14th of September.—The weather was still stormy, but being anxious to close with the land, we bore up, and steered in the supposed direction of the Great Lieou Kieou, or Loo-choo Island. At eight o'clock we saw the Sugar Loaf of Captain Broughton, which is a small green island, having a high remarkable cone in the middle. We left this to the eastward, and continued steering to the south south-west, hoping to get to leeward of the great island before night, where we might remain in smooth water till the weather became fine. While going along at a quick rate, we suddenly saw breakers close to us; we instantly hauled to the wind, and made all the sail we could carry. Our situation was now very critical, for the swell caused by the recent gale checked our way considerably, and a lee current drifted us gradually towards the reef. From the mast head we could look down upon the reef, which was of a circular form, with a low island on its southern side; the surf broke all round, but in the inside the water was quite smooth, and being only a few feet deep, the coral, which was of a bright green, appeared distinctly through it. At the distance of one-third of a mile from where we were, no bottom was to be found with our lead lines, so that anchoring was out of the question. After being in this unpleasant predicament for some time, we succeeded in weathering the western end of the reef, which we had no sooner done, than we saw a passage four or five miles wide, by which we proceeded to leeward of the reef island, where we found the water perfectly smooth. The Alceste rounded the reef without difficulty, being half a league farther off than the Lyra, which, as usual, had been stationed a-head to look out, but had not perceived the danger sooner, owing to the extreme haziness of the weather.

15th of September.—In the morning, it was arranged that the Lyra should proceed in shore in search of a harbour, while the frigate remained in deep water. At ten o'clock I thought we had discovered a place of security, and having anchored the Lyra, sent three boats to examine it. A sort of harbour was found, formed by coral reefs; but the passages being all intricate for large ships, and the water shallow inside, it is by no means safe. We fell in with several people in canoes; one man, who seemed to know what we were searching for, directed us to a point of land to the northward, and waved for us to go round it. While the boats were away, several natives came off to the Lyra. No people that we have yet met with have been so friendly; for the moment they came alongside, one handed a jar of water up to us, and another a basket of boiled sweet potatoes, without asking or seeming to wish for any recompense. Their manners were gentle and respectful; they uncovered their heads when in our presence, bowed whenever they spoke to us; and when we gave them some rum, they did not drink it till they had bowed to every person round. Another canoe went near the Alceste, and a rope being thrown to them, they tied a fish to it, and then paddled away. All this seemed to promise well, and was particularly grateful after the cold repulsive manners of the Coreans.

The day was spent in trying to beat round the point to windward, but the tide was too strong against us, and when it became dark, we found ourselves awkwardly situated. To the east and west of us there were islands at the distance of a few miles. To leeward was a circular coral reef, just appearing above the surface at low water; and to windward were seen the reefs upon which we were so nearly wrecked on Saturday. As the exact position of these numerous dangers was unknown to us, we were determined to anchor for the night, though in eighty fathoms water.

16th of September.—At daylight we weighed, and beat to windward all the morning; but owing to the tide being contrary, it was two o'clock before we passed the point mentioned above; which we had no sooner done, than we came in sight of an extensive town, having a harbour filled with vessels at anchor. On steering towards the town, we had to sound our way cautiously amongst coral reefs, which were tolerably well defined by the surf breaking upon them[6]. The Alceste followed as soon as we had ascertained that the passage was clear, and both ships anchored at the distance of half a mile from the town.

In a short time we were surrounded by canoes, full of the natives, who, with their children, flocked on board. They wear a loose dress, tied with a belt round their waist; their hair is brought tight up from all sides, and formed into a knot on the top of the head, with two metal pins stuck in it. In the course of an hour, a native came on board who appeared to be somewhat higher in rank than the rest; and we now discovered, to our great satisfaction, that this man understood our Chinese servant, who had been of no use to us at Corea. As it was found that there were other chiefs on shore superior in rank to this man, Captain Maxwell declined receiving his visit; as well with the view of inducing the principal people to come on board, as of maintaining an appearance of dignity, a point of great importance in all transactions with the Chinese and their dependents, who invariably repay condescension with presumption. As we had heard of these people being tributary to China, it was natural to conclude that there might be some similarity in manners. At all events, it was evidently much easier at any future time to be free and cordial with them, after having assumed a distance and reserve in the first instance, than it would be to repress insolence, if at first encouraged by too hasty familiarity.

Before this man went on shore, he requested to know the reason of our coming into this port; the interpreter was instructed to acquaint him that the ships had experienced very bad weather, and had been a long time at sea; that the large ship had sprung a leak, and required repairs which could only be done in a secure harbour: further explanations, it was observed, would be given to the superior chiefs when they came on board. We had been prepared for these inquiries, not only from the reception we had met with at Corea, but from the well-known character of the nations in this quarter of the globe; and it was so far fortunate, that the Alceste was actually in want of repairs; because to have assigned curiosity, and a desire of gaining information as our object, to people wholly unconscious of such feelings, would naturally have led them to ascribe our actions to some more interested, and consequently more dangerous motive.

The canoes which we have seen to-day are mostly made of one piece of wood; they have two sails, and are moved with considerable velocity, by two or more paddles, assisted by an oar over the stern, which acts both as a scull and a rudder. There is a neat low seat, made of rattans, for each person in the canoe. As the day closed, the fishing canoes came in great numbers from sea, and all came on board the ships on their way; some of the fishermen pulled up our lines and baited the hooks. The whole shore abreast of the ships was covered with people, but the crowd was greatest on two pier-heads, forming the entrance to the harbour; and the variety of colour in their dresses made this a very lively exhibition. In the evening, Captain Maxwell and I rowed round to examine the anchorage, which we found tolerably clear of rocks. An officer was at the same time sent to examine the inner harbour, but he did not go far within the entrance, which was much too shallow for the frigate.

On returning to the Lyra, I found that Mr. Clifford had been entertaining several respectable looking natives who had paid him a visit. As they readily comprehended his desire to know their words for various things, he has succeeded in collecting a considerable number, among which we are surprised to find their name for tobacco the same as ours; all the others are quite new to us.

17th of September.—I carried the interpreter to the Alceste, after breakfast, where I found two chiefs, who had been on board some time, and had been taken care of by the officers, as Captain Maxwell was not prepared to receive them. A message was then sent to intimate that the Ta-yin (a Chinese title, used also by these people to persons of rank) was desirous of seeing the chiefs, and they were introduced into the after-cabin, where they were received in form. They objected to sitting down, making at the same time many low obeisances, which they did by stooping the body, and raising the hands, closed one over the other, to their face. Their scruples about being seated were at length overcome, and the first chief took his place on Captain Maxwell's left hand, the next on my left, and a third, who was evidently of a lower rank, sat beyond the second. The chiefs sat respectfully silent, and Captain Maxwell finding that he was expected to speak first, communicated to them that the ships under his command belonged to the King of England; that they had gone to China with an Embassador, carrying presents to the Emperor, at Pekin; that on their way back to Canton, they had experienced very bad weather, and had been obliged to put in here to refit, and to procure supplies.

In reply, they expressed their willingness to assist us as much as lay in their power, but said that the harbour was too shallow for so large a ship, and recommended our proceeding to another harbour called Kinching, which they described as being secure and commodious, and only a few hours sail from this anchorage: they offered to furnish pilots and a boat to conduct us. Captain Maxwell, however, was unwilling to quit this anchorage unless certain of finding a better; he therefore proposed to send the Lyra to examine and report upon the harbour alluded to. The chiefs paused upon this, and said they could not take upon them to send pilots to the Brig without consulting the Great Man on shore. We were very curious to know who this great personage might be, but they evaded all our inquiries. Captain Maxwell asked where the king resided, and intimated his intention of waiting upon him; to this they strongly objected, declaring moreover, that it was impossible, as his majesty lived a thousand miles off. They did not seem aware of their inconsistency, when they undertook, immediately afterwards, to get an answer from court about pilots for the Lyra, in a few hours.

We had been led to hope, from the frankness and kindness of these people, that no restraint would be imposed on us; and we were the more disappointed at observing, that whenever we spoke of landing, or asked any questions about the king, the chiefs became uneasy, and replied in a mysterious manner. We consoled ourselves, however, with the supposition, that upon further acquaintance their apprehension would wear off.

