190 APPENDIX. 



the barrier- reef and the shore, has been almost filled 

 up, — " a nearly continuous fringing-reef surrounding the 

 island, and varying from a few yards to rather more 

 than a mile in width, the lagoons merely forming canals 

 between this and the sea-reef," that is the barrier-reef. 

 Tapa?nanoa is surrounded by a reef at a considerable 

 distance from the shore; from the island being small, 

 it is breached, as I am informed by the Rev. W. 

 Ellis, only by a narrow and crooked boat channel. This is 

 the lowest island in the group, its height probably not 

 exceeding 500 feet. A little way north of Tahiti, the low 

 coral-islets of Teiuroa are situated ; from the description of 

 them given me by the Rev. J. Williams (the author of the 

 Narrative of Missionary Enterprise), I should have thought 

 they had formed a small atoll, and likewise from the 

 description given by the Rev. D. Tyerman and G. Bennett 

 (Journ. of Voy. and Travels, vol. i. p. 183), who say that ten 

 low coral-islets " are comprehended within one general reef, 

 and separated from each other by interjacent lagoons ; " but 

 as Mr. Stutchbury (West of England Journal, vol. i. p. 54) 

 describes it as consisting of a mere narrow ridge, I have left 

 it uncoloured. Maitea, eastward of the group, is classed by 

 Forster as a high encircled island ; but from the account 

 given by the Rev. D. Tyerman and G. Bennett (vol. i. p. 

 57) it appears to be an exceedingly abrupt cone, rising from 

 the sea without any reef; I have left it uncoloured. It 

 would be superfluous to describe the northern islands in 

 this group, as they may be well seen in the chart accompany- 

 ing the 4to edition of Cook's Voyages, and in the Atlas of 

 the Coquille's Voyage. Maurua is the only one of the 

 northern islands, in which the water within the reef is not 

 deep, being only 4^2 fathoms ; but the great width of the 

 reef, stretching three miles and a half southward of the land 



