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CONTENTS.
DEPARTURE OF THE VINCENNES FROM TAHITI — BELLINGHAUSEN’S ISLAND — ROSE
ISLAND — MANUA —ITS DESCRIPTION — THREATENED WAR—ITS CAUSE—CANOES OF
MANUA— APPEARANCE AND CONDUCT OF THE NATIVES— VILLAGE— DRESS OF 'THE
NATIVES— PRODUCTIONS OF MANUA—OLOOSINGA—ITS DESCRIPTION—HOUSE OF THE
KING—HIS ENTERTAINMENT—RETURN TO THE SHIP—CORAL REEF OF OLOOSINGA—
OFOO — TEMPERATURE DURING THE PASSAGE— PLAN OF THE OPERATIONS OF THE
SQUADRON—APPEARANCE OF TUTUILA—HARBOUR OF PAGO-PAGO—A NCHORAGE—TOA —
OBSERVATORY—GEOLOGICAL STRUCTURE OF TUTUILA—APPEARANCE AND CHARACTER
OF [TS INHABITANTS—MASSACRE OF M. DE LANGLE—VILLAGE OF PAGO-PAGO—GOVERN-
MENT —WAR-MATS— VISIT TO TOA—HIS FEAST—PRICE OF PROVISIONS — WAR-SONG—
BATHING— MODE OF LIVING—EMPLOYMENTS AND AMUSEMENTS—MR. MURRAY, THE
MISSIONARY —CUSTOMS OF THE NATIVES—PUBLIC WORSHIP—MISSIONARY — JUNCTION
OF THE PEACOCK AND FLYING-FISH —SURVEYS—CLIMATE—VISIT TO HEATHEN VIL-
LAGES—SAVAGE FEAST—TEMPERATURE AT THE TOP OF MATAFOA—SUPPOSED MURDER
—REMARKABLE PHENOMENA OF THE TIDES.
CHAPTER TIL.
LEW ARUP eS
1839.
On the 29th, at daylight, having the wind from the northward and
eastward, we got under way, and made sail to the westward, passing
the Society Island Group: viz., Sir Charles Saunders’ Isle, Huaheine,
Tahaa, Borabora, Maufili, and Moutoiti. All of these, with the excep-
tion of the last, are high lands.
On the 30th of September, we made Bellinghausen’s Island, which
is a low coral island, similar to those which have been already
described. It was uninhabited, and is of a triangular form, with the
usual vegetation, with the exception of cocoa-nut palms. We landed
upon it, and made the magnetic experiments.
Birds were in great plenty, and as tame as we had found them at
other uninhabited islands we had visited. No lizards or rats were
observed, nor was the common fly seen. ‘The lagoon had no passage
into it at low water, but the tide flowed into it over the reef.
During the time of our stay on the island, the tide rose and fell
upwards of two feet, and it was high water at 8 a.m. Many speci-
mens of fish were obtained here, of which the department of Natural
History will treat.
In the afternoon, we again made sail to the westward, for Rose
Island, and on the 6th we passed near the locality of the Royal
George Shoal, but saw nothing of it.
On the 7th, which was the day appointed for our rendezvous off
Rose Island, we came in sight of it, and at the same time descried
the Porpoise. That vessel had passed by Nairsa or Dean’s Island, and
connected the survey of it with that of Krusenstern’s and Lazareff.
68 TUTUILA
Both of these were found to have entrances into their lagoons; they
are uninhabited, though occasionally visited by the natives of Nairsa
Island. The position of Recreation Island was passed over, but no
signs of land discovered.
Rose Island, the most eastern of the Samoan Group, was dis-
covered by Freycinet; who gave it its name. It appears, at first,
like a round knoll of land, but on a nearer approach, this is found to
arise from a large clump of Pisonia trees, similar to those found
erowing in the low archipelago. It is a low annular coral island of
small dimensions, inundated at high water, with the exception of two
small banks, one of which is entirely covered by the clump of trees.
The other is formed of dead coral, without any vegetation. The tide
was found here to rise about four and a half feet, the flood setting to the
eastward. ‘The breakers on its weather or southeast side are heavy ;
and there is an entrance into the lagoon having four fathoms depth of
water through it. The lagoon has from six to twelve fathoms in it.
A remarkable coral formation, like a submerged tree, thirty feet in
diameter over its top, was found in the centre of the lagoon, rising to
the level of low water, and having all around it a depth of six
fathoms. The currents set regularly out and in to the lagoon,
according to the state of the tide. In stormy weather the sea must
make a complete breach over the reef.
Some boulders of vesicular lava were seen on the coral reef; they
were from twenty to two hundred pounds weight, and were found
among blocks of coral conglomerate.
Birds were seen flying over the island, and on landing we found
them in great numbers and very tame. ‘The frigate-birds, and
boobies (sula), whose nests had before been observed on low bushes,
were here found on the tops of trees fifty feet high. ‘The noddies
laid their eggs on the parts of the island destitute of vegetation.
Tern were in great numbers; their breeding-place was in a thicket
on the weather side of the island, or that which was exposed to the
wind and sea, and was remarkable from the regularity with which
the eggs were placed, about three feet apart, without any nest, and
with but few exceptions, out of many thousands, each egg lay
separately. The colour of the eggs is a dirty white, mottled with
brown. The noise made by these birds when disturbed was almost
deafening ; but on making a loud sound, such as the firing of a gun,
their cries would cease for a moment or two, producing a singular
stillness.
TUTUILA., 69
Several small turtle, similar to those seen at Honden Island, were
observed here. One of them was taken, but its flesh proved coarse,
and was dryer than that of the green turtle: they feed upon a species
of fucus that grows upon the reefs. Here we made observations for
intensity and dip.
On the 7th, we left Rose Island and stood to the westward, making
at sunrise the island of Manua, which is two thousand five hundred
feet above the level of the sea. It has the form of a regular dome,
rising in most places precipitously from the water to the height of
three or four bundred feet, after which its ascent appears more gentle
and even. It is sixteen miles in circumference, is well covered with
a luxuriant vegetation, and has many cocoa-nut groves on its north-
west side.