Business being over, the chiefs were asked to walk round the cabin, an invitation which they accepted with manifest satisfaction. During the conference they had preserved a gravity suited to an important ceremony, and, though surrounded by new and curious objects, had never expressed the least curiosity. They were now no longer formal, and looked over the various articles with attention, taking particular notice of the globes, books, and mirrors. Their manners are remarkably gentle and unassuming. They are observant, and not without curiosity, but they require encouragement to induce them to come forward, being restrained, it would seem, by a genteel self-denial, from gratifying curiosity, lest it might be thought obtrusive. Their dress is singularly graceful; it consists of a loose flowing robe, with very wide sleeves, tied round the middle by a broad rich belt or girdle of wrought silk, a yellow cylindrical cap, and a neat straw sandal, over a short cotton boot or stocking. Two of the chiefs wore light yellow robes, the other dark blue streaked with white, all of cotton. The cap is flat at top, and appears to be formed by winding a broad band diagonally round a frame, in such a manner, that at each turn a small portion of the last fold shall be visible above in front, and below at the hinder part. The sandal is kept on by a stiff straw band passing over the instep, and joining the sandal near the heel; this band is tied to the forepart by a slight string, drawn between the great toe and the next, the stocking having a division like the finger of a glove for the great toe. They all carry fans, which they stick in their girdles when not in use, and each person has a short tobacco pipe in a small bag, hanging, along with the pouch, at the girdle. When they had satisfied themselves with looking over the cabin, they went away, with a promise of returning in the evening as soon as the answer from the Great Man should arrive.

During all this morning, the whole space between the ships and the shore has been covered with canoes, each containing about ten persons. The scene was very lively, for few of the parties which came to visit the ships remained long on board, so that the canoes were continually passing backwards and forwards, and the number which came in this way must have been immense. They all seemed highly gratified at being allowed to go wherever they liked over the ships, nor was this liberty ever abused. The manners even of the lowest classes are genteel and becoming; their curiosity is great, but it never makes them rudely inquisitive: their language is musical, and in most cases easy of pronunciation. We heard a boat song to-day, the air of which was sweet and plaintive; we tried in vain to catch the words, and unfortunately, none of us had skill enough to note down the air. We observed several people in canoes, making drawings of the ships, but they hid their work when they were observed. In consequence of what had been said last night of our wanting repairs, a party of shipwrights and caulkers was sent on board the Alceste this morning, but their tools were of a Lilliputian order, and quite unsuited to the rough work required.

The variety of colour and pattern in the dresses of the people to-day, is remarkable. Many wear printed cottons, others have cotton dresses with the pattern drawn on it by hand, instead of being stamped; but blue, in all its shades, is the prevalent colour, though there were many dresses resembling in every respect Highland tartans. The children, in general, wear more shewy dresses than the men, and of the dress of the women we can say nothing, as none have yet been seen. Every person has one of the girdles before described, which is always of a different colour from the dress, and is, in general, richly ornamented with flowers in embossed silk, and sometimes with gold and silver threads. This dress is naturally so graceful, that even the lowest boatmen have a picturesque appearance. Their hair, which is of a glossy black, is shaved off the crown, but the bare place is concealed by their mode of dressing the hair in a close knot over it. Their beards and mustachios are allowed to grow, and are kept neat and smooth. They are rather low in stature, but are well formed, and have an easy graceful carriage, which suits well with their flowing dress. Their colour is not good, some being very dark and others nearly white, but in most instances they are of a deep copper. This is fully compensated for by the sweetness and intelligence of their countenance. Their eyes, which are black, have a placid expression, and their teeth are regular and beautifully white. In deportment they are modest, polite, timid, and respectful, and in short, appear to be a most interesting and amiable people.

Two of our friends who had visited us in the morning, and whose names we have discovered to be Ookooma and Jeema, came on board again about half past five, and staid an hour; they had not received any answer, they said, from the Great Man, and therefore could not send pilots to the "hoonee gua," or little ship. They were accompanied by a chief whom we took to be a Chinese from his looks, and his appearing to understand the interpreter better than the others. His formal and suspicious manner did not promise so well as that of the others. They came to say that a present of stock and vegetables had been sent to the ships. It was intimated to them that we intended to land the next day, and upon their objecting to this, we said that our wish was to wait upon the Great Man; to which they replied, that no person answering to this description resided here. We then said, that it was right we should return their visit. This argument they combated by saying that they were men of unequal rank to us, and therefore nowise entitled to such an honour; and that we, at the same time, would be degrading ourselves by such undue condescension. This having failed, Captain Maxwell told them of his illness; upon which, our new acquaintance, who seemed more earnestly bent against our landing than the others, offered to send a physician on board to see him. Captain Maxwell replied, that his own doctor had recommended a ride on shore; upon which they laughed, and turned the discourse to something else.

In this way every proposal to land, or even allusion to the shore, was industriously put aside; and as it was our wish to gain their good will, the matter was dropped for the present. Before they went away, Captain Maxwell, pointing to their pipes, begged them to smoke if they wished it; they were grateful for this considerate attention, but would not on any account begin till we shewed them the example, by smoking with pipes which they prepared for us. They appeared more at their ease after this incident, and after sitting for some time, took leave for the night on the most friendly terms.

18th of September.—Captain Maxwell sent to me to say that he meant to land on a point at some distance from the town, in order to observe the sun's meridian altitude with an artificial horizon. Just as I was setting out to accompany him, I was taken by surprise by two well-dressed natives, who were halfway down the cabin ladder before I knew of their approach. One came to superintend the measurement of the Lyra, and the other, who seemed of inferior rank, to explain why some poultry, only then sent, had not come on the preceding night, along with the other presents. I forgot to mention, that a bullock, two hogs, two goats, a dozen and a half of fowls, some candles, wood, and water, were sent to each of the ships. I asked them to sit down, and they were so well satisfied with the Constantia which I gave them, that they remained for some time; owing to which delay, I did not reach the shore till the time for observing the sun had gone by. I found Captain Maxwell with Ookooma and several of the chiefs, and an immense crowd of the natives, all of whom had left the town on seeing the boat put off, and had hastened to this spot, either out of curiosity or respect, or more probably to watch our proceedings. At our request, Ookooma, who appears to possess considerable authority, made the whole crowd, chiefs and all, sit down on the grass in a circle round us. Their astonishment at our operations was strongly expressed in their countenances, and, indeed, our apparatus and behaviour must have looked, to perfect strangers, somewhat magical.

In the first place the quicksilver, which to them would appear like melted metal, was poured into a trough, in a fine stream from a wooden bottle; while it was running out the people repeated in an under tone "yi, yi, yi, yi!" but were silent when the glass roof was placed over the trough. The circular instrument and sextant, fixed on stands, next attracted their notice, and they looked on in profound silence while we were taking the sun's altitude. As we were too late for the desired observation, we amused the natives by letting them look at the two reflected images of the sun through the telescope of the instruments. Ookooma was the first who looked, and being quite unprepared for what he saw, started back in astonishment, as if he had unconsciously beheld something supernatural and forbidden. The other chiefs, in their turn, placed themselves at the instrument, as well as several old men who stepped forward from the crowd. Some testified their surprise by a sudden exclamation; others were perfectly calm, so that we could not guess what they thought; and some held up their hands, and looked as if the whole matter was totally beyond the reach of their comprehension. When this was over, and there was no longer any necessity for the crowd being seated, they closed round and watched us while we were putting the instruments up. Some of the boys held out their hands for quicksilver, with which they ran off, quite happy.

During this time we were about fifty yards from the foot of a cliff, on the brow of which was posted a group of women with baskets on their heads; we were unfortunately not near enough to discern their features, nor to make out their dress distinctly; it appeared, however, to be like that of the men, though somewhat shorter, and without any girdle round the waist.

The rock here rises in perpendicular rugged cliffs of coral, with a number of rude square excavations on its face, which, at first sight, appear to have been worn by the elements, but on examination shew evident traces of art. Most of these caves are closed up by a wall of loose stones, but in one, of which the mouth was open, several human bones were found lying amongst the sand. On removing a stone from a closed cave, a vase was observed in the inside, of an elegant shape; the people signified to us that these were the remains of the dead, but we did not make out distinctly whether the bones or the ashes only were thus preserved. They made no objections to our examining these caves, though they certainly were not pleased with it. No notice was taken of what Captain Maxwell and I did; but Mr. Clifford, who had remained below collecting words from some intelligent natives, was strongly recommended by Ookooma to go back to the boat; he walked up, however, without opposition, to the cave which we had been examining, and they ceased to importune him. A number of little boys who had observed us occasionally pulling flowers and plants, ran about collecting for us, and after presenting what they had gathered, with much politeness, ran away laughing with an arch expression of ridicule at our curiosity.

On our way back, instead of going directly off to the ships, we coasted along shore in our boats, which gave us a new view of a stone bridge, of one arch, connecting two parts of the town. On the south side of the bridge we passed a space of considerable extent, probably set apart as a burying ground. We saw here a number of large horse-shoe tombs like those used in China, whitewashed, and apparently kept in good repair. Most of the tombs, however, are in the form of small square houses, with low pyramidal roofs; some of these were tiled, others thatched. It is evident that, in what relates to the dead, they follow, in some respects, the Chinese customs.



