27C 



Cruite of the Pnrpiriie. 



PAUMOTU GROUP AND 



Crulte of the PorpoUe. 



cept in the niiny season; it ban in consequence 

 few inhabitants, who are engaged mostly in H.h] iiiij^. 

 Tho eastern two-thirds are almost one entire moun- 

 tain, rising gradually from the south, until it attains 

 an elevation of two thousand five hnndr- il t ■ ■ l- t ; 

 while on the north, it is almost perpendicular. 



On the south side, it has a narrow strip of land, 

 not exceeding onr-fmirth of a mile in width, the soil 

 of which is very rich, and w hich contains the greater 

 part of the population. Owing to the want of mois- 

 ture, however, few plants will thrive even here ; re- 

 sort is therefore had to the uplands, whieh are 

 fnund to be susceptible of the highest degree of 

 cultivation. 



The amount of arable land, or that susceptible of 

 cultivation, is believed by the missionaries to be 

 one-fourth; hut I should be inclined to reduce it to 

 one-eighth, from the report of others, and my own 

 observations. Only about oue-tenth of this Ls cul- 

 tivated. 



The population of the island was reported as five 

 thousand, in 1840; eight years prior, in 1832, it 

 was six thousand : during this tinip, five hundred 

 marriageB took place. The data has shown, that 

 the births much exceed the deaths; and the de- 

 crease is attributed t.. emigration, which has been 

 going on for some time. The inhabitants ore all 



poor, and their pastor, the Rev. Mr. J J iteheock, in- 

 verts, that there are not ten individual* on the 

 island who have comfortable clothing, and sufficient 

 food; and he adds, that there has been no improve- 

 ment in their dwellings for the last ten years. 



The schools on this island are little more than a 

 name; for they have neither regutnr teachers nor 

 school- houses. One thousand scholars are said to 

 be embodied in them. 



The island has been occupied as a missionary 

 station since 1 832, and the church contains about 

 three hundred members. 



There are several small harbours within the 

 reef, on the south side, at Kahioaha, the mis- 

 sionary station, which are capable of affording 

 shelter for vessels of from sixty to eighty tons. 



On the 18th, we anchored off Honolulu, at an 

 early hour, all hough too late to enter. The appear- 

 ance of the island was much more fertile, now that 

 the winter had passed. Thrrc being no letters 

 from home, was a disappointment to us all. We 

 were again warmly welcomed by our friends and 

 countrymen. 



On the 19th, we went in and anchored in the 

 outer harbour, where on the 23rd we were joined 

 by the Porpoise. 



CHAPTER XXX. 



PAUMOTU GROUP AND PENR11YN ISLAND. 



exrisE op Tan porpoise Bt the pad m otw oropp— expiumckti made— pexkhys islaxd— toe poiipoiso. 



rk Teas' s to noxoLCLO. 



The disposition that was intended to he made of the 

 Porpoise during the winter months, has been men- 

 tioned in a preceding chapter; an account of her 

 proceedings in the prosecution of the duties as- 

 signed to her, will now be given. 



On the 15th November, 1840, as has been before 

 stated, she left Oahu. In addition to her crew, a 

 mini her of Kanakas were shipped for the purpose of 

 being employed, under the direction of an officer, 

 on one of the coral islands, to bore through the 

 coral rock. 



Tlio first shoal searched for was that of Manuel 

 Riidrigmn : its supposed locality, iu longitude 153- 

 54' W., and latitude io' 58' N„ was passed over, 

 and no indications whatever of it were seen. 



On the 1 1 th Decemlier, they made the island of 

 Manhii, of the Paumotn Group, and shortly after, 

 that of Ahii,or Peacock Island. 



On the 13th, they made die Kurtck Chain. 



On the 15th they reached Aratica, or Carl short" 

 Island, on which Lieutenant-Commandant Ring- 

 gold had determined to laud the party intended to 

 experiment in boring, consisting of fifteen men, 

 under Lieutenant Johnson, among whom were nine 

 Kanakas and three seamen, the armourer with his 

 f'»rg.', and a carpenter. Lieutenant Johnson was 

 put in charge of the party to conduct the experi- 

 ments. 



By the 18th, they had succeeded in completing 

 all the arrangi- incuts, when the brig left them to 



i pursue her cruise for thirty or forty days to the 

 windward part of the group. 



On the lOtli, they made Vinccuncs and Raraka 

 Islands. 



On the 20th, they made Saken Island, whieh 

 proved low, with but a few trees on it : the greater 

 part of the island is a reef, 



The next day they were up with the three small 

 islands to the southward of .Saken, whieh they had 

 been directed to look for and survey. Lieutenant- 

 Commandant Ringgold found and surveyed them, 

 ami designated the cluster as the Sea-Gull Group; 

 w Idle to the three islands he gave the names of 

 Paased-Midshipinan Reid and Paeon, and Quarter- 

 Master Clute. Reid Island proved to be inhabited, 

 and the hrig was boarded from it by two canoes. 

 These contained four natives, besides a toothless old 

 uiaii calling himself a missionary, who readily con- 

 sented to remain for the night on board. The 

 Tahitians on board had no difficulty in understand- 

 ing thorn. 



On the 22nd, several of the officers visited Reid 

 Island. Its population consisted of about twenty- 

 five men, women, and children, among whom was 

 the daughter of the old chief, considered fiy our 

 officers as a very beautiful girl, with fine figure, ex- 

 pressive countenance, and long silky hair : she was 

 sprightly, but I regret to say, was covered with ver- 

 min. The children wen* fat and chubby. 



Lieutenant-Commandant Ringgold, having finish* 