On approaching it, Oloosinga was in sight, and shortly after Ofoo.
These two islands le to the northwestward, at the distance of about
four miles.
The boats were lowered, and sent to trace the shores of the island
of Manua, for the purpose of surveying it; whilst the Vincennes and
the Porpoise passed on each side.
This island is inhabited. The principal settlement is on the
northwest side, and there is anchorage for a small vessel near
the shore, where there is a cove to land in, with but little surf
during the fine season, or from April to November. It has a shore
reef of coral, and the soundings extend off some distance, eight
fathoms beg found four hundred yards from the shore.
Some large blocks of vesicular lava were seen on its northeast
point, but the general structure was a conglomerate of a drab colour,
in horizontal strata; yet the beach was of light-coloured sand, formed
by a mixture of coral and shells.
Our arrival off Manua was opportune. According to the statement
of one of the brothers of the king, who spoke a little English, hostili-
ties had been threatened between the “missionary” party, and the
“devil’s men.” A native missionary, resident in the island, had
already prevented a battle, by telling them that if they wished to
fight with each other they must first kill him. Through his
influence, and exemplary conduct, peace had hitherto been preserved.
It was stated that several “very bad’? white men were on the island,
and that they made “plenty of fight; but that on seeing “ man-
nawa’ (man-of-war), they had gone into the “bush.”
VOL. II. 18
70 UD WAG
Eight of these men had deserted from an English whaler, whose
boat they had stolen. ‘Three of them came alongside of us next
day, clad after the manner of the natives, and were very anxious to
be taken off the island.
The canoes of these islanders were the best we had seen. ‘They
are built of a log, having upon it pieces fastened together, to raise
them sufficiently high. ‘They are thirty or forty feet long, and are
partly covered in at both ends. Some of them are capable of con-
taining twenty or twenty-five men, and are very swift. The chief
usually sits cross-legged on the forward platform or deck. They
have an out-rigger which is not so far removed from the canoe, and
renders them more liable to be upset.
Several of the natives came on board. ‘They were a finely-formed
race, and appeared lively and well-disposed, though in a much
wilder state than those of the Society Islands.
Our party, on landing, were immediately surrounded with natives
willing to trade, and calling out for “bacca,” (tobacco,) which is in
great request among them. Fish-hooks were also much sought for.
A fowl, a bunch of bamboos, and a dozen of cocoa-nuts were pro-
cured for a small one.
They seemed willing to exchange any thing they had, viz., baskets,
mats, spears, clubs, &c., to obtain these articles. They were not
found altogether honest, though this did not consist in stealing, but in
selling their articles twice over; for after we had made a purchase
from one, another would claim the article as belonging to himself,
and insist on also receiving a price for it.
Near the village are thick stone walls, imtended to all appearances
for defence. The houses are elliptical, supported on stout posts about
four feet high, from which the roof or thatching rises to the height
of twelve or fifteen feet; they are generally erected on a raised terrace
of stone, two feet above the ground. The floors are covered with
coarse matting.
The king or chief of these islands, resides at Oloosinga, in conse-
quence of its being more easily defended.
The dress of the natives consists only of the maro, made of the
leaves of the Dracena, which has a graceful appearance. ‘The leaves
are slit, and form a kind of short petticoat.
The tattooing is of the same kind, as will be described in the
general account of the Samoan Islands.
UD UpT VAr 71
These islands furnish pigs, fowls, sweet-potatoes, fruit, and some
taro. The vegetation was thought to be more luxuriant than at
Tahiti, and the climate moister.
Many running streams were observed coursing down the sides of
the island. When off the eastern end, we were much surprised to
see the natives plunge off the rocks into the heavy surf to reach our
boats.
After our party reached the ship, we made sail for Oloosinga,
where I went on shore to see the king or chief, who was old and
decrepit. His name is Lalelah. His brother, and presumptive
successor, was with him, and met me as I landed from the boat. His
mode of salutation was by taking my hand and rubbing the back of
it against his nose.
The old man, I was told by the interpreter, could speak a little
English, but I could not understand him. This he attributed to his
age, and would not admit that it was owing to his ignorance of the
language. They led the way to his hut, situated under a mural
precipice about twelve hundred feet in height.
The island of Oloosinga is a narrow ledge of rocks, rising nearly
perpendicular on both sides, and is three miles im length. So preci-
pitous is it at its ends, that it is impossible to pass around it on the
rocks. The strip of land is about five hundred yards in width, on
which bread-fruits and cocoa-nuts grow in great profusion and sufhi-
cient abundance for all the wants of the natives. ‘They told me that
this island had been chosen as a place of safety, since the other
became unsettled in consequence of the wars of the Christian and
Devil’s parties ; and that the island of Manua had formerly been the
residence of the king, but that he found himself unsafe there, and
had taken up his abode at Oloosinga, on its northwestern side.
His house was elliptical in form, and thirty feet long, erected on a
well-flagged terrace of stone, about four feet above the ground. It
was well shaded with cocoa-nut and bread-fruit trees, and was
supported around by ten stout posts, with three others in the centre
reaching the top. ‘The roof came down within three and a half feet
of the ground, and projected as eaves about eighteen inches or two
feet. In the centre the hut was fifteen feet high and well thatched.
The whole floor was ordered to be spread with fine mats, which
were carefully unrolled, and laid over the coarser ones on the floor.
