GENERAL ACCOUNT HEDLEY. 5 



of this spot is Ulakita a name, by. the way, that is almost 

 unknown, even to the local traders in the Ellice Group."* 



NUKULAILAI. " Eighty or ninety miles away is Nukulaelae,t 

 a cluster of thirteen low-lying islets, forming a perfect atoll, and 

 enclosing with a passageless and continuous reef a lagoon five 

 miles in length by three in width. This narrow belt of land in 

 no case are any of the islets over a mile in width is densely 

 covered with cocoanuts, and, seen from the ship, presents an 

 enchanting appearance of the highest green, accentuated on the 

 westerly or lee shore by beaches of the most dazzling white. 

 Thirty years ago Nukulaelae had a population of four hundred 

 natives. Then one day there came along two strange vessels a 

 barque and a brig and hove-to close to the reef ; and in a few 

 hours nearly three hundred of the unfortunate, unsuspecting, and 

 amiable natives were seized and taken on board by the Peruvian 

 throat-cutters and kidnappers that had swept down upon them, 

 and, with other companions in misery, torn from their island 

 homes, were taken away to slavery in the guano fields of the 

 Chincha Islands. Of the Nukulaelae people none ever returned, 

 and all but two perished miserably under their cruel taskmasters 

 on the gloomy Chinchas."+ " Fangafana is the name of the islet 

 on which the settlement stands. Nukulaelae is the name of 

 another islet and is used to designate the group. Near tradition 

 traces the people to the island of Funafuti ; remote mythology 

 says that Mauke, the first man, had his origin in a stone." 



The next atoll, FUNAFUTI or Ellice Island, is reserved for a more 

 extended description, and passing over it we come to NUKUFETAU, 

 or DePeyster's Group, lying sixty miles to the leeward and con- 

 sisting of " A very beautiful group of thirty-seven islets almost 

 surrounding a lagoon. The name signifies the land of the fetau 

 ( C ' alopliyllum inophyllum), the only indigenous tree of large 

 size found there. The settlement is located on the island of 

 Te anamu, and there are houses also on Sakuru.|| Fairly good 

 water can be obtained at Te anamu. Other islets in this group 

 are Te afuavea, Te afuana, Te afatule, Paifa, Funata, Mata 

 Nukulaelae (like Nukulaelae), Teafualoi, Nualei, Niuatangi, 

 Teafuanono, Motu tu lua, Teafuniua, Niuatui, Niuatibu (a Gil- 

 bert Island name), Oua, Lafaga (where there is said to be fresh 

 water), Niuaruko, Faiava, Potiki, Moturaro (here also water is 

 to be found), Motufetau, Motuloa, Te afua, Te motumua (here 



* Becke Evening News, Sydney, 25 April, 1896. 

 f Officially spelt Nukulailai, otherwise the Mitchell Group. 

 J Becke loc. cit. 

 Turner Samoa, 1884, p. 280. 



j| " Sakuru seems to have been uplifted ten or twelve feet." Turner, 

 loc. cit., p. 284. 



