82 



Geological structure of the 

 Tahiti. 



m A TTTmr A Tvm 

 TAHITI AND 



Bay of Papieti. Commerce of Tahiti. 

 Decrease in population in Tahiti and Eimeo. 



I am assured, was felt by us all ; but long before 

 sailing we became disgusted with seeing these large 

 and noble-looking men passing from ship to ship, 

 even including Paofai himself, soliciting foul linen 

 to wash, and performing other services that were 

 not in keeping with their rank. There is one, how- 

 ever, whom I must do justice to, Hitoti. He 

 maintained the character given him by Captain 

 Beechey. I was much pleased with his whole de- 

 portment on his visit to me, and also when I saw 

 him at his own house ; he paid but two visits to 

 the ship, and those within a day or two of our de- 

 parture. That he did not visit the vessels before, 

 was in order, as was supposed, to avoid the suspi- 

 cion of trespassing on our liberality ; he refused to 

 accept any presents, and would only drink wine 

 when requested, performing all the little courtesies 

 of the table with grace and politeness. 



On his visit to the Peacock, Lieutenant Emmons 

 and Mr. Hale being the only gentlemen on board, 

 received him with the attentions due to his rank ; 

 when taking leave, he requested to know their 

 names, which were given to him in English ortho- 

 graphy ; he at once took out his pencil, and with 

 great readiness wrote them in the Tahitian dialect, 

 as " Emaani" and " Helavi !" 



The geological structure of the island is exclu- 

 sively volcanic, and the rocks are either compact 

 basalts, or conglomerates of basalt and tufa, al- 

 though no active volcano exists, nor any well- 

 defined crater, unless Lake Waiherea can be con- 

 sidered as one. Through these rocks olivine and 

 pyroxene are copiously disseminated ; cellular lava 

 was found in some places, but neither pumice nor 

 obsidian ; quartz and mica were not obberved, nor 

 any carbonate of lime, except in the form of coral 

 rock. 



There is no conformity between the rocks of the 

 centre of the island and those which in most places 

 extend inwards for a few. miles from the coast. 

 The former are usually compact, of columnar struc- 

 ture, and exhibit no appearance of horizontal stra- 

 tification ; the latter lie in horizontal layers, com- 

 posed of scoriaceous and vesicular lava. In both 

 of these structures singular twistings and contor- 

 tions were observed. Many dikes were seen to 

 occur, not only in the mountains, but near the 

 sea-coast ; these were from three to six feet in 

 width. 



All the rocks of the island appear to be under- 

 going rapid decomposition. Even in places where 

 the rock seemed to have retained its original form 

 of sharp edges and pointed pinnacles, it was found 

 so soft, to the depth of a foot or more, as to 

 crumble in the hand. The earth thus formed 

 varies in colour from that of Indian red to a light 

 ochrey tint ; in consequence, many of the hills are 

 of a red hue, and one immediately behind Papieti, 

 takes its name (Red Hill) from this appearance. 



This decomposed earthy matter, mixed with the 

 abundant decayed vegetation of a tropical climate, 

 forms, as may be readily imagined, a soil of the 

 greatest fertility, adapted to every kind of cultiva- 

 tion. On the higher grounds the soil thus consti- 

 tuted has the character of a clay, and is 1 in wet 

 weather slippery and unctuous ; in lower positions 

 it is mixed with lime derived from coral and shells, 

 which often tends to augment its fertility. 



Iron abounds throughout ; on the mountains to 

 such an extent that compasses were found of little 



use from the local attraction by which they were 

 affected ; and on the shore, the sand was composed 

 in part of iron, which could be separated by the 

 magnet. 



Water gushes out near the coast in copious 

 springs, but none of them were found hot, nor 

 were any warm springs reported to exist. 



Papieti, in whose harbour we were now lying, is 

 one of the largest villages on the island ; being the 

 ordinary residence of the queen, and the abode of 

 the foreign consuls. The foreign residents are also 

 for the most part collected here. Among all its 

 dwellings, the royal residence and the house of 

 Mr. Pritchard are the only ones which possess the 

 luxury of glazed windows. The houses of the 

 foreigners are scattered along the beach, or built 

 immediately behind it. 



The bay of Papieti is the safest, and its port 

 affords the greatest facilities for the repair and 

 supply of vessels, of any belonging to the island. 

 For the first purpose a wharf and warehouse have 

 been constructed, which are let to those who wish 

 to use them. We occupied them for ten days, for 

 which we paid thirty dollars. The tender was 

 hove out at the wharf, and her equipment secured 

 in the warehouse. A limited supply of ships' 

 stores and chandlery is kept for sale, and may also 

 be purchased from the vessels which frequent the 

 port. 



The greater part of the commercial business of 

 Tahiti is transacted here, whither the articles for 

 export from other parts of the island are brought 

 to be re-shipped. The number of vessels which 

 visit this port annually is about sixty, of which the 

 largest portion are whalers ; the remainder are 

 transient merchantmen, or regular traders from 

 New South Wales. The latter bring cotton fabrics, 

 which they exchange for sugar, molasses, arrow- 

 root, and cocoa-nut oil. The value of the exports 

 in this direction is supposed to be about thirty-five 

 thousand dollars. 



The amount of American manufactured goods 

 imported into the island is estimated at an equal 

 sum ; they find their way here in transient ships 

 from the coast of South America, and the supplies 

 furnished our whale-ships are generally paid in 

 American goods. 



It is almost impossible, in the absence of all sta- 

 tistics, to arrive at any correct statement of the 

 amount of foreign manufactures annually consumed 

 here ; but the quantity is evidently on the increase. 



By a regulation of the colonial government of 

 New South Wales, Tahitian vessels are allowed to 

 enter their ports on the same footing with the 

 English. There are several vessels engaged in the 

 trade, and others building. 



The position of this island, in the vicinity of the 

 cruising-ground of our whale-ships, and the re- 

 sources it possesses for supplying shipping, make it 

 a desirable point of rendezvous. 



A census recently taken, gives for the population 

 of Tahiti nine thousand, and for that of Eimeo one 

 thousand. When this is compared with the esti- 

 mates of the navigators who first visited these 

 islands, an enormous decrease would appear to 

 have taken place. The first estimates were, how- 

 ever, based on erroneous data, and were unques- 

 tionably far too high ; yet there is no doubt that 

 the population has fallen off considerably in the in- 

 terval. The decrease may be ascribed in part to 



