place of concealment, when they perceived a vessel heave in sight; now they rejoice at her approach.

A short account of the reception of a ship on their shores will interest the reader.

It is customary for each family, in turn, to have the privilege of receiving as their guest the captain of any vessel, whether a man-of-war or a whaler, which may happen to arrive. On her On her appearance sufficiently near, the master of the house, whose turn it is to be the host, goes off in a canoe, and, after satisfactory answers to questions as to the health of those on board, he ascends the ship's side; the canoe, which is but a light affair, being quickly hauled up after him. Most important are these inquiries; for if the small-pox, or any other infectious disorder, should find its way into the island, dreadful, indeed, would be the result. But when it is "all right," the ship's boat being lowered, the captain, and five or six men, conducted by the islander, who steers in the difficult parts, proceed to Bounty Bay. Some persons are always

ready on the rocks to give a signal for the safe entrance of the boat, without which precaution serious accidents would frequently occur.

The captain and his company, attended by a number of the natives, who have descended from the village to the little beach, now ascend the hill, and generally walk first to the school-house, where they obtain a sight of the island-register, and examine the shipping-list, in which they enter the name of their own vessel; whence she has come, and whither she is bound. After some preliminary conversation, the representatives of the several families, one at least from each house, assemble; and after a hearty welcome, and the interchange of friendly expressions, inquire what is wanted for the vessel, as to vegetables, refreshments, &c. A list is handed in of the articles in demand, such as yams, sweet-potatoes, &c., the price of these goods being always the same in time of scarcity as of plenty. The inhabitants then, in their turn, inquire of the captain what he has to dispose of. This is gene

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rally found to be coarse cotton cloths, soap, oil, &c., with perhaps some small quantities of lead, or iron. While the captain is engaged in conversation with the teacher, on matters of mutual and general interest, the health of the queen being the first in the series of questions and answers, the inhabitants retire, and consult among themselves what each person's proportion of the captain's wants amounts to. This being settled, each repairs to his own plantation to procure his part, which, in every instance is, as far as possible, an equal share from each family.

Such is the reliance placed by visitors on the honesty and integrity of the islanders, that in no case does the captain think it necessary to be present at the measurement of the articles required. One of the islanders is appointed to remain at the market-place, to take an account of the things sent on board; and the mode of dealing is always cheerfully acceded to by the authorities of the vessel. The articles are removed from the market-place to Bounty Bay, where they are deposited

محل

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at the captain's risk, and from whence they are conveyed in boats; or, if the surf is heavy, the goods are packed in casks, which are conducted by the natives swimming with them through the heavy surf to the boats lying outside the broken water.

It has been stated, in the letter of a visitor to the island, that it is the custom on festive occasions, when the captain and his friends from the ship are entertained at dinner, for the women to attend upon the party at table. This is the exception to the general rule; as, usually, when there are no visitors, the men and women in a family sit down together. But the attendance of the females on strangers, and on their own relatives, has been misapprehended by some travellers as a mark of barbarism. Now, there must be some to wait; strangers must be hospitably served, and the younger women do these honours of their island in the most attentive and good-humoured manner. Here, again, the delicacy and good sense of the islanders are to be admired. It will be

allowed that for husbands and brothers to be attending upon their female relatives and newly-landed guests, would be a less desirable and becoming mode than that at present adopted.

In March, 1850, five passengers of the bark Noble, bound for California, were left by a mischance on Pitcairn; the vessel from which they had landed having been blown off from the island during the night. During the three weeks of their detention, which turned out to be a very agreeable visit, the strangers, who had no property about them but the clothes which they had on, received every mark of sympathy and friendship. One of these gentlemen, Mr. Walter Brodie, employed himself chiefly in gathering materials for an account of the island and its hospitable inhabitants, which was afterward published.

Two of the other guests, the Baron de Thierry, and Mr. Hugh Carleton, especially the latter, applied themselves to the task of teaching the whole of the adult population to sing. Fortunately, the ba