84 ISLAND OF UPOLU. 



tb t at the people might see what they had to expect when they 

 killed an American citizen. 



It was believed by the officers of this ship that the chiefs 

 would have finally complied with all of Captain Hudson's de- 

 mands, had the " Vincennes" kept out of the way, but she 

 now made her appearance, and upon its being reported to 

 Captain Wilkes what was going on, he repaired to the Council- 

 House, and after holding a private interview with Captain 

 Hudson, ordered the prisoner to be returned to the " Peacock," 

 at the same time requesting Mr. Mills to state to the assembly 

 that the criminal would be taken away from Upolu, and left 

 on some uninhabited island. 



Upolu is one of those islands which, together with Sari, 

 Tutuilla and Manono, constitute that group of islands which 

 go under the cognomen of " Navigator's Group." The soil 

 is, generally speaking, very fertile, being in most parts com- 

 posed of a dark, rich mould, from which spring spontaneously 

 a strong luxuriant vegetation of perpetual verdure. This 

 manifests itself in various species of grass, shrubbery, fruit 

 trees, and forest timber. 



From the location of the island, almost in the centre of the 

 tropics, it might be inferred that an atmosphere of very high 

 temperature must be the necessary consequence. Such, how- 

 ever, is not the fact. Experience has shown that it is more 

 temperate than many regions beyond the torrid zones. The 

 hour of greatest heat is about 3 o'clock P. M., when the 

 thermometer averages 78° of Fahrenheit. Earthquakes are 

 frequent, though not violent. 



By far the largest portion of the inhabitants live on the 

 sea-coast, because they have there great facilities for fishing. 

 They construct their houses after the manner of those we saw 

 at Tutuilla. The men only are tattooed, and the part of the 



