50 
ELLICE’S AND KINGSMILL GROUP. 
They are expert at managing their canoes, and seldom use their 
paddles, which are miserably made, of a piece of cocoa-nut board or 
tortoise-shell, about six inches square, attached to a round stick; on 
this account they prefer using their sails. These are triangular, with 
an inclined or raking mast; they are worked in sailing precisely as 
those described in the Feejee Islands, keeping the out-rigger always to 
windward, and tacking in the same way. Their masts are in two or 
three pieces, as well as the yards, and the whole construction shows 
that wood is exceedingly scarce, and that it is very difficult to procure 
enough of it; as a cocoa-nut tree, of which they are made, will yield 
only two planks, in the mode in which they saw them out. One of the 
canoes, from the town of Utiroa, which came alongside the first day, 
was seen to be in part constructed from the bulwarks of a merchant 
vessel, which had some time before been wrecked; probably of an 
English ship, as a wreck was reported to have been seen lying on the 
reef in the beginning of March, 1839. 
On the night of the 4th, they were set strongly by the current to the 
westward, and by morning were fifteen miles to leeward, and out of 
sight of the island. 
On the 5th, they succeeded in regaining their position. Many 
canoes came off, which continued increasing throughout the day, 
until at one time eighty were counted from the ship, some of which 
contained from ten to fifteen persons. Many of these ventured on 
board, and became satisfied of the friendly intentions towards them, 
though they still seemed to be under some apprehensions from the 
number of men on board and the size of the ship. The guns fired 
in the operation for surveying increased their alarm; many jumped 
overboard at every discharge, and concealed themselves behind their 
canoes. 
In the afternoon, Captain Hudson on sounding found a bank, on 
which he anchored, in fifteen fathoms water, at the distance of four 
miles from the island. 
The next morning, the tender was despatched, with two boats, under 
Lieutenants Emmons and De Haven, to continue the survey. 
On the 6th, soon after daylight, they had from thirty to forty canoes 
alongside with different articles of trade; and ninety-two others were 
in sight from the deck, with from four to five natives in each. 
Early in the day, three boats were despatched for the town of 
Utiroa, to acquire a knowledge of the place and its inhabitants. In 
them were thirty men, well armed, which was thought to be a suffi¬ 
cient force to secure the officers and naturalists from any attack. 
Opposite to the town of Utiroa is a long flat, over which, at ebb tide, 
