PAUMOTU G ROUP. 315 



island. After being on the reef half an hour, we joined our boats, and 

 returned on board near sunset. One canoe was reported, the next 

 morning, as having been seen from the Peacock. 



The number of inhabitants that we saw certainly did not exceed one 

 hundred and twenty. 



The common house-fly was found in great numbers at this island. 

 A number of fish were caught ; some shells, and specimens of most of 

 the plants, were also procured. 



After lying-to for the night, we, at daylight on the 16th, bore away 

 for Serle Island, having first ascertained our distance from the point 

 of Clermont de Tonnerre by triangulation. We then ran by the patent 

 log for Serle Island direct, by which means we made the distance 

 between the two islands, twenty-six miles and two-tenths. No signs 

 of any other island exist between these two. This will, I think, settle 

 the question between Duperrey and Beechey. The latter is undoubtedly 

 wrong as respects the longitude of Clermont de Tonnerre, which he 

 places some twenty minutes too far to the eastward, and I doubt not some 

 accidental error has occurred in his observations ; for I find, at Serle 

 Island, Duperrey, Beechey, and myself, agree within a few minutes. 



Serle is a low coral island, and has a large and very regular clump 

 of trees on its western end, which at a distance might be taken for a 

 mound or hill. Its length is seven miles, and its width one and a 

 fourth. It lies in a northwest and southeast direction. There are but 

 few inhabitants on it. The position of its southeast end is in latitude 

 18° 21' 10" S., longitude 137° 04' 10" W. 



The vessels again separated for its survey ;* boats were sent to trace 

 the reef, and have communication with the natives, if possible. Before 

 night we had completed our survey, and the boats returned. Lieu- 

 tenant Alden, in charge of one of them, reported that he had had 

 communication with the natives, who were very friendly and desirous 

 of holding intercourse with him. He obtained several articles of 

 curiosity from them. Some of them were tattooed. They were found 

 to be arrant thieves, wishing to carry off every thing they saw, trying 

 even to pull the copper off the blades of the oars, — and all this appa- 

 rently without any idea that it was wrong. When first seen they 

 were armed with spears, but observing that we did not attempt to 

 land, they sent them away in charge of a boy, and swam off to the 

 boat. 



I now determined to wait until the next day, for the purpose of 

 having further communication with them, and ordered every thing to 



* For the mode of making the surveys of the Coral Islands, see Appendix XLI. 



