74 



An observatory established. Point Venus. 

 Governor of Matavai. Dress and hospitality. 



TAHITI. 



Kuv. Mr. Wilson, the missionary at 

 Tahiti. 



there any well-defined crater to be seen. Coral 

 reefs, with occasional openings, are attached to the 

 shores, and the larger island (Tahiti) has also a sea 

 reef. Between the two reefs is an almost con- 

 tinuous channel for boat navigation, and on the 

 northern side they enclose many safe and com- 

 modious harbours for shipping. On this side also 

 vessels may pass from harbour to harbour, within 

 the outer reef. This reef varies in breadth from 

 a few yards to fifty, or even a hundred. The shore 

 that adjoins the coral reef is formed of black vol- 

 canic sand, occasionally mixed with comminuted 

 shells, which give it a grayish hue. Basaltic ridges 

 reach the sea at intervals, and form projecting 

 points of moderate elevation. 



An observatory was established at Point Venus, 

 and fui'nished with both astronomic and magnetic in- 

 struments ; and as soon as the repairs of the vessels 

 had made such progress as to permit it, parties 

 were formed for the survey of the four principal 

 harbours and the channels between them. These 

 harbours, Matavai, Papaoa, Toanoa, and Papieti, 

 are so important to the many whale-ships which 

 visit this island, that I felt it an imperative duty 

 to obtain accurate charts of them all. At the same 

 time, a large party of officers and naturalists was 

 ordered to cross the island, to reach, if possible, 

 Orohena, one of the highest peaks, and to visit 

 Lake Waiherea. 



I had been in hopes of obtaining a full series of 

 moon culminating stars on Point Venus ; but I 

 was disappointed, for it rained almost every night. 

 I was, therefore, compelled to rely for the longi- 

 tude on the chronometers alone, and restricted 

 even in that method to observations of the sun. I 

 was, however, well pleased to find that my results 

 differed from the best preceding authorities no 

 more than 1' 33" of space. These authorities 

 give 149 29' 43" W. for the longitude of Point 

 Venus. 



The mountains were obscured by clouds during 

 the whole time of my stay, and no angles could be 

 taken for the measurement of their heights, nor 

 could the party I detached for the purpose reach 

 their summits ; but the Peacock remained for 

 some days after my departure, and Captain Hudson, 

 with his officers, succeeded in measuring the height 

 of Aorai, the peak which is next in height to Oro- 

 hena. This he found to be six thousand nine hun- 

 dred and seventy-nine feet ; and as Orohena ap- 

 peared to be about one thousand five hundred feet 

 higher, the height of the latter peak may be set 

 down as about eight thousand five hundred feet 

 above the level of the sea. From these two peaks, 

 ridges diverge to all parts of the coast, throwing 

 off spurs as they descend. These ridges are pre- 

 cipitous, and for the most part narrow. In many 

 instances their summit is a mere edge, making 

 walking upon them not only dangerous, but often 

 impossible. 



The governor of the district of Matavai, Taua, 

 was the first acquaintance of any distinction that 

 we made. He had already visited the Vincenues on 

 her anchoring. He is a fine-looking man, of huge 

 proportions, and has a large establishment near 

 Point Venus, where he monopolized nearly all the 

 washing, which was performed by his numerous 

 dependants. By this business he derives some 

 remuneration for the cost of feeding and clothing 

 them, putting the gains of their labour into his own 



pocket. Such, at least, is his own account of the 

 transaction. 



Taua's usual dress was a striped cotton shirt, 

 nankeen pantaloons that had once been yellow, and 

 a round jacket of blue cloth. Both shirt and pan- 

 taloons were too tight, and he had neither sus- 

 penders nor stockings, although he wore shoes. In 

 this guise he had an awkward look, which he pro- 

 bably would not have exhibited in a native cos- 

 tume. 



He was profuse in offers of hospitality at his own 

 house, and many of the officers were induced to 

 accept his invitations. His entertainments appear 

 to have been of the same general character with 

 that to which I was treated, and which will, there- 

 fore, serve as a specimen of the mode in which 

 such things are done by the "good society" of 

 Tahiti. 



We reached his dwelling in time to see the pre- 

 parations for the feast. These were entrusted to 

 his man of all work, Stephen, or, as he called him, 

 " Stiffin." This useful personage exhibited his 

 dexterity, not only in cooking, but iu killing the 

 poultry. The bird selected was a cock, for the 

 Tahitians well understand the difference in value 

 between it and the hens ; and Stephen exhibited 

 much adroitness in the slaying, plucking, and 

 dressing. While this was going on, the stones for 

 the Tahitian oven, so often described by voyagers, 

 were heating, and when they had acquired the 

 proper temperature, the ashes were carefully swept 

 off, bread-fruit, taro, and plantains, wrapped in 

 leaves, were then laid on the stones, with the fowl 

 in the centre, and the whole covered up. In about 

 an hour the oven was carefully opened, the con- 

 tents exposed, and found to be thoroughly cooked. 

 The dinner was then served in an earthen dish, 

 with a knife and fork, when, although the fowl was 

 somewhat tough, it was greatly relished. The din- 

 ner hour was one o'clock. 



Taua, according to the universal opinion of the 

 squadron, did not improve upon a closer acquaint- 

 ance. His intrusive and greedy disposition, not to 

 mention his fondness for the bottle, rendered him 

 daily a less welcome visitor than at first. I must, 

 however, do him the justice to say, that if he were 

 wanting in other traits of character that ought to 

 distinguish a chief, he did the honours of his house 

 admirably, and that he must be seen in the capacity 

 of a host, if a favourable opinion is to be formed of 

 his character. 



On the invitation of the Rev. Mr. Wilson, I 

 visited him at the mission-house, and was kindly 

 received. This gentleman is seventy-two years of 

 age, and is the oldest missionary on the island. In 

 spite of his advanced age, he still performs all the 

 duties of his cure. The church and the parsonage 

 are both frame houses. The former, which is 

 neatly built, is capable of containing a large con- 

 gregation. The Sabbath occurred on Saturday, by 

 our reckoning, and all labour was suspended. I 

 thought the attendance on worship small, com- 

 pared with what I had been led to anticipate. 

 There were less than two hundred persons present, 

 and they did not appear to be as attentive as they 

 had been represented. The women were more 

 numerous than the other sex, and were dressed in 

 a most unbecoming manner. They wore high 

 flaring chip bonnets of their own manufacture, 

 loose gay-coloured silk frocks, with showy ker- 



