17?9. THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 93 



CHAP. VI. 



GENERAL ACCOUNT OF THE SANDWICH ISLANDS. —THEIR NUM- 

 BER, NAMES, AND SITUATION. — OWHYHEE. ITS EXTENT 



AND DIVISION INTO DISTRICTS. ACCOUNT OF ITS COASTS, 



AND THE ADJACENT COUNTRY. VOLCANIC APPEARANCES. 



SNOWY MOUNTAINS. THEIR HEIGHT DETERMINED. 



ACCOUNT OF A JOURNEY INTO THE INTERIOR PARTS OF THE 



COUNTRY. MOWEE. TAHOOROWA. MOROTOI. RANAI. 



WOAHOO. ATOOI. ONEEHEOW. OREEHOUA. TA- 



HOORA. CLIMATE. WINDS. CURRENTS. TIDES. 



ANIMALS AND VEGETABLES. ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS. 



J\ s we are now about to take our final leave of the 

 Sandwich Islands, it will not be improper to introduce 

 here some general account of their situation and 

 natural history, and of the manners and customs of 

 the inhabitants. 



This subject has indeed been, in some measure, 

 pre-occupied by persons far more capable of doing it 

 justice, than I can pretend to be. Had Captain Cook 

 and Mr. Anderson lived to avail themselves of the 

 advantages which we enjoyed by a return to these 

 islands, it cannot be questioned, that the public 

 would have derived much additional information from 

 the skill and diligence of two such accurate observers. 

 The reader will therefore lament with me our com- 

 mon misfortune, which hath deprived him of the 

 labours of such superior abilities, and imposed on 

 me the task of presenting him with the best supple- 

 mentary account the various duties of my station 

 permitted me to furnish. 



This group consists of eleven islands, extending in 

 latitude from 18° 54' to 22° 15' north; and in lon- 

 gitude from 199° 36' to c 205° 06' east. They are 

 called bv the natives; 1. Owhvhee. 2. Mowee. 3. 



