Currents. Winds. Clermont de 

 Tonnerre or Minerva Island. 



PAUMOTU GROUP. 



Natives on the beach. 



Conduct of John Sac, a New Zealander. 



Temperature at surface 

 50 fathoms below surface 

 100 " " 

 200 " " " 

 300 ' 



On the 5th, the current was two-thirds of a mile 

 per hour, to the north-north-east. 



The winds on the parallel of 18 S., cannot well 

 be termed "the trades," for at this time of the 

 year they will be found very variable, though pre- 

 vailing generally from the eastern quarter, with a 

 long swell from the south-west. The upper stratum 

 of clouds were generally seen flying from the 

 south-west. The deep-sea temperature on the 6th, 

 at three hundred and fifty fathoms depth, was 

 46, surface 77- 



The 7th proved a calm and fine day, throughout 

 which experiments were made hourly to ascertain 

 the depth at which a white object could be seen ; 

 the altitude of the sun was taken at each observa- 

 tion, and also the force and direction of the cur- 

 rent. The temperature of the water at one hun- 

 dred fathoms was 75, whilst that of the surface 

 was 77- We were in longitude 125 W., lati- 

 tude 18 14' S. 



The nights of* the 8th, 9th, 10th, and llth, the 

 meteoric showers were looked for, the officers and 

 naturalists keeping watch, each quarter of the 

 heavens being under vision at the same time. On 

 the 8th, upwards of one hundred shooting stars 

 were seen ; but the nights of the 9th, 10th, and 

 llth, were cloudy. On the former we had much 

 lightning, thunder, and rain, with squalls from the 

 south-west. 



On the 13th of August, at five o'clock, P.M., we 

 made Clermont de Tonnerre, or Minerva Island, 

 and by careful observations the next day, found 

 its south-east point to be in longitude 136 21' 12" 

 W., latitude 1 8 32' 49" S. Clermont de Tonnerre, 

 being the first low coral island we had met, naturally 

 excited a great deal of interest. We had pictured 

 them to ourselves as being a kind of fairy-land, 

 and therefore looked for them with some anxiety. 

 At first sight the island appeared much like a fleet 

 of vessels at anchor, nothing but the trees being 

 seen in the distance, and as the ship rises and 

 sinks with the swell of the ocean, these are alter- 

 nately seen and lost sight of. On a nearer ap- 

 proach, the whole white beach was distinctly seen, 

 constituting a narrow belt of land, of a light clay 

 colour, rising up out of the deep ocean, the surf 

 breaking on its coral reefs, surrounding a lagoon 

 of a beautiful blue tint, and perfectly smooth. This 

 island was twelve feet above the level of the sea, 

 and six hundred feet wide to its lagoon, and is 

 composed of coral debris and vegetable matter. 

 The shrubs are few, and not more than from 

 twelve to fifteen feet high ; the cocoa-nut palms 

 and pandanus showing conspicuously above them. 

 We found it, by our survey, to be ten miles long, 

 by one and a half wide, lying in a west-north- 

 west and east-south-east direction. The first sound- 

 ing, on the east side of the island, at three hundred 

 feet from the reef, was obtained in ninety fathoms 

 (coral sand) ; at one hundred and eighty feet, 

 eighty-five fathoms (coral sand) ; at one hundred 

 and thirty feet, seven fathoms (hard coral), being 

 at the edge of a nearly perpendicular shelf ; thence 

 to the shore the bottom was uneven, decreasing 

 to four, three, and two fathoms, until a second or 



upper coral shelf arose, over which the water at 

 high tide flowed. This extended to where the 

 beach is composed of broken coral and shells, and 

 arose on a gentle declivity to ten feet high. 



The Peacock sounded within three-quarters of 

 a mile from the southern point of the island, at 

 three hundred and fifty fathoms, the lead brought 

 up for a moment, and then again descended to six 

 hundred fathoms without reaching bottom. When 

 it was hauled up, it had a small piece of white and 

 another of red coral attached to it. The west side 

 of the island is a bare reef, over which the surf 

 breaks violently. There is no opening or entrance 

 to the lagoon. 



For the purpose of surveying the island, the 

 Peacock and Flying-Fish took the west side, while 

 the Vineennes and Porpoise kept on the east. 

 Boats were lowered and sent on shore for the pur- 

 pose of landing ; several of the officers and 

 naturalists succeeded in reaching the beach, (swim- 

 ming through the surf,) where they remained about 

 two hours making collections. 



I saw some natives, five men and two women, 

 and endeavoured to hold communication with 

 them. The former were armed with long spears. 

 They were cautiously watching our movements ; 

 and after the boats had left, they were seen ex- 

 amining the beach for articles that might have 

 been dropped. Every inducement was held out to 

 them to approach my boat, but without success ; 

 and we were obliged to return on board for the 

 night, not having succeeded in finishing the survey. 

 Wishing to communicate with the natives, and 

 effect a landing, we lay-to, and by morning found 

 that we had drifted off from the island eight miles to 

 the north-west, and did not again reach our station 

 until towards the afternoon. I then proceeded to 

 the beach, taking with me as interpreter, John 

 Sac, a New Zealander, who spoke the Tahitian 

 language, determined, if possible, to enter into 

 communication with the natives, and to land to 

 make observations. Seventeen natives were now 

 seen on the beach, armed with long spears and 

 clubs, which they were brandishing with menacing 

 attitudes, making motions for me to retire. As I 

 approached them with a white flag flying, many 

 more were seen in the bushes, probably in all 

 about one hundred. I told John Sac to speak to 

 them, which he did, and found he was understood. 

 The only answer lie could get from them was, 

 several of them crying out at the same time, " Go 

 to your own land ; this belongs to us, and we do 

 not want to have any thing to do with you." It 

 was impossible to beach the boat without injury, 

 on account of the surf and coral ; and in order to 

 land it was necessary to swim a short distance, 

 which could not be done without our being at- 

 tacked, and suffering injury, before we had esta- 

 blished a friendly intercourse. I therefore had 

 recourse to throwing presents to them, all of 

 which they eagerly took, assuring tlvem that we 

 were friends ; but they still continued warning us 

 off, and threatening us with their long spears. I 

 am rather inclined now to think our interpreter 

 was partly the cause of my not succeeding in over- 

 coming their fears and scruples. John Sac was 

 truly a savage, although he had imbibed some 

 feelings of discipline, and was generally a well- 

 disposed fellow. He was a petty New Zealand chief 

 at the Bay of Islands, and had resided some time 