The king then seated himself in the centre, and desired me to take a
seat between himself and brother. Shortly afterwards two large
72 TUTUILA.
wooden trays were brought in, filled with cooked bread-fruit and
covered over with leaves. One of these was placed before me, when
the king made a long speech, giving me welcome and offering food to
eat. I was then desired to hand some to the king and his brother, and
to others who were pointed out to me. ‘This I did, but unfortunately
continued my task, and handed it to one of the Kanakas, or common
people, who were sitting close around us; much displeasure was
evinced, accompanied with angry looks. I now looked around for
my men, but they were out of sight on their return to the boat. In
order to make the best of my situation, I asked what was meant, and
feigned to be quite ignorant of having given any offence. After a
minute they were apparently appeased, and pleasant looks were
restored.
They handed round a shell containing cocoa-nut oil to dip the
bread-fruit in, and another containing salt water. After we had
eaten, they began a careful examination of my clothes, and appeared
much pleased with the buttons. My pocket-handkerchief was taken
out of my pocket, and spread on the mat to be examined by the king.
His brother took off my hat, and put it on the top of his large bushy
head. ‘They then had ava made, of which I could not partake, after
seeing the process of making it. It is first chewed by the women
and thrown into a large bowl; water is added to it, and it is then
strained through leaves. This was partaken of by them all, while
they gave me a fresh cocoa-nut.
They were becoming more familiar every moment, and it was
getting late, so I thought it time to make a move. I therefore rose
up, and was followed by the natives, in number upwards of a hun-
dred, including the king and his brother, to the boat. I looked
carefully around for arms, but saw none among them. My boat was
aground: the king, his brother, and several others, got into it, saying
they must have some presents. ‘They seemed disposed to resist, and
showed a determination to contest our getting off. I on the other
hand was determined to get rid of them, and peaceably if I could; I
therefore ordered the boat’s crew to arm themselves, and drive every
one of the natives from the boat, at the same time intimating to the
king to use his authority, which I found, however, existed only in
name. We thus succeeded in getting clear of the crowd, until we
had no more than eight left; to each of these I presented a small fish-
hook, and ordered them to get into the water, which was about a foot
deep, and go; this they did, one by one. At last came the king and
TUTE WN LA: 73
his brother’s turn, to whom I presented, with great ceremony, first a
small and then a large fish-hook ; after which they left me, appa-
rently in great good humour. I was heartily glad to be rid of such
rapacious troublesome fellows so easily, and without a fight. We
then pushed our boat off. When just beyond the reef, in taking up
our anchor, the boat had the appearance of returning again on shore.
On seeing this, a great shout was set up by the natives, and one of
them immediately advanced with my powder-flask. He said it had
been taken by a boy out of the boat, and had been dropped into the
water, to be picked up after we had shoved off. I gave the mana
small present for his apparent honesty; but I am inclined to believe
it was the fear of detection, and the belief that we had missed the
article, and were returning for it, that induced them to give it up so
willingly. It was some time before he could be made to understand
what the reward was for, but when he found it was for his honesty,
he laughed heartily.
This having excited our suspicions, the boat’s crew informed me
that a canoe that was paddling off had been alongside the gig, and
that they felt satisfied that the natives had taken something from us.
It being in our course towards the ship, we gave chase, and being
favoured by the wind, soon overtook the canoe, to the great fright of
the two natives, who were paddling with all their might, and whose
eyes were full of tears when overtaken. ‘They had nothing at all in
their canoe, and after examination it proved we had lost nothing. To
console them for this alarm, I gave them a few trifles, and they
became easy and cheerful.
The coral reef around this island was different from any I had
hitherto seen. It consisted of two regular shelves, the outer one from
fifty to sixty feet wide, and the inner in places measuring one hundred
and forty feet. A distinct mark of high water was measured along
the beach, and found to be twenty feet above the ordinary sea-tide,
which has from four to five feet rise.
The rock at Manua was volcanic conglomerate, with large blocks
of vesicular lava lying loose on the coral beach.
Before sunset the boats returned to the ship, having completed the
survey of both islands.
Ofoo les to the westward of Oloosinga. There is a passage for
boats of about a fourth of a mile in width between them, and
anchorage on the western side. Ofoo resembles Oloosinga, and from
the accounts we received, it has but few inhabitants; those of
VOL. II. 19
74. TUTUILA.
Oloosinga having made war upon them, and killed the natives off.
There is a small and comparatively low islet off its western end, near
which there is an anchorage. After sunset we bore away for Tutuila,
which can be seen in fine weather from these islands.
The temperature in the passage from Tahiti to the Samoan Islands
had increased from 77-6° to 81:11° in the air; and that of the water
from 79-6° to 81-6°.
As it was my intention to make a thorough examination of this
group, I resolved, in order to accomplish it in the least possible time,
to divide the squadron, so as to put all the remaining islands under
examination at the same time. The island of Tutuila being the most
central, and from the information I had obtained, the best position for
my astronomical observations, I selected it for the Vincennes. That
of Upolu was reserved for the Peacock and Flying-Fish when they
should arrive; and in case of their being detained longer than I anti-
cipated, I should be ready to take up the survey of the latter, or assist
in completing it. ‘The Porpoise was ordered to examine the island
of Savaii; -and one of the naturalists, Dr. Pickering, was directed to
join her, for the purpose of exploring the interior of the island during
her operations in its vicinity. Lieutenant-Commandant Ringgold
was therefore directed to land him for the purpose, and take him on
board when the survey should be concluded.*
On the 10th of October, we had light winds, in consequence of
which we did not reach Tutuila that day. At daylight on the 11th
we were near its eastern end, and off the island of Anuu.
About eight miles to windward of the harbour of Pago-pago, we
were boarded by several canoes, in which were some natives, with a
white man by name William Gray, whom I retained as interpreter
during our stay here, and found of much use.
The island of Tutuila is high, broken, and of volcanic appearance.
It is seventeen miles long, and its greatest width is five miles. The
harbour of Pago-pago penetrates into the centre, and almost divides
the island into two parts. It is less varied in surface than the Society
Islands; and its highest peak, that of Matafoa, was found to be two
thousand three hundred and twenty-seven feet above the sea. The
spurs and ridges that form the high land are lke those of Tahiti:
precipitous, sharp-edged, and frequently rise in mural walls from the
water to a height of three or four hundred feet, showing the bare
* For orders, see Appendix V.
