It was interesting to observe, indeed, how early the gentle and engaging manners of all classes here won upon the sailors, no less than upon the officers. The natives from the first were treated with entire confidence; no watch was ever kept over them, nor were they excluded from any part of the ships; and not only was nothing stolen, but when any thing was lost, nobody even suspected for an instant, that it had been taken by them.

The old man next came down to the cabin, where he remained a long time examining the books and furniture, and occasionally engaging in conversation with Mr. Clifford, for whose Vocabulary he supplied many new words, and corrected others which had been written down erroneously. He would not accept any thing valuable, but was grateful for samples of rope, canvas, and cloth. This old gentleman renewed his examination of the brig next day; nor was it till the third day that he completed his survey.

28th of September.-At sunrise we set out for Reef Island, which lies about six miles from the anchorage: we reached it in about an hour, but as it was low water, the coral was left almost bare for a considerable way out, and our large boat could not get near the beach. In this dilemma we took possession of a canoe which was at anchor, and in several trips all the party landed. Near a hut we saw about a dozen people who stood looking at us till we landed, and then ran away, leaving their tobacco-pipes,

pouches, and various other things on the ground about the hut, in which we found a pot of boiled sweet potatoes and several jars of water. Having, in vain, tried to allay the apprehensions of the natives by waving to them, to induce them to approach us, we sat down to breakfast; which we had hardly done, when two of them, an old man and a boy, came to the door of our tent and prostrated themselves before us, apparently in great alarm, for they answered incoherently, " ooa" (yes) to every question we asked them. At last we raised the old man on his knees, but he would not quit this posture till we gave him a glass of rum, which re-assured him a little, and shortly afterwards he consented to stand on his legs. Having thus gradually gained confidence, he made signs that we had taken his canoe: upon which an order was given to the coxswain to restore it. He guessed immediately what was said, and in the joy of his heart was proceeding to prostrate himself again, but was stopped by our holding out buttons and some pieces of meat and bread to him, which he received in both hands, and touching his head each time with the presents, made three low obeisances and retired.

On rising from breakfast we found, near the tent, about a dozen natives, who, in most respects, resembled our friends at Napakiang, but were not so neatly dressed; and their hair, instead of being formed into a knot, was allowed to fly loose. During the morning the party amused themselves in various ways. Some took their guns and went in search of curlews

and sea-snipes; others set out to explore the reefs; and two or three remained near the tent, for the purpose of making observations on the sun at noon; but as it became cloudy about this time, the latter party failed in their object. The rest were more successful; the sportsmen having shot some game for dinner; and the other party having found all things favourable for inspecting the reef.

1

The examination of a coral reef during the different stages of one tide, is particularly interesting. When the tide has left it for some time it becomes dry, and appears to be a compact rock, exceedingly hard and ragged; but as the tide rises, and the waves begin to wash over it, the coral worms protrude themselves from holes which were before invisible. These animals are of a great variety of shapes and sizes, and in such prodigious numbers, that, in a short time, the whole surface of the rock appears to be alive and in motion. The most common worm is in the form of a star, with arms from four to six inches long, which are moved about with a rapid motion in all directions, probably to catch food. Others are so sluggish, that they may be mistaken for pieces of the rock, and are generally of a dark colour, and from four to five inches long, and two or three round. When the coral is broken, about high water mark, it is a solid hard stone, but if any part of it be detached at a spot which the tide reaches every day, it is found to be full of worms of different lengths and colours, some being as fine as a thread and several feet long, of a bright yellow, and sometimes of a blue

colour: others resemble snails, and some are not unlike lobsters in shape, but soft, and not above two inches long.*

The growth of coral appears to cease when the worm is no longer exposed to the washing of the sea. Thus, a reef rises in the form of a cauliflower, till its top has gained the level of the highest tides, above which the worm has no power to advance, and the reef of course no longer extends itself upwards. The other parts, in succession, reach the surface, and there stop, forming in time a level field with steep sides all round. The reef, however, continually increases, and being prevented from going higher, extends itself laterally in all directions. But this growth being as

rapid at the upper edge as it is lower down, the steepness of the face of the reef is still preserved. These are the circumstances which render coral reefs so dangerous in navigation; for, in the first place, they are seldom seen above the water; and, in the next, their sides are so steep, that a ship's bows may strike against the rock before any change of soundings has given warning of the danger.

The island at high water is formed into three parts, which at low water are joined by reefs; the whole being about two and a half or three miles from east to west, and tolerably clear of rocks en the south side; but on the north it is guarded by a semicircle

* A large collection, which was at this time made of these Zoophites, was unfortunately lost in the Alceste.

of coral extending upwards of a mile from the shore. On the centre island is only one hut, which, as there was reason to belive it to be the actual abode of the inhabitants, it may be allowable to describe. The walls were sunk under ground, so that only the roof appeared from without, the inside was fifteen feet by six the walls of neatly squared stones, being two feet high, and the roof in the middle about six or seven feet high, formed of a ridge pole supported in the centre by a forked stick; the rafters of rough branches were covered with reeds, and thatched over with the leaf of the wild pine, which grows on all the coral islands. The fire-place was at one end on a raised part of the floor, and the other end appeared to be the sleeping place. It was conjectured, that this wretched place could only be meant as a temporary residence of fishermen, whose nets we saw lying about; but the number of water jars and cooking utensils which we found in and about it, gave it the appearance of a fixed habitation.

It was almost dark when we quitted the island, and the tide carrying us out of our proper course, we missed the ships and grounded on the reefs near the town; but as the tide was flowing we easily got off, and by coasting along, soon gained the anchorage.

Sunday, 29th of September.-This day is memorable, on account of its being the first on which we were permitted to land.

Yesterday, when we were absent at Reef Island,