178 LAKEMBA AND SAVU-SAVU. 



In his stead they procured a person whose name was Thaki. Thaki 

 was a very respectable old man, and had many letters of recommen- 

 dation, giving him the highest character. Among them was a letter 

 from some shipwrecked sailors, who by his exertions were saved from 

 death, and afterwards supplied by him with every thing that was 

 necessary, until they got on board an English vessel. Chevalier 

 Dillon, also, had given him a printed document. All of these papers 

 Thaki takes great pride in showing, and carries them constantly with 

 him. He had been at Sydney, and had evidently profited much by 

 his trip. He was acquainted with the characters of Napoleon and 

 Washington, and when prints of them were shown him, he expressed 

 a desire to have them, which was complied with. On seeing a like- 

 ness of the Duke of Reichstadt, he asked if he had not been poisoned. 

 The print of General Jackson was highly prized by him. 



Mr. Calvert was landed in the evening, and the next morning, the 

 16th, the brig resumed the surveying duties, the islands of Komo, 

 Ularua, and the Aivas, (both the high and low,) Oneata, and Motha, 

 all in the neighbourhood of Lakemba, were observed on and ex- 

 plored. 



At night there was a violent squall, accompanied with lightning 

 and rain. Among these islands and numerous reefs, such squalls 

 become very dangerous, but fortunately they are not of long duration. 



The two Aivas are both uninhabited : they lie between Lakemba 

 and Oneata, and are surrounded by an extensive reef, with the excep- 

 tion of a large opening in the northeast side, which affords anchorage, 

 exposed, however, to the northeast winds. 



On the 17th, they were engaged in exploring the great Argo Reef. 

 Its native name is Bocatatanoa, and it is one of the most extensive 

 and dangerous in the group. Its English name is derived from the 

 loss, on its southeast end, of the English brig Argo, which happened 

 in the year 1806. 



The outlying reefs off Angasa and Motha were also examined 

 and surveyed. Lieutenant-Commandant Ringgold then proceeded 

 towards Oneata. Here they found excellent anchorage, under Ob- 

 servatory Isle, near a settlement on the northeast side of the island. 

 A second anchorage is to be found off the west side of the island, 

 near a large sandy bay. No water is to be had here, except from 

 wells, but there is abundance of fruit, vegetables, and poultry. The 

 population is two hundred. Two Tahitian missionaries were found 

 here, and about one-half of the people are Christians. 



