THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 223 



Atooi, which is the lareeft, being; the principal fcene of \77^- 



FebruarVi 



our operations, I fhall now proceed to lay before my readers 

 wliat information I was able to colle(fl about it, either from 

 adlual obfervation, while on (bore, or from converfation 

 with its inhabitants, who were perpetually on board the 

 lliips while we lay at anchor ; and who, in general, could 

 be tolerably well underflood, by thofe of us who had ac- 

 quired an acquaintance with the dialedls of the South Pa- 

 cific Ifiands. It is, however, to be regretted, that we fliould 

 have been obliged, fo foon, to leave a place, which, as far as 

 our opportunities of knowing reached, feemed to be highly 

 worthy of a more accurate examination. 



Atooi, from what we faw of it, is, at leaft, ten leagues 

 in length from Eaft to Weft ; from whence its circuit may 

 nearly be guefTed, though it appears to be much broader 

 at the Eaft than at the Weft point, if we may judge from 

 the double range of hills which appeared there. The road, 

 or anchoring-place, which we occupied, is on the South 

 Weft fide of the ifland, about fix miles from the Weft end, 

 before a village which has the name of Wymoa. As far as 

 we founded, we found, that the bank has a fine grey fand 

 at the bottom, and is free from rocks ; except a little to the 

 Eaftward of the village, where there fpits out a flioal, on 

 which are fome rocks and breakers ; but they are not far 

 from the fhore. This road would be entirely fhelcered from 

 the trade wind, if the height of the land, over which it 

 blows, did not alter its direcftion, and make it follow that of 

 the coaft ; fo that it blov/s at North Eaft, on one fide of the 

 ifland, and at Eaft South Eaft, or South Eaft, on the ether,, 

 falling obliquely upon the fhore. Thus the road, though 

 fituated on the lee fide of the ifland, is a little expofed to the 

 trade wind; but, notwithftanding this defeat, is far from 

 4 being 



