252 



M'Kean's Island. Hull's Island. TT A TIT- A TT A XT n-nm-t-n /->T> 

 Euderbury's Island. HAWAIIAN GROUP, OR 



Arrival at Oaliu General appear- 

 ance of Oahu. 



pi-ovisions. By pursuing separate tracks, there 

 would, moreover, I conceived, be a better oppor- 

 tunity of searching for some doubtful islands, and 

 of obtaining information in relation to the currents 

 and winds. The vessels therefore parted com- 

 pany on the evening of the 1 4th of August. 



On the 15th, the winds inclined more to the 

 south; and on the 16th, on board the Vincennes, 

 we had variable winds, veering to the northward. 

 I therefore tacked to the eastward, in order to 

 take advantage of the change of wind in making 

 easting. 



On the 18th, the weather was fine and the wind 

 still light; tropic-birds and tern were seen, and a 

 constant look-out was kept, in the expectation of 

 seeing land. This was the second anniversary of 

 our sailing from the United States. 



On the 19th, we made an island in the neigh- 

 bourhood of the position assigned to Kemins' or 

 Gardner's Island. Its true place is in latitude 

 4 37' 42" S., longitude 174 40' 18" W. This is 

 a low coral island, having a shallow lagoon in the 

 centre, into which there is no navigable passage; 

 but the reef on the western side is so low that the 

 tide can flow into the lagoon. Believing this to be 

 the island discovered by Captain Gardner, I have 

 retained his name. 



At ten on the morning of the 19th, breakers 

 were discovered from the masthead, and by noon a 

 small island was seen, to which I gave the name 

 of the man who first saw it, M'Kean's Island. 

 In the afternoon, boats were despatched to sur- 

 vey it. 



M'Kean's Island is composed of coral sand and 

 blocks, and is three-fourths of a mile long, by half 

 a mile wide. It rises twenty-five feet above the 

 level of the sea, and has upon it no vegetation 

 except a scanty growth of coarse grass. The surf 

 was too heavy to permit a landing. 



Our observations place M'Kean's Island in 

 longitude 174 1?' 26" W., and latitude 3 35' 10" 

 S., and it lies about north-north-east sixty miles 

 from that of Kemins. 



On the 26th we made land, which proved to be 

 a lagoon island, about sixty miles to the westward, 

 of the position of Sydney Island. At ten o'clock, 

 being near it, the boats were lowered and sent 

 round one side of the island, while the ship pro- 

 ceeded round the other. 



This island was not found on any chart; I there- 

 fore called it Hull's Island, in honour of that dis- 

 tinguished officer of our navy. It has no doubt 

 been frequently taken for Sydney Island. Its 

 north-west point lies in longitude 172 20' 52" W., 

 and latitude 4 29' 48" S. 



Enderbury's Island, in latitude 3 8' S., longi- 

 tude 171 8' 30" W., is a coral island, with a dry 

 lagoon, three miles long, by two and a half wide. 

 The southern end is the widest, and on it are two 

 clumps of stunted shrubs and plants, consisting of 

 cordia, tournefortia, portulaca, boerhaavia, &c. 

 The northern end is almost bare of vegetation, 

 with the exception of a small running vine (con- 

 volvulus maritima). 



Missing Birnie's Island, and feeling that it was 

 necessary for us to be making our way to the 

 Sandwich Islands, on account of the shortness of 

 our provisions, I tacked to the northward, after 

 having spent thirteen days in this vicinity. 



On the 23d of September we made the island of 



Oahu, and stood in for what those who had been 

 there before, and professed to have a knowledge of 

 the land, said was the situation of Honolulu. They 

 all knew its locality to be under our lee, and I 

 ordered the course accordingly. On approaching 

 the land there was no town to be seen, and every 

 one then knew that a mistake had been made, of 

 which no one was willing to assume the blame. 

 Instead of being off Honolulu, we were under the 

 high land of Mauna Kaala, on the west side of 

 Oahu, near the small village of Wainai. 



The appearance of Oahu is by no means in- 

 viting; it has a greater resemblance to the desert 

 coast of Peru than any other of the Polynesian 

 islands we had visited, and has as little appearance 

 of cultivation. The country would be termed at 

 first sight barren and rocky. The land in places 

 is very much broken, and rises into high ridges, 

 here and there divided by deep and narrow ravines, 

 with little vegetation, except on the mountain 

 ranges. From the published descriptions of the 

 Hawaiian Islands, I was prepared to see them, 

 and particularly Oahu, a perfect garden. I was 

 inclined to impute my disappointment to our ap- 

 proach being made on its lee side, which is un- 

 usual; but I regret to say that any side of it, 

 when seen from the sea, is very far from having 

 an inviting appearance. 



I now made a tack off, and by four o'clock we 

 saw the town of Honolulu, which is very conspicu- 

 ous from the sea, and has more the appearance of 

 a civilized land, with its churches and spires, than 

 any other island in Polynesia. 



On the morning of the 24th we came to anchor 

 in the roads, and found the tender had arrived a 

 few days before us, all well. 



On landing, a great uproar prevailed, and groups 

 presented themselves to view, so motley that it 

 would be difficult to describe their dress or ap- 

 pearance. There are, indeed, few places where so 

 great a diversity in dress and language exists as at 

 Honolulu. The majority were in well-worn Eu- 

 ropean clothing, put on in the most fanciful man- 

 ner; but upon the whole, I should say that the 

 crowd were scantily covered, some being half- 

 dressed, many shirtless, none fully clothed, and 

 numbers of them with nothing on but the maro. 

 I had been led to expect a greater appearance of 

 civilization. The women were all clad in long 

 loose garments, like bathing-dresses, and many of 

 them were sporting in the water as if it had been 

 their native element. Some of these natives wore 

 the simple tapa, thrown over their shoulders, 

 which gave them a much more respectable appear- 

 ance than those who were clothed in cast-off gar- 

 ments. 



Every thing is earth-colour, with the exception 

 of a few green blinds. The streets, if so they may 

 be called, have no regularity as to width, and are 

 ankle-deep in light dust and sand. Little pains 

 are taken to keep them clean from offal; and, in 

 some places, offensive sink-holes strike the" senses, 

 in which are seen wallowing some old and corpu- 

 lent hogs. One of these, which was pointed out to 

 us as belonging to the king, was tabooed, and con- 

 sequently a privileged personage. The walk on 

 shore, however, after so long a confinement to the 

 ship, was agreeable. 



On the 30th of September, the Peacock reached 

 Oahu, all well. On parting company with the 



