54 TAHITI AND EI MEO. 



bread-fruit; the six first mentioned have been introduced since Cook's 

 time. 



The vegetables are sweet-potatoes (Convolvulus), yams of small 

 size, taro (Caladium esculentum), the ape (Caladium macrorhizon), 

 turnips, onions, and leeks ; but there were no common potatoes culti- 

 vated. I gave Mr. Wilson some of the yellow Peruvian potato 

 (Papas amarillas), but he informed me that all their attempts to raise 

 potatoes in the low ground had failed. 



The tacca, from which arrow-root is manufactured, grows in 

 quantities, but we did not see it cultivated. 



In the botanical researches it was remarkable that not a single 

 stem of paper mulberry (Broussonetia) was found, although former 

 visiters speak of it as the tree from which their cloth was made. 



There are a vast variety of ornamental shrubs, and many aromatic 

 plants, which the natives use to perfume their cocoa-nut oil. 



The tutui tree (Aleurites triloba), the nut of which is iised in 

 tattooing, is very common all over the island. 



Tobacco is grown in small quantities. 



Mr. Henry informed me that grapes succeeded well on the south- 

 east side of the island. 



The price of labour is from two to four dollars a month, but for 

 occasional labour fifty cents a day is usually paid. 



Wild hogs are said to be numerous in the mountain region ; none 

 of our parties, however, met any. Horses are possessed by many 

 persons on the island, and goats were seen. Dogs and cats were 

 abundant. The island is well supplied with cattle ; they are suffered 

 to run wild, and frequent the neighbourhood of the hills, whither 

 they are obliged to go for pasturage, which is now very scarce on the 

 island, on account of the thick growth of the guava. 



After the departure of the Vincennes, a party from the Peacock, 

 consisting of Mr. Dana and some others, obtained leave of absence 

 from Captain Hudson for five days, with the design of ascending 

 Mount Aorai. They commenced the ascent immediately in the rear 

 of Papieti, and by noon on the second day had reached an elevation 

 of five thousand feet, where they stood upon a platform about twelve 

 feet square ; thence they looked down eastward two thousand feet 

 into the Matavai Valley ; to the westward they had a gorge about a 

 thousand feet deep running into Toanoa Valley ; to the south, the 

 platform on which they stood was united by a narrow ridge with 

 Mount Aorai, which was apparently only a short distance before 



