INDIAN OCEAN. 225 



Captain S. Chase, of Nantucket, on one of his late voyages, fell 

 in with a canoe containing a number of natives, S. S. W. from the 

 Kings-mills group. They had lost their track, but pointed in the 

 direction they thought they came from. Captain Chase steered 

 to that point, and found the island where they belonged. O 

 going ashore, the islanders gathered round them in great numbers, 

 and conducted Captain Chase to the residence of their chief, who 

 treated him with great kindness, and loaded his boat with fresh 

 provisions. Captain Chase is of opinion that the island had never 

 been visited before, and states it to be a good place for recruiting. 

 The latitude and longitude are not given^ nor have I been able to 

 find them among any of the records in Nantucket ; the captain, al 

 present being on a whaling voyage in the Pacific. 



Penrhyn's island. On Arrowsmith's charts this island is laid 

 down in lat. 9 14' S. long. 167 48' W., which, by a comparison 

 with Captain Alexander Macy's journal, kept during his late voy- 

 age in the ship Peruvian, is probably erroneously given on the 

 charts, or Captain Macy has discovered a new island. 



On the 21st of July, 1827, Captain Macy discovered land, bear- 

 ing from W. S. W. to S. by W. 12 miles distant, his ship then 

 heading S. by E. On the following day he saw two other islands, 

 or prominent parts of the island seen the day before, with valleys 

 intervening, (which was probably the fact, as no water could be 

 perceived between them,) lying to the S. and W., the nearest part 

 at four miles distance. This island was well wooded, and found 

 to be inhabited. At 3 P. M. a canoe with five natives, of large 

 stature and ferocious countenances, well armed with spears and 

 clubs, came under the stern of the Peruvian, and remained there 

 nearly an hour. Soon after, many other canoes were at the lee- 

 ward, paddling in a direction as though their object was to inter- 

 cept the course of the ship. The manoeuvres of the natives 

 appeared so hostile, that Captain Macy made all sail off shore, and 

 at dark saw canoes in chase of the vessel which, however, they 



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