PAUMOTU GROUP. g 4g 
squadron to the northward and eastward, towards King George's 
Group, having fresh breezes from the east-northeast. The next day 
at noon, the most southern island was in sight, and finding the ships 
could not make it without much loss of time, I despatched the tender 
to the group, with orders to circumnavigate and examine the islands, 
and then to follow us to Tahiti, whilst the Vincennes and Peacock 
bore away to the westward, for the doubtful island of Waterlandt. 
At 5 p. m. it was discovered from the masthead, and at six from the 
lore-yard, bearing northwest by north. 
We stood on and off all night, and at daylight again made the land ; 
we reached its north point at 4 o'clock p. m., when the Peacock was 
ordered to take the east, whilst the Vincennes took the west side • 
we continued the survey until dark, when we took the necessary 
angles to resume the work in the morning. Many natives were seen, 
and smoke rising in several places. On the 6th of September, we 
continued our surveying operations, and shortly afterwards joined the 
Peacock, Captain Hudson having completed his side of the island 
The Peacock now made the signal of land to the westward. Wishing 
to land and make an examination of this island, and have communi- 
cation with the natives, the boats were lowered, and the naturalists 
from both vessels, and many officers, landed, and rambled over the 
western part of the island for several hours. The few natives were 
very friendly, and informed us that the native name of the island was 
Manhn. This is, in all probability, the Waterlandt of Schouten and 
Le Maire, and also Wilson's Island of the Duff. There is a laro-e 
and deep entrance in the southeast end into the lagoon of Manhii 
Island, in which, the natives informed me, vessels had often anchored 
whilst engaged in the pearl fishery. Many cocoa-nut trees were seen 
on this island, and fresh water is to be procured from a pool on the 
southwest side. The island at this end is upwards of half a mile wide 
to the lagoon; the coral reef is here quite broad. Soundings are not to 
be had with one hundred fathoms of line, fifty feet from the edge of it, 
There were some small compact coral rocks here and there,°but no 
regular upper or second shelf; the lower coral shelf was three hundred 
feet in width, and had many long longitudinal cracks, from six to 
eight inches wide, resembling those seen in ice-fields. In some 
places these were quite deep, and in the chasms numerous shells of the 
chama species presented their beautiful colours to view. Some of the 
gentlemen reported that they found a stone sarcophagus, or something 
vol. i. gig 
