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 dav, 

 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, 



