At Uvea there is scarcely an individual to be found who is free from its commencement. As to syphilitic affections the whole population is contaminated by them. The total want of carefulness, the filth, the absence of all medical rule, aggravate more and more the unhappy children, victims of a sad inheritance, which is literally that of rottenness. And yet at Uvea particularly, the women are neither debauched nor loose like those of the Polynesian Islands. Polygamy is found among the chiefs, who take as many wives as they please. There is no such thing as marriage in the island, all depending on the consent of the parties according to their will and pleasure. The women ure treated like beasts of burthen; they go and fish, they cultivate the soil, they fetch wood and water, and they have very often much to fear from an excessively jealous husband.

The natural flatness of the island renders the intercourse very easy. I have not observed any particular branch of industry followed by the people; their canoes are rough and ill formed; at Lifu they have scarcely any, for the character of the shore is not adapted for them; while at Uvea, the fine weather which nearly always prevails and their lagoon bordered with fine sandy shores, has contributed much to the developement of navigation. The people of Uvea make excursions to the Beaupre Isles, about ten leagues distant, where they make plantations. The communications with New Caledonia are frequent, the mountains of which are distinctly seen from Uvea and Lifu in fine weather. A considerable number of the islanders are employed in Australian vessels, and the number who speak English after a fashion scarcely intelligible is tolerably large.

Every island is divided into tribes, who have their chiefs at Lifu; who, although not numerous, are endowed with considerable authority. Whatever they order is certain of being done, and it is owing perhaps to this punctuality of following out orders that this island enjoys so much tranquillity. At Uvea, on the contrary, thanks to a crowd of petty chiefs, without authority, anarchy prevails.

The younger brother of the principal chief is commonly the chief warrior: he directs the movements of the rest in skirmishes, &c.

I cannot say if these islanders have any idea of astronomy or other sciences, nor have I been able to find that they have but a very slight disposition for music, by hearing them sing in a low voice some canticles in the language of the Wallis Islanders.

According to the missionaries, these people are in a thorough state of ignorance, their religious ideas amount to nothing. The belief in a kind of genius called Aazie at Lifu, seems to be all that has any reference to a superior being: so that the missionaries, besides the difficulty of studying the language, are embarrassed by having to use long phrases to express ideas entirely new to these neophytes. These are sufficiently numerous, for they come without any repugnance to the missions, whether they are Catholic or Protestant.

The resources which the Loyalty Islands supply, consist of handsome wood for joiner's work, which if judiciously used in cutting will last a long time. At a very little trouble, with the excellent lime,

building would be easy, and I consider that by planting cocoanut trees enough might be reared to produce the cocoanut oil which in these days is so much sought for. The cocoanut tree grows here, but the nut is uot very large, and at the present time there are not enough to supply the wants of the people between the iguanas harvest.

In the gulf of Sandal the natives are poor, and cultivate with much difficulty some taros and iguanas, in a ground which is not adapted for vegetables. Their fishing yields nothing. Fresh water is generally scarce and bad; but the Catholic missionaries have good water from natural wells at the bottom of a remarkable depression of land; but as these wells are at a considerable distance from the sea, and the road to them very difficult, this is not available for shipping. Three whalers have recently taken seven or eight whales (humpback) in the gulf in a few weeks. Some good wood is to be had in the island, as well as some sandal wood.

Although the island of Uvea, like Lifu, is nothing more than an agglomeration of chalk, it is nevertheless very rich, and has plenty of cultivatable ground. Poultry and pigs are to be had there; but fresh water is scarce, and the only well that gives good water is near the village of Faioué, but a good distance from the sea.

The principal seat of the Catholic mission is at the village of Uvea, a situation indicated by a little mondrain round it, which commands the general level of the land. The mission itself is distinguished by a large church, which is building, with the ends of its three naves towards the sea, the middle one being surmounted by a small clock tower. The house of the missionary and his attendants is a little to the right; and a little beyond it, to the northward, is a large lagoon, the water of which is very brackish.

NOTES OF A JOURNEY ACROSS THE ANDES, IN Peru.-By E. D. Ashe, Lieutenant, R.N.

