(Kog — Dni*ion of the -urvL-v ul tli« 

 Samiwm Group. 



SAM U AN GROUP, 



HmlKiur of 1'agopngo. 



88 



before lie could be made to understand what tin? 

 reward was for. but when lie found it was for his 

 honesty, be laughed heartily. 



This having excited our suspicious, the boat's 

 crew informed mo that a canoe that was paddling 

 off had been alongside of the gig, and that they 

 felt satisfied that the natives had taken something 

 frr>m us. It being in our course towards ihe ship, 

 we gave, chase, and being favoured by the wind, 

 soon overtook the canoe, to the great fright of the 

 two natives, who were paddling with all their 

 might, and whose eves wen? full of tears when 

 overtaken. They had nothing at all in their canoe, 

 and after examination it proved we had ld*l no- 

 thing. To console them for this alarm, J gave 

 them a few trilles, and they became easy and 

 cheerful. 



The coral reef around this island was different 

 fn>ui any T had hitherto seen. It consisted <>f uvo 

 regular shelves, the outer one from fifty to sixty 

 feet wide, and the inner in places measuring one 

 humlred and forty feet. A distinct mark of high 

 water w:is measured along tin- beach, and found to 

 be twenty feet above the ordinary sea-tide, which 

 ban from four to five feet rise, 



Ofoo lies t<« the westward of Oloosinga. There 

 is a passage for boat* of about a fourth of a mile 

 in width between them, and anchorage on the 

 western side. Ofoo resembles Oloosinga ; and, 

 from the accounts we received, it has hut few 

 inhabitants : those of Oloosinga having made wjir 

 upon them, and killed the "natives" off. There is 

 a small and comparatively low islet off itH western 

 end, iienr which there is an anchorage. After sun- 

 set we hr»re away for Tutuila, w Inch can he eeen in 

 tine weather from these islands. 



The temperature in the passage from Tahiti tn 

 the Samoan Islands hail increased from TT'C 5 tn 

 8Pll° in the air; and that of the water from 



;y<r to bmp. 



As it was my intention to make a thorough 

 examination of this group, I resolved, in order tu 

 accomplish it in the least possible time, to divide 

 the squadron, so as to put all the rtmninmg islands 

 under exiuninalion at the same time. The island 

 of Tutuila being the most central, and, from the 

 information I had obtained, the Lest position for 

 my astronomical observations, 1 selected it for the 

 Viiicenues. That of Upolu was reserved for the 

 Peacock and Flying- Fish when they should arrive; 

 and in case of their being detained longer than 1 had 

 anticipated, I should be ready tn take up the survey 

 of the latter, or assist in completing it. The Porpoise 

 was ordered to examine the island of Savaii ; and 

 one of the naturalists, Dr. Pickering, was directed 

 to join her, for the purpose of exploring I he in- 

 terior of the island during her operations in its 

 vicinity. 



Oh die lOih of October we had light winds, in 

 consequence id" which we did not reach Tutuila 

 that day. At daylight on the llth we were near 

 its eastern end, and oil" the island of Atmu. 



About eight miles to windward of the harbour of 

 Pngo-pago, we were boarded by several ramies, in 

 which were some natives, with a white man, hy 

 narae William Gray, whom I retained as interpre- 

 ter during our stay here, and found of much use. 



The island of Tutuila is high, broken, and of 

 volcanic appearance. It is seventeen miles long, 

 ami its greatest width is five miles. The harbour 



of Piirrn pago penetrates into (lu- centre, and al- 

 moi.t divides the island into two parts. It is less 

 varied in surface than the Society Islands ; and its 

 highest peak, that of Matafoa, was found to be 

 2327 feet above the sea. The spurs and ridges 

 that form the high land are like those of Tahiti : 

 precipitous, sharp-edged, and frequently rise in 

 mural waits from the water to a height of three 

 or four hundred feet, showing the bare basaltic 

 rock. Above this height, the surface is covered 

 with a luxuriant vegetation to the very top of the 

 mountains ; the cocoa-nut tree and tree-fern give 

 the principal character to this beautiful scenery. 

 Dead coral is seen along the shorts, above high* 

 water murk. 



The harbour of Pago-pa go is ono of the most 

 singular in all the Polynesian isles. It is thu last 

 point at which one would look for a place of 

 shelter : the coast near it is peculiarly rugged, 

 and has no appearance of indentations, and the 

 entrance being narrow, is not easily observed. Its 

 shape has been compared to a variety of articles : 

 that w hich it most nearly resembles is a retort. It 

 is surrounded on all sides by inaccessihle mural 

 precipices, from eight hundred to one thousand 

 feet in height. The lower parts of these rocks are 

 bare, but they are clothed above with luxuriant 

 vegetation. Sn impassable did the rocky hairier 

 appear in all but two [daces, that the harbour was 

 hkeued to the valley of Rasselas changed into a 

 lake. The two breaks in the precipice are at the 

 head of the harbour and at the Pilot's One. The 

 harbour is of easy access, and its entrance, which 

 is abonl a third of a mile in width, is well marked 

 by (he Tower Rock and Devil's Point. 



As wo arrived olF the harbour the wind grew 

 light, and finally came out ahead, thus compelling 

 us to heat in to our anchorage, under the direction 

 of Edmund Poxall, a white pilot. He usually 

 comes off to vessels when Within two or time 

 miles of the harbour, on a signal being made. We 

 made many tacks before we reached our anchorage, 

 which was in deep water, twenty-nine fathoms. 

 About half a mile from the entrance of the har- 

 bour, it bends at right angles. Jn this position, 

 surrounded by cliffs, the firing of a gun produces a 

 remarkable reverberatiou, resembling loud peals of 

 thunder. 



We were surrounded, as soon as we entered, by 

 a large number of canoes, filled with natives, who 

 all seemed delighted with the ship and llic number 

 of men nu board. When we lud moored, one of 

 the principal chiefs, whose name was Too, was 

 admitted on board; he was an athletic, muscular 

 man, of large frame, about forty years of age, with 

 a phusant. expression of countenance; he muni- 

 fi^ted great pleasure in welcoming us. He began 

 by telling me, through the interpreter, thot he was 

 a missionary ; that he had formerly been a great 

 thief, and u doer of many bad nets, but being now 

 a missionary, he was reformed and hlole no more. 

 He told this with such an open expression of 

 countenance and so much simplicity, that I could 

 scarcely forbear smiling. After 1 had finished 

 osking him questions, he continued eyeing me from 

 head to foot, as if determining my dimensions. I 

 told the interpreter to ask him why he looked at 

 me so intently. He replied, that he had a coat oil 

 shore that was too tight for him about the arum 

 and chest, and he believed it would fit mo: if 