TUTUILA. 15
basaltic rock. Above this height, the surface is covered with a
luxuriant vegetation to the very top of the mountains; the cocoa-nut
tree and tree-fern give the principal character to this beautiful
scenery. Dead coral is seen along the shores, above high water
mark.
The harbour of Pago-pago is one of the most singular in all the
Polynesian isles. It is the last point on which one would look for a
place of shelter: the coast near it is peculiarly rugged, and has no
appearance of indentations, and the entrance being narrow, is not
easily observed. Its shape has been compared to a variety of
articles; that which it most nearly resembles is a retort; it is sur-
rounded on all sides by inaccessible mural precipices, from eight
hundred to one thousand feet in height. ‘The lower parts of these
rocks are bare, but they are clothed above with luxuriant vegetation.
So impassable did the rocky barrier appear in all but two places, that
the harbour was likened to the valley of Rasselas changed into a
lake. The two breaks in the precipice are at the head of the harbour
and at the Pilot’s Cove. The harbour is of easy access, and its
entrance, which is about a third of a mile in width, is well marked
by the Tower Rock and Devil’s Point.
About three miles to the southward, off the mouth of the harbour,
there is a coral bank half a mile long, on which the sea breaks in
76 ET TSU Tats gAe
stormy weather; the least depth of water found on it was four and
a half fathoms: the depth increases to the eastward, towards the island
of Anuu.
As we arrived off the harbour the wind grew light, and finally
came out ahead, thus compelling us to beat in to our anchorage,
under the direction of Edmund Foxall, a white pilot. He usually
comes off to vessels when within two or three miles of the harbour, on
a signal being made. We made many tacks before we reached our
anchorage, which was in deep water, twenty-nine fathoms. About
half a mile from the entrance of the harbour, it bends at right angles.
In this position, surrounded by cliffs, the firmg of a gun produces a
remarkable reverberation, resembling loud peals of thunder.
We were surrounded as soon as we entered, by a large number of
canoes, filled with natives, who all seemed delighted with the ship
and the number of men on board. When we had moored, one of
the principal chiefs, whose name was Toa, was admitted on board ;
he was an athletic, muscular man, of large frame, about forty
years of age, with a pleasant expression of countenance; he mani-
fested great pleasure in welcoming us. He began by telling me,
through the interpreter, that he was a missionary; that he had
formerly been a great thief, and a doer of many bad acts, but being
now a missionary, he was reformed and stole no more. He told this
with such an open expression of countenance and so much simplicity,
that I could scarcely forbear smiling. After I had finished asking him
questions, he continued eyeing me from head to foot, as if deter-
mining my dimensions. I told the interpreter to ask him why he
looked at me so intently. He replied, that he had a coat on shore that
was too tight for him about the arms and chest, and he believed it
would fit me: if so, he should be glad to exchange it for the jacket
I had on. Not being inclined to this exchange, I ordered a small
hatchet to be given him. ‘This gratified him much, and he instantly
went over the ship’s side to show it to his friends. This same Toa is
chief of the village of Fungasar, about three miles distant from the
harbour, on the north side of the island. He learns to read and write,
being taught by some of the small children, and attends school regu-
larly. He became of great use to us, and was a constant visiter.
During one of his visits on board, he espied some red umbrellas
among the presents, and from that time was continually endeavouring
to obtain one for his wife, and brought many articles in the hope of
inducing us to part with it in exchange for them.
The day after our arrival a place was chosen for our observatory,
TUTUILA. a) a
and the tents and instruments were landed. Understanding that I
wanted to see the sun and stars, I was told by Mr. Murray, the white
residents, and natives, that I should have little weather for observa-
tions for the next fortnight, which proved literally true, with the
exception of the last two days.
The geological character of this island is similar to that of Manua ;
it has only a shore reef of coral, and soundings extend some distance
from it. It has many desirable ports or bays on its north side, where
vessels may obtain wood, water, and supplies. ‘The best and safest
port, however, is that of Pago-pago, on its south side, which affords a
safe harbour for vessels to overhaul, and where supplies may be
obtained in abundance.
Pago-pago is thickly settled round its shores, and particularly at its
southwestern end: this is lower and more easily cultivated than
the eastern, which is high and rugged. ‘The only communication is
by the sea-shore, the hills being too precipitous and difficult of ascent,
to pass over.
The men of Tutuila are a remarkably tall fine-looking set, with
inteligent and pleasing countenances. In comparison with the
Tahitians, they would be called sedate.
The women are far from being good-looking, with the exception
of some of the younger ones. ‘hey are remarkably domestic and
virtuous, exhibiting a strange contrast to those of Tahiti. Here there
is no indiscriminate intercourse, the marriage tie is respected, and
parents are extremely fond of their offspring. ‘The inhabitants are
disposed to be hospitable to strangers, although they expect re-
muneration for it. Travelling is generally believed to be safe
throughout the island of Tutuila, and the natives, as far as our
experience goes, are not the blood-thirsty race they have been re-
ported to be. ‘The unfavourable estimate of their character has, I
presume, been derived from those who first knew them, and particu-
larly from their attack upon the expedition of La Perouse. Of
this conflict I obtained the following particulars from the Rev. Mr.
Murray, who had them from an old man, who was a witness of the
affray. ‘The latter is the only imdividual now alive in the settlement
who was present when it occurred, and his testimony was corrobo-
rated by others who had heard of it from those who witnessed the
scene.
