1S99] FUNAFUTI: THE STUDY OF A CORAL ATOLL 25 



a diamond drill. Our next step was to select an island for investiga- 

 tion. This was rendered an easy task through the invaluable assistance 

 afforded by Admiral Wharton, whose extensive knowledge of coral- 

 reefs renders him the most formidable of Darwin's opponents. At his 

 suggestion our choice fell on Funafuti, one of the Ellice or Lagoon 

 Islands, situated in the middle of the Pacific (lat. 8^-° S.), seven days' 

 sail northwards of Fiji. No better selection could possibly have been 

 made. Not only is Funafuti an atoll of unexceptional character itself, 

 but it belongs to a family of atolls all of equally unexceptional 

 character ; and these again to a system which includes the Gilbert and 

 Marshall Islands, all of them excellent atolls. So far as these are all 

 distinguished by the same characters, whatever may be found true of 

 Funafuti will apply to all the rest. 



The labours of the Committee of the British Association were then 

 taken over by a Committee of the Eoyal Society, at whose request the 

 Admiralty generously assigned to our assistance the " Penguin," one of 

 H.M. gunboats, commanded by Captain Field, and stationed in the 

 Pacific for exploring purposes. The Pioyal Society furnished funds to 

 defray expenses, and the direction of the expedition was placed in my 

 hands : two volunteers, Mr. Gardiner of Cambridge and Mr. Hedley 

 of Sydney, were with my permission to accompany me. 



We joined the " Penguin " and left Sydney on 1st May 1896, taking 

 with us a boriug party which had been selected for the work by Mr. 

 Slee, the Government Inspector of Mines and Drills. Its foreman, 

 Ayles, had acquired great reputation in the colony by his success 

 in conducting boring operations of exceptional difficulty. On 21st 

 May, after three weeks' voyage, we heard the welcome cry " Land 

 ho ! " and Funafuti was seen on the horizon. The ship was steered 

 for the southern entrance ; this was safely made, and we steamed into 

 the noble lagoon. Flying-fish spurted from under our bows, and zig- 

 zagged in their darting flight around us ; here and there in the midst 

 of the blue waters green and purple shallows marked the site of 

 growing coral patches. On the starboard side lay the beautiful island 

 of Funafuti proper, its pale sands ablaze in the light of the tropical 

 sun, its groves of palms cool with a refreshing green. A boat put off 

 from the beach manned by a crew of copper-coloured natives, their 

 black hair crowned with wreaths of Gardenia and Hibiscus flowers. 

 They were soon swarming over our sides, bringing with them the 

 solitary white trader of the island, who safely piloted us to anchor 

 within a mile of the shore. Captain Field and a party immediately 

 landed, and we went at once to pay our respects to the king, who, 

 notwithstanding the narrow limits of his realm and the smalluess 

 of his nation, which numbers only some 240 souls, we found to 

 be every inch a king. His Majesty received us with gracious dignity, 

 led us into his palace, one of the few stone huts on the island, and 

 seated us by his side on the dais, which consisted of packing-cases. 



