340 PAUMOTU GROUP. 



them devouring the latter, with great gusto, raw, but the former they 

 roasted. Here we again saw printed copies of several portions of the 

 Scriptures, and found that many of them could read and write well. 

 No spears, clubs, or warlike instruments were to be seen, and when I 

 asked for them as matters of curiosity, they said they had no arms 

 except two muskets, which were pointed out to me, hanging up under 

 the eaves of the house. The native missionary, a man about fifty 

 years of age, told me that in times past they had " all war," but now 

 all was peace. I was desirous of knowing to what he imputed the 

 change, and he very readily answered, " Mittionari, mai-tai, mai-tai," 

 (missionary, good, good). They acknowledge the authority of Pomare 

 of Tahiti. Dr. Pickering, who was in company with me, came to 

 propose that we should ascend the bluff, which the chief, being made 

 acquainted with, readily gave his consent to, and sent for two men to 

 accompany us. We ascended through the narrow break, twenty to 

 thirty feet wide : the natives had improved the path up by placing the 

 clinky slabs of compact coral, as a rude pavement, and for steps, in 

 order to make the communication more easy to their planting grounds. 

 On reaching the top, we found ourselves in a wood, and wishing to 

 get a view of the interior, we made for the east end, passing occa- 

 sionally over beds of clinky coral, thrown and scattered in all 

 directions. After a walk of more than a mile, we came to an open 

 space, from which we had a clear view of the interior of the island, 

 which was found to be densely covered with trees. The general 

 shape, as far as it could be seen, was pan-like, or in the form of a dry 

 lagoon. 



This island was particularly interesting, from its combining both 

 high and low vegetation ; and a very considerable collection of plants 

 was obtained. Several pigeons were seen, two of which we obtained ; 

 they were of a large species of Columba oceanica, that inhabits these 

 groups. We crossed many large fissures, running in a line with the 

 cliff, some of them two or three feet wide, in which trees of some size 

 were growing. 



As far as our observations went, the upper portion of this island is 

 composed of limestone or compact coral rock ; the cliff, on its eastern 

 side, where we first landed, appears stratified, horizontally, in beds of 

 ten to twelve feet in thickness, of a sort of conglomerate, composed of 

 shells, coral, and pieces of compact rock, cemented together by a cal- 

 careous deposit. The under part of this bed had been much worn by 

 the sea ; the rich soil was composed of vegetable matter and decom- 

 posed limestone. The slabs that were lying loose upon the surface had 

 a clinky or metallic sound when struck. The island has unequivocal 



