Duke of York's Island. 

 Duke of Clarence Island. 



CRUISE OF THE PEACOCK. 



Bowditch Island dis- 

 covered. 



293 



ing was effected on the coral shelf with some dif- 

 ficulty, and they found the natives, who had come 

 alongside, ready to receive them, with every sign 

 of friendship. They had apparently recovered 

 from their alarm, and met the officers before they 

 reached the beach, greeting them by rubbing noses 

 and throwing their arms around their necks. Their 

 excitement seemed to be so great that it was diffi- 

 cult for them to continue still for a moment, dis- 

 tracted by the numerous novel things around them. 

 Some of them, however, were exceedingly shy, and 

 would not suffer themselves to be approached ; 

 others had greater confidence, but at the same 

 time showed a respectful fear ; while a few put 

 their arms round the officers' necks, and exhibited 

 a boldness devoid of dread of any kind. 



Their village, to which our party went, was on 

 the inner or lagoon side of the island, and contained 

 about thirty houses, which were raised about a foot 

 above the surrounding earth : they were of oblong 

 shape, about fifteen feet high to the ridge-pole, 

 sloping gradually, and of a convex form to within 

 two or three feet of the gi'ound ; the roof was sup- 

 ported on high posts, whilst the lower part rested 

 on short ones, three feet within the eaves, having a 

 strong piece extending around, on which the rafters 

 are tied; the gable-ends were overtopped by the 

 roof, and seemed necessary to protect them from 

 the weather. Below the eaves, the whole was open 

 from the ground to the roof. The thatching, made 

 of pandanus-Ieaves, was of great thickness, and put 

 on loosely. The interior of the houses was very 

 clean, but there was no furniture except a few 

 gourds, and a reclining stool, cut from a solid block 

 of wood, having two legs at one end, which inclined 

 it at an angle of nearly forty-five degrees: to show 

 the manner of lying in it, they imitated a careless 

 and comfortable lounge, which they evidently con- 

 sidered a luxury. It was conjectured that they had 

 removed their various household utensils to a secret 

 place. 



The most remarkable constructions of the island- 

 ers near the village, were three small quays, five or 

 six feet wide, and two feet above the water, forming 

 slips about ten feet wide : at the end of each of 

 these was a small house, built of pandanus-Ieaves, 

 partly on poles in the water. These appeared to 

 be places for securing their canoes, and for the 

 purpose of keeping their fishing implements. Three 

 canoes were seen lying a short distance off in the 

 lagoon, filled with the women and children. This 

 was a precaution adopted to enable them to escape 

 if it became necessary; yet they did not seem to 

 apprehend any hostility. No kind of war imple- 

 ments was observed among them, and their bodies 

 exhibited no marks of strife with each other. 



This island was discovered by Byron, in 1 765, 

 who reported it as destitute of inhabitants. The 

 natives gave the name of their island as Oatafu, and 

 acknowledged themselves the subjects of a chief 

 who lived on a neighbouring island, called Fakaafo, 

 pointing to a southerly direction. With this excep- 

 tion, they did not appear to possess the knowledge 

 of any other islands but their own. 



On the 26th, the vessels sailed for the Duke of 

 Clarence Island, but owing to the unfavourable 

 state of the weather, they did not reach it until the 

 28th, though only a few miles distant, when it was 

 surveyed, and found to be seven and two-tenths 

 miles long, in a north and south direction, and five 



miles wide from east to west. It is of a triangular 

 shape, with the apex to the north. It has a lagoon 

 similar to that of the Duke of York's, with islets 

 in it; the north-west side is a bare reef, or wash, 

 on which the sea breaks heavily. After the survey 

 was effected, Captain Hudson found it impossible 

 to land to hold communication with the natives, 

 but has no doubt of its being inhabited, as it was 

 spoken of by the inhabitants of the Duke of York's 

 Island as belonging to the same people, and was 

 called by them Nukunono. No opening was per- 

 ceived into the lagoon, and there were many cocoa- 

 nut and other trees on the island. 



On the 29th, at 2^ 30 m A.M., whilst Lieutenant 

 Emmons had the deck, the night being very dark, 

 and the weather clear, he heard the distant sound 

 of surf; soon afterwards the wind changed, when 

 land was discovered close to the vessel, bearing 

 north-east. They made signal to the tender, and 

 hove-to till daylight, when the largest island 

 they had yet seen was within two miles of the 

 ship. 



This proved to be a new discovery, as it was not 

 to be found on any chart. The island, which I 

 have named Bowditch, agreeably to the wish of 

 Captain Hudson, was of coral formation, and its 

 shape is that of a triangle, with the apex to the 

 south. From north to south it is eight miles long, 

 and in width, from its west point, fou-r miles. On 

 its south-west and north points the land is of con- 

 siderable elevation, and the more elevated parts 

 are connected by an extensive coral reef, that is 

 awash. On the east side the land is more conti- 

 nuous, and on three parts there are extensive 

 groves of cocoa-nut trees and shrubbery. There 

 is no entrance for a vessel to the lagoon, which, 

 from the appearance of the water, has but little 

 depth. 



At daylight, eighteen canoes, with four or five 

 persons in each, were seen off the end of the 

 island, apparently on a fishing excursion : they dis- 

 regarded the vessels altogether, and continued their 

 occupation, without taking any notice of them, and 

 as if unwilling to lose the opportunity of taking the 

 fish. The fish seemed to be extremely numerous, 

 if the actions of the birds were to be taken as an 

 indication, for immense numbers of them were seen 

 darting into and rising from the sea every mo- 

 ment. 



As the natives refused to come near the ship, 

 Captain Hudson ordered two boats to be sent to 

 open a communication with them. They were 

 taking fish after the manner of the Samoans, by 

 trolling a line, it being fastened by a pole eight or 

 ten feet long to the stern of the canoes, and ele- 

 vated above the surface to a sufficient height to 

 allow the fish-hook, which was made of shell or 

 bone, to drag alone the surface of the water; as 

 their canoes were propelled, the fish, attracted by 

 the glistening of the hook, eagerly caught at it, and 

 were taken. 



The natives were at first very shy of the boats; 

 but the Hawaiians who were in them soon induced 

 them to approach, and enter into trade, and finally 

 enticed them alongside the ships. On coming 

 near, they began a song or chant, holding up 

 their paddles and mats, and shouting " kafilou 

 tamatau." They resembled the natives of Oatafu, 

 or Duke of York's Island, wore the same kind of 

 mats, eye-shades, and ornaments, and some were 



