510 COMPENDIUM OF GEOGRAPHY AND TRAVEL 



established in 1888. The islands produce coco-nuts, 

 bread-fruit, bananas, coffee, cotton, arrowroot, and tobacco. 

 Many of the natives go as plantation coolies to Tahiti. 



8. The Society Islands. 



We now come to a group of islands of some import- 

 ance, which form the chief possession of France in the 

 South Seas. This nation has acquired not only the 

 Society group, but also the Paumotu or Low Archipelago, 

 the Marquesas, the Tubuai or Austral Isles, and the 

 Wallis and Gambler groups. She also claims Manahiki, 

 and taking into consideration New Caledonia and the 

 Loyalty Islands, the land area of her possessions in the 

 South Pacific is probably as great as, if not greater than, 

 that of any other European power. 



The Society Islands, eleven in number, and forming a 

 chain in the direction from north-west to south-east, are 

 amongst the best known in the South Sea, and are divided 

 by a wide channel into the Leeward and Windward 

 groups. Amongst the former are the so-called four king- 

 doms of Huahine, Eaiatea, Tahaa, and Borabora, where 

 the natives, aided Ijy the white settlers, for long mam- 

 tained a spirit of independence, keeping aloof from the 

 rest of the confederacy that earlier accepted the French 

 prote(;torate. The eastern group includes Eimeo or 

 Mocirea in the west, Maitea in the east, and Tahiti in tlie 

 centre, this last famous for its enchanting scenery. All 

 together have an area of 650 square miles, with a popu- 

 lation of 18,000 souls. They were discovered by Quiros 

 in 1606, but for a long time lost sight of, to be redis- 

 covered by Wallis in 1767. Cook gave them the name 

 by which they are now known, and it was on Tahiti 

 that the transit of Venus was observed by him in 



