368 HONOLULU. 
ported to exist, but saw nothing of it; and the wind was again from 
the northeast. The sick that had been received in the Vincennes 
from the Porpoise were all recovering rapidly. 
On the 18th, the weather was fine and the wind still light ; tropic- 
birds and tern were seen, and a constant look-out was kept, in the 
expectation of seeing land. This was the second anniversary of our 
sailing from the United States. 
On the 19th, we made an island in the neighbourhood of the position 
assigned to Kemins’ or Gardner’s Island. Its true place is in latitude 
4° 37’ 42’ S., longitude 174° 40' 18” W. This is a low coral island, 
having a shallow lagoon in the centre, into which there is no navigable 
passage; but the reef on the western side is so low that the tide can 
flow into the lagoon. 
When near enough to the island, the boats were lowered, and a 
number of officers and men landed, after passing for a considerable 
distance through a dangerous surf, breaking with violence over that 
part of the reef through which the tide flows into the shallow lagoon. 
The remainder of the reef which forms the island, is white coral sand, 
about three hundred feet wide, on which there is a vegetation that, 
unlike that of the other low islands of Polynesia, is devoid of low 
shrubbery. 
Birds were numerous on the island, and very tame; the tropic-birds 
so much so that some of the sailors amused themselves by collecting 
their beautiful tail-feathers, which they twitched from the bird while 
it sat on its nest,—an operation which the bird often bore without 
being disturbed. Besides birds, a large rat was found on this island. 
The flood here sets strong to the northward, and the rise and fall of 
the tide was four and a half feet. No coral blocks were seen on this 
island, and it is less elevated above the water than those further to the 
eastward. The soil, however, appeared to be better than upon those, 
the coral sand being finer, and mixed with a greater quantity of vege- 
table mould. To this may be ascribed the larger growth of the trees 
upon it, which although of the same kinds as those which have been 
already mentioned as found growing on the coral islands, are forty or 
fifty feet in height. The island may be seen on a clear day at the 
distance of fifteen miles. 
Believing this to be the island discovered by Captain Gardner, I 
have retained his name. 
Here we made observations of magnetic declination, inclination, 
and intensity ; after completing which, we passed through the surf 
without accident, and on reaching the ship, filled away, and stood on 
our course. 
