TYE AND SUA LIB. 271 



having had the soft sandstone washed away for fifteen or twenty feet 

 above. The island is of a crescent form, both on the water-line and at 

 its top, rising to the height of five hundred feet in the centre, and 

 dropping at each end. It is, in various places, so deeply rent, as to 

 make it impossible to reach its summit, which I was desirous of doing. 

 There is no coral attached to it, but an extensive patch, on which 

 there is anchorage, lies to the eastward ; on this, however, it is not 

 safe to anchor, for the ground is much broken. From the appear- 

 ance of the water-worn strata, the island would appear to have been 

 upheaved at several different times. After going round the island 

 in my boat, I joined the tender, and ran over, south-southwest, for 

 the Asaua Cluster. The distance was found to be ten miles by the 

 patent log, and the passage is perfectly clear. 



We reached the most northern island of the cluster, Ya-asaua, 

 which has several small islets off its northern point. We were just 

 in time to get sight of the black rocks lying off the entrance of what 

 I have called Emmons Bay, after Lieutenant Emmons, who had 

 surveyed it. I felt so much confidence in this officer's work, that I 

 ran into the bay after the night closed in, and was followed by the 

 Porpoise. We thus obtained safe anchorage for the night. The 

 boats answered our signal by large fires on the beach, at the head of 

 the bay. 



In the morning, we set about sounding this bay out, and orders 

 were given to the Porpoise, to stand off and look for the great sea-reef 

 which was supposed to exist to the westward, with passages through 

 it, and to extend as far as Biva Island. This examination, together 

 with a subsequent one by the tender, proved that it became deep and 

 sunken a little to the northward of Round Island. 



Ya-asaua is a very narrow island, about ten miles in length, and 

 rises towards the southern part into a high peak, called Tau-tha-ke. 

 Wishing to get observations from the top of it, we ran down and 

 anchored near the southern bight, which is well protected, except 

 from the northwest, by the small island of Ovawo and two small islets. 

 We landed here with a strong party, well armed, as we knew the 

 natives were particularly savage. We succeeded in getting good 

 observations, and then ascended Tau-tha-ke, from which we obtained 

 an excellent set of observations. The weather being very clear, 

 the view was remarkably fine from its top, commanding all the 

 surrounding headlands, islands, and reefs ; the ascent to it is on the 