The whole coast at this place is of coral cliffs, the base of which appears to have been scooped out by the action of the sea. As this excavation is at some places higher than the waves of the sea can be supposed to have ever reached, there is difficulty in assigning the sea as the cause; yet the roof of the excavation is horizontal for a great extent, and its appearance, in every other respect, suggests that it has been formed by the dashing of the waves. There is, moreover, some difficulty in accounting for coral cliffs being so much above the level of the sea, in which, according to every supposition, they must have been formed.

The scenery here, as in most countries in these climates, does not admit of a satisfactory description. It may be said, however, that it is more pleasing to the eye than that of islands near the equator, where the vegetation is so profusely luxuriant, as to overload the picture with foliage to the exclusion of every thing else. Here there is much variety; the numerous groves of pine-trees give some parts of it an English air, but the style of landscape is what is called tropical. The general character of the scenery at this spot is faithfully preserved in the drawing of Napakiang.

19th of September.—No answer having yet come from the Great Man, we begin to apprehend that they are going to treat us in Chinese style, and exclude us from their country altogether. We have tried in vain to discover whether the King is at this place, or a hundred, or as some maintain, a thousand miles off; in the mean time, as we know the island to be not more than sixty miles long, it is fair to suppose that they wish to deceive us.

We conjecture that a large building on a rising ground, three or four miles from us in an eastern direction, with two flag-staffs near it, is the palace mentioned in the account quoted by Pere Gaubil, Lettres Edifiantes et Curieuses, Tom. XXIII. The natives always refuse to give any information when asked about this building.

Whenever the natives come on board, if at all well dressed, they are asked into the cabin, where we treat them with cherry brandy and Constantia. In the course of conversation they contribute a number of new words, and, in general, when they see what the object is, are very willing to lend their assistance, and take much pains to teach us the true pronunciation of their words. One man, however, who was not so quick as they generally are, was in the cabin to-day for some time; Mr. Clifford was getting from him the Loo-choo words for sour, sweet, salt, &c.; and in order to make him comprehend the questions, made him taste different things that were sour, sweet, and so on: the poor fellow stood this very well, till some quassia was given to him to get the word "bitter;" he had no sooner tasted it, than he ran off quite astonished at the manner in which he had been entertained.

It blew hard this morning, so that there was little intercourse with the shore; but towards sunset it moderated, and Ookooma, Jeema, and four other Chiefs, came on board, bringing with them a present of a bullock, two hogs, goats, and vegetables. The Chief whose name is Shayoon is the most clever of them all; he is next in rank to Ookooma, but he generally takes the lead in discussion; he has a quick intelligent look, with more determination in his manner than any of the others. They were very particular on all these state occasions to observe the order of precedence, and no one sat down till his superior was seated. When any subject was discussed, one at a time rose to speak, but not in order of rank, and they never attempted to interrupt one another.

The weather at this moment looked so stormy, that I went on board the Lyra to prepare for a gale; by which I lost a very interesting conference with the chiefs. I learnt from Captain Maxwell afterwards, that he had remonstrated with them on their inconsistency and the pretended difficulty of getting answers from court; he gave them to understand, that he did not conceive it was treating the King of England with due respect to deny his officers permission to walk on shore. Again, that they had promised to send pilots, but that none had come; and that many other promises had not been performed. He desired the interpreter to say, that he was not pleased with their telling him so many different stories, all of which could not be true; first they said that the bullocks, hogs, &c. were gifts from themselves; then, that they were sent by the Great Man; then, that there was no Great Man here: in fine, he urged them strongly to tell him the truth on all points. They made the interpreter repeat six times over what Captain Maxwell had desired him to say; they then consulted amongst themselves a long time, and at last assured Captain Maxwell, that a reply to the communications made by them to government would reach this place next day.

As the stock and vegetables received by the ships had, by this time, amounted to a considerable quantity, a bag of dollars was offered to them, and they were urged to take payment for what had been sent on board; this offer, which had been made more than once before, was still declined; upon which they were informed, that we considered it improper, as servants of government, to receive presents to such an extent from individuals. Upon this they gave their assurance, that the stock had been sent on board by order of the Loo-choo government, on their being informed that the King of another country's ships had arrived. No payment they said could therefore be taken. With this Captain Maxwell was satisfied. Their wish seems to be, to prevent our opening any communication with their government, and they appear so decided upon these matters, that they will probably succeed, notwithstanding all our efforts.

The chiefs have dresses adapted to the state of the weather; yesterday being cold and threatening, they all came on board with a sort of cloak or great coat made of a thick blue stuff like woollen cloth, buttoned in front. It is tighter than the ordinary dress, and is worn over it. It is only in fine weather, and on state occasions, that they wear the band turban, called by them "hatchee matchee;" at all other times they go uncovered, having their hair dressed like the rest of the people.

20th of September.—The mercury in the barometer fell last night from 29. 72, to 29. 51, and the sky assumed a yellow appearance. We expected a heavy gale, more particularly as it was so near the equinox, but we were so sheltered by the land, that though it appeared to blow hard at sea, we felt nothing of it where we lay.

Three or four canoes came round the south-west point of land this forenoon; the people in them were supposed to have come from the other side of the island, for they did not appear to have seen the ships before. One of these people was much delighted with a looking-glass which was shewn to him; he took it in his hands, and calling his companions about him, shewed them in turn its effect. Having done so several times, he held it opposite to his own face for four or five minutes without altering his countenance in the least; at last he smiled, and immediately and involuntarily nodded assent to the image in the glass, which had so exactly expressed what he felt himself; he seemed, however, aware, that it was a reflection of his own countenance, as he pointed to himself, yet he could not restrain his curiosity from looking behind, but instantly turned it round again. While the glass was in his hands, he made us several long speeches, in which he frequently repeated the word "Kagung," the Loo-choo name for mirror; but, from his behaviour, it is probable he knew it only by name. One of this party sold his "Jeewa" or head ornaments for a wine glass. Sometime afterwards, the others saw a bottle, which they wished to purchase in the same way; it was, however, given to them as a present, and they went away very well satisfied. These canoes were of pine, from twelve to twenty feet long, and from two to four wide; their anchor is made of wood loaded with stones.

As no answer came this morning from the Great Man, Captain Maxwell took the ships into a more secure anchorage at the north-east corner of the bay; our first anchorage being too close to a reef, and moreover open to the south-west winds. The place we had now shifted to, though apparently exposed, is, in fact, sheltered by a chain of reefs under water outside of us to the westward. By this change, we have been brought close to the bridge spoken of before, and are now abreast the east end of the town: the Lyra not being more than a quarter of a mile from the shore. A strict watch is kept on shore, so that no boat leaves the ships without being observed. Orders have been given for the whole anchorage to be carefully sounded; in doing this, the boats often approach the shore, and whenever this happens, a crowd of the natives, headed by one or other of the chiefs, repair to the spot, and wave them to keep farther off.

21st of September.—There appears to be some embargo upon the canoes, for there has not been one near us this morning, and only one on board the Alceste. It was found necessary to-day to move the frigate still farther in, and four or five hawsers were laid out for the purpose of warping her a-head. While this was going on, the beach, and all the heights near us, were crowded with people, wondering, no doubt, how the ship was made to move without sails, for the hawsers were low down, and might have escaped their observation. In the canoe which visited the Alceste, there came two men, who had not been seen before; they remained but a short time, which was spent in examining the hawsers and the mode of warping the ship. As soon as they had made themselves master of this subject, they went on shore, as if to make a report. During their visit they said little, being intent upon what was going on; but the interpreter learnt from one of them, that a Great Man had actually come, or was expected in the town to-day. A report prevails, that the King of the island has lately been on board in disguise. We cannot trace the report to any good foundation, and it is probably false. At the same time, if his Majesty has any curiosity, it is not unlikely that he may have come near enough to see such a strange sight as we must be.

It is possible that our moving up so close to the town has alarmed the people, and may have prevented their visiting us as heretofore; at all events, it is very unfair in our friends, the Chiefs, neither to let the people come on board, nor to allow us to go on shore to look at them.

Our occupation in the mean time is to observe the natives through the telescope placed on a table on the Lyra's poop. The stone bridge appears to be a great thoroughfare, several roads from the country leading to it; it seems also to be the only entrance to the town on this side. Nobody crosses it without stopping to look at us, and a crowd of idle people have taken post on and about it. We see a number of women coming from the country with baskets on their heads. Their outer dress differs from that of the men, it is open in front, and they have no girdle; they have an under dress, or sack, which is also loose, but not open; in some we can see that this comes nearly to the feet, in others just to the knee, and we imagine that those who work in the fields have the short dress: most of them allow their upper garment to flow out with the wind behind them. We observe a woman carrying a child across the hip as in India, with its hands on its mother's shoulder, while her arm is round the child's waist. One young lady has been seen for some time amusing herself by making a dog bark at the ships. We see women beating rice in wooden mortars. On the banks of the stream which the bridge crosses, there are a number of people washing clothes, which they perform in the Indian way, by dipping the clothes in water and beating them on stones. From one end of the beach to the other there is a range of people watching us, they are formed here and there into groups; one of which, on a craggy knoll abreast of the ships, has struck us as being particularly interesting. A fine majestic looking man, whose full beard and flowing garments remind us of a figure in the Cartoons of Raphael, is standing in the middle of a circle of old men, who are lying on the grass, and appear to be listening to him.

