176 
A VOYAGE TO 
mS observation, are guarded by a reef of coral rock, on the out- 
Side of which the lea is of an unfathomable depth. It is full 
five leagues in circuit, and of a moderate and pretty equal 
height; though, in clear weather, it may be certainly feen 
at the diftance of ten leagues; for we had not loft fight of it 
at night, when we had run above feven leagues, and the 
weather was cloudy. In the middle, it rifes into little hills, 
from whence there is a gentle defcent to the fhore, which, 
at the South Weft part, is fteep, though not above ten or 
twelve feet high; and has feveral excavations made by the 
beating of the waves againft a brownifh fand-ftone of 
Which it is compofed. The defcent here is covered with 
trees of a deep green colour, very thick, but not high, 
which feem all of one fort, unlefs neareft the fhore, where 
there are great numbers of that fpecies of dracana found in 
the woods of New Zealand, which are alfo fcattered in fome 
other places. On the North Weft part, the fhore, as we 
mentioned above, ends in a fandy beach; beyond which the 
land is broken down into fmall chalms or gullies, and has a 
broad border of trees refembling tall willows; which, from 
its regularity, might be fuppofed a work of art, did not its 
extent forbid us to think fo. Farther up on the afcent, the 
trees were of the deep green mentioned before. Some of 
us fuppofed thefe to be the ritna, intermixed with low cocoa 
palms ; and a few of fome other forts. They feemed not 
fo thick as on the South Weft part, and higher; which ap¬ 
pearance might be owing to our nearer approach to the 
fhore. On the little hills, were fome trees of a taller fort, 
thinly fcattered; but the other parts of them were either 
bare, and of a reddifh colour, or covered with fomething 
like fern. Upon the whole, the illand has a pretty alpeet, 
and might be made a beautiful fpot by cultivation. 
As 