On the morning of the massacre, the vessels stood in towards the
land. About noon the boats went ashore, as recorded by La Perouse,
VOL. Il. 20
78 TUTULL A
and while on shore, a number of canoes belonging to the island of
Upolu (to which Tutuila was at the time subject), went from the shore,
and proceeded directly to the vessels. When these canoes were
alongside, a young man in one of them laid his hand on an iron bolt
in some part of the ships, with the intention, it is supposed, of stealing
it. He was fired upon by the French. ‘The ball passed through his
shoulders, and mortally wounded him. ‘The natives, on seeing the
effect of the shot on one of their number, were greatly enraged, and
immediately left the vessels, and hastened to the shore, where they
found the boats that had gone to get water. On reaching them, they
began the attack, which resulted in the massacre of M. De Langle,
and of those who were with him on shore. When the natives began
this attack, the great body of the French were absent from their
boats; some were in the bushes gathering plants, and others talking
to the females. On the commencement of the disturbance, they all
rushed towards their boats, and the confusion became general.
The minute circumstances of the affray, farther than the above,
cannot now be ascertained from the natives. They are, however,
very clear in reference to the cause, and to those who were the actors
in it, viz., the natives of Upolu. The Tutuilians maintain that they
endeavoured to save the lives of the French, and on the following
day, as soon as they dared to venture from the mountains, whither
they had fled during the massacre, they collected the bodies, which
they found in a state of nudity, dressed them in native cloth, and
buried them in the beach, as they were accustomed to bury their own
chiefs. The actors in the massacre proceeded at once to Upolu,
which will account for their having been afterwards seen there, and
recognised by the French. Our inquiries relative to the spot where
they had buried the bodies, were not satisfactorily answered. How
the carpenter’s son escaped is not known. He is said to be still
living ata village on the eastern part of the island. There appears
to be mention made of a boy among the missing, in La Perouse’s
account. Levasu, a chief of the district of Faleletai, was at the
massacre of the party of La Perouse. He was then a boy of thirteen
years of age. He remembered the occurrence, and that three of the
Papalangi were killed.
The perpetrators of the deed were some young chiefs from the
district, who were on a “ Malanga” to Tutuila. At that time Aana
district had the rule, or was the “ Malo” party, and domineered over
the inhabitants of the other islands and districts.
TUS TU AIO TV Ae 79
The village of Pago-pago contains about thirty dwellings, and a
council-house, which is in use as a church, until the large one
they are engaged in building shall be finished. Every village
has a council-house for the entertainment of visiters, and the accom-
modation of meetings.
This island is under several chiefs, each of whom rules over a
town, district, or bay. The present chief of Pago-pago is Mowna,
the adopted son of the last chief, Pomale, who died not long since,
leaving an only son, also called Pomale, who from his great modesty
lost his inheritance. Mowna was more crafty than Pomale, and
understood well his rival’s character. After the death of the old
chief, these two young men, about the same age, became candidates
for the succession. Mowna, through his intrigues, succeeded in
getting the whole family together to decide between them. Both
Mowna and Pomale were present, the former appearing dejected,
silent, and willing to leave the decision to the meeting; whilst
Pomale, when asked who should be chief, said with his usual
modesty that he was in favour of Mowna, who was accordingly made
chief. Mowna, however, is now so in name only, for Pomale rules
in fact. This arises from his good character, and the influence he
derives from the missionaries, of whom he is one of the most active
and pious supporters, and withal a great preacher. So great is the
confidence Mr. Murray has in Pomale, that he is frequently left to
take charge of the congregation, during the absence of Mr. Murray
in another part of the island.
The greatest restraint on the conduct of the chiefs, appears to be
the fear of losmg the good name of their ancestors, and of not
handing it down to posterity pure and unspotted. This feeling seems
to govern their conduct, and from the information I received, may be
made use of as an appeal to them, to avoid doing evil, and to do
right.
The missionary, the Rev. Mr. Murray, deserves the greatest credit
for this state of things. He has unbounded influence over the natives,
and deserves it. The ten commandments are the common law of the
island, wherever Christianity has taken root, and any infringement of
them is surely punished; the guilty persons being put out of the
church, and denied the privilege of attending worship. They are
looked upon as having fallen, and are consequently avoided. This
fear of public opinion, I was informed, was found to be sufficient to
deter them from the commission of crimes and immoral practices.
80 AU SMUG TEN EAS
The tapa or rugs worn by distinguished chiefs, were preserved,
and were formerly much venerated by them. Since the introduction
of Christianity, however, such has been its influence that they will
now readily part with any thing of the kind. Pomale was induced
to let us have those in his possession, and also exchanged the ‘“ war
spirit” mat for a small present for his wife.
On the 17th, our friend Toa gave us an invitation to visit him at
his town of Fungasar, on the north side of the island. It is situated
on the next bay to that now called Massacre Bay, where De Langle
was killed. The path across the island is a very difficult one to
travel; it leads up through the valley, and across the dividing ridge,
which is quite precipitous. The rain which had fallen made it very
slippery, and the journey was fatiguing to those not accustomed to
this kind of walking.
I was much struck here with the manliness and intelligence of the
natives, with a frank open expression of countenance. The colour
of their complexion is rather darker than that of the natives of Tahiti.
The outlines of face and figure are very like those we had left, their
hair and eyes black, and their teeth good and white. Some of them
had frizzled hair, but it was generally straight.
Just before arriving at the village, we were met by Toa, and some
of his relations and attendants, who welcomed us to his village,
saluting me by rubbing his nose with my hand; this is the usual
custom.
He ordered a pig, taro, bread-fruit, &c., &c., for our entertainment.
These were cooked in the universal Polynesian mode, by being
covered up ina hole with hot stones. We were soon told that the
feast was ready, but having had some experience of their cooking,
we desired it might remain in the oven a little while longer. Their
usual custom is to take it out the moment that the taro is cooked, and
from daily practice they are well acquainted with the time required to
cook it. ‘l'his is scarcely sufficient to give the pig time to be warmed
through. Our request prevailed, and in the course of half an hour we
were summoned to the council-house or fale tele, where strangers are
always entertained. We were shown our seats on one side of a
circle, while Toa, with his family and friends, occupied the other.
