UPOLU — MANONO — SAVAII. 99 



Mr. Wilson was an excellent interpreter, and by his aid I had a long 

 and agreeable talk with the old chief, who, when his wars were 

 touched upon, appeared full of fire and animation. 



I intimated my desire to have a conference with the ruling chiefs,, 

 for the purpose of transacting business, whereupon he readily 

 assented to call a fono, and appointed the 4th of November as the 

 earliest day on which he could possibly get the chiefs, a part of 

 whom must come from Savaii, together. This day he named 

 himself, after having made a reckoning of the six intervening days 

 upon his fingers ; I observed, however, that he found it necessary 

 to repeat the count several times. Having transacted this business 

 with him, and regaled ourselves on his hospitable fare, we took our 

 leave. 



On reaching the Peacock, I found that none of her surveying 

 parties had returned, and the Flying-Fish was still missing ; I thus 

 became satisfied that I should be detained here for several days. I 

 therefore sent orders for the Vincennes to make for the harbour, where 

 she anchored in the afternoon near the Peacock. 



The next day, parties were despatched in various directions, so as 

 to bring all parts of the island under examination at the same time. 



One of these excursions was made across the island. On arriving- 

 at the highest point of the ridge, between Siuma and Siusinga, which 

 has an elevation of two thousand and fifty feet, and just before the 

 descent began, a clearing was found, in which were two mounds of 

 earth, each about fifteen feet high, and one hundred and twenty feet in 

 circumference ; several stone walls were also seen. In respect to these, 

 there is a tradition that they were built by the warriors of Vavao, who 

 invaded Upolu, and after their predatory warfare along the coast was 

 over, occupied this commanding position for the purpose of cutting 

 off the communication between the opposite sides of the island. The 

 trees growing on these mounds are nearly two feet in diameter, and 

 the missionaries have inferred from their inquiries that the invasion 

 referred to occurred seventy or eighty years ago. 



Messrs. Dana and Couthouy visited a lake called Lauto, which lies 

 to the westward of this pass, and in the centre of an extinct crater. 

 The edge of the crater was found to be two thousand five hundred 

 and seventy feet above the sea, and the descent thence to the water of 

 the lake is one hundred and twenty feet. These gentlemen succeeded 

 in obtaining a line of soundings across the lake, by cutting down 

 trees, and forming a raft of them. They found the depth in the 



