ELLICE'S AND KINGSMILL GROUP. 69 



The principal chief of the island, with his daughter, whom Kirby 

 had for a wife, came on board with him. They both seemed deeply 

 affected, when they learned that he had received permission to remain 

 on board, and was about to leave them ; and both endeavoured to dis- 

 suade him from going. 



His wife showed much concern, and wished to accompany him : the 

 old chief, her father, endeavoured to persuade him to take her. Find- 

 ing she could not prevail, she requested as a parting gift, an old 

 jack-knife, the only property he had left to give. Several presents 

 were made to her by the officers and men, which reconciled her 

 somewhat to her lot. The natives all left the ship much gratified, 

 excepting Kirby 's wife, who continued to be somewhat downhearted. 



Kirby proved an intelligent man : he understood the language, and 

 was well acquainted with the character, manners, and customs of the 

 islanders, among whom he had lived from the 11th of February, 1838, 

 to the 15th of April, 1841. His presence in the ship afforded Captain 

 Hudson an opportunity, not only of communicating with the natives 

 more freely, but of obtaining much interesting information relative to 

 this group. 



Kuria or Woodle Island, has four towns on it, which Kirby esti- 

 mates to contain between four and five thousand inhabitants. Its 

 geographical position is in latitude 0° 14' 30" N., longitude 173° 27' 

 00" E. : its greatest length is five miles, northwest and southeast; 

 and its greatest width, which is at the southeast end, is two and a 

 half miles. It is very narrow, and almost divided towards the centre. 

 The northwest portion has two small lagoons, two or three hundred 

 yards from the beach ; the water in them is not so salt as the ocean. 

 In one of them, the bottom consists of red mud on one side, while 

 it is a white clay on the other. They are used as fish-ponds by the 

 chiefs. There is a reef extending to the northwest nearly three 

 miles. 



The island is but partially clothed with trees, consisting of cocoa- 

 nut, pandanus, and a few stunted bread-fruit. It has no outer reef, 

 and may be approached very closely. It affords neither wood, water, 

 nor refreshments. The natives who visited the ship brought off very 

 little for trade : fish-hooks and lines, small mats, cocoa-nut syrup, and 

 a few cocoa-nuts, composed their whole stock. 



The females that accompanied the canoes wore the maro, and were 

 thought to be better-looking than the others of the group ; but their 



VOL. V. 18 



