UPOLU — MANONO — SAVAII. 



113 



ings extend to it both from the shores of Upolu and Savaii. The 

 coral reef attached to it is but small. 



Apolima, on the most cursory examination, is evidently the crater 

 of an extinct volcano. Perpendicular cliffs rise from the sea around 

 its whole circuit, except at a single point on its northern side. Here 

 the lip of the crater is broken down, and admits the water of the 

 sea into a small bay, which affords a safe harbour for boats. The 

 entrance to this is so narrow as to admit no more than one boat at 

 a time, and is dangerous whenever there is any surf. It may, 

 therefore, be easily defended. There is only one other point on the 

 island where it is possible to effect a landing, namely, at a small 

 height to the westward of the bay, and here it can only be done 

 when the water is perfectly smooth. But an enemy landing here 

 would have made no progress, for before the interior can be reached 

 from this point, the steep and precipitous rocks remain to be climbed 



The highest point of Apolima is on its south side, where it is four 

 hundred and seventy-two feet above the sea. The perpendicular 

 cliffs which face the sea are of course bare of vegetation ; but with 

 this exception the whole surface is covered with cocoa, bread-fruit, 

 and other trees, or with plantations of taro, yams, &c. 



In the centre of the island is a village of about twenty houses, and 

 the permanent population consists of no more than about seventy-five 



vol. ii. 29 



