FLORIDA. 279 



long way farther on round tlie point which we had to clear 

 before tlie ship's head could be brought round so as to get 

 to the anchorage. In tlie middle of this reef tliere is a 

 dome-shaped rock 60 or 70 feet above the water, covered 

 with trees, which had a very pretty effect. Bome of the 

 highest hills have a good deal of wood upon them. 



Before six p j\i. we had entered the Gulf of Mboli in 

 Florida Island, and dropped anchor in Port Wiseman ; so 

 Mboli Harbour was named at the Bishop's suggestion, in 

 compliment to our gallant Commodore. There is a good 

 deal of shallow water in the gulf, and patches of reef. The 

 ' Soutliern Cross,' which had shown us the entrance into the 

 port, remained outside, intending to beat about all night, in 

 order to be ready next morning early to touch at several 

 villages on the coast we had observed in passing. We could 

 very well see tlie farther end of tlie gulf, which was not 

 much more than a mile from our anchorage. The gulf, 

 measuring it on the side of the point which we passed, is 

 not, I think, more than five or six miles in depth. Scarce 

 had we anchored when we were surrounded by a great 

 number of canoes, amono- which I observed tAvo large ones, 

 the one carrying twenty-two men and the otiier eighteen ; 

 the object of course was barter. These canoes, instead of 

 being alike, or nearly so, at both ends, as tnose we had seen 

 elsewhere, had only one of their ends terminating in a high 

 point. I saw two canoes in each of which the bow was 

 about ten feet high. I have never seen a sail to a canoe in 

 the New Hebrides, or the Solomon Islands. These canoes, 



