THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 217 



water with great luxuriance ; others, lying collecfled in \77> 

 round balls, and in various other figures ; all which were < — ^-— ^ 

 greatly heightened by fpangles of the richeil colours, that 

 glowed from a number of large clams, which were every 

 where interfperfed. But the appearance of thefe was fliil 

 inferior to that of the multitude of fiflies, that glided gently 

 along, feemirigly with the moft perfefl fecurity. The co*- 

 lours of the ditTerent forts were the moft beautiful that can 

 be imagined ; the yellow, blue, red, black, &c. far exceed- 

 ing any thing that art can produce. Their various forms, 

 alfo, contributed to increafe the richnefs of this fubmarine 

 grotto, which could not be furveyed without a pleafmg 

 tranfport, mixed, however, with regret, that a work, fo llu- 

 pendoufly elegant, fhould be concealed, in a place where 

 mankind could feldom have an opportunity of rendering 

 the praifes juftly due to fo enchanting a fcene. 



There were no traces of inhabitants having ever been 

 here ; if we except a fmall piece of a canoe that was found 

 upon the beach ; which, probably, may have drifted from 

 fome other ifland. But, what is pretty extraordinary, we 

 faw feveral fmall brown rats on this fpot ; a circumftance> 

 perhaps, difficult to account for, unlefs we allow that they 

 wer« imported in the canoe of which we faw the remains. 



After the boats were laden, I returned on board, leaving 

 Mr. Gore, with a party, to pafs the night on fliore, in order 

 to be ready to go to work early the nest morning. 



That day, being the ij:th, was accordingly fpent, as the Tuefdsy ij^ 

 preceding one had been, in collecting, and bringing on 

 board, food for the cattle, confiding chiefly of palm-cab- 

 bage, young cocoa-nut trees, and the tender branches of 

 the ivharra tree. Having got a fufficient fupply of thefe. 



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