The mats, except one, were not very clean. The pig, which must
have weighed one hundred pounds, was brought im, and laid with
the taro and bread-fruit on banana-leaves. A butcher’s knife was all
that we possessed to carve it with. The whole village, old and
TUTUILA. 81
young, men, women, and children, who were waiting in anxious
expectation for their share, now surrounded us, and made it uncom-
fortable to eat, with so many hungry expectants; I made haste,
therefore, to divide it, and with it they soon dispersed. ‘The taro
was exceedingly well cooked, dry, and farimaceous. ‘The bread-fruit
they said was too young, and not being considered good by them,
they objected to giving us any of it, but did not hesitate to eat it
themselves. A pig is a great treat to them, for although they have
plenty, they prefer selling to eating them.
All kinds of provisions in these islands are enhancing in value,
and will continue to do so. It is remarkable how the prices fluctuate.
On some days provisions of all kinds will be exceedingly cheap, and
almost any article will be taken in exchange; and then again nothing
can be found to please the natives, or induce them to trade, although
the quantity for sale is equally as great. It was not a little amusing
to see the natives sitting whole days to obtain the price of their
fowl or pig, and persisting in their refusal of the offer made: and this
was sometimes done by a large number at the same time, all remain-
ing true to each other until their poe or food became exhausted,
when they would take the earliest opportunity of disposing of their
different parcels.
In the grove near the village we saw several piles of stones. I
was told they were the graves in which they formerly buried the
dead, just below the surface. On the top were placed stones, forming
a high pile. Now they bury their dead in graves about three feet
deep, and enclose them with the Dracena, which grows rapidly, and
forms a pretty and neat trellis.
Toa became quite communicative, and as he showed me about his
village, he told me, through the interpreter, that before the mis-
sionaries came, the chiefs all had their “ Aitu” or spirits, which they
worshipped, and that they felt themselves obliged to do every thing
they commanded. His Aitu were fresh-water eels, which he con-
stantly fed in the brook near the village. I visited it, and requested
him to catch one, which he attempted to do; but after a long search,
turning over large stones, and examining holes, he was unsuccessful.
He said there were many in it formerly, and quite tame; but since
he had embraced Christianity, they had all been caught and destroyed ;
on farther questioning him, he told me that he had himself eaten them;
that formerly if any one had touched, disturbed, or attempted to catch
one, he should have killed him immediately. He said his eels were
VOL. il. 21
82 AM UD) AR TG) 1) 1G Ne
~
very good to eat, and was sorry he could not find any more, and
iehed very heartily when I spoke to him about eating his Aitu. I
mention this circumstance to show the powerful effect the Christian
religion has had upon the ancient customs of this people.
After much persuasion, they were induced to sing some of their old
war-songs. Mr. Drayton wrote one down as a specimen of their
music; the words were written by one of the interpreters.
a pa - la nou nou Fo a
] aul l s
| | | @ ; E ma | |
— + o—e @
Sa =e feces.
aan . . -
s faa - fi tui - a - la a - la po-po-to ar - fi - ti a mai
“Si li ee eee ee / 5
=== chet Saal :
eae eee ee ae = |i
ae |
fi ie. mo - le Vai vau fa lau - -ua tai mai le ou
To the above they sing a kind of second with very correct har-
mony. They do not seem to have any particular air among them,
and in singing the above, they did not sound the same notes every
time. All their music sounds alike, and the above will give a good
idea of it. A translation of the song was made by the same inter-
preter, and is as follows.
A chief of Samoa attacks an enemy on another island and con-
quers. After the victors have embarked safely for their island, they
sing as follows :
“ Keep her away, and mind the helm.”
And when they get home the people sing,—
“‘ We are glad you have come to your island of plenty,
We have waited a long time for our chief and canoes.”
Toa, after his unsuccessful search for his favourite eels, went
into the brook for a bath, which he told me he very frequently did
during the day ; and it was delightful to see the pleasure he took in
it. The natives, indeed, are almost constantly in the water, and,
consequently, very cleanly in their persons. Finding that it occu-
TUTUILA. 83
pied too much of their thoughts on the Sabbath, bathing on that day
has been forbidden.
This village contained about forty houses, of a large and commo-
dious size, and about two hundred inhabitants, a number of whom
were absent on a visit to Upolu.
Towards evening, we took our leave of Toa, thanking him warmly
for his kindness; we were escorted to the outside of the village by
his friends and relations, whilst Toa himself accompanied us to
Pago-pago.
The natives have no fixed time for meals, eating whenever they
feel hungry. Their food consists of pork, fish, bread-fruit, cocoa-
nuts, bananas, &c., but principally of taro. All of these are produced
in abundance. Water is their common drink, and, notwithstanding
cocoa-nuts are so abundant, the milk is seldom used: the trouble of
procuring them is too much for them. ‘They use ava made from the
Piper mythisticum, and it is the only intoxicating drink they have.*
It is never used to excess, although old and young, male and female,
are very fond of it. The taste, to one unaccustomed to it, is not
pleasant, being somewhat similar to that of rhubarb and magnesia.
Their mode of preparing it is the same as has already been described.
They sleep on the large coarse mats with which they always cover
the floors of their houses. Over these they spread coloured tapas,
some of which are also used for nets of protection against the nume-
rous musquitoes. For a pillow they use a piece of bamboo supported
on small legs. Their hair is frequently shorn close, and coral, lime,
or ashes sprinkled over it to destroy the vermin which are generated
in great numbers in their tapas and mats.
According to old Toa, a native is in a comfortable condition
when he has a good house; a well-made visiting canoe; a neat,
handy, large and well-formed woman for a wife; a taro patch with
a good fence; cocoa-nut, and bread-fruit trees, with a reasonable
number of pigs.
The women are now admitted to the same privileges as the men.
The chiefs have still great power over the people, although the
influence of the missionaries has tended greatly to diminish it.
