knife, and a few fish-hooks, with which they seemed very well content and departed, I proceeding for the ship. We passed only one place having inhabitants after quitting Whannow, till we reached the ship at 6 P.M.”

Not considering the officer's account of the two men left on the island by those who built the brig sufficiently satisfactory, I inquired of M. Chaigneau and Bushart what passed on the subject between them and the natives of Amma and Whannow, who stated as follows:

"We understood the natives of Whannow and Amma to say, that one of the two white men named Marrah at Paiow with the Pawcorie tribe, died about three rackeys (or annual returns of the north-west winds) ago; the other escaped with the chief of Pawcorie and his tribe to some of the adjacent islands, about two and a-half rackeys ago. We never understood them to say that the chief of Pawcorie and the white man named Marrah, were the only persons of that tribe who escaped from the island, but that the whole took flight."

21st.-Fine pleasant trades. At low water I went with three boats to sound Dillon's Passage, which is bounded on the east by Bayley's Bay, on the west by Charles Lushington's Bay, on the north by Colonel Bryant's Point, and on the south by Point Chester. About the middle of

this channel, which is not more than six hundred feet broad, there is a ledge of coral patches, with from four to nine feet of water on them at low water. Within a cable's length or less of the east and west ends of the ledge there is twenty-five fathoms water, and on both sides of it there is a passage with sufficient water for a ship of moderate draught. The passage on the south of the ledge is about sixty feet, and that on the north side of it about ninety feet wide. The least water I had in the latter was from three to three fathoms and a-half at low water on the spring tides, and the least water in the former passage was four fathoms; but this is exceedingly narrow, and may not be sixty feet wide in some places. That part of the north passage which has from three to three fathoms and a-half water in it, is over an extent of bank perhaps a hundred and twenty feet east and west, and immediately deepens to five, ten, fifteen, and twenty fathoms, both east and west of it: By buoying the channel north of the ledge on both sides, a ship might pass through it in a case of necessity.

The boats returned at noon, and at 1 P.M. I sent them to examine Birch's Passage, through which we came in here. The boats steered from the point of the reef under which we lay at anchor different courses. They first steered out E.N.E., and made considerable lee-way; not

withstanding which she cleared the reef extending out to sea from the east point of Lord Combermere's Island, and only met with one bank in her passage, on which there was ten fathoms water. The second steered out east, and met with two banks on which she had only two fathoms water, although it was now more than half flood. The third steered out E.S.E., which was along the edge of the reef that lines the south shore of the main land upon that side of the channel, and met with several banks and patches, on which she had from two to two and a half fathoms.

It was low water here at fifty minutes past 10 A.M. to day, and was high water to all appearance at ten minutes before 5 P.M. The tide rises four or five feet, the ebb setting to the westward, and the flood to the eastward through the bay. I conjecture that the set of the tide along shore outside is the ebb to the north-west, and the flood to the south-east. There is a coral bank that lies off the point of the reef under which we first anchored, bearing from it north-west, distant a quarter of a mile. This bank had three fathoms water on it to-day, and did not break on the neaps, at half-tide a tremendous breaker rolls over it. There is plenty of room for a ship to pass between it and the point of the reef.

We were visited to-day by the greater part of the male islanders belonging to the two villages

in our neighbourhood: they brought their usual supplies of cocoa-nuts, bananas, fish, tara, &c., which they disposed of at their wonted dear rate. Being informed that we were about to sail shortly for Tucopia, they seemed to regret our departure, and desired the interpreter to inform us of their wish to be made acquainted of our intention a few days before sailing, that they might provide us with food for sea-stock.

This afternoon we caught one of the large sharks that frequent this bay. I intended the monster as a present to his sable majesty king Nero, of Davey, to be taken to him in procession when the boats should return, but not communicating my intention to the officer on deck, it was thrown over board when the decks were ordered to be cleared.

22d. The crew employed getting all ready for sea. At 8 A.M. sent three boats to sound Commodore Hayes' Channel, deeming such a precaution necessary, lest I should be unable to work out of the eastern channel, on account of the number of banks dispersed through it. By getting through Dillon's Channel, which was sounded yesterday, I would have a clear passage out to sea west of Lord Combermere's Island, through Charles Lushington's Bay. At 2 P.M. the boats returned with a very favourable account of the Commodore's Channel, through which there is sufficient room for any ship to get out to sea with a fair wind.

The natives in our neighbourhood came off to-day as usual. The principal articles they offered for sale were cocoa-nuts, for which their chief demand was empty wine-bottles, at the rate of one for ten nuts. I also procured from them some fish of the mullet species, very fine, and larger than any I have met with at NewSouth Wales or elsewhere in the South-Seas.

23d. The day commenced with gloomy weather and fresh trades right into the anchorage, so as to prevent getting the ship under sail. Soon after daylight four or five canoes, navigated by four men each, came off with a few of the productions of the island, to exchange for empty glass bottles. His excellency Morgan McMurragh shewed them a looking-glass, at which they stared with surprise, and called out to their friends in the canoes to come up and behold the enchantment. Morgan with the other New Zealanders laughed with contempt at the ignorance of the Mannicolans, and plumed themselves not a little on their superior knowledge: thus proving an admirable burlesque on the inflated half-witted pedants of our own society, who (like the lawyer that laughed at the sailor for not understanding the terms plaintiff and defendant) are frequently equally ignorant of every thing out of the immediate range of their own, practice.

King Nero was among the number of our visitants to-day, and as I expressed a desire for