THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 243 



h'ins: between them and the Ladrones, which have been ^ '^^s. 



^ '-' h ebruary, 



frequented by the Spaniards, almoft ever fince the date of 

 Magellan's voyage. Or, if the diftant Weftern fituation of 

 the Ladrones fliould render this folution Icfs probable, is 

 there not the extenftve continent of America to windward, 

 where the Spaniards have been fettled for more than two 

 hundred years; during which long period of time, (hip- 

 wrecks muft have frequently happened on its coafts? It 

 cannot be thought at all extraordinary, that part of fuch 

 v/recks, containing iron, fliould, by the Eafterly trade wind, 

 be, from time to time, caft upon iflands fcattered about this 

 vafl ocean. The diftance of Atooi from America, is no ar- 

 gument againft this fuppofition. But even if it were, it 

 would not dcRroy it. This ocean is traverfed every year by 

 Spanifli fliips ; and it is obvious, that, befides the accident 

 of lofing a mafl, and its appendages, cafks with iron hoops, 

 and many other things containing iron, may be thrown, 

 or may fall overboard, during fo long a paflage, and thus 

 find their way to land. But thefe are not mere conjedtures 

 and poffibilities ; for one of my people actually did fee fome 

 wood in one of the houfes at Wymoa, which he judged to 

 be fir. It was worm-eaten, and the natives gave him toun- 

 derftand, that it had been driven afhore by the waves of the 

 fea ; and we had their own exprefs teflimony, that they had 

 got the inconfiderable fpecimens of iron found amongft 

 them, from fome place to the Eaftward. 



From this digreflion (if it can be called fo), I return to the 

 obfervations made during our ftay at Atooi ; and fome ac- 

 count muft now be given of their canoes. Thefe, in ge- 

 neral, are about twenty-four feet long, and have the bottom, 

 for the moft part, formed of a finglc piece or log of wood, 

 liollowcd out to the thick nefs of an inch, or an inch and an 



I i z half. 



