Pitcairn Island ; but this is not the case 

 with English potatoes, which cannot be brought 

 even to a moderate growth. Peas and beans yield 

 but very scanty crops, the soil being probably too 

 dry for them, and are rarely seen at the repasts of 

 the natives. Onions, so universally dispersed over 

 the globe, cannot be made to thrive here. Pump- 

 kins and water-melons bear exceedingly well, but 

 the bread-fruit, from some recent cause, is beginning 

 to give very scanty crops. This failure Adams at- 

 tributes to some trees being cut down, that pro- 

 tected them from the cold winds, which is not im- 

 probable ; for at Otaheite, where the trees are ex- 

 posed to the south-west winds, the crops are very 

 indifferent. 



Having given this short sketch of the soil and 

 vegetation of the island, I shall add a few words on 

 the climate and winds. 



The island is situated just without the regular 

 limit of the trade-winds, which, however, sometimes 

 reach it. When this is the case, the weather is 

 generally fine and* settled. The south-west and 

 north-west winds, which blow strong and bring 

 heavy rains, are the chief interruptions to this se- 

 renity. Though they have a rainy season, it is not 

 - so limited or decided as in places more within the 

 influence of the trade-winds. During the period of 

 our visit, from the 5th of December to the 21st, we 

 had strong breezes from N. E. to S. E., with the 

 sky overcast. The wind then shifted to N. W., 

 and brought a great deal of rain : though in the 

 height of summer, we had scarcely a fine day during 

 our stay. 



