158 Cruise of the "Alert,' 



London Missionary Society, who send at long intervals a mis- 

 sionary clergyman to inspect the settlement, and confer with 

 their delegate, the native missionary. 



The natural products are very limited, consisting solely of 

 cocoanuts and fish. The latter commodity abounds. Pearl shell 

 is obtained, but not in sufficient quantities to be an article of 

 commerce. 



Adam Mayne told us that sharks were very numerous, and 

 were caught with the hook and line ; but no case had ever 

 occurred of a native being injured by them, although they were 

 accustomed to swim in the open sea outside the reef, a fact of 

 which we ourselves had ocular proof. At the same time, curiously 

 enough, many instances had occurred at the Windward Islands, 

 Nukunono and Fakaata, of natives being taken down by sharks. 

 Turtle are ocasionally caught, and of these the shell of the carapace 

 is used for making hooks for fishing, which native-made hooks 

 are, by-the-bye, preferred to our English ones. Indeed, they say 

 that the fish will not take our metal hooks at all. 



On the afternoon of the same day (September 4th) we again 

 got under way, and continued on our course to the westward, 

 fixincr the positions of islands and taking negative soundings 

 frequently. On the 13th of September we obtained soundings 

 on the Lalla Rookh bank in latitude 13° 5' S., longitude 175° 26' 

 W. the depth ranging from twelve to seventeen fathoms. With 

 the snap-lead a sample of the bottom was brought up, consisting 

 of a lump of dead coral incrusted with red nuUipores, and riddled 

 in all directions by the borings of annelids. 