22nd of September.—This morning brings us no news, no permission to land! A number of flags and streamers are displayed on the masts of the vessels in the inner harbour, and there seems to be something going on on shore; no boats have come to us, and we have no occupation but looking through the glass, which, however, affords a good deal of entertainment, particularly as the people whom we see with it act in the usual way, being unconscious of our scrutiny.

In the afternoon a number of boats left the shore and proceeded to the Alceste in procession. In the foremost boat there seemed to be a person of consequence, whom we immediately conjectured to be the Great Man alluded to by the people yesterday. He got on board the Alceste before us, and the natives also had left their canoes, so that we found the ship's decks crowded with people. The Chief, whom we found seated in the cabin, was clothed in purple silk, with a light purple hatchee matchee. An official communication of our history was now repeated at the old man's request. He listened with great attention till Captain Maxwell concluded his statement, by informing him that the ship was leaky and required frequent pumping. He then begged permission to see this operation, if it would not give too much trouble. As this was exactly what we wished, the chain pumps were ordered to be got ready, and the conference went on, consisting principally of compliments. Observing that we took notice of his being a little deaf, he seemed anxious to explain that this was the effect of age. He made us feel his pulse, and look at the withered state of his hand, then taking ours and feeling the pulse, held them up along with his own, and laughed with great good humour at the contrast which age had produced. He was about sixty years old, and his beard of thin hair was as white as snow: he had a cheerfulness of expression, and a liveliness of manner, which are remarkable for a man of his years. His manners were graceful and elegant, and from the first moment he seemed quite at his ease. Every thing about him, in short, indicated good-breeding, and a familiarity with good society; and we could not help remarking his decided superiority in appearance over the other chiefs.

When the pumps were ready, he was escorted to the main deck, where he sat for some time in great admiration of the machinery; and seeing the labour required to work it, he seemed really affected at our situation, which he naturally thought must be very bad, from the immense quantity of water thrown out by the pumps. The ship being upright, the water did not run off freely from the deck, and in a short time it flowed round the chair in which the old man was seated. Three or four of the sailors seeing him somewhat uneasy at this inundation, took him up chair and all, and placed him on a dry spot. The old gentleman was surprised, not displeased, and very graciously replied to the low bows which the sailors made him. On returning to the cabin, they were all entertained as usual with sweet wine, cherry brandy, and pipes. The old man filled pipes for us, and as soon as this part of the ceremonial had been gone through, a formal request was made for permission to land the Alceste's casks and stores, in order to stop the leak and make other repairs. This produced a long discussion amongst the chiefs, in which the old man joined but little; he spoke, however, now and then, and whatever he said, appeared to be to the purpose. Whenever the chiefs spoke, they rose and addressed themselves to him in a most respectful manner. At length, having agreed about an answer, they communicated to Captain Maxwell that there was no good place here for the purposes he wanted, and that as our present anchorage was unsafe, they recommended our going round to the harbour alluded to on a former occasion. At this place, which they call Winching or Oonching, he said we might put on shore whatever we chose. On our asking if in Winching the water was deep enough to admit a large ship, a long discussion arose, during which they appeared to be considering the merits of the harbour. They seemed apprehensive of giving it too high a character, and that on our reaching it we should be disappointed. The old man at length suggested sending the "little ship" to see whether it would answer. To this Captain Maxwell agreed, only requesting that a person might accompany us, in order to save time in the search. Simple as this appears, they took a long time to consider it, and ended by saying that no reply could be given till the next day.

While the subject of this harbour was under discussion, the old man drew on a sheet of paper, a chart of the island, and pointed out the place where the harbour lay. It proved afterwards, when we had surveyed the island, that this sketch possessed considerable accuracy, as the situation of the harbour of which they spoke corresponds exactly with that of Port Melville, discovered in the Lyra. It is much to be regretted that this curious sketch is lost.

The Chief now walked about the cabin, examined the globes, books, and pictures, with great attention. The wainscot struck him particularly, as well as the machinery and finish of the windows and sliding shutters. Captain Maxwell tried to make him comprehend our track on the globe. He had felt it becoming to preserve some state while business was going on, but he now became quite chatty and familiar. He went all over the ship, accompanied by the other chiefs and his own personal suite, consisting of a pipe bearer, a man who carried his large camp chair, another with a cover of red cloth for the chair, and a man who carried a round Japan box for the hatchee-matchee. Two others took it in turn to fan him, and to hold his arm by the elbow and wrist whenever he walked about; probably as a piece of state, for the ship had very little motion: these fanners were very expert at their business, for not content with cooling his face and neck, they lifted up his large sleeves and fanned his arms. On returning to the cabin, he saw Mr. Clifford using gloves, and begged leave to try them on; with the right one he succeeded very well, but the nails of his left hand being about an inch long, he found it not so easy a matter: he seemed to think them the oddest things he had met with, and laughing much, held them up repeatedly to the other chiefs.

The old man brought a present for Captain Maxwell, and sent another to the Lyra, consisting of a hog, a kid, two bags of potatoes, a basket of charcoal, thirty bundles of eggs (five in each), a bundle of vermicelli, and a jar of an ardent spirit called samchew. All the chiefs, who were in their best attire, were severally accompanied by a man carrying a box for the hatchee-matchee; their dresses were of various colours, and their sandals and stockings all alike. On rising to go away, the old man bowed to me, and said that he meant to visit my ship; but this being evidently complimentary, I begged him not to take so much trouble: he, in return, expressed himself obliged to me for being satisfied with the politeness intended. The Embassador's barge was manned to take him on shore, but as soon as he saw what was intended, he drew back, and declared that he could not land in any boat but his own. As it was supposed that his modesty prevented his accepting this offer, he was urged to overcome his scruples, and land in the manner proposed; he still, however, declined the honour, but at last went down the ladder, and having stepped into the barge, made a bow to Captain Maxwell, as if in acknowledgment of the attention, but immediately afterwards went into his own boat and pushed off, under a salute of three guns from each ship.

Our intention of returning this visit the next day was not mentioned during the discussions in the cabin, from the certainty of its being combated, and perhaps overruled: but when the last of the chiefs was getting into the boat, the interpreter was desired to tell him, in a careless way, as a matter of course, that next morning this visit would be returned on shore. As had been foreseen, this did not receive their approbation; the interpreter went into the boat, where every persuasion was used to convince him of the impropriety of our intention: they could not succeed, however, in making him yield this point, and at length went away. This interpreter is called "John" by all parties, and though merely an under servant of the factory at Canton, he is a very shrewd fellow. His English is certainly not the best, and probably the Chinese he speaks is the base provincial language of Canton; so that misunderstandings are no doubt often caused by his erroneous interpretation.

John's report after the boat had put off, and from which we gather that we shall be expected, was as follows: "They ax me, 'what for my Ta-yin come sho?' I say, 'to make chin-chin[7] they Ta-yin;' they tell me, 'You Ta-yin too much great mandarine, no can come sho;' I say, 'What for my Ta-yin no come sho? He great man; he[8] Ta-wang-tee too much great man; he let you Ta-yin come board ship, and you no let him come sho, chin-chin you Ta-yin; what for this?' Then they speak long time together; by and by ax me, 'how many people bring sho you Ta-yin?' So I shake my head, I no like give answer long time, (they always take long time answer me). When they ax me again, I say, 'Ta-yin bring five people mo besides me.' They say, 'too much men come;' I say, 'No, no too much.' They ax, 'What time come?' I give no answer."

23d September.—As we had not contemplated such adventures as these, we had made no preparations for them; and now that it was necessary to make some return to the chief whom we were going to visit, we found great difficulty in preparing a suitable present. Captain Maxwell took with him several dozens of wine, some books, glasses, various trinkets, and a large piece of blue broad cloth. I took half the quantity of Captain Maxwell's other presents, and a table cloth in place of the broad cloth. Smaller presents were also made up for each of the chiefs. At one o'clock we set out in the barge, with a large union jack flying, and as it blew fresh, we soon reached the harbour. As we rowed past the shore, the people were seen running along all the roads leading to the town, so that by the time we reached the harbour, the crowd on both sides was immense: the trees, walls, and house tops, and in short every spot from which we could be seen, was literally covered with people, forming a sight as striking and animated as can well be conceived. As we entered the harbour several of the chiefs were observed to come down to a point, and wave for us to go round the end of a pier or mole, forming the inner harbour, where there was a good landing-place.

