TO RADACK. 79 



our scientific gentlemen, in two boats, provided 

 with provisions for three days. We first sailed to 

 Lanffin*s Island, which we reached in about an 

 hour, and were received by him in the most 

 friendly manner. He immediately conducted us 

 to his hut; his wife was obliged to prepare all kinds 

 of things to treat us, and he did not cease express- 

 ing his pleasure at our visit. Langin, who showed 

 himself a hospitable and obliging man, surpassed 

 Rarick, who did not answer the first favourable 

 impression ; the chief feature in his character, 

 covetousness, being disagreeably prominent. The 

 population consisted only of Langin, his wife, and 

 two men, who seemed to be subject to him. We 

 already knew, from experience, that the whole 

 group had a very scanty population : the southern 

 part of it is entirely uninhabited. No other reason 

 can be assigned for this scanty population, than 

 that either lately a few people had been cast here 

 from distant islands, or that they had, perhaps, 

 voluntarily settled here, from over-populous islands. 

 Langin conducted us about his possession, which is 

 distinguished from the other islands, by the high 

 cocoa-trees already mentioned. When we took 

 our breakfast, in order to reach the place of our 

 destination without delay, Langin was very much 

 astonished to see us use knives and forks, and 

 plates ; he perceived that the flies disturbed us 

 in eating, and immediately ordered one of his 

 men to drive them away with a palm branch, an 



