TO GUAIION. 235 



tenant of artillery, who, as he did not know our flag, 

 asked to what nation we belonged. He was much 

 astonished to see Russians before him, but still more 

 so when he heard that we were making a voyage of 

 discovery, and showed even double the politeness 

 natural to the Spaniards. After he had written 

 down the name of the ship, and mine, he took his 

 leave, and hastened to communicate this important 

 news to the Governor. The boat in which the 

 officer visited us was very similar to the canoes of 

 Radack. Its structure, the sail, the way of ma- 

 naging it, and even the inhabitants of this place, 

 naked and of a dark colour, transported us for a 

 moment to Radack. We learnt from Wilson that 

 there are here several such canoes, which they ob- 

 tain by barter from the Carolinians, as they sail 

 quick and close to the wind. The chain of islands, 

 known to us by the name of the Carolinas, lies at 

 a considerable distance south of Guahon ; and, for 

 some time past, there comes yearly from there, 

 notwithstanding the distance, a small fleet, which 

 gives the Spaniards shells, corals, and trifles, in ex- 

 change for iron. Kadu told me frequently of 

 Tautua, chief of Ulle, who sailed to Wagal to bar- 

 ter there for Lulu (so the CaroHnians call iron). 

 We could now no longer doubt the truth of Kadu's 

 assertion ; the island of Wagal, so often mentioned 

 by him as lying to the north of Ulle, was no other 

 than Guahon, where the chief Tautua was very 

 well remembered. We now hastened to get into 



