Kirby's narrative. Charts of the 

 Kingsmill Group. 



CRUISE OF THE PEACOCK. 



Kingsmill Group. 



299 



During Kirby's residence on the island, several 

 English, and one American whaler, had been off 

 the island, on which occasions he had been em- 

 ployed as pilot and interpreter. The natives were 

 constantly asking him, after their departure, why 

 he " did not fool the vessels and run them on shore, 

 that they might plunder them." One of the above 

 vessels left two pigs, two goats, and a pair of Mus- 

 covy ducks; but no sooner had the vessel left, than 

 they killed them all, for some superstitious fears, 

 and threw them into the sea, notwithstanding all 

 Kirby's remonstrances and entreaties to have them 

 spared, and allow him to eat them. 



Kirby says that the natives, though not professed 

 cannibals, sometimes eat human flesh ; but their 

 food is generally fish. They do not eat fowls, and 

 will not raise pigs, on account of their filth. Their 

 treacle is extracted from the spathes of the cocoa- 

 nut trees, an operation which, if frequently re- 

 peated, destroys the tree. They are very fond of 

 cock-fighting. 



The conduct of foreigners who visit these islands 

 is sometimes of a most outrageous character. Some 

 four or five months before the Peacock's visit, 

 Kirby states that one Leasonby, master of the 

 whale-ship Oifley, of London, and whose mate was 

 an American, named Lake, landed six young girls 

 on this island, whom he had obtained at Peru, or 

 Francis Island. After having kept them on board 

 several days, he brought them here to save himself 

 the trouble of beating his vessel up to the island to 

 which they belonged. 



These young girls were extremely good-looking, 

 and are now slaves to the chief of this island, and 

 made to labour and satisfy his lusts. They were 

 landed on Kuria, in despite of their entreaties and 

 tears. These people are in the habit of killing all 

 strangers from islands not connected with their 

 immediate group ; but the lives of these girls were 

 spared, and they were retained in bondage. Two 

 of them were brought off to the ship, who entreated 

 most earnestly to be kept on board, and to be 

 carried to their home. 



The published charts of these islands were found 

 so inaccurate, as to be a cause of danger rather 

 than of safety ; for in them the islands are multi- 

 plied, and every hummock or detached islet on the 

 same reef is represented as separate, and a name 

 assigned it. Thus a confusion exists, that it is 

 almost impossible to unravel. How so many errors 

 could be committed, can only be accounted for by 

 the fact that those who had the publication of the 

 charts formerly were generally ignorant, and did 

 not take that care to sift and examine the informa- 

 tion that was essential to accuracy. 



Several islands are laid down here on the dif- 

 ferent charts, but those only really exist which are 

 named Tarawa, or Knox Island; Apia, or Char- 

 lotte Island; and Maraki, or Matthew's Island. 



Tarawa, or Knox Island, is in length twenty 

 miles, trending north-west and south-east, and lies 

 in latitude 1 29' N., and longitude 173 5' E. The 

 land is continuous and wooded, with the exception 

 of four gaps, where the reef is bare. The south side 

 is twelve miles long, and trends nearly east and 

 west. On this part, near the western end, are three 

 hummocks (which appear like islands in the dis- 

 tance), and several small sand-banks, which are 

 connected by the same reef. This island has its 

 lagoon, but it has the appearance of an extensive 



bay, in consequence of the reef on the west side 

 being a sunken one, on which is found five fathoms 

 of water. 



Apia, or Charlotte Island, consists of strings of 

 coral islets, situated within a reef, which is six and 

 seven feet above the water. The reef has a bluff front, 

 and is much worn by the sea. There is no coral sand. 

 Apia was found to be in latitude 1 52' N., and 173 

 2' E. It is a lagoon island. Its length in the direction 

 of north-east and south-west is sixteen miles, and 

 its average breadth five. On the east side of the 

 island the land is covered with cocoa-nut and pan- 

 danus groves, with some undergrowth. The north- 

 west and west side is a continuous reef, four or five 

 feet above the water's edge, on which are many 

 islets. About the centre of the reef, on the south- 

 west side, is a ship's channel into the lagoon, which 

 is half a mile wide. Near its entrance is a small 

 islet, which stands alone, and is a good mark for 

 the entrance. There is no island in the lagoon, as 

 shown on the French charts of Duperrey. 



It was ascertained that their knowledge of other 

 islands only extended to Tarawa, or Knox's Island, 

 and two others. To one of these they pointed in a 

 direction west of north, and called it Maraki, 

 Matthew's Island; and the other Taritari and Ma- 

 kin, which they said were two days' sail, and which j 

 was believed to be Pitt's Island. 



The next island that claimed their attention was 

 Maraki, or Matthew's Island. It is much smaller 

 than the two last, and situated in latitude 2 N., 

 and longitude 173 25' 30" E. It is a lagoon island, 

 without entrances, and of coral formation. It is 

 but five miles long, north-by-east and south-by- 

 west, and two and a half wide at its base, being 

 of triangular shape. It appears to be densely 

 peopled. 



On the 27th, the Peacock left Matthew's Island 

 to look for Pitt's Island, which they made on the 

 28th, at 9 A.M. There are two islands known 

 under this name : the largest is called by the 

 natives Taritari, and the smallest, Makin. The 

 latitude of the southern point of Taritari is 3 8' 

 N., longitude 172 48' E. This island is of the 

 figure of a triangle, with its apex to the south, and 

 its sides are about fourteen miles in length. The 

 south-east side is a continuous grove of cocoa-nut 

 and pandanus, with some undergrowth ; on the 

 other two sides is a reef, which is awash, excepting 

 the north-west point, in which there is a small 

 inlet. 



Makin is of much smaller dimensions, being but 

 six miles long : it varies in width from half a mile 

 to a mile. Its northern point lies in latitude 3 

 20' 43" N., and longitude 172 5?' E. This small 

 island is the seat of government, and the natives 

 now unite both names under the one of Makin. 



It was soon evident that the island was thickly 

 inhabited ; for when the ship reached the lee side, 

 in the afternoon, about twenty canoes came off, 

 containing from five to ten natives in each, and in 

 one of them was a white man, who was clothed in 

 mats. The ship was immediately hove-to to take 

 him on board, and he gave his name as Robert 

 Wood (alias Grey), a Scotchman by birth, who 

 was left by his own wish on the island, seven 

 years before, by the English whaling brig Janie, of 

 London, sailing from Sydney. He was under so 

 great excitement as to render his utterance quite 

 unintelligible at times, and some amusing scenes 



