ELLICE'S AND KINGS MILL GROUP. 45 



they gave the name of utanu, and of which they seemed very fond. 

 Besides taro, they said that they had a much larger root called 

 "pulaka." Yams and bananas they knew by name, but had none 

 of them. 



An opening being discovered as the ship passed along the reef, 

 Lieutenant De Haven was sent to examine it, and he found a good 

 ship-channel into the lagoon. The passage was one-third of a mile 

 wide, and the least depth of water in it was five fathoms. It leads to 

 an anchorage in from seventeen to twenty fathoms, on a sandy bottom, 

 where a vessel may lie well protected by the reef. The current was 

 found to be setting out of this passage at the rate of two and a half 

 miles per hour. 



When Lieutenant De Haven returned, he was accompanied by the 

 chief, who called himself both the chief and god of the island, Foilape. 

 He was a fine-looking man, about forty years of age, with prominent 

 features, his hair cut short and nicely oiled. His legs were swollen 

 with the elephantiasis. He was gaily dressed, with both the maro 

 and girdle, beside the square mat of various colours around his waist. 

 He saluted the officers with the rubbing of noses, and said that his 

 name had been Faikatea, which he had changed with Lieutenant 

 De Haven. He remained but a short time on board, and explained 

 by his motions the necessity of his leaving the ship before the sun 

 went down. He was very urgent that some of them should accom- 

 pany him, and pass the night at his village; but finding nobody 

 disposed to do so, he departed, and the rest soon followed. 



This island was called by the natives Nukufetau ; they were 

 acquainted with Fanafute, or Ellice's Island, and also with Oaitupu, 

 or Tracy's Island. On being asked if these were all the lands they 

 knew of, they said, pointing to the east, that beyond Oaitupu there 

 were three islands, called Oatafu, Nukunono, and Fakaafo, which it 

 will be recollected are those of the Union Group. Mr. Hale pressed 

 the inquiry, if this were all; and with some hesitation they added the 

 name of Oloosinga, which is one of the small eastern islands of the 

 Samoan Group; but what seemed strange, they did not understand 

 the name of Samoa. On mentioning Tonga and Haabai, the names 

 appeared to be recognised. Some bananas attracting their attention, 

 which they saw hanging up, they called futi rotumaf Mr. Hale, in 

 his inquiries, found the pronunciations of these natives very distinct, 

 and it enabled him better to understand the orthography of their 

 names. 



VOL. v. 12 



