THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 
culture, as to natural fertility of foil, which feems better 
adapted to them than to bread-fruit and cocoa-nut trees; 
the few which we faw of thefe latter not being in a thriving 
State, which will fufhciently account for the preference 
given to the culture of the other articles, though more 
labour be required to produce them. But notwithstanding 
this Skill in agriculture, the general appearance of the island 
Shewed, that it was capable of much more extenlive im¬ 
provement, and of maintaining, at leaSt, three times the 
number of the inhabitants that are at prefent upon it; for 
the far greater part of it, that now lies quite wafte, feemed 
to be as good a foil as thofe parts of it that are in cultiva¬ 
tion. We muft therefore conclude, that thefe people, from 
fome caufe, which we were not long enough amongffc them 
to be able to trace, do not increafe in that proportion, which 
would make it neceffary to avail themfelves of the extent of 
their ifland, toward railing a greater quantity of its vegeta¬ 
ble productions for their fubSIftence. 
Though I did not fee a Chief of any note, there were, 
however, feveral, as the natives informed us, who reSide 
upon Atooi, and to whom they proltrate themfelves as a 
mark of fubmiffion; which feems equivalent to the moe, 
moea , paid to the Chiefs of the Friendly islands, and is call¬ 
ed here hamoea or moe. Whether they were, at SirSt, afraid 
to Shew themfelves, or happened to be abfent, I cannot fay; 
but after I had left the island, one of thefe great men made 
his appearance, and paid a viSit to Captain Clerke on board 
the Difcovery. He came off in a double canoe; and, like 
the king of the Friendly islands, paid no regard to the Small 
canoes that happened to lie in his way, but ran againft, or 
over them, without endeavouring, in the leaft, to avoid 
them. And it was not poffible for thefe poor people to avoid 
him, 
c 
2 45 
1778. 
February. 
