Page images
PDF
EPUB

whole circumference being not more than 10 miles. It is particularly distinguished by having no lagoon, like most coral islands. It is in lat. 14° 57′ 20′′ S., lon. 144° 35'.*

KING GEORGE ISLANDS.-This name is applied by Cook to two islands which had, however, been previously discovered. It may be the Sondergrond of Le Maire and Schouten, 1616. The N.E. island, Tiookea or Taroa, was seen by Roggewein, in 1722. It is 15 miles long E.N.E. and W.S.W.; its North point being in lat. 14° 22' S., lon. 144° 58′ W.

Oura or Taputa is the S.W. island, and is 12 miles long N.N.E. and S.S.W. It was seen by Byron in 1765, and is called Spiridoff by Kotzebue. Its South point is in lat. 14° 44' S., lon. 145° 20'.

They appeared to Capt. Hudson, of the American Expedition, to be well inhabited, and have entrances to their lagoons on the West side. The native names of the two islands, according to him, are Tiookea and Oura. The S.W. of Tiookea is in lat. 14° 31′ 12′′ S., lon. 145° 9′ 30′′ W. Oura bears S. 68° W.,

distant 4 miles.†

WATERLANDT ISLAND, or Manhii.-In 1616 Le Maire and Schouten discovered an island 15 leagues to the West of Sondergrond, which latter Admiral Krusenstern considers identical with the King George Islands.

In 1767 Capt. Wilson, in the ship Duff, also saw an island in the above situation, and to which his name is given.

In 1830 Capt. Hagemeister discovered an island in the above relative situation. Capt. Duperrey places two islands to the West of the King George group; a second to the S.W. of the former, and the track of Turnbull between the two.

In Capt. FitzRoy's chart these two islands are placed in the foregoing positions, so that which is Le Maire's Waterlandt, and the island seen by Wilson, has to be decided. Krusenstern considered that the latter was one of the King George's Islands. Capt. Duperrey thought the contrary, but without convincing Admiral Krusenstern. The discovery of the second island decided in favour of Duperrey.‡ These two islands were more correctly placed and surveyed by Capt. Wilkes in 1839. Their native names are Manhii and Ahii; they lie 81 miles W. † N. and E. S. asunder, from reef to reef.

Manhii is in all probability the Waterlandt of Schouten and Le Maire, and also Wilson's Island of the Duff. There is a large and deep entrance at the S.E. end into the lagoon of Manhii Island, in which the natives informed me vessels had often anchored whilst engaged in pearl fishing. Many cocoa-nut trees were seen on the island, and fresh water is to be procured on the S.W. side. The island at this end is upwards of half a mile wide to the lagoon; the coral reef is here quite broad. Soundings are not to be had with 100 fathoms of line 50 feet from the edge of it.

There were some small compact coral rocks here and there, but no regular

*Voyage of the Rurich, vol. ii. p. 295.

+ Narrative of the United States' Exploring Expedition, vol. i. p. 342.

See Krusenstern, Supplement, p. 93; Bulletin de la Soc. Imp. Scien. de St. Petersbourg, vol. iv. No. 11, p. 5; and Wilkes, vol. i., Appendix, p. 357.

upper or second shelf; the lower coral shelf was 300 feet in width, and had many long longitudinal cracks, from 6 to 8 inches wide, resembling those seen in ice fields; in some places these were quite deep, and in the chasms numerous shells of the chama species presented to our view their beautiful colours. Some of the gentlemen reported that they found a stone sarcophagus, or something much resembling one.

The East end of the island lies in lat. 14° 26′ 22′′ S., lon. 146° 4' 20" W.* PEACOCK ISLAND, or AHII, is not inhabited, and has only a small boat entrance into its lagoon on the West side. The coral belt is similar to that last described; it was found to be upwards of half a mile in width, and was covered with the same kind of vegetation as the last, excepting cocoa-nut trees, of which none were found on the island. The lagoon is quite shallow; a favourite fish with the natives is found in it, and at certain seasons they visit the island for the purpose of catching them. The coral shelf varied from 200 to 500 feet in breadth. It was named after the Peacock, to show that its position was correctly ascertained by the Exploring Expedition.† West point, lat. 14° 35', and lon. 146° 27'.

VLIEGEN, PRINCE of WALES or DEAN ISLAND, or NAIRSA.-On April 18, 1616, William Cornelison Schouten and Jaques Le Maire, in the Unity, after rounding Cape Horn and touching at Waterlandt, &c., discovered an island, on which they landed, and were assailed by myriads of a sort of black fly, as has been alluded to on page 844, which soon made them quit it, and apply the name of Fly (Vliegen) Island to it. This is the extensive island in question. The next name is derived from Commodore Byron, who, in 1765, described Prince of Wales Island as 20 leagues in length. In 1803, the ship Margaret reached an island which they called Dean Island, but which there is no difficulty in proving is the same.