It has been my good fortune never to have sailed in an uncomfortable vessel; but the frigate that I belonged to when I crossed the Andes, had a rare combination of those elements requisite to make a happy ship.

In the first place, we had an excellent captain; and in the next, my messmates were composed of some of the best fellows in H.M. service. We all had our own peculiar line. There was no jarring or clashing amongst us. One sang an excellent song; another told a capital yarn; a third played the violin, another the flute; a fourth played tricks upon cards, so that frequently those who have dined on board have found cards in their boots weeks afterwards. We had an inimitable Irishman, who made delicious bulls. Besides all this, we had a very good band, one of the greatest comforts on board a ship,

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the master of which said band was a talented creature, but, alas! he was too fond of sucking the monkey, he drank. I had once occasion to speak to him, and plainly told him, "Why, you are drunk, sir.” He looked at me with a fishy eye and replied, "Well, sir, I know I am; but not more so than a good musician ought to be." And lastly, our store rooms were well supplied with the choicest wines.

Just before leaving England, a lighter came round from the Thames; and as she was being cleared, case after case was hoisted in, and the whole forenoon elapsed before she was sent away. On going to take leave of my friends, an old boatman, who was pulling me ashore, remarked to me in that free and easy way common to him as he knew his company," Ah, sir, that will be a 'appy ship. I never seed so much licker go aboard a ship afore in my life." And certainly she was, albeit he was out in his reasoning though not in his reckoning.

As this happy ship was lying in Arica roadstead on the coast of Peru, several parties were formed to visit Jacna, a pretty Spanish town, containing about 7,000 inhabitants, situated in a fertile spot, watered by a rivulet formed by the melting snow of the Cordillera,for wherever there is moisture there the ground is covered with the richest verdure, and as it never rains in Peru, the coast presents nothing but a sandy desert, saving and excepting in the immediate vicinity of these mountain streams.

One party had returned from the place, and I made up my mind to form one of another that was just about to start, and accordingly sallied on shore to find a mule that had some skin on its back. Arica is the seaport of Jacna, but roads and vehicles being in those days unknown, every thing was carried on the back of mule, a distance of forty miles across a desert, without a single drop of water or a blade of grass to cheer the way. It is truly marvellous how muleteers manage to secure some of the things which these animals have to carry on their backs, for the packages are of all sizes and shapes from a Collard and Collard piano to a case of wine. The consequence of this state of affairs is, that from his first journey until his last, the poor mule has always a raw and bleeding back. No wonder that the track across this desert might generally be found by the skeletons of these poor animals.

I have often thought that if there is any truth in the theory of the transmigration of souls, great must that sinner be who has to expiate his crimes in the body of an Arica mule.

Our party started about eight in the morning, in high glee, and as the sun in the course of the day became nearly vertical, the only shadow each of us had was that of his sombrero; but to prevent our faces from being blistered and losing all our good looks, we took the precaution to cover them with silk handkerchiefs.

About noon we halted among some rocks that made their appearance above the sand at a distance of fifteen miles from Arica; and here we had recourse to the last of our moistening store that we had provided for the journey. Thus freshened up, we again started, but our party had lost their fun and frolic, too much had been taken out

of us already. And, alas, so it was with our animals as well as ourselves; for, sad to relate, about four in the afternoon my mule showed symptoms of breaking down; and I persuaded the party not to think of me, but to go on ahead, and should they reach the place of destina tion to send back help.

