174 
VOYAGE TO THE 
CHAP, and wrong, which, as far as his abilities enabled him, governed his actions. 
’^411. He had a warm heart, and his attachment to his wife and children 
amounted even to weakness. He had a tolerable knowledge of the 
relative situation of the islands of the archipelago, and readily drew a 
chart of them, assigning to each its name, though, as 1 have said before, 
he never could recognise them. Some of these we were able to identify, 
and perhaps should hiive recognised others, had there not been so much 
sameness in all the coral islands. 
Mr. Belcher, who was in command of the barge which put him 
on shore, says, he was not received by his countrymen with the surprise 
and pleasure which might have been expected ; but this may, perhaps, 
be explained by there being no one on the beach to whom he was 
particularly attached. Before the barge quitted the island, he put on 
board some shells as a present, in gratitude for the assistance which 
had been rendered him. 
Reverting to occurrences of the ship off Bow Island : Mr. Elson, 
the officer who was sent to examine the channel into the lagoon, returned 
with the supercargo of the Dart, Mr. Hussey, and made a favourable 
report of the depth of water in the passage, but said its width was so 
very contracted that it could not be passed without hazard. The exact 
distance from reef to reef is 115 feet, and there is a coral knoll in the 
centre ; the trade-wind does not always allow a ship to lie well through 
it, and there is, at times, a tide running out at the rate of four knots 
an hour. It was, however, necessary to incur this risk ; and, on the 
information of Mr. Hussey that the morning was the most favourable 
time for the attempt, shortly after daylight on the next day (15th), 
under Mr. Elson’s skilful pilotage, we shot through the passage, at the 
rate of seven knots, and were instantly in a broad sheet of smooth water. 
We found the lagoon studded with coral knolls, which it was neces- 
sary to avoid by a vigilant look out from aloft, as the lead gave no warn- 
ing of their vicinity ; we beat among them at some risk, and at ten 
o’clock anchored at the N. E. angle of the lake, in ten fathoms water, 
on a broad patch of sand, about a quarter of a mile from the shore, and 
in as secure a harbour as could be required. 
Nearly opposite to our anchorage, the natives, about fifty in number, 