The chiefs helped us out, and then led us along, Ookooma taking Captain Maxwell's hand, Shayoon mine, and Jeema Mr. Clifford's; the others, according to their rank, conducted Mr. M'Leod of the Alceste, Mr. Maxwell, and another midshipman, Mr. Browne. They held our hands nearly as high as the shoulder, while a lane was formed for us through the crowd of people, who were perfectly silent. The children were placed in front, and the next rank sat down, so that those behind could see us in passing. At about a hundred and fifty yards from the landing-place, we came to the gate of a temple, where we were met by the Chief, who stood just on the outside of the threshold, on a small raised pavement: he took Ookooma's place, and conducted Captain Maxwell up a few steps into the temple, which was partly open on two sides, with deep verandahs, which made the interior shady and cool. A large table, finely japanned, was spread, and two ornamented chairs were placed for us. The Chief seated himself at one end of the table, and placed Captain Maxwell on his left.

He expressed himself much gratified and honoured by the visit, asked our ages, and if we were married. He was greatly pleased with Captain Maxwell's account of his family, which nearly corresponded with his own. He guessed Mr. Maxwell's age to be twenty-seven, and was with difficulty persuaded to believe that a person six feet high could be only sixteen. The same mistake was made by all the natives, who invariably judged of the age of our young men by their height alone. An entertainment was now served, beginning with a light kind of wine, called sackee, which was handed round in very diminutive cups, filled by Issacha, from a small high pot in which the sackee was kept hot. They insisted on our emptying the cup every time, shewing us a fair example themselves. During the whole feast the sackee never left the table, being considered apropos to all the strange dishes which we partook of. The first of these consisted of hard boiled eggs, cut into slices, the outside of the white being coloured red. A pair of chopsticks[9] was now given to each person, and these were not changed during the feast. Next came fish fried in batter, which we found an excellent dish; then sliced smoked pork, next pig's liver sliced. After this, tea was handed round in cups of a moderate size; the tea was quite new, resembling, as was observed, an infusion of hay. Pipes and tobacco served to fill up the short intervals between the courses. A man attended behind each of our chairs, whose sole business it was to fill and light the pipes. The next dish was the strangest of any, and disgusted most of the party; it consisted of a mass of coarse, soft, black sugar, wrapped up in unbaked dough, powdered over with rice flour, dyed yellow. After this we had dishes of round cakes, like gingerbread nuts; then cakes made in the form of wreaths, and in a variety of other shapes. There was something like cheese given us after the cakes, but we cannot form a probable conjecture of what it was made. Most of the dishes were so good that we soon made a hearty dinner, but the attendants still brought in more, till the Chief seeing that we did not eat, recommended the sackee to us. The old gentleman's eyes at length began to glisten, and observing that we felt it hot, he requested us to uncover, shewing the example himself. He seized the doctor's cocked hat and put it on, while the doctor did the same with his hatchee-matchee. The oddity of the Chief's appearance produced by this change overcame the gravity of the attendants, and the mirth became general; nor was the joke relished by any body more than the Chief's two sons, who stood by his chair during all the entertainment: they were pretty little boys, with gaudy dresses, and their hair dressed in high shewy top-knots.



During the early part of the feast, our presents were brought in on trays, and laid at the feet of the Chief: the old man rose and saw them arranged, he then made a graceful bow, and acknowledged his satisfaction, observing that we had sent him too much, and had done him more honour than he was entitled to, and that he could not think of accepting the whole. This we considered matter of form, and in reply lamented our inability to make suitable presents; upon which he sat down and said no more. The other chiefs ran about shewing the list of their presents to their friends among the crowd.

The room in which this entertainment was given was open at first on two sides only, but afterwards the partitions on the other two sides were taken down, being contrived to slide in grooves; thus the rooms are enlarged or diminished at pleasure. When the partition behind us was removed, several strange looking figures made their appearance, who we found were Bodezes or priests. Their heads and faces were shaved, their feet bare, and their dress different from that worn by the rest of the people, being somewhat shorter, and much less free and flowing, without any belt round the waist, the robe being merely tightened a little by a drawing string tied at the side; over the shoulders hangs an embroidered band or belt, like that used by drummers: the colour of their dress is not uniform, some wearing black, others yellow, and some deep purple. They have a timorous, patient, subdued sort of look, with a languid smile, and ghastly expression of countenance. They are low in stature, and generally look unhealthy; they all stoop more or less, and their manners are without grace, so that a more contemptible class of people cannot easily be imagined. Along with the Bodezes were several boys, whom we took to be their children from the resemblance they bore to them; but this mistake must have arisen from these boys being dressed like the priests, for the Bodezes are strictly confined to a life of celibacy. From the circumstance of our being in a temple, as well as from our general habits of respect to persons filling sacred stations, we felt at first disposed to treat these Bodezes with attention, but this was looked upon as ridiculous by the chiefs, who seeing us bowing to them, begged we would take no further notice of them. Instead of being the class most respected, they are considered the lowest, and if not held in contempt, are at least neglected by all other ranks.

During all the time we were at table, the crowd pressed round the verandahs, and perched themselves upon the walls and house-tops in the vicinity, or wherever they could get a peep at us. The satisfaction here was mutual, as we were anxious to make the most of the opportunity, not knowing if we should ever be allowed to land again. After sitting two hours we rose, and were escorted to the boats in the same order as when we landed. An attempt had been made during the feast, when the whole party were in good humour, to prevail upon the old gentleman to sanction our taking a walk into the town; but the bare mention of such a thing sobered the whole party in an instant, and the subject was accordingly dropped. The sailors, who had been kept in the boats for fear of their doing mischief, had not been neglected by the Chief, who had sent them part of the feast, nor did it seem that they had any objection to the sackee. We looked anxiously on the right and left as we passed through the crowd, in hopes of seeing some of the women, but in this expectation we were disappointed. At a considerable distance indeed, on the opposite side of the harbour, we saw a group of women, several of whom came down to the causeway to obtain a better view of the boats as they passed. Six or eight young girls ran to the pier head, round some rocks near the end; they reached this spot just as we rowed past, but looked quite frightened at finding themselves so near us, and immediately drew back out of our sight. We fancied that we could discover a good deal of beauty in some of their faces, and that their figures were handsome; but as we had not seen a fair lady's face for nearly half a year before, our judgment in this case is not perhaps to be depended on. Ookooma and his associates put off to accompany us in one of their own boats, but as it blew hard, they came no farther than the pier head: Jeeroo, however, was sent along with us, to see that there were no stray sheep.

What is to follow is uncertain, but it is clear that we have made little progress of late, while fresh obstacles have been hourly rising against our landing; in the meantime, the Loo-chooans shew no little sagacity and kindness of disposition in supplying us liberally with all kinds of stock.

24th of September.—Last night and to-day it has blown a hard gale of wind, beginning at north north-east, and shifting to north-west, but the reefs and the land break its force, and enable us to ride in perfect security: in all probability it blew severely in the open sea. The barometer fell from 29.62, to 29.50, yesterday; in the evening it had reached 29.48, and this morning stood at 29.40. About four in the morning it began to rise rapidly, and the severity of the gale did not come on till it had risen a good deal. The thermometer both in the day and night stands at 82, with very little variation, but the sky being constantly clouded, no observations could be made.

25th of September.—Jeeroo came on board this morning with a present of vegetables and fruit, and afterwards went on board the Alceste to join Ookooma and Jeema. They had preceded him with a present from the Chief, by whose desire they made a number of kind inquiries, and repeatedly expressed, in his name, surprise and satisfaction at our having been able to ride out the gale. They also apologized for not visiting us yesterday, which the gale had rendered impossible. It was represented in the conference to-day, that our limbs were getting quite stiff for want of exercise, and that it became absolutely necessary for us to land, on account of our health: they debated amongst themselves for some time, and then said that a final answer would be given to-morrow. They have quite forgotten their promise to send a pilot for the harbour to the northward: they wish also that we should forget it, since they change the subject whenever it is spoken of, and affect total ignorance of our meaning. The government probably think it best to keep us where we are, and therefore discourage our investigating the island any further.

Jeeroo, who begins to get quite familiar with us all, is a laughing good-humoured man, about thirty: he shakes every one cordially by the hand when he comes on board, and engages in all our amusements with great cheerfulness. He is very useful to us, because the anxiety he has to learn English makes him communicate freely the knowledge of his own language: thus there is little difficulty in fixing him over a glass of Constantia, upon which occasions he contributes largely to Mr. Clifford's vocabulary. Some of our words the Loo-chooans cannot pronounce; the letter l preceded by c appears the most difficult; they call Clifford "Criffar," and even this requires many efforts: not one of the natives has yet been able to make any thing of child; they call it shoidah, choiah, and chyad.