Most of the people look back to the days when polygamy existed
* The ava does not, according to the whites, intoxicate in the same manner as ardent
spirits, but produces a temporary paralysis, tremors, and a confused feeling about the
head ; indistinctness and distortion of vision, somewhat resembling the effect of opium.
84 TUTUILA.
with regret, and cannot understand why they are restricted to one
wife. They say, “Why should God be so unreasonable as to require
them to give up all their wives but one for his convenience?” They
pay just attention to their religious duties; morning and evening
prayers are always said, as is grace before their meals, and with a
devotion rarely to be seen among civilized men.
Their amusements seem to be few; their books are constantly
before them, and a great portion of their time is employed over them.
Old gray-headed men may be seen poring over the alphabet, and
taught by some of the youngest of the family. ‘The employment of
the men is to cultivate and weed the taro, and to take care of the
fences; they also make sinnet for their houses and canoes for fishing.
The women are engaged in making mats, and the boys and girls
play, and wait upon their seniors.
Next to study, fishing is their great employment. ‘This is per-
formed by driving the fish towards the nets in shoal water, where
they are easily caught. ‘The cast-net is also used.
The only amusement we saw, is a game called lafo-tupe, which
is played with cocoa-nut shells, and resembles shuffle-board.
Mr. Murray is an amiable as well as a truly pious man, and the
natives have imitated the example set by him. He studiously avoids
any intercourse with them in the way of trade or barter, except so
much as is necessary for the provision of his own family, and devotes
his whole time to preaching and teaching the gospel. He is one of
the missionaries engaged in translating the Bible, many parts of
which are now completed, and extensively used by the natives, many
of whom read and write well.
Their observance of the Sabbath is very strict; and it is impossible
to get a native to do any thing whatsoever on that day, but perform
his religious duties. They attend church regularly. In Mr. Mur-
ray’s congregation there are about thirty communicants, and nearly
one thousand attendants on public worship. They come from many
of the surrounding villages. Mr. Murray has been here about three
years, and the native preachers nine or ten: he is well acquainted
with the difficulties of his station, but seemed to feel assured that his
exertions were about being crowned with success. He represented to
me, that the natives were very tractable, and desired exceedingly to
be taught; that they had much application, seemed to comprehend
many things, and were certainly not surpassed in intelligence by any
of the natives of Polynesia.
UE DW Ly At 85
Polygamy, which formerly was practised to a great extent, still
exists among those who have not been converted.
Circumcision is practised among them.
They carry their children in the same simgular manner on the hip,
as was shown in wood-cut of the low archipelago. ‘They are early
betrothed, without regard to age, the girl being saa, or tabooed, until
of marriageable age. During the intervening time, all kinds of native
property are accumulated, such as mats, &c., for the bridal day.
Two days previous to it, the inhabitants of the district are gathered
together for feasting and dancing. On the third day, the bride is
produced before the assembled multitude, and the ceremony attendant
on marriage that was customary among the Jews performed. After
the marriage had been consummated, the dowry was exhibited, and
each article being held up, it was proclaimed by whom it was
presented ; the multitude, having consumed all the eatables, and ex-
hausted their strength in rioting and debauchery, dispersed.
Infanticide has never been practised on this island.
T have seldom seen a more devout or attentive collection of people
than I observed at times in the church meeting, which was held in
the council-house at Pago-pago; the new church was undergoing
alterations; for on its being completed, it was found it would not
accommodate the congregation, when they determined to enlarge it.
Upon the conclusion of a long service, they were observed to divide
themselves into three parties; one remaining in the church, and
the other two repairing to different buildings. ‘The object of this
was, that they might listen to instructions from their native teachers
explanatory of the sermon, and also receive exhortations to put away
all that is unbecoming to the Christian character. ‘The afternoon is
employed in further explanations and examinations by the missiona-
ries. The native missionaries have also meetings on Fridays.
Their mode of singing hymns is peculiar, the whole mass joining
in some parts, with all the lungs they could muster. ‘This exercise
appeared to afford them great delight. The congregation were
mostly dressed in tapas, or clothed in one sort of garment or other ;
but the person who attracted our attention most, was the consort of
Pomale. From being the wife of the most influential personage, she
had received more presents from us than any other; and she
endeavoured, on this occasion, to display on her person the greater
part, if not all, that she had thus acquired. ‘These consisted of a red
calico gown, four or five petticoats of different colours, woollen socks,
VOL. Il. 22
86 (0; Ae (Oy Mt Th, 4
green slippers, cap and bonnet, a large plaid blanket shawl, and a
pair of polar gloves, the whole surmounted by a flaming red silk
umbrella—and this with the thermometer at 87°! It was difficult to
keep our eyes off her during the service, and before the end of it,
all her finery became awry. The other natives also seemed to have
the desire of exhibiting their acquisitions, though these consisted fre-
quently of no more than a vest, or a pair of pantaloons, without shirt,
or occasionally of a long-skirted coat, without either of the former
garments, so that a small roll of tapa was needed to cover their nether
parts.
Some unauthorized attempts were made to induce the natives to
break the missionary laws, by offers of great value in their eyes;
they were told the missionaries would not see them. On under-
standing which, they pointed to the heavens, and replied, “’There
missionary see.” ‘This was conclusive, and a just and severe rebuke.
The Peacock and Flying-Fish again jomed us on the 18th of
October, in eight days from Papieti. Orders were at once given them
to proceed to Upolu, to commence the survey of that island. (See Ap-
pendix VI.) ‘They did not sail, however, until the 20th, having been
detamed by the winds. The harbour of Pago-pago, though easy of
access, 1s extremely difficult to leave, in consequence of the southeast
trade winds blowing directly in, and rendering it necessary to make
short tacks. Indeed, a vessel no sooner gets headway on one tack,
than it is found necessary to tack again. The sea is often heavy at the
mouth of the harbour, and the shore is lined with a narrow coral reef
all around it. I was glad to see the Peacock safe outside, after
beating about four hours.
