346 VOYAGE IN SEARCH 



as any one of us moved in the leafr, and but for 

 the greatt :ft precautions \vc fhould have overfet. If 

 this accident had happened to us near the mid- 

 dle of the roadftead, it would, with the rapidity 

 of the currents, have been difficult for the moil 

 dexterous fwimmers to have regained the fhore. 

 The danger diminifhed as we approached the 

 place where we were to land; but what aflo- 

 nifhed us greatly was the imprudence of a fer- 

 vant belonging to the Efperancc, who, although 

 he could not fwim, and was pretty certain of 

 being drowned if we overfet, occafioned our ca- 

 noe levcral times to lofe its equilibrium. 



At len^:h we arrived. The fkirts of the beach 

 were covered with the fhrub called fctevola lobelia. 

 It thrives on the fea- fhore, and I had like wife 

 found it in that fituation in New Ireland. 



The fea, at high water, came and wafhed the 

 foot of the very beautiful tree, whofe deno- 

 mination of heritiera recalls to mind the name of 

 one of the moil Ikilful botanifts, Citizen THerU 

 tier. 



In advancing to the weft ward, I found on the 



ich among the ftones rounded by attrition 

 fome lava, which although very porous was yet 

 too heavy to float. As I never remarked in the 

 interior of the ifland any ftoncs that had under- 

 gone the acYion of fire, it is to be prefumed that 

 .c ha7e been brought into the roadftead by 



the 