26th of September.—No boats have been near us to-day, and we might readily land if we chose it; but Captain Maxwell is resolved not to do so till he gets the consent of the natives.

27th of September.—As we were still prevented from going on shore, we amused ourselves by examining a reef which forms the north side of the anchorage. We found a field of coral about half a mile square, dry at low water, with the surf breaking very high on the outer edge, which lies exposed to the waves from the north. The surface of the rock is every where worn into small holes, which being left full of water as the tide goes out, are occupied by a number of beautiful blue fish. The coral is exceedingly hard, and though at many places it sticks up in sharp points, it requires a hammer of considerable weight to break it, and emits sparks like flint when struck; in a short time it entirely defaces the hammer. This extent of level space has suggested the idea of measuring a base on it in order to survey the anchorage, since there appears so little chance of our being allowed to land for this purpose on the beach.

While we were deliberating on this matter, we had a striking proof of the inconvenience to which we were likely to be exposed during this survey, by the tide rising and fairly washing us off. Notwithstanding this, we determined to commence next morning, and returned to make preparations, in high spirits at the prospect of an occupation, if not on terra firma, at least out of the ship, within whose sides we had been confined so long. On returning, we found that Captain Maxwell had arranged a party to visit the small island and reef which we were so close to on the 14th instant; the survey was therefore postponed.

Jeeroo sent us off some fresh fish to-day; some were red, and one or two blue: he came himself afterwards, and was happy to find us much gratified by his present. A formal message was sent to-day to the chiefs in attendance, stating that both ships were in want of fresh water, and that the boats must go on shore with casks to bring some off. In a short time after this message had been delivered, a number of canoes came alongside with large tubs of water; a strong proof of their alertness in getting rid of all our excuses for landing, and at the same time, it must be owned, of their readiness to supply our wants. An elderly gentleman, not a chief, visited us to-day, accompanied by his secretary. His appearance and manners being greatly in his favour, we paid him all the attention in our power. His wish was to be permitted to go all over the ship at his leisure; and in this way he examined every thing on board with far more attention than any body had done before him. His secretary, who was equally inquisitive, accompanied him in order to take notes. He employed himself for about six hours in examining the upper deck, and never quitted any thing till he understood its use. While he was thus occupied, he was attended by the sailors, who were pleased with his reverend appearance, and very readily assisted the old man in his enquiries.

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.

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[10].

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 on the south side; but on the north it is guarded by a semicircle of coral extending upwards of a mile from the shore. On the centre island is only one hut, which, as there was reason to believe 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 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, the chiefs had come on board to say that we might land, but that our walk must be confined to the beach, and that we were neither to enter the town, nor to go into the country. At one o'clock several of the chiefs came on board and accompanied us to the beach, where we landed amidst an immense crowd, and were handed along by Ookooma and the rest, who, in their desire to be civil, held us by the arms. The day, however, being excessively hot, and the sand deep, we found this troublesome, and begged leave to walk alone, to which they reluctantly consented, and we proceeded along the beach for a quarter of a mile.

Beginning to get tired of our walk, we stopped and expressed some surprise at such a reception, and told them how disagreeable it was to us to be in the sun at such an hour. But our remonstrances did not produce much effect, for, on our objecting particularly to the heat, they shewed us to a sort of cave in a rock on the beach, where they put down a mat and wished us to drink tea in the shade, since we disliked the sun. This could not be submitted to, however, and we told them that our object in landing was not to sit down on the beach to drink tea, but to walk about under the trees in order to recover our health, impaired by a long stay on board ship. They tried all their eloquence to persuade us that our walk, thus limited, was perfectly pleasant; till at length Captain Maxwell gave them to understand, that he wished to go to the top of the hills under the trees; but that, as he did not mean to advance a single step beyond what was approved of, he would return instantly to the ship if they persisted in confining him to the beach. A consultation was held upon this, during which, frequent reference was made to several elderly men, whose opinions appeared to have great weight. They did not wear the dress of chiefs, but, from all that passed, we suspected them to be persons about court, who had been sent to assist the councils of the local commission, without superseding its authority. They at last agreed to our going to the top of the hill, taking the precaution before we set out, of sending on a couple of runners, probably to give warning to the women who might be in that direction. About half way up the road, which winds along a steep face, there is a neatly-built well, supplied by a stream which runs along a carved water-course, and near it were three or four rudely carved stones about a foot long and four inches across, with slow matches and a small quantity of rice laid upon each. Mr. Clifford distinctly made out that this was meant as a religious offering, but its precise object could not be discovered, though it was conjectured that the guardian deity of the well might have some title to the honour. The side of the hill is cut into horizontal irregular terraces, which are cultivated with apparent care, and irrigated by means of ditches leading from the well. On gaining the brow of the hill which overlooks the anchorage, the chiefs stopped, but as we were within a few yards of the summit, where we saw a shady grove, we begged them to proceed, to which, after a short deliberation, they consented. By gaining this eminence, we commanded a view of an extensive valley more beautiful than any thing we had ever seen; and on the side opposite to us we saw the large building spoken of before, generally suspected to be the King's palace: our questions, however, on this subject were always answered in so evasive a manner, and with such apparent distress, that we seldom made any allusion either to it or to the King.

Here we remained under the trees for an hour, drinking tea and smoking pipes in company with all the chiefs, besides four or five of the old men mentioned before. We amused them by lighting their pipes with a burning glass; but one old gentleman, who suspected some trick, and did not join in the surprise shewn by the rest, held out his hand that it might be exposed to the focus; and he was soon undeceived, to the great amusement of the circle. The magnifying power of the glass engaged the attention of them all, but they were differently affected by it: a start and an exclamation of pleased surprise was the most usual effect; some laughed immoderately at every experiment, while others were made very grave by it, who had not been particularly serious before. Advantage was taken of the moment when their admiration of the glass was at the highest, to present it to Jeeroo, whose good-will it was thought expedient to conciliate: he had not expected this, and felt obliged to us for so public a mark of our esteem.

A man on horseback happening to ride by, it was gravely suggested to the chiefs that nothing would so materially contribute to the establishment of our health as this species of exercise; but they insisted upon treating our request as a mere joke. On the way back an attempt was made to vary the walk by turning to the left on reaching the brow of the hill, and so walking along the edge of the cliff to another road; the chiefs observed upon this that we should infallibly tumble down and kill ourselves; affecting, notwithstanding the absurdity of any such apprehensions, to be greatly distressed at our danger: so we turned back, after having had a short interview with an old man seated in a shed on the edge of the precipice. His white beard, which covered his breast, suited well with his sedate and contemplative air, and gave him much the aspect of a hermit. Our appearance did not in the least discompose him, nor did he take any notice of us till desired to do so by Ookooma; he then bowed slightly, but immediately resumed his fixed look, as if he had been quite alone.

As we drew near to the place where we had landed, our companions surprised us by an invitation to a feast, prepared, they said, on our account in a temple close to the shore. Here they gave us painted eggs, smoked salt pork, and various preparations of eggs and fish, with sweet cakes in numberless forms, besides tea, pipes, and sackee, a light kind of wine made hot. Nothing could be more cheerful than they all were to-day: they placed us on the floor at the upper end of the room, and, for some time, they would not allow us to move; but Mr. Clifford, who, from the progress he has made in their language, has become a great favourite, was invited to join a merry party in the verandah, to which they brought flowers, fruits, and every thing they could think of, in order to learn their English names, and give in return those of Loo-choo.

On reaching the boats, Jeeroo and two of his friends seemed disposed to go on board; they were accordingly invited to do so, which made him so happy, that he took a rudely-carved ivory ornament, in the shape of a monkey, from his tobacco-pouch, and gave it to me. Dinner was on table when they came on board, but there was time before taking my friends below, to intimate to the servants, that these gentlemen were going to dine with me, so that when we reached the cabin, three plates were laid in addition. They had probably not expected to find dinner ready for them on board, for they expressed surprise at these preparations having been made, and would not sit down for some time. When the covers were removed, they became silent, and looked on either hand for directions how to proceed. On being helped to soup, they did not stir till they saw us take spoons, in the management of which they shewed but little awkwardness. The knife and fork gave them more trouble, but they set seriously about acquiring a knowledge of their use, and, in a short time, found no difficulty.

Their grave propriety on this occasion is the more worthy of remark, from its standing in some measure opposed to our own behaviour under similar circumstances: for instance, when we first tried to eat with their chopsticks: on that occasion there was a sort of giggling embarrassment shewn by some of us, a contempt as it were of ourselves, for condescending to employ an effort to acquire the use of a thing apparently so unimportant. Their diminutive cups and odd dishes, too, sometimes excited mirth amongst us. Our Loo-choo friends, however, never committed themselves in this way; a difference of manners, which may arise from their looking upon us as their superiors, and vice versa; but even admitting this, which we were sufficiently disposed to do, it is certainly no excuse for us.

On this occasion Jeeroo and his friends had evidently made up their minds to find every thing quite new, for all three made a slight involuntary exclamation when one of the covers was lifted up, and shewed a dish of their own sweet potatoes. They ate of every thing, using a great deal of salt, with the fineness and whiteness of which they were much pleased. A tart, however, being put on the table, they all objected at first to touching it; they would not say why: they were at length prevailed upon to taste it, which they had no sooner done, than they exclaimed that it was "masa! masa!" (good! good!) It was made of Scotch marmalade, and Jeeroo, in recommending it to his friends, told them it was "injassa, amasa," (bitter, sweet), a union which they appeared not to have met with before. They drank wine with us, but said they feared it would make them tipsy; upon which we shewed them our mode of mixing it with water, which was evidently new to them, for they relished it so much in this form, that they were in a fair way of running unconsciously into the very excess which they dreaded. As soon as the cloth was removed, they rose, and went to walk about the ship: on our shewing a wish to accompany them, they intreated us to keep our seats.

During dinner, though it was the first they had ever seen in the European style, these people not only betrayed no awkwardness, but adopted our customs, such as drinking wine with each other, so readily, that we were frequently at a loss to determine whether they had but just learned these customs, or whether their own usages in these cases were similar to ours. As they pushed off in their boat they were asked to sing, which they did at once, and by their manner we suspected that the song had some allusion to us, but we could not make out the words.

30th of September.—During the whole of this morning we were engaged in the survey, accompanied by several of the midshipmen of both ships. We measured a base, and continued taking angles till the tide rose and drove us off.

1st of October.—As a free intercourse was now established with the natives at this place, and little doubt remained of our being able to gain their permission in a day or two for landing the Alceste's stores, it became an object to ascertain, without further delay, whether or not this anchorage was better than the harbour described by the natives as being a few miles only to the northward. While any apprehensions existed of our not being able to land here, it was not thought prudent to send the Lyra to look for that harbour, lest the chiefs should become still more suspicious of our intentions. At this moment, however, there was reason to believe that the chiefs wished the Alceste to remain where she was, and it was expected that any show of moving to another harbour would stimulate their exertions to render our present situation agreeable.

The Lyra was accordingly ordered to weigh this morning at daylight, for the purpose of examining the coast for ten or twelve leagues to the northward. We went out by a narrow passage through the reefs, and in the course of the morning beat up to Sugar Loaf Island. We did not land upon it, but passed near enough to see that it is richly cultivated on the lower parts, and that all the houses are collected into villages, shaded as usual by large trees round the bottom, and for one-third of the way up the sides of the peak. As this was our furthest point in the present survey, we tacked on reaching the Sugar Loaf, and coasted round the shores of a large square bay on the west side of the great island. The wind shifted gradually as we sailed along, blowing directly off the shore at every place, by which means we were enabled to complete the circuit of the bay before dark, after which we anchored in sixty-five fathoms water. Next morning we resumed our examination of the coast, but as the weather was fine, we hoisted out a boat and pulled close along the shore, while the brig kept her course at the distance of several miles. In this manner we traced the whole shore, till we came close to Napakiang, without seeing any port. We tried to land at several places, but were every where kept off by coral reefs stretching along the coast, at the distance of two or three hundred yards, and forming, to strangers at least, an impenetrable barrier. The canoes of the natives paddled away from us, and passed through the surf by passages which we were afraid to approach. We returned to the brig about two o'clock, and at three anchored in our former place at Napakiang.

The departure of the Lyra had excited a great sensation on shore; the chiefs came off to inquire of Captain Maxwell where the "honee gua" (little ship) was; but he did not choose to satisfy them, except by saying that they had trifled with him so long, and refused to let him land his casks and stores with such obstinacy, that he must endeavour to find some more favourable place at which to refit his ship. The effect was exactly what he wished; they intreated him not to think of moving from Napakiang; offered him not only large boats to put his stores in, but said he should have store-rooms on shore for whatever he desired, while his ship was refitting. They moreover granted him permission to land with his officers, and to go to the top of the hill without being guarded as formerly.

On the Lyra's anchoring, the chiefs came on board in great agitation, desiring to know what we had discovered. As we had actually nothing to relate, there was little difficulty in keeping our secret. They accompanied me on board the Alceste when I went to make my report, but Captain Maxwell, having found the advantage he had already gained by keeping them in ignorance of his intentions, was nowise communicative. They now offered to allow his people to land for the purpose of washing their clothes, which they had before refused to do, and in short, were in a mood to grant any thing, provided we were willing to remain at this part of the island. They did not pretend that this was out of regard for us, and it was easy to see that they apprehended more trouble in managing us any where else than at this place. Amongst the arguments used by them to dissuade us from going to the other end of the island, they said it was inhabited by savages. It came out accidentally too, that in the event of the ship's actually proceeding to other parts of the island, the six chiefs were to accompany us: so that they were probably influenced by considerations of personal convenience to make every exertion to prevent our moving.

3d of October.—The Lyra's crew were allowed to go on shore to-day to wash their clothes, and amuse themselves by running about on the side of the hill. Two of the sailors of this party, who happened to be singing near the well, drew a number of natives round them, who expressed great pleasure at hearing their songs. At first the crowd consisted entirely of the peasantry, who listened with great attention, and never interrupted the sailors; but in about half an hour, a person of some rank, with a number of attendants, came up, and begged them to sing several of their songs over again: we could not find out who this person was, but it was probably one of the chiefs, some of whom are remarkably fond of our music.

4th of October.—The survey on the reef was completed to-day: the only inconvenience we had experienced here, was the limited time which the tide allowed us each day, otherwise the situation was well adapted for a base, from its commanding a view of all parts of the anchorage. During the progress of the principal survey, the young gentlemen sent by Captain Maxwell, in conjunction with the midshipmen of the Lyra, completed a survey of the reef itself. A native of a genteel appearance, but not in the dress of a chief, visited the Lyra to-day, and gave me a present of two pipes and two bags of sweet potatoes.

5th of October.—Captain Maxwell called for me this morning at sunrise, on his way to the shore. The chiefs had not expected us so early, and our only companion for some time was an old peasant, who now and then ran on before to give notice of our approach. Two well dressed people shortly afterwards came up, and continued with us during our walk, which at first lay along the beach, but afterwards led into the country; some exception was taken to this by our companions, but as no attention was paid to them, they desisted.

After walking about a mile, we passed through a grove of young trees, and found ourselves close to a village, which lies in the bottom of a glen highly cultivated, the houses being almost entirely hid by trees, of which the bamboo is the most conspicuous.

This village is surrounded by a close hedge, and every separate house also has an inclosure: some of the houses have attached to them neat arbours, formed of a light frame of bamboo covered with a variety of creepers. The rice fields are divided by small banks of earth, made to retain the water, and along the top of each bank there is a foot-path; the whole valley having much the air of a scene in India. A number of the villagers, accompanied by their children, came out to meet us, but there were no women amongst them: we passed on, as they were evidently averse to our entering the village.

On our way across the valley we were attracted by the appearance of a cottage, so buried in foliage as to be completely hid from our view till we were within a few paces of the door. It was surrounded by a slight fence of rods, about an inch apart, with a line of creepers along the top, and hanging down on both sides: a wicker gate admitted us, and we entered the house, which we found divided into two apartments, eight feet square, besides a small verandah at one end. The floors, which were made of slips of bamboo, were raised about six inches from the ground, and covered with a straw mat. The walls were five feet high, being neatly wattled with split bamboo, above which rose a pointed thatched roof. It was occupied by an old man, whom we appeared to have disturbed at breakfast, for cups and tea-things were arranged on the floor; he asked us to sit down, and gave us pipes and tea. The little apartment we were in was as neat as any thing we had ever seen: on one side there was a set of shelves, with cups, bowls, and cooking utensils; on the others were hung various implements of husbandry, with hats and various dresses, all clean and in order. Higher up was a sort of loft or garret, formed by bamboo poles, laid horizontally from the top of the walls; on this were placed various tools, nets, and baskets. The fire-place was in the middle of one side, and sunk below the level. On the outside, in the space between the house and the fence, there was a pigeon house and a poultry yard, and close to the little verandah spoken of before, there stood two spinning-wheels of a light and ingenious construction. All round on the outside of the fence, the trees were high and thick; and though the sun was above the hills, the house was completely shaded except at the end, where a small opening admitted the rays into the verandah. We staid some time with the old farmer, trying to express our admiration of the simplicity and beauty of his cottage, and then went up the opposite side of the valley.

