T H E P A C r F I C O C E A N. 24^ 



adapted to them than to bread-fruit and cocoa-nut trees ; «778- 

 the few which we faw of thefe latter not being in a thriv- v__!^lll/ 

 ing ftate, which will fufHciently account for the preference 

 given to the culture of the other articles, though more 

 labour be required to produce them. But notwithftanding 

 this flcill in agriculture, the general appearance of the ifland 

 fliev.'ed, that it was capable of much more extenfive im- 

 provement, and of maintaining, at Icaft, three times the 

 number of the inhabitants that are at prefent upon it; for 

 the far greater part of it, that now lies quite walle, fecmed 

 to be as good a foil as thofe parts of it that are in cultiva- 

 tion. Wc mull therefore conclude, that thefe people, from 

 fome caufe, which we were not long enough amongfl: them 

 to be able to trace, do not increafe in that proportion, which 

 would make it necefTary to avail themfclves of the extent of 

 their ifland, toward raifing a greater quantity of its vegetable 

 producftions for their fubfiftencc. 



Though I did not fee a Chief of any note, there were, 

 however, fevcral, as the natives informed us, who refide 

 upon Atooi, and to whom they proftrate themfelves as a 

 mark of fubmifllon ; which feems equivalent to the inoe, 

 nioeo, paid to the Chiefs of the Friendly Iflands, and is called 

 here hamoea or moe. Whether they were, at firft, afraid to 

 flicw themfelves, or happened to be abfcnt, I cannot fay; 

 but after I had left the ifland, one of thefe great men made 

 his appearance, and paid a viflt to Captain Gierke on board 

 the Difcovery. He came ofl' in a double canoe ; and, like 

 the king of the Friendly Iflands, paid no regard to the fmall 

 canoes that happened to lie in his way, but ran againft, or 

 over them, without endeavouring, in the leaft, to avoid them. 

 And it was not pbflible for thefe poor people to avoid him, for 

 they could not manage their canoes j it being a necefl^ary 



mark 



