Feb. 

 1826. 



PACIFIC AND BEERING'S STRAIT. 253 



reason why many other canoes may not have shared chap 



VIII. 



a similar fate ; and some few of many thousands, 

 perhaps, may have drifted to the remotest islands of 

 the archipelago, and thus peopled them. 



The navigation of canoes between islands in sight 

 of each other was, and is still, very general ; and it was 

 not unusual, in early times, for warriors, after a defeat, 

 to embark, careless of the consequences, in order to 

 escape the persecution of their conquerors. To re- 

 main, was certain death and ignominy ; to fly, was 

 to leave their fate to chance. 



The temporary obstruction of the trade wind in 

 these seas, by the westerly monsoons, has not been 

 duly considered by those who represent the dif- 

 ficulties as insurmountable. At the period of the 

 year corresponding with our spring these gales com- 

 mence, and blow with great violence during the 

 rainy season. As they arise very suddenly, any 

 canoes at sea must have difficulty in escaping them, 

 and would, in all probability, be driven so far, as 

 never to be able to regain their native country, or 

 be drifted to islands upon which their crews might 

 be contented to dwell, in preference to encountering 

 farther risks. 



The traces of inhabitants upon almost all the islands 

 of the low archipelago, many of which are at present 

 uninhabited, show both the frequency with which 

 these migrations have occurred, and the extent to 

 which they have been made : some of these isolated 

 spots where remains have been found, Pitcairn Island 

 for instance, are 400 miles from any land whence in- 

 habitants were likely to be derived ; and the circum- 

 stance of their having abandoned that island is a 

 fair presumption that the people who landed there 



