Penny, a seaman, deserts the Peacock at 

 this island. Ahii or Peacock Island. 



PAUMOTU GROUP. 



Metia or Aurora Island. Tahiti. 

 Matavai Bay. 



71 



Hudson Laving completed Lis side of tLe island. 

 The Peacock now made tLe signal of land to the 

 westward. Wishing to land and make an exami- 

 nation of this island, as well as to Lave communi- 

 cation with the natives, the boats were lowered, 

 and the naturalists from botli vessels, and many 

 officers, landed, and rambled over the western part 

 of the island for several Lours. The few natives 

 were very friendly, and informed us that the native 

 name of the island was Manhii. This is, in all pro- 

 bability, the Waterlandt of ScLouten and Le Maire, 

 and also Wilson's Island of the Duff. There is a 

 large and deep entrance in the south-east end into 

 the lagoon of Manhii Island, in which the natives 

 informed me vessels had often ancLored, wLilst 

 engaged in tLe pearl-fisLery. Soundings are not to 

 be Lad with one hundred fathoms of line, fifty feet 

 from the edge of it. 



To our surprise, one of the men of the Peacock, 

 by the name of Penny, liere deserted from the 

 boats. He had been formerly much among tLe 

 islands, engaged in pearl-fisLing, and spoke tLe 

 language well. Strict search was made for him, 

 until the officer in cLarge of tLe boats became 

 satisfied that he had no intention of returning. On 

 Learing of it, I was convinced tliat he had chosen 

 tin's opportunity to leave us, particularly as Le must 

 Lave been aware that there is very frequent com- 

 munication with Tahiti. The chief of this island 

 informed us that he was a relative of the one-handed 

 chief of Raraka. 



The east end of the island lies in latitude 

 14 26' 22" S., longitude 146 4' 20" W. 



Several of us had our feet severely blistered 

 from going barefoot on the reefs, and were made 

 very uncomfortable from this cause. After return- 

 ing on board, we bore away to the other island, to 

 which the natives gave the name of Ahii. I have 

 also added that of Peacock Island, to mark that its 

 correct position was first established by the expe- 

 dition. It lies west three-fourths nortL per com- 

 pass from ManLii, and was found by the patent log 

 to be eight and six-tenths miles from reef to reef. 

 On coming up with it, the Vincennes and Peacock 

 took opposite sides, and surveyed it ; and the next 

 morning parties landed. I was Lardly able to move, 

 on account of my feet, but tLe desire of getting ob- 

 servations of the eclipse, urged me to make the 

 attempt ; I only succeeded in getting the last limb 

 and good observations for time. After four o'clock, 

 we returned on board. TLis island is not inliabited, 

 and Las only a small boat- entrance into its lagoon, 

 on the west side. 



Being desirous of making the examination of as 

 many of the coral islands as possible, I now de- 

 spatched the Peacock to the Arutua or Rnrick 

 Islands, with directions to examine them, and then 

 to proceed along the soutL side of Dean's Island, 

 whilst in the Vincennes I steered for the nortL 

 side of the latter, to pass along it. We then 

 parted company, and Dean's Island was made by 

 us the next morning. After establishing our posi- 

 tion, we ran along the northern shore, and reached 

 its western point at 4 P.M. Off this point we ob- 

 tained sights for our chronometers, which put it in 

 longitude 147 58' 34" W., latitude 15 5' 15" S. 

 During the day we passed an entrance into its 

 lagoon, and some natives came off from a small 

 village in two canoes to visit us. They acknow- 

 ledged themselves subjects of queen Pomare of 



TaLiti, and were very desirous we sliould land. 

 They brought off a few shells, and told us they Lad 

 many fowls, pigs, taro, &c. There are several 

 islets in the lagoon covered with trees. Vast num- 

 bers of large blocks were seen lying on its reef. 

 The shore-reef is not more than two hundred feet 

 wide, and is composed of only one sLelf. TLe cur- 

 rent was tried, but none was found. We Lad tLe wind 

 very fresh from east-by-north all day. When off 

 the western point we discovered Krusenstern's Is- 

 land to the west, and hauled up to pass between it 

 and Nairsa. The passage was found to be twelve 

 and two-thirds miles wide, and free from all danger. 

 In the evening I stood for Metia Island, to tLe 

 soutliward. Nairsa or Dean's Island was found to 

 be sixty-six miles in length. 



On the morning of the 9th of September we were 

 in sight of Metia or Aurora Island, the north end 

 of which is in latitude 15 49' 35" S., longitude 

 148 13' 15" W. It was totally different in ap- 

 pearance from those we had met with, though evi- 

 dently of the same formation. It was a coral 

 island uplifted, exposing its formation distinctly, 

 and as such was very interesting. On approaching 

 its eastern end, I sounded at about one hundred 

 and fifty feet from its perpendicular cliff, and found 

 no bottom with one hundred and fifty fathoms of 

 line. The cliff appeared worn into caverns. We 

 landed close in its neighbourhood, and on measur- 

 ing its height, it proved to be two hundred and 

 fifty feet. 



All the surveying boats having returned, we bore 

 away for Tahiti, at which island we arrived on the 

 10th. At 5 P. M., Lieutenant-Commandant Ringgold 

 boarded us, and brought off Jim, the pilot ; he 

 reported all well on board the Porpoise. At sunset, 

 we anchored in Matavai Bay. I hastened to ascer- 

 tain tLe correctness of our cLronometers, and tLe 

 next day landed tLe instruments on Point Venus, 

 and took observations. They gave for its longi- 

 tude 149 31' 13-5" W. Krusenstern makes it 

 149 29' 17" W. 



Lieutenant-Commandant Ringgold, in tLe Por- 

 poise, after parting company on the 1st of Sep- 

 tember, proceeded to the south side of Raraka, in 

 fulfilment of his instructions. He found the whole 

 southern part of it a bare reef, with the surf 

 breaking violently over it. When off the south 

 point, he made the isle of Katiu or Sackeu to the 

 south, and that of Makima to the east, and con- 

 nected them ; after which he proceeded to the 

 westward, passing Aratica (Carlshoff), and thence 

 to Nairsa or Dean's Island, which he made on the 

 5th; fixed its western end, passed along its south 

 to its western side, and thence to Krusenstern's 

 Island, to the westward, which he circumnavi- 

 gated; from tLence went direct to TaLiti, ancLored 

 in Papieti Harbour on tLe 9th, and the next day 

 proceeded to Matavai Bay, the place of ren- 

 dezvous. 



On the 12th, the Peacock arrived, having passed 

 to the Rurick Islands or Arutua, the north end of 

 which lies in latitude 15 15' 00" S., longitude 

 146 51' 00" W. A landing was attempted at 

 several places in the boats. One of them suc- 

 ceeded near a cocoa-nut grove, but the two that 

 went to land at the village, found the surf too high 

 to attempt it. 



The north shore of Arutua Island was surveyed, 

 when they bore away, and connected it with Nairsa, 