During our stay on this island, the whole was examined, the
harbour surveyed, and the principal heights determined. Tide-
gauges were kept on the north and south sides, and the observations
for magnetic dip, variation, and intensity, made. ‘The temperature
during our stay of fourteen days varied from 73° to 88°; the mean
temperature was 80°50°.
The climate of Tutuila is mild and agreeable, particularly at Pago-
pago, where the temperature is lower than it is elsewhere on the
island, in consequence of its generally being overshadowed with
clouds that hang on the high land. There is usually a fine breeze,
which sets in about ten o’clock, and continues until sunset. The
nights being calm, much dew falls in fine weather. We had little
fair weather during our stay, and the prognostication of the natives
TUTUILA. 87
proved too true, respecting the difficulty of seemg the sun and stars.
The wind at times was very strong, almost a gale, accompanied by
light rain and mist. I was informed that there is a good deal of
rain during the year, but seldom such a continuance of it as we
experienced. There does not appear to be any particular rainy
season, but they are liable to these high winds during the winter
months, or from October to March.* I obtained from the pilot a
register of the weather from January 1839, till October of the same
year, which will show more clearly the state of the climate. (This
will be found in Appendix VII.)
In our explorations, nearly all the villages of this island were
visited by some of the officers of the squadron, and from their report
they much resemble each other. Those of Fagaitua and Leone, on
the southern coast, are the largest, and are more of the Devil’s towns
than the others. One of their customs is truly savage. They
seldom use pork as a food, consequently it is a great rarity with
them; but at intervals of several months the villagers assemble at a
feast, at which thirty or forty hogs are killed, when they gormandize
on them for four or five days, or as long as the food lasts. The
whole is eaten, entrails and all. Fish and taro are the principal food,
and large numbers of the natives may be seen fishing off the coast in
fine weather. ‘The kind of fish usually caught are mullet.
There is a large kind of worm which they esteem a great delicacy,
and which is eaten with much relish. It is impossible to see them
sucking down the entrails of the Biche de Mar, Holithuria, and
Echina, without disgust. They also eat many of the shell-fish that
are found on the shore.
The temperature found on the top of Matafoa, at the altitude of
two thousand three hundred and fifty-nine feet, was at 4 P. M., 69-4°,
whilst that on board the ship was 79°5°.
We made an endeavour here to search the reefs at night for shells,
with flambeaux or torchlight, after the manner of the Chain Islanders,
by which means it is said that many species of shells are taken, which
are never seen by daylight. We cannot vouch for this being the case,
our experiment not having succeeded. ‘The leaves of the cocoa-nut
were either too green or too wet to burn. If success really attends
this method, it is a singular trait in the economy of mollusca, which
are generally supposed to be partial to daylight. It was my deter-
* During eleven days of our stay, the quantity of rain that fell was 4,5, inches,
88 Uru TapAe
mination to make another trial, under more favourable circumstances ;
but from our constant occupation and fatigue of the crew in the day-
time, we were unable to renew the experiment.
A few days before leaving Pago-pago, Mr. Murray brought to my
notice the account of a murder that was supposed to have been com-
mitted on a foreigner at the west end of the island, for the sake of the
little property he had about him. ‘The report, however, appeared to
me to be too vague to authorize any delay for the purpose of making
an examination into it; and finding the man was reported to be a
runaway convict, I had no right to interfere in the affair, and there-
fore, took no steps to inquire into it.
On the 7th of November, 1837, this harbour exhibited one of those
remarkable phenomena of the oscillation of the tidal wave. ‘The
observations made on it are extracted from the letter of a missionary
resident at Pago-pago, to the Rev. Mr. Mills, of Upolu, who obli-
singly gave me permission to copy them. (‘They will be found in
Appendix VIII.)
The weather during the preceding evening was boisterous, with
frequent squalls from the east, which continued till 7 a. m., from
which time the day was cloudy, with frequent light showers. After
5 Pp. M., it continued to rain until ten o’clock at night. On the 8th,
the tide continued to ebb and flow in an irregular manner. The day
was fine and very warm. ‘This phenomenon does not appear to have
been observed at any other place in the Samoan Group, but was
experienced, as will be noticed hereafter, at the Group Hawaii.
The peculiar formation of the harbour of Pago-pago, would make it
more likely to be observed there than elsewhere. ‘The ordinary rise
of the tide is no more than four and a half feet, and neither before,
during the continuance, nor after this phenomenon, were any shocks
of earthquakes observed in any part of the group where missionaries
are settled.
NAVIGATOR CLUBS, ETC,
CirieASP Mai valve:
CONTENTS.
DEPARTURE OF THE VINCENNES FROM TUTUILA—HER NARROW ESCAPE FROM WRECK—
APPEARANCE OF UPOLU—MESSAGE FROM CAPTAIN HUDSON—CASE OF TUVAI—COUNCIL
OF THE CHIEFS— ARGUMENTS IN BEHALF OF TUVAI—CAPTAIN HUDSON’S REPLY —
DECISION OF THE CASE OF TUVAI—HIS BEHAVIOUR—COMPLAINTS OF THE NATIVES
AGAINST WHALERS— PEA’S VISIT TO TUVAI—OUTRAGES OF OPOTUNO—VISIT TO MR.
WILLIAMS—INTERVIEW WITH MALIETOA—HIS DAUGHTER—REQUEST FOR A COUNCIL
OF CHIEFS—THE VINCENNES ORDERED INTO PORT—SURVEYING PARTIES— LAKE OF
LAUTO—ITS LEGEND—SUPERSTITION REGARDING IT—MOUNT TOFUA—SUBTERRANEAN
STREAMS — GEOLOGICAL STRUCTURE OF UPOLU—STREAMS OF LAVA — CAVERNS —
SWALLOWS AT SANGA—WATERFALLS—GIMBLET RELIGION— ATTEMPT TO CAPTURE
OPOTUNO—FONO, OR COUNCIL OF HIGH CHIEFS—ITS OBJECT—