10 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
nine or ten miles across. Though the centre of 
the island is much more elevated than Tahaurawe, 
it is neither so high nor broken as any of the other 
islands : great part of it is barren, and the island 
in general suffers much from the long droughts 
which frequently prevail; the ravines and glens, 
notwithstanding, are filled with thickets of small 
trees, and to these many of the inhabitants of 
Maui repair, for the purpose of cutting posts and 
rafters for their small houses. The island is vol¬ 
canic ; the soil shallow, and by no means fertile; 
the shores, however, abound with shell-fish, and 
some species of medusee and cuttle-fish. The 
inhabitants are but few, probably not exceeding 
two thousand. Native teachers are endeavouring 
to instruct them in useful knowledge and religious 
truth, but no foreign Missionary has yet laboured 
on this or the neighbouring island of Morokai, 
which is separated from the northern side of 
Ranai, and the eastern end of Maui, by a chan¬ 
nel, which, though narrow, is sufficiently wide for 
the purposes of navigation. 
Mo-ro-kai is a long irregular island, apparent¬ 
ly formed by a chain of volcanic mountains, forty 
miles in length, and not more than seven miles 
broad; the mountains are nearly equal in eleva¬ 
tion to those of Maui, and are broken by nume¬ 
rous deep ravines and watercourses, the sides of 
which are frequently clothed with verdure, and 
ornamented with shrubs and trees. There is but 
little level land in Morokai, and consequently 
but few plantations; several spots, however, are 
fertile, and repay the toils of their cultivators 
The population is greater than that of Ranai, 
though it does not probably exceed three thousand 
persons. Native teachers are engaged in the 
