PACIFIC AND BEERING'S STRAIT. 239 



do so, though I do not know to what material use c ™ p ' 

 the last mentioned article could be applied by him. v^v^ 



We availed ourselves of the areghe's permission, S. 

 and sent a party to cut as many trees as we required, 

 consisting principally of the pemphis acidula, as at 

 Byam Martin Island. Mr. Marsh endeavoured to 

 engage some of the natives in this employment, by 

 offering shirts, tobacco, &c. ; but, notwithstanding 

 the munificence of the reward, the areghe alone 

 could be roused from his lethargy ; and even he 

 quitted the axe before the first tree was felled. 



A party of seamen was at the same time sent, 

 under the direction of Lieutenant Wainwright, to 

 dig wells ; in which their success was so satisfactory, 

 that in less than three days we procured thirty tons 

 of fresh water. The wells were about four feet 

 deep, dug through the sand into the coral rock. 

 Into two of these the water flowed as fast as we 

 could fill the casks; and when allowed to stand, rose 

 eighteen inches. This water was drunk by all the 

 ship's company for several weeks, and proved tole- 

 rably good, though it did not keep as well as spring 

 water.* It is important to navigators to know, that 

 even as good water as this may be procured on the 



* Mr. Collie observes, in his Journal, that a " solution of nitrate 

 of soda detected in it a moderate proportion of muriatic acid, 

 most likely embodied in the soda. It had no brackish taste. 

 With an alcoholic solution of soap it formed a copious white 

 precipitate : with oxalate of ammonia it formed slowly, but after 

 some time, a dense white cloud : with nitrate of silver an abun- 

 dant purplish-white precipitate : it remained unchanged with 

 nitrate ofbarytes. Thus showing that it contained no sulphuric 

 acid, but that it was impregnated with muriatic acid and magnesia, 

 most likely muriate of soda and magnesia, the component parts 

 of sea water." 