The very great extent of this island has led to considerable confusion in the early charts and claims to discovery. Thus Roggewein, after having discovered Aurora Island, at daybreak discovered Vesper Island, which is considered by Admiral Burney and others to be a portion of the extensive chain of islands constituting Vliegen Island. Another difficulty, too, has been cleared up by more recent discoveries: Roggewein states that he sailed through some passages through the reefs of an extensive archipelago, which he calls the Labyrinth, but which must lie to the West of the western extreme of Vliegen Island. The discovery of Krusenstern Island by Kotzebue in 1816, and Lazareff Island by Bellingshausen in 1820, has shown that these must form a portion of this hitherto unexplained labyrinth.

Several navigators have coasted around this island, but none have described it very fully.

It was found by Capt. Wilkes to be 66 miles in length. Its West point is in lat. 15° 5' 15" S., lon. 147° 58' 34" W. The natives acknowledged themselves subjects of Queen Pomare of Tahiti, and were very desirous that we should land. They brought off a few shells, and told us they had many fowls, pigs, taro, &c.

• Narrative of the American Exploring Expedition, vol. i. p. 336.

+ Vol. i. p. 337,

There are several islets in the lagoon covered with trees. Vast numbers of large blocks were seen lying on its reef. The shore reef is not more than 200 feet wide, and is composed of only one shelf. The passage between its West point and Krusenstern Island was found 12 miles wide, and free from all danger.*

CECILE ISLAND is marked on M. Vincendon-Dumoulin's chart as low, and in lat. 15° 30', lon. 148° 20'. Can this be the Vesper of Roggewein ?

AURORA or METIA ISLAND was discovered by Roggewein in 1722. Its North end is placed by Capt. Wilkes in lat. 15° 45′ 39′′ S., lon. 148° 13′ 15′′ W. "It was totally different in appearance from those we had met with, though evidently of the same formation. It was a coral island uplifted, exposing its formation distinctly, and as such was very interesting. On approaching its eastern end I sounded at about 150 feet from its perpendicular cliff, and found no bottom with 150 fathoms of line. The cliff appeared worn into caverns. We landed close in its neighbourhood, and on measuring its height it proved to be 250 feet. The coral shelf was found to be 500 feet in width, extending on the North side of the island, and gradually diminishing in width until it loses itself at the western end. This island has all the features that one would naturally be led to expect from a low island uplifted. The North, East, and West sides present a perpendicular cliff or wall, but this character does not prevail on the South side, although it has some high knolls. The North ridge is nearly level, and there is a break through it (by which we ascended to its top) very much like the opening of a lagoon. The North side is concave, and there is found within the indentations between its two points an extensive inclined plane, composed of large masses of limestone and vegetable mould, on which the village is situated, in a luxuriant grove of bread-fruit, cocoa-nut, pandanus, and other trees, similar to those already spoken of as seen on the other islands. There were several copious springs, but the natives informed me that there were no running streams on the island. On reaching the top of the bluff we found ourselves in a wood, and wishing to get a view of the interior, we made for the East end, passing occasionally over beds of clinky coral, thrown and scattered in all directions; after a walk of more than a mile we came to an open space, from which we had a clear view of the interior of the island, which was found to be densely covered with trees. The general shape, as far as could be seen, was pan-like, or in the form of a dry lagoon.

"This island was particularly interesting, from its combining both high and low vegetation; and a very considerable number of plants was obtained. As far as our observations went, the upper portion of this island is composed of limestone or compact coral rock, and it has unequivocal marks of having been uplifted at different periods; the cliff, at two different heights, appears to have suffered abrasion by the sea. †

"The inhabitants appeared to have derived very great improvement from the missionaries; in times past they had all war, but now all was peace. Abundance

Wilkes, vol. i. p. 337.

+ Capt. Hudson sounded with the deep-sea thermometer, when within a mile of the island, in 600 fathoms; the temperature at the surface of the water was 80°, that below 44°.-Ibid. p. 342.

of fruit and vegetables could be purchased.

I left the island under the impres

sion that this little community was a happy and contented one. I was glad to get off, in order to be freed from the flies, which are in incredible numbers on all the inhabited islands, and are a great nuisance."*

KRUSENSTERN ISLAND, or Tikehaa, was discovered by Kotzebue, April 24th, 1815. It is of the usual description, the island chain extending from N.N.W. to S.S.E., 15 miles in length, and particularly distinguished by having in the middle of the lagoon a small island thickly overgrown with trees. The middle of the group is placed in lat. 15° S., lon. 148° 41′ W.

LAZAREFF ISLAND, or Malivi, or Mataiwa, is the westernmost of the islands of the Low Archipelago, and was discovered by Bellingshausen in 1820. There is no passage through the reef. It has some trees on it, among which the cocoa-nut may be seen; and is uninhabited. Its length is 5 miles, and the West point is in lat. 14° 55', lon. 148° 45'.

