276 



DISTRIBUTION OF PLANTS. 



fore explain certain prominent Australian, or rather New Zealand 

 ANALOGIES : as the presence on mountain-ridges of Metrosideros, of an 

 Epacrideous shrub, of the Restio-like Gahnia, and of a Weinmannia. 



On the other hand, a Vaccinium, that extends as low down as a 

 thousand feet from the level of the sea, deserves especial notice ; as 

 belonging not to an Austral, but a Boreal tribe. 



3. The Samoan Island-region. 



Leaving Motu-iti, in the Taheitian Group, the Vincennes continued 

 Westward through a wide tract of ocean, interrupted only by two 

 small coral-islands, already noticed : Bellinghausen coral-island, visited 

 by us on the 30th, the second day out; and Rose coral-island, which 

 we left in the evening of the 7th of October. 



On the 8th, we arrived in sight of Manua ; the nearest of several 

 high rocky islands, that succeed each other in a line running East and 

 West " two hundred and two miles ;" and called the Samoan or Navi- 

 gator Group. 



Manua, the smallest of the four principal islands, seemed little 

 else than a single mountain, rising on all sides somewhat steeply out 

 of the sea; the central summit concealed in the clouds, but perhaps 

 not exceeding two thousand feet in elevation. The island seemed 

 luxuriant, or even clothed with a forest; great numbers of cocoa-palms 

 being also in sight. At the Southern end, the prolonged ridges 

 became more broken, and even in some places torn and precipitous; the 

 coast beyond being very slightly indented, presenting a rather distinct 

 cove. On the 9th, I landed with others in this cove ; and in the course 

 of two and a half hours on shore, ascended the neighboring ridge, three 

 hundred feet or so in elevation ; the path leading up the face of preci- 

 pices, by means of artificial niches, cut in the rock to afford foot-hold. 

 The rock everywhere proved a conglomerate ; the included pebbles, in 

 some instances, being decidedly angular. A few detached fragments 

 of cellular lava, apparently from some other part of the island, were 

 lying on the top of the ridge. In sailing past, the rock, as seen from 

 the ship, presented some appearances of stratification ; the layers 

 keeping a general horizontal direction in the cliffs of the coast, but 

 much undulated, and at one or more points contorted. 



