FROM YOKOHAMA TO VALPARAISO. 
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Continental scenery. The island of Eimeo especially deserves the attention of the landscape 
painter. Our arrangements did not permit of a visit to its shores, but, judging from its 
appearance as seen from the harbour of Papeete, its rugged peaks rising in chaotic confusion, 
and its deep ravines, must surpass in wild and romantic grandeur the conceptions of the most 
fantastic brain. When the setting sun sends his rays through these “ mountain steeps and 
summits,” it is most difficult to guess how gorgeous must be the shapes and hues, ever 
shifting and changing before the observer’s eye— 
“ Blazing terrace upon terrace high 
Uplifted; here, serene pavilions bright, 
In avenues disposed ; there, towers begirt 
With battlements that on their restless fronts 
Bore stars.” 
On the 29th an excursion was made to Point Venus, the northern extremity of the 
island. This cape—called by the natives Tehuroa, and rendered conspicuous from a great 
distance at sea by its well-built lighthouse—was named by the illustrious Captain Cook, 
by whom the site was selected for the observation of the transit of Venus which occurred in 
the year 1769. The tamarind planted by Cook has been well cared for. It is protected by 
a fence, and the sapling planted more than a century ago has grown into a large tree, 
spreading far and wide its forked branches and dark-green feathery foliage. Point Venus is 
a spit of level land projecting into the sea, the delta of the river Matavai, which flows down 
from the towering heights of Orovena. Planted with trees and partly under cultivation, it has 
a park-like aspect. In Cook’s time the valley of the Matavai or Apape was one of the most 
populous districts of Tahiti, it seems now to be wholly deserted. Nowhere does the gigantic 
mass of Orovena, surrounded by its cloud-topped satellites, offer a more imposing spectacle 
than here, upon the spot where stood the old navigator’s observatory. Returning from 
Point Venus towards Papeete, the road crosses the Tahara Bluff, which commands a fine 
prospect over the north coast of Tahiti and the opposite island of Eimeo. 
A few miles to the eastward of Papeete opens another beautiful valley, perhaps the 
most picturesque in Tahiti. The path leads for miles along a mountain torrent, and through 
exquisite woodland scenery, amidst tree-ferns and wild fruit-trees. Further up the valley, 
near Fort Fantana, is a waterfall several hundred feet high, and the eye finally rests upon 
the steep crags of Diadem Rock, which adorns the brow of the Queen of the Pacific Islands 
Two days before our departure, the captain and officers of H.M.S. “Challenger” gave 
a ball on board, which was attended by Queen Pomare and her court, His Excellency the 
Governor, the French officers and officials, the British Consul-to whose kindness and 
hospitality we were much indebted—and the principal residents of Papeete. The deck, 
adorned with flags and sheltered by an awning, looked extremely gay, while the numerous 
naval and military uniforms and the toilettes of the Tahitian princesses produced a brilliant 
effect. Queen Pomare, cosily ensconced in an arm-chair, watched the proceedings with 
evident gratification. 
