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PAUMOTU GROUP. 
347 
for the night. The next morning at daylight we began its survey. 
I he tender was despatched round its northern shore, whilst the Pea- 
cock and Vincennes took its southern side, running close along the 
reef which continued submerged until near its southwestern end, 
which is twelve feet high and thickly wooded. On roundm- the 
point, we saw a white flag waved by several natives on the beach 
1 immediately despatched a boat, with an officer, who brought off two 
of the principal natives, one of whom spoke a little English, and 
proved quite intelligent. He was tattooed only on one side, from 
the pubis to the sternum, bounded by broad blue bands, which 
divided and terminated under each ear. 
He reported that there were about twenty natives on the island, 
and that they had frequent intercourse with vessels that had visited 
them. They informed me that water was to be had on the island 
* mdmg ourselves short of this necessary article, I despatched several 
boats to procure it. Aratica is eight miles in length by five in 
breadth. J 
All the naturalists were sent on shore, with as many of the officers 
as could be spared from duty. We landed near what the natives 
called their village. This consisted of one or two huts, built in a 
grove of large trees, consisting principally of Pisonias, fifty or sixty 
feet m height. Some of these had been felled (with a small hatchet, 
of which they possessed only one,) to build canoes. It is principally 
used for out-riggers, being light and durable, and well adapted for that 
purpose. We found two canoes partly dug out. The woods were 
quite thick and forest-like. The inhabitants of the village consisted 
ol four men, two women, a dog, and a cat; the remainder of the 
inhabitants live on the northeast side. The lagoon abounds with 
fish, and has several small coral knolls in it, though none with much 
vegetation on them. This is the most elevated of the low coral 
islands we had yet met with. 
It has a deep entrance into its lagoon, on the west side. 
The same formation presents itself here, of three distinct shelves : 
the one submerged, narrow, and shelving rapidly, the other broad, 
level, and covered at high water, but quite bare at low, and having 
the same longitudinal cracks in it. On the upper one is the usual 
accumulation of coral debris and sand, on which the vegetation 
grows. 
On the lagoon side the beach slopes gradually, and there is seldom 
found any decided break, from which to judge of the thickness of the 
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