138 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



the afternoon of that day and the early hours of the following morn- 

 ing were spent in sounding and using the beam trawl and tow nets in 

 the channel between that island and Nukahiva. Between the islands 

 a depth of 830 fathoms was found and the trawl hauls developed an 

 apparently rich bottom, but the nets were so badly damaged by the 

 rocks that comparatively few specimens were obtained. 



At 9.30 a. m. on September 15 the anchor was let go in the harbor 

 of Tai-o-hae, Nukahiva Island. This harbor, with a comparatively 

 narrow entrance, is surrounded by high hills sloping almost from the 

 water's edge, and has the appearance of an ancient crater, the seaward 

 walls of which have broken down and admitted the waters of the 

 Pacific. Tai-o-hae is the seat of the French government in the Mar- 

 quesas Islands, and the members of the expedition were received with 

 great kindness by the government officials and residents. Two days 

 were spent in coaling and the members of the scientific staff utilized 

 the time in making collections on shore. The natives in the vicinity 

 of Tai-o-hae have adopted many of the outward forms of civilization, 

 and many of them live in houses of European architecture of a simple 

 type. In the interior, however, more of the ancient life is to be seen 

 and houses of pure native construction, invariably built on stone 

 platforms, are common, in fact, almost universal. In the forests are 

 found the sites of many old villages, now overgrown with large trees 

 and in some cases almost hidden by vegetation. 



The population of the island is decreasing, probably as a result of 

 changes in their mode of life and the introduction of diseases unknown 

 before the advent of the whites, and as a rule the people are subdued 

 in demeanor and apparently convinced that their race is doomed to 

 extinction. The Marquesas Islanders are among the few South Sea 

 Islanders (of whom the ancient dwellers on Easter Island are the most 

 notable) possessing the art of stone carving. Several specimens of 

 rude idols were seen, and the members of the party who had the best 

 opportunity for observing are of the opinion that they are still objects 

 of some veneration, if not of worship. 



About noon on September 17 anchor was weighed and the Albatross 

 stood out of the harbor for the northwestern end of the Paumotu 

 Archipelago, en route to Tahiti. Soundings were made on this line 

 which, when considered in connection with those obtained before 

 reaching Nukahiva, appear to indicate that the submarine plateau 

 from which the Marquesas Islands arise has a depth of about 2,000 

 fathoms and a width of 50 miles. 



On September 20 Ahii, the first of the low islands, was sighted and 

 before noon of the following day the ship, under the pilotage of a 

 native, entered the lagoon of Rairoa, through Avatoru Pass, and came 

 to anchor. Three days were spent in examining the atoll and making 

 collections. A line of soundings was run across the lagoon, which 

 is the largest in the Paumotus, developing the fact that it has a prac- 

 tically level floor with a depth not exceeding 20 fathoms. This line 



