CHAPTER XVIII. 



TAHITI AND NEW ZEALAND. 



I 



Pass through the Low Archipelag-o — Tahiti — Aspect — Vegeta- 

 tion on the Mountains — View of Eimeo — Excursion into 

 the Interior — Profound Ravines — Succession of Waterfalls 

 — Number of wild useful Plants— Temperance of the 

 Inhabitants — Their moral state — Parliament convened — 

 New Zealand — Bay of Islands — Hippahs — Excursion to 

 Waimate — Missionary Establishment — English Weeds now 

 run Wild — Waiomio— Funeral of a New Zealand Woman — 

 Sail for Australia. 



October 20th. — The survey of the Galapagos Archipelago 

 being concluded, we steered towards Tahiti and commenced 

 our long passage of 3200 miles. In the course of a few 

 days we sailed out of the gloomy and clouded ocean 

 district which extends during the winter far from the 

 coast of South America. We then enjoyed bright and 

 clear weather, while running pleasantly along at the rate 

 of 150 or 160 miles a day before the steady trade wind. 

 The temperature in this more central part of the Pacific is 

 higher than near the American shore. The thermometer 

 in the poop cabin, by night and day, ranged between 80° 

 and 83°, which feels very pleasant ; but with one degree 

 or two higher, the heat becomes oppressive. We passed 

 through the Low or Dangerous Archipelago, and saw 

 several of those most curious rings of coral land, just 

 rising above the water's edge, which have been called 

 Lagoon Islands. A long and brilliantly-white beach is 

 capped by a margin of green vegetation ; and the strip, 

 looking either way, rapidly narrows away in the distance, 

 and sinks beneath the horizon. From the mast-head a 

 wide expanse of smooth water can be seen within the 

 ring. These low hollow coral islands bear no proportion 

 to the vast ocean out of which they abruptly rise ; and it 

 seems wonderful, that such weak invaders are not over- 

 whelmed by the all-powerful and never-tiring waves of that 

 great sea, miscalled the Pacific. 



November i^fh. — At daylight, Tahiti, an island which 

 must for ever remain classical to the voyager in the South 

 Sea, was in view. At a distance the appearance was not 