CHAPTER XXIV.

SOCIETY ISLANDS.

Turs important group of islands, which in some respects is the principal of the South Pacific, consists, as is well known, of the celebrated Island of Tahiti and several other smaller dependants. There is no spot on the globe which has received a more lively attention than this, from the great experiment of the civilization of man by means of religious influence. The details of this are familiar to most, and form a universal theme with all writers on the human race. The islands themselves are not so important to the rest of the world; perhaps from the numerous surrounding lands which also afford the necessary rest and refreshment required in the long Pacific voyages. The Sandwich Islands, in the northern hemisphere, stand more alone, and thus enact a more conspicuous part in maritime and commercial affairs than the southern group.

There would appear to be little doubt but that Tahiti was first seen by the expedition under Pedro Fernandez de Quiros, in 1606. This voyage has, as it ought to be, become one of the most famous ever performed; inasmuch as the discoveries made in it have been verified by subsequent observations, which have identified many of the points otherwise obscure and doubtful in the imperfect narratives which have been transmitted of them.

It would appear that Quiros went as pilot mayor in Mendaña's famous expedition across the Pacific, in and subsequent to 1595, and on his return obtained of King Philip III. an order from the Conde de Monterey, viceroy of Peru, to

* Capt. Wilkes, vol. i. pp. 337-341.

furnish him with two ships for the purpose of extending the former discoveries. Two ships, Quiros commanding the first, and Luis Valz de Torres, the Almiranta, the second; besides, there was a small vessel called a zabra. They left Callao December 21st, 1605, and after making several discoveries, previously alluded to, on February 10th, 1606, the weather being rainy," they saw a low island, with a point to the S.E., which was covered with palm trees." Smoke arose from different parts, showing that it was inhabited. They could find no anchorage. They then endeavoured to work to windward of the S.E. point, but could not: the zabra then approached and anchored in 10 fathoms, near the shore. Their boats could not land, but a bold young Spaniard, Francisco Ponce, stripped and swam ashore, where he was very kindly received by the natives. Three other Spaniards followed him, and experienced the same kind treatment. They got safely off again, and the next day a party contrived to land at a place, from whence, after walking some time, they reached another bay of still water, which is on the other side of the island. They communicated further with the natives, and left the island on the 12th of February. This island has no name in the account given by Torres or by Torquemada, but in the list of Quiros it is called La Sagittaria. Almost all particulars coincide with that of the large and important island now under consideration.+ Quiros must therefore have the honour of discovering Tahiti.

To conclude the discovery of Quiros in this group, after quitting it he found a low island, in parts overflowed by the sea, the situation of which exactly coincides with that of Teturoa, 10 leagues to the northward of Tahiti. He then bore away towards the New Hebrides.

Like many other Spanish discoveries, this was unknown or unnoticed by the rest of the world, so that when the ship sent by George III. to make discoveries in the South Seas, the Dolphin, under Capt. Wallis, reached Tahiti, on June 19th, 1767, it was supposed to be the primary discovery, and it was named King George Island. He made it on the S.E. side, and was soon surrounded with a great multitude of canoes, the natives being very friendly, but thievish, which led to a slight skirmish. Capt. Wallis sailed along its eastern side, and anchored off its N.E. shore. On the 23rd he weighed, and discovered Matavai Bay; and, in passing it, struck on the detached coral bank, now called the Dolphin Bank, remaining immoveable, and in imminent danger for above an hour. They, however, got safely off, and anchored in the bay, when Lieutenant Furneaux landed, and took formal possession in the name of George III., by hoisting a flag.

• There are several accounts of this expedition; the earliest is in the Monarquia Indiana, lib. v. cap. 64, et seq. Torquemada is the author of it. Quiros also gave some particulars in his Memorials, published in Dalrymple's Collection, vol. i. pp. 145-174. Torres also has related the particulars of it; see Dalrymple's Collection, and more particularly Burney's Collection, vol. ii. p. 268, et seq. + One important particular would lead to a different conclusion. It is called a low island, isla rasa, or rather the S.E. part first seen, perhaps imperfectly. Tahiti, it is well known, is very lofty in the centre, low only near the shores. One point has been overlooked by Burney and Dalrymple. On the morning after they made the land they were mortified to find that they had drifted eight leagues to leeward, but could see that they were still abreast of the island; this could not be the case if it had been only a low island. The zabra also anchored in 10 fathoms, which could not be done off a coral reef. The place of landing of the ship's company exactly coincides with the description of the low and narrow isthmus connecting the two peninsulas. Another objection is, that the high Island of Eimeo is not mentioned, though it is visible from the East side of Tahiti.

[ocr errors]
« PreviousContinue »