Nassau Island. 153 



broad, and somewhat elliptical in general outline. It was thickly 

 wooded with tall screw pines, rising from a scrub of matted brush- 

 wood, and at the northern end of the island some cocoa-nuts were 

 seen. It was discovered in the year 1835 by an American whale- 

 ship, the Nassau, from which circumstance it derives its name. 

 There were then no inhabitants on the island. 



When about three miles off we lay to and sounded, getting 

 bottom at 1,000 fathoms, on coral sand. At the same time a 

 party of us started off in a whale boat to land, but this we soon 

 found to be no easy matter, for the island was encircled by a 

 broad fringing reef, on the sharp outer edge of which the surf 

 everywhere broke heavily. Over our heads were flying and 

 screaming great numbers of seabirds, among which I noticed a 

 dusky brown tern with a white forehead patch, and a large brown 

 gannet, of both of which I obtained specimens. 



While we were vainly looking out for a landing-place, a white 

 man, accompanied by two Polynesians, launched a small outrigger 

 canoe from the reef edge, and paddled out to us. From the white 

 man we learned that the island belonged to a Mr. Halicott, an 

 American gentleman, for whom he had been acting as care-taker 

 for the previous five years, and that he and his native assistants 

 were engaged in planting cocoa-nuts, and hoped in time to do a 

 remunerative trade in copra. There were, he said, only three or 

 four trees bearing nuts, and the bread-fruit did not grow on the 

 island. The present population amounted to six, viz. the white 

 man and his wife, and two natives from Danger Islands, with their 

 wives. As for live stock, they had only two dogs and two pigs, 

 and regarding the latter our informant remarked, with much con- 

 cern, that they were not in a condition to multiply. For supplies 

 of food, excepting fish, which was of course abundant, he depended 

 on a sailing vessel, which visited the island once a year, bringing 

 rice and meal. Water, fortunately, was plentiful. 



Continuing on our course, on the following morning (August 

 28th), we sighted the Tema Reef, in latitude 10 7' S., longitude 



