1836.-J THE SETTLEMENT. 457 



of coral rock on the outside, by its breadth, breaks the first vio- 

 lence of the waves, which otherwise, in a day, would sweep away 

 these islets and all their productions. The ocean and the land 

 seem here struggling for mastery : although terra firma has ob- 

 tained a footing, the denizens of the water think their claim at 

 least equally good. In every part one meets hermit crabs of 

 more than one species,* carrying on their backs the shells which 

 they have stolen from the neighbouring beach. Overhead, nume- 

 rous gannets, frigate-birds, and terns, rest on the trees ; and 

 the wood, from the many nests and from the smell of the atmos- 

 phere, might be called a sea-rookery. The gannets, sitting on 

 their rude nests, gaze at one with a stupid yet angry air. The 

 noddies, as their name expresses, are silly little creatures. But 

 there is one charming bird : it is a small snow-white tern, which 

 smoothly hovers at the distance of a few feet above one's head, 

 its large black eye scanning, with quiet curiosity, your expres- 

 sion. Little imagination is required to fancy that so light and 

 delicate a body must be tenanted by some wandering fairy 

 spirit. 



Sunday, April Zrd. — After service I accompanied Captain 

 Fitz Roy to the settlement, situated at the distance of some miles, 

 on the point of an islet thickly covered with f^ll cocoa-nut trees. 

 Captain Ross and Mr. Liesk live in a large barn-like house 

 open at both ends, and lined with mats made of Avoven bark. 

 The houses of the Malays are arranged along the shore of the 

 lagoon. The whole place had rather a desolate aspect, for there 

 were no gardens to show the signs of care and cultivation. The 

 natives belong to different islands in the East Indian archipelago, 

 but all speak the same language : we saw the inhabitants of 

 Borneo, Celebes, Java, and Sumatra. In colour they resemble 

 the Tahitians, from whom they do not widely differ in features. 

 Some of the women, however, show a good deal of the Chinese 

 character. I liked both their general expressions and the sound 

 of their voices. They appeared poor, and their houses were des- 

 titute of furniture ; but it was evident, from the plumpness of 



* The large claws or pincers of some of these crabs are most beautifully 

 adapted, when drawn back, to form an operculum to the shell, nearly as 

 perfect as the proper one originally belonging to the molluscous animal. I 

 was assured, and as far as my observation went I found it so, that certain 

 species of the hermit-crabs always use certain species of shells. 



