advanced in years, proportionately ugly, and a picture of deformity the mind of an European cannot well conceive. The other was a girl of about eighteen, who upon any island in the South Seas, except Mannicolo, might live a spinster till she reached the age of Methusalah. They were clothed with a petticoat from the loins to the knee, and heightened their personal attractions by abundantly chewing betel-nut and chunam.

The Marquis of Wyemattee and his party completed the wooding to-day, in the course of which an accident occurred that gave me much regret. The marquis's physician, lately christened Robert Tytler, wounded his foot severely with an axe while felling a tree, and sustained a great loss of blood before he could be conveyed on board, when his wound was immediately dressed by Mr. Griffiths, the surgeon. This man has been for a considerable time the faithful follower of the marquis's fortunes in his various campaigns against the Boroo tribe, and through all the different changes which the events of war produce. Although young, he is considered a very expert dissector of the slain, on whom his noble master occasionally feasts, and it is also generally admitted among his countrymen that Tytler is the most skilful man in the island in curing a human head.

It may be recollected that on various occa

sions, and particularly at Tonga, I had serious cause of complaint against the second officer. This morning between the hours of two and three I went on deck, where, instead of the bustle attending a vigilant watch of ten or fifteen men, every thing had a death-like stillness. I found but one man on the look-out. It was the second officers' watch, and I searched both sides of the quarter-deck and ascended the poop in quest of him, but to no purpose. I inquired for him of the only person I could see, who was on the poop looking out; he told me that he was on the quarter-deck. I replied, that I had searched there and could not find him. By this time another of the watch was awakened by our conversation, who rubbing his eyes, rose up, and informed me that the second officer was at the gangway. I hastened thither and found him sound asleep, his head reclined upon the hammock cloths. I gave him a push which startled him, and the sight of me effectually chasing away sleep, he hastily arose, and in his confusion, while ejaculating the words "O Captain Dillon!" tumbled over one of the guns. These repeated relapses were no longer to be borne with, I therefore ordered the baggage out of his cabin to be put forward in the ship, and from that moment disrated him, appointing Mr. James Hapley to act in his stead, a youth brought up under myself to the nautical profession.

26th.-Fine trades, with a very heavy long swell rolling into the bay, which caused the ship to pitch considerably.

The neighbouring islanders paid us their accustomed visit this morning with such commodities as they usually bring off. Having six or eight of them sitting close to me, I intimated to them my intention of visiting the islands of Otooboa, Indenney, Mammey, and Thamaco, in their neighbourhood, saying I would take any of them with me who might feel inclined for a trip. Most of my visitors declared they had been to those places; and one in particular, about fifty years old, said that he had visited them four times, and Tucopia twice, at the time that the chief Borey Thamaco was in the habit of coming to Mannicolo. I inquired of the interpreter whether this man (whose name was Seroo) spoke truth: who said that he did. I then asked Seroo how big he was at the time the ships were lost: he pointed to a lad about fourteen and said he was about his size. The following conversation then ensued.

"Was Borey Thamaco, chief of Tucopia, at this island then ?"" No; Thamaco was at Tucopia, but arrived here soon after."

"Do you know the hump-backed Tucopian who lived here some time ?"-"Yes; Tha Fow was my brother-in-law."

"Was Tha Fow here when the ships were

wrecked ?"-" Yes; he lived close to the water

ing place.".

"Were any of the people wrecked at Paiow murdered by the natives at Denimah ?"-" No; but the white men from Paiow came round in a boat to the reef off Denimah, and killed the chief of that place, named Nowrey. They put an instrument to their mouths and blew fire into it, and noise was heard. Nowrey was wounded in the kidney, and fell into the water out of his canoe, where he died. Nowrey was out fishing at the time, and his body has never been found. Such was the story of his death, as related by those who were with him fishing."

Seroo was supported in this account by the other natives of Davey, who vouched for its truth, and corrected him whenever he erred. He and the other islanders recounted that there was great fighting at Whannow between the white men and the inhabitants of that village, in which all the chiefs were killed, they being five in number, named, Valeco, Oley, Amea, Feto, and Tabinga; that almost all the common people were killed, and ten of the white men, whose heads were offered as a sacrifice to the deity.

I was two hours in putting the above questions and eliciting the answers; not so much through the fault of Bushart as of Rathea, who knew less of the Mannicolan dialect than the former did of the Tucopian. Rathea used to put his

questions to the Mannicolans in his own dialect, of which they knew very little; till at length I informed him through Bushart that I perceived he knew little or nothing of their language. This he confessed; adding that those who came here young soon learnt it, but he was old when he first visited Mannicolo.

Having my wood and water complete, I began to prepare for sailing, and finding the wind not likely to shift to the west, south-west, or south, to enable the ship to lay out through Birch's Passage, I determined to sail through Dillon's Passage into Lushington's Bay, and pass out to sea through Commodore Hayes' Channel. At 1 P.M. I set out from the ship to buoy Dillon's Passage with nineteen buoys, to the ropes of which pieces of coral were attached. letting some of these substitutes for anchors go, they slipped from the perpendicular edge of the reef into deep water, where the buoys floated them. My plan being thus frustrated, I was obliged to return and get others prepared with heavy stones attached.

On

27th.-Strong trades, with thick cloudy weather and a very heavy swell rolling into the bay. Soon after breakfast five canoes from Denimah came to the ship with fifteen or sixteen men in them, who offered for sale the undermentioned articles: Two pieces of iron knees; a large chain-bolt with the head; two pieces of chain