Here we found a road like a dressed walk in a garden: following this, we passed through a series of beautiful groves of bamboo and other trees, till at length, after winding about a good deal, we came to a double row of tall pine trees, interspersed with many others whose names we did not know, so as to form a walk which must be shady at all hours of the day. This road we knew would lead to the town, and therefore when we had reached the highest point we turned to the right, and after a short walk reached the grove of trees which had been made the limit to our first walk on the 29th ultimo. At this place Captain Maxwell surprised the natives a good deal by shooting several birds on the wing, but they could not be prevailed upon to fire themselves, nor even to pull the trigger when no powder was in the pan.

6th of October.—After divine service to-day on board the Alceste, a long conference was held between Captain Maxwell and the five chiefs, when, after a good deal of discussion, it was agreed on their part to allow the Alceste's stores to be landed, for the purpose of getting at the leak. Our means of interpreting on these occasions are not the best that could be wished; but John, our Chinese, is nevertheless a keen fellow, and very ready with answers when pressed. We generally explain as fully as possible to John what our wishes are, and then leave him to communicate them the best way he can. An instance of his quickness occurred to-day, which seems worth mentioning. John had communicated to them, by Captain Maxwell's desire, that as the leak complained of was in the magazine, it would be necessary to land the powder: they debated a long time upon this, and then asked John "Why the powder was not put on board the little ship?" John, who was not aware of any good reason, affected to be surprised at this question, which he refused to interpret, saying that if Captain Maxwell thought such a measure right, he would surely not have waited till they suggested it. The light in which he had thus put the question, made them earnestly desire him not to mention any thing about it, declaring at the same time, that they would willingly give a place for the powder, and for any other stores which Captain Maxwell might wish to land.

To-day for the first time they talked unreservedly of the king, whose name even they had hitherto studiously avoided: they spoke freely of his majesty's having sent all the stock and vegetables with which we were daily supplied. Captain Maxwell, who of course was very desirous of opening a communication with the court, intimated his wish to pay his respects as soon as might be convenient. They heard this with apparent satisfaction, and signified that his request should be made known to the king. We are at a loss to discover what can have caused this change of manner. We can only conjecture, that perhaps the king, on hearing so many reports about us, may have become desirous of seeing us himself. At all events it is clear that some alteration in the instructions to the chiefs must have been made, otherwise they would have shewn their usual reserve when the king's name was mentioned, and would on no account have allowed us to talk of visiting him.

At one o'clock we went on shore to look at the place assigned by the chiefs for the reception of the Alceste's stores. It is an oblong inclosure, sixty yards by forty, surrounded by a wall twelve feet high, rather well built with squared coral: the entrance is by a large gate on the south side, from which there extends raised gravel walks, with clipped hedges, the intermediate spaces being laid out in beds, like a garden. The temple in which we were feasted on the day of our first visit, occupies one corner of the inclosure; it is completely shaded by a grove of trees, which also overhang the wall. In that part of the garden directly opposite to the gate, at the upper end of the walk there is a smaller temple, nearly hid by the branches of several large banyan trees; and before it, at the distance of ten or twelve paces, a square awkward looking building, with a raised terrace round it. The temple first spoken of is divided by means of shifting partitions into four apartments, and a verandah running all round, having a row of carved wooden pillars on its outer edge to support the roof, which extends considerably beyond it. The floor of the verandah is two feet from the ground, the roof is sloping and covered with handsome tiles, those forming the eaves being ornamented with flowers and various figures in relief; there are also several out-houses, and a kitchen communicating with them by covered passages. In one of the inner apartments, at the upper end, there is a small recess containing a green shrub, in a high narrow flower-pot, having a Chinese inscription on a tablet hanging above it on the wall. On another side of the same room, there hangs the picture of a man rescuing a bird from the paws of a cat; the bird seems to have been just taken from a cage, which is tumbling over, with two other birds fluttering about in the inside: it is merely a sketch, but is executed in a spirited manner. In one of the back apartments we find three gilt images, eighteen inches high, with a flower in a vase before them. The roof of the temple within is ten feet high, and all the cornices, pillars, &c. are neatly carved into flowers and the figures of various animals. The ground immediately round it is divided into a number of small beds, planted with different shrubs and flowers; and on a pedestal of artificial rock, in one of the walks close to it, is placed a clay vessel of an elegant form, full of water, with a wooden ladle swimming on the top. On a frame near one of the out-houses, hangs a large bell, three feet high, of an inelegant shape, resembling a long bee-hive; the sides are two inches thick, and richly ornamented: its tone is uncommonly fine.

It was determined to appropriate part of the large temple to the use of the sick and their attendants; the assistant surgeon of the Alceste taking one room, and the gunner, who was to have the whole inclosure in his charge, another. The small temple at the upper end, being a retired spot, was fixed upon for the Lyra's observatory; the square building in the centre seemed well adapted for a magazine. At the gate a notice was hung up, both in English and Loo-choo, signifying that no person was to enter without a written pass from Captain Maxwell, or from one of the chiefs.

7th and 8th of October.—These days have been occupied in carrying the arrangements of Sunday into effect. It was very interesting to observe the care which the natives took of the sick, whom they assisted all the way from the beach to the temple; a number of people attended to support such of them as had barely strength enough to walk. When they were safely lodged, eggs, milk, fowls, and vegetables, were brought to them; and whenever any of them were tempted by the beauty of the scenery to walk out, several of the natives were ready to accompany them.

The powder was landed, and Mr. Holman, the gunner of the frigate, began the operation of drying it on hides spread in the sun round the magazine. The cows and other stock were also landed. One of the cows calved that night, to the surprise of every body, and the great joy of the natives, who took a great fancy to the little bull born amongst them. Mr. Mayne, the master of the Alceste, took up his quarters in the temple, in order to be near his observatory, which was in the centre of the garden. The stores of all kinds were sent on shore from the Alceste, which produced an apparent confusion, and the chiefs, seeing so many valuable things lying about, began to fear that they would be taken away; at least, it was supposed that they had such an apprehension, for the wall of the temple was immediately fenced in by a sort of net-work of long bamboo poles, the ends of which were fixed in the ground at the foot of the wall on the outside, and the tops made to cross one another four or five feet above the wall. This contrivance, instead of rendering the place more secure, made it more accessible; but as our opinion was not asked, and we had no apprehensions of theft, we let them proceed in their own way.

Mrs. Loy, wife of the boatswain of the Alceste, was the only female in our squadron, and as such excited no small interest at this place. She was a perfectly well behaved person, and sufficiently neat in her dress, but without great pretensions to good looks. The natives, who from the first paid her much attention, shewed at all times their desire of granting her every indulgence. They even went so far as to say she might go into the city; but, upon consulting with her husband, who was apprehensive of some accident, she declined it. When this circumstance became known to us, we easily convinced the boatswain that no mischief could possibly arise from trusting his wife amongst such kind people; but Mrs. Loy could not be persuaded of this; and thus was lost the only opportunity of seeing the town which occurred during all our stay.

Two of the natives have been studying English with great assiduity, and with considerable success. One is called Madera, the other Anya. They carry note books in imitation of Mr. Clifford, in which they record in their own characters every word they learn. They are both keen fellows, and are always amongst the strangers. From the respect occasionally paid to them, it is suspected that their rank is higher than they give out, and that their object in pretending to be people of ordinary rank, is to obtain a more free intercourse with all classes on board the ships. Madera, by his liveliness and his propriety of manners, has made himself a great favourite; he adopts our customs with a sort of intuitive readiness, sits down to table, uses a knife and fork, converses, and walks with us, in short, does every thing that we do, quite as a matter of course, without any apparent effort or study. He is further recommended to us by the free way in which he communicates every thing relating to his country; so that as he advances in English, and we in Loo-choo, he may be the means of giving us much information. As an instance of his progress in English, it may be mentioned, that one day he came on board the Lyra, and said, "The Ta-yin speak me, 'you go ship, John come shore;'" by which we understood that Captain Maxwell had sent him on board the brig for the interpreter. This was about three weeks after our arrival.



Most of the natives have acquired a little English, so that Mr. Clifford has now no difficulty in finding people willing to instruct him, and to take pains in correcting his pronunciation. One of his teachers, called Yackabee Oomeejeero, will not permit him to write down a single word till he has acquired the exact Loo-choo sound: but he is like the rest in shewing an invincible objection to giving any information about the women. He admits that he is married, and gives the names of his sons: but when his wife or daughters are alluded to, he becomes uneasy, and changes the subject. On Mr. Clifford's gravely telling him that he believed there were no women on the island, he was thrown off his guard, and answered hastily, that he had both a wife and daughter, but instantly checking himself, turned the conversation another way. On the picture of an English lady being shewn to him, he commended it highly, saying, at the same time, "Doochoo innago whooco oorung" (Loo-choo women are not handsome.) This old gentleman is a better teacher than scholar; he calls the letter L "airoo;" veal, "bairoo;" flail, "frayroo;" in which instances of mispronunciation, we may recognize a difficulty not uncommon amongst English children.