1835.] WEALTH OF THE CHIEFS. 389 



in each car, is pretty. A crown of woven cocoa-nut leaves is also 

 worn as a shade for the eyes. The women appear to be in greater 

 want of some becoming costume even than the men. 



Nearly all the natives understand a little English that is, they 

 know the names of common things ; and by the aid of this, 

 together with signs, a lame sort of conversation could be carried 

 on. In returning in the evening to the boat, we stopped to witness 

 a very pretty scene. Numbers of children were playing on the 

 beach, and had lighted bonfires which illumined the placid sea 

 and surrounding trees; others, in circles, were singing Tahitian 

 verses. Wo seated ourselves on the sand, and joined their party. 

 The songs were impromptu, and I believe related to our arrival : 

 one little girl sang a line, which the rest took up in parts, forming 

 a very pretty chorus. The whole scene made iis unequivocally 

 aware that we were seated on the shores of an island in the far- 

 famed South Sea. 



17th. This day is reckoned in the log-book as Tuesday the 17th, 

 instead of Monday the 16th, owing to our, so far, successful chase 

 of the sun. Before breakfast the ship was hemmed in by a flotilla 

 of canoes ; and when the natives were allowed to come on board, 

 I suppose there could not have been less than two hundred. It 

 was the opinion of every one that it would have been difficult to 

 have picked out an equal number from any other nation, who 

 would have given so little trouble. Everybody brought something 

 for sale : shells were the main article of trade. The Tahitians now 

 fully understand the value of money, and prefer it to old clothes 

 or other articles. The various coins, however, of English and 

 Spanish denomination puzzle them, and they never seemed to 

 think the small silver quite secure until changed into dollars. 

 Some of the chiefs have accumulated considerable sums of money. 

 One chief, not long since, offered 800 dollars (about 1GO?. sterling) 

 for a small vessel ; and frequently they purchase whale-boats and 

 horses at the rate of from 50 to 100 dollars. 



After breakfast I went on shore, and ascended the nearest slope 

 to a height of between two and three thousand feet. The outer 

 mountains are smooth and conical, but steep ; and the old volcanic 

 rocks, of which they are formed, have been cut through by many 

 profound ravines, diverging from the central broken parts of the 

 island to the coast. Having crossed the narrow low girt of 

 inhabited and fertile land, I followed a smooth steep ridge between 