Accordingly I was left, and the party out of sight, I endeavoured to urge my poor brute forward with all the power I had; but in vain: not even the muleteer's words,-"Caramba! cara carajo, maldita!" had any effect: he drooped his head as a signal for me to dismount. This done, I began to speculate on our condition as to which was the greater ass, the mule or I. But as I could not afford to pay for mule and saddle, I managed to urge the poor animal before me, so that at least when he dropped I should only have to saddle myself. Matters now were becoming serious. It was evident that I was in a scrape. A loose burning sand around us, my temples throbbing from heat and exhaustion and intense thirst, and having to drive a poor sinking mule before me,and yet not a hundred yards from me I thought that I could see a beautiful lake, and even the banks on the opposite side; nay, I could even see the ripple on the water. Alas, what delusion!-this was only the effect of mirage, and I knew that instead of water I should find nothing but burning sand. In fact, if I had not kept myself up by remembering that my messmates would surely send help, I certainly should have sat down on the next skeleton of a mule among the many that mark the road, and added to its bones those of two other asses! A multitude of such thoughts crowded on my mind even including this termination of the journey, when happily my reveries were broken by the sound of bells; and on looking up I beheld a man on a mule coming on at a brisk trot, leading a horse. What relief this was I need not say. Often had I exclaimed in despair of ever seeing it," Oh, give me but my Arab steed!" but here was a steed as good for me as any Arabian. Soon, indeed, I was on his back, and with a good ambling speed in a short time he bore me in safety to the hospitable door of the English consulate.

A warm bath, a slight stimulant, and I was ready for dinner at eight. The consul was as considerate as kind, he had invited all the beauty, and some of the principal merchants of the place to meet us. What a change had a few hours made in my condition. Here I was enjoying the cool breeze as it was rustling amongst the leaves of adjacent trees, delicious claret, the most luscious fruit, and the sweet voices of charming ladies. No wonder that sailors are always in love. But time as usual always flying faster the happier we are, stole away a delightful evening sooner than he should have done, and those who could not be accommodated at the consulate were billeted off with the different merchants. It fell to the lot of a young German to receive me, and I was most fortunate in having a companion, who had the musical talent of his country, with all the information of an European traveller.

On the following morning, having found my way to the consulate, while waiting for some of my companions, a handsome young man en

tered my room, and it soon appeared in our conversation that his visit was to take his farewell of the consul, being about to cross the Andes. "Cross the Andes," I exclaimed; "how much I should like to accompany you." "I really wish you would," he replied; "for a companion on such an occasion is truly most desirable." At this moment the consul joined us, and hearing our conversation, remarked,-Why don't you go with Mr. Fernandez? He is going to Puno, situated on Lake Titicaca, where the first Inca, Manca Capae, made his appearance. How could I resist, although there were certainly difficulties to overcome. In the first place, my leave of absence was but for a week, and I could not possibly return under a fortnight: in the next, I was totally unprepared for such a journey; and then, too, my friend started in two hours.

Well, it is often truly said, where there's a will there's a way, and so it was on this occasion. The first difficulty was got over by a line to the senior lieutenant, informing him that as time did not admit of an answer it was useless to apply to the captain of the ship for leave, but that I should take the responsibility upon myself, as I was sure that he would only be too glad that one of his officers should take advantage of so rare an opportunity of seeing the country.

This being concluded, I rejoined my German friend, and quickly informed him of my new determination. At which he observed,— You sailors are odd fish; but I can assist you, as I am about to purchase a very fine mule for the use of the house, and I beg you will take it for your journey, adding, you have no time to lose, so come along with me and I'll get you a fit out. Nothing was to be bought ready made here, so he soon introduced me to a friend, and it was agreed beforehand that I was to ask him to lend me his "breeches." I am not a very bashful man, but the very idea of asking a person that one has never seen before for his "breeches," in order that one might live in them for the next fortnight, required more assurance than I could muster. But my good friend, the German, came to the rescue, and as nothing but leather could stand all the work I should have to go through, in an unguarded moment I popped the question; the friend in need (I forget his name) relieved me at once; he rather liked the idea, and brought them forth immediately, saying, that I should find them very comfortable; on which I took them under my arm, and beat a retreat, giving him no time to finish his apologies about a button that was off.

After this feat, the remainder of my outfit necessary for the cruize, was borrowed without a moment's hesitation by merely asking, so easy is it to get on after a beginning is once made,-indeed, as Fernandez and I loaded with botas, spurs, bridles, alpacas, ponchos, and breeches, returned to my quarters, I almost considered them my own property. However, we found lunch ready, and having accomplished his object, he left me with the promise that he would call for me in an hour. Of course I made a dinner of my lunch, and then retired to dress for the occasion. I found the continuations most comfortable; and when I made my appearance before my worthy host, the consul, armed cap-à