THE PACIFIC OCEAN. hm 



a 



rnoft a month; and, whenever our diftance from fhore ,'77> 



Marci. 



would permit it, were fure of being farrounded by canoes < , — 



laden with all kinds of refrefhments. We had frequently a 

 very heavy fea, and great fwell on this fide of the ifland, 

 and as we had no foundings, and could obferve much 

 foul ground off the fhore, we never approached nearer the 

 land than two or three leagues, excepting on the occafion al- 

 ready mentioned. 



The coaft to the North Eaft of Apoona, which forms the 

 Eaftern extremity of the ifland, is low and flat ; the acclivity 

 of the inland parts is very gradual, and the whole country 

 covered with cocoa-nut and bread-fruit trees. This, as far 

 as we could judge, is the fined part of the ifland, and we 

 were afterward told that the king had a place of refidence 

 here. At the South Weft extremity the hills rife abruptly 

 from the fea-fide, leaving but a narrow border of low- 

 ground toward the beach. We were pretty near the fhore 

 at this part of the ifland, and found the fides of the hills co- 

 vered with a fine verdure; but the country feemed to be very 

 thinly inhabited. On doubling the Earl point of the ifland, 

 we came in fight of another fnowy mountain, called Mouna 

 Roa (or the extenfive mountain), which continued to be a 

 very confpicuous object all the while we were failing along 

 the South Eaft fide. It is flat at the top, making what i3 

 called by mariners table-land : the fummit was conftantly 

 buried in fnow, and we once faw its fides alfo flightly cover- 

 ed for a confiderable way down ; but the greatcft part of this 

 difappeared again in a few days. 



According to the tropical line of fnow, as determined by 

 Mr. Condamine, from obfervations taken on the Cordilleras, 

 this mountain muft be at leaft 16,020 feet high, which ex- 

 ceeds 



