178 



Squadron sails from the Bay of 

 Islands. 



TQNGATABOO. 



Parhelia. Rosetta Shoal. Sunday Island . 

 American whaler spoken. 



CHAPTER XXI. 



TONGATABOO. 



DEPARTURE PROM NEW ZEALAND CAPE BRETT HALO AND PARHELIA SUNDAY ISLAND SHIP " TOBACCO-PLANT " 

 WATER-SPOUTS ARRIVAL AT TONGATABOO THREATENED WAR OFFERED MEDIATION LANDING AND RE- 

 CEPTIONNATIVE WARRIORS KINO JOSIAH KING GEORGE COUNCIL CALLED ITS PROCEEDINGS CAUSE OF 

 HOSTILITIES AMBITION OF KING GEORGE MESSENGER SENT TO THE HEATHEN PARTY TOWN OF NUKUALOFA 

 MR. AND MRS. TUCKER KING GEORGE'S TOWN HIS HOUSE AND FURNITURE RETURN OF THE MESSENGER 

 ARRIVAL OF THE HEATHEN CHIEFS FEELINGS OF THE HEATHEN OF TONGA MUMUI ENGLISH SCHOONER 

 "CURRENCY LASS" DEPARTURE OF THE HEATHEN CHIEFS VISIT OF THE KING TO THE VINCENNES THEIR 



CANOE CANOES OF THE TONGESE BOAT-SONG NATIVE MUSIC INTERVIEW WITH THE KINGS FAILURE OF 



THE MEDIATION VISIT TO MOA RELIGION OF THE HEATHENS NATIVES OF ROTUMA APPEARANCE AND 

 DRESS OF THE TONGESE THEIR CHARACTER TAMAHAA SPORT OF RAT-CATCHING FEEJEE WARRIOR 

 COUNCIL OF WAR POPULATION OF THE ISLANDS MISSIONARY OPERATIONS FEATS OF THE TONGESE IN 

 SWIMMING GEOLOGICAL STRUCTURE OF TONGA VEGETATION CULTIVATION PRODUCTIONS CLIMATE DISEASES 

 MODE OF TRAFFIC ARRIVAL OF THE PORPOISE NATIVE PILOTS ARRIVAL OF THE PEACOCK HER 

 REPAIRS AT SYDNEY DIFFICULTIES ATTENDING THEM PASSAGE OF THE PEACOCK FROM NEW SOUTH WALES 

 ROYAL FAMILY OF TONGA TERMINATION AND RESULT OF THE WAR CASE OF THE FEEJEE WOMEN TOM 



GRANBY. 



HAVING completed such repairs as were necessary, 

 the Vincennes, with the Porpoise and Flying- Fish 

 | in company, sailed from, the Bay of Islands on the 

 6th April, 1840, for Tongataboo. I believe that no 

 person in the squadron felt any regi-et at leaving 

 New Zealand, for there was a want of all means 

 of amusement, as well as of any objects in whose 

 observation we were interested. 



We had at first a light breeze from the north- 

 ward and westward, followed by a calm, after which 

 the wind came round to the southward. The wea- 

 ther was remarkably pleasant. 



Cape Brett, according to our observations, is 

 erroneously placed in the charts, which make it 

 forty-two minutes too far to the eastward. We 

 experienced after sailing a current of eight miles 

 to the northward in twenty-four hours. On the 

 8th April, the current set north-east-by-north, half 

 a mile per hour. 



On the 9th, the sea was very smooth, and the 

 day calm ; and we not only tried the current, but 

 the distance below the surface at which a white 

 object was visible. The sun's altitude was ob- 

 served at the same time. 



I was desirous to pass over the positions of 

 some of the doubtful shoals, and to verify the 

 longitude assigned to Sunday Island (the Raoul 

 of D'Entrecasteaux). Had this not been my de- 

 sign, I should have preferred pursuing a more 

 eastern route than I did, which I am satisfied 

 would have shortened our passage to Tongata- 

 boo. I do not conceive, however, that there is 

 any difficulty in reaching that island, or any risk 

 of falling to the leeward of it at this season of the 

 year, for westerly winds prevail in its neighbour- 

 hood. We had a light wind from north-east to east- 

 north-east. 



On the llth April, we had reached latitude 29 

 S., longitude 178 W., and had on that day a most 

 beautiful halo. It was formed at first of the 

 segments of two great circles, the chords of which 

 subtended an angle of 54. These gradually 

 united, and formed a circle around the sun, 

 whose diameter measured 42. 



The parhelia were very distinct, and had spurs 

 on their outer sides ; two points in the vertical 

 plane intersecting the sun, were very bright, but 

 did not form parhelia ; the sun's altitude was 29 

 20' : no decided clouds were to be seen, but the 

 whole sky was hazy, and the wind fresh from the 

 north-east. About two hours after this phenome- 

 non, much lightning occurred, with torrents of 

 rain, but no thunder, and this continued throughout 

 the night. The barometer stood at 29'99 in. ; 

 thermometer 71 75'. The weather by six in the 

 morning had cleared, and we had the wind light 

 from the westward. The clouds were seen flying 

 rapidly from the north-east. 



On the 13th the wind still continued from the 

 southward and westward, but light clouds were 

 still flying from east-north-east, and the sea was 

 rough and uncomfortable. We had passed over 

 the place assigned to the Rosetta Shoal, and I 

 believe I may safely state it does not' exist in that 

 place. 



On the 14th we made Sunday Island, the Raoul 

 of D'Entrecasteaux. It is high and rugged, and 

 had every appearance of being volcanic; the rocks 

 rise like basaltic columns. The island affords no 

 anchorage, and the wind being light, I was not 

 able to get near enough to send a boat to land and 

 procure specimens ; the sea, also, was very rough. 

 Sunday Island, according to our observations, 

 lies in latitude 29 12' S., and longitude 178 

 15' W., which agrees well with its established posi- 

 tion; it is said to be inhabited by a few white men, 

 and some of the officers reported that they saw 

 smoke. 



On the 15th, we fell in with the Tobacco Plant, 

 American whaler, Swain, master, that left the 

 United States about the same time we did. She 

 had not been very successful. A singular circum- 

 stance is connected with this ship during her 

 cruise : H.B.M. ship Herald, Captain Nias, whom 

 we met in Sydney, picked up, several months since, 

 off Java Head, four hundred miles from land, a 

 whale-boat, with six men, who reported to Captain 

 Nias that they had left the ship Tobacco Plant, 



