70 



The Porpoise rejoins the squadron. 

 Vincennes Island. 



PAUMOTU GROUP. 



Aratica or Carlshoff Island. 

 Mauhii or Waterlandt Island. 



of the shape of an equilateral triangle, and its 

 southern and eastern sides are formed by a sub- 

 merged reef. It is fifteen miles on each side. 



I attempted to sound the lagoon. We began at 

 the entrance, but found, within a very short dis- 

 tance, that the depth increased to thirty fathoms, 

 the water being as blue as that of the ocean. So 

 great a depth made it an undertaking far beyond 

 what my time allowed. The sounding, hi every 

 case of any depth, was 'coral sand. 



Towards sunset we all embarked, and my leave- 

 taking with the old chief was amusing. He with all 

 his household and retinue begun to cry and whine 

 over me, so that I was glad to escape from the dis- 

 play of so much friendship and parental affection. 



After reaching my ship, the Porpoise again 

 joined us. She had been despatched early in the 

 morning towards the eastern end of the island, to 

 ascertain its extent, and fix its point in that direc- 

 tion ; not being able to accomplish this, Lieutenant- 

 Commandant Ringgold returned for further orders. 

 This night we lay-to under the lee of Raraka ; but 

 as it proved dark and squally, we stood to the 

 northward, and about one o'clock we were surprised 

 by seeing a signal from the Peacock, of danger 

 close aboard, under the lee. I immediately tacked, 

 and we soon cleared it. It proved to be the reef 

 of Kawahe, over which the surf was breaking vio- 

 lently. The Peacock was so close to it that Captain 

 Hudson felt himself obliged to stand on his course, 

 rather than run the risk of missing stays, and con- 

 tinued to run along it for several miles, until, by its 

 trending to the westward, he was enabled to clear 

 the danger. 



On the 1st of September, at daylight, we found 

 ourselves between the two islands, and the Peacock 

 was out of sight; but two hours afterwards she was 

 again seen. I made signal to the Porpoise, and 

 despatched her to examine the south-east side of 

 Raraka, and thence to follow on to the westward as 

 far as Krusenstern's Island, passing along the south 

 side of Nairsa or Dean's Island. I then despatched 

 the Peacock to the north end, and the tender to the 

 south end of Kawahe, to secure meridian observa- 

 tions, whilst the Vincennes was employed in sur- 

 veying its eastern shores. The wind was well 

 adapted to our object, and at sunset we met off the 

 north end, having completed our work. The cur- 

 rent was tried, but we found none. Tlie wind was 

 fresh from the eastward, with occasional squalls. 

 On the morning of the 2d, I determined to land the 

 naturalists on the newly-found island, and for this 

 purpose made signal to the tender to come within 

 hail. My ship was lying with her main-topsail to 

 the mast, and forging ahead about a knot an hour. 

 The tender came up on our lee quarter, and luffed 

 in an awkward manner, directly across our bow. 

 Her mast just escaped coming in contact with our 

 jib-boom. I at once ordered all the sails of the 

 Vincennes to be thrown aback, which stopping her 

 way, presented the dreadful accident of running 

 the tender down. It was a most miraculous escape. 



We landed on Vincennes Island, and obtained 

 the usual observations. Its south point is in lati- 

 tude 15 59' 48" S., longitude 145 9' 30" W. It 

 was found to be sixteen miles long by ten wide ; its 

 greatest diameter lying north and south. It is a 

 narrow annular ridge, consisting of mauy blocks 

 and slabs of coral, which give a clinky sound when 

 struck. The coral shelf seemed to dip hi one 



place at an angle of 15, forming a ridge, which 

 was so low that the tide was beginning to flow over 

 it before high water. There is an opening into the 

 lagoon on the south-west side ; on its south-eastern 

 part is a high clump of trees, looking like a knoll at 

 a distance. The rest of the island is covered with 

 a growth of bushes, ten or twelve feet high. The 

 blocks and slabs above spoken of were very much 

 water-worn, and were strewn about on the coral 

 shelf. This, where I measured it, was five hun- 

 dred feet wide, but it is not of equal width in all 

 parts. Among the coral blocks was some sand, 

 and in many of them were found large specimens 

 of the chama and other shells. I was informed at 

 Raraka that there were a few inhabitants on Vin- 

 cennes Island, but none were seen by us. They 

 were said to live on the southern end of it. 



After finishing our observations we returned on 

 board, and made sail for Aratica or Carlshoff 

 Island. We arrived off it in time to secure its con- 

 nexion with Vincennes Island : the distance was 

 found, by patent log and astronomical observations, 

 to be twenty miles to the westward. We then 

 stood on and off its eastern point for the night. 

 The next morning at daylight we began its survey. 

 The tender was despatched round its northern 

 shore, whilst the Peacock and Vincennes took its 

 southern side, running close along the reef, which 

 continued submerged until near its south-western 

 end, which is twelve feet high and thickly wooded. 

 On rounding the point, we saw a white flag waved 

 by several natives on the beach. I immediately 

 despatched a boat with an officer, who brought off 

 two of the principal natives, one of whom spoke a 

 little English, and proved intelligent. 



I was informed by one of them that there were 

 about twenty natives on the island, and that they 

 had frequent intercourse with vessels. Water I 

 was told was to be had on the island, and finding 

 ourselves short, I despatched several boats to pro- 

 cure it. Aratica is eight miles in length by five in 

 breadth. 



The position of the west point of the island was 

 determined to be in longitude 145 39' 46" W., and 

 latitude 15 26' S. 



Having obtained all the water we could in the 

 afternoon, amounting to three hundred and ninety 

 gallons, I directed the course of the squadron to 

 the northward and eastward, towards King George's 

 Group, having fresh breezes from the east-north- 

 east. The next day at noon, the most southern 

 island was in sight, and finding the ships could not 

 make it without much loss of time, I despatched 

 the tender to the group, with orders to circumnavi- 

 gate and examine the islands, and then to follow us 

 to Tahiti ; whilst the Vincennes and Peacock bore 

 away to the westward, for the doubtful island of 

 Waterlaudt. At 5 P.M., it was discovered from the 

 masthead, and at six from the fore-yard, bearing 

 north- west-by-north. 



We stood on and off all night, and at daylight 

 again made the laud; we reached its north point at 

 four o'clock P.M., when the Peacock was ordered to 

 take the east, whilst the Vincennes took the west 

 side; we continued the survey until dark, when we 

 took the necessary angles to resume the work in 

 the morning. Many natives were seen, and smoke 

 was rising in several places. On the 6th of Sep- 

 tember, we continued our surveying operations, and 

 shortly afterwards joined the Peacock, Captain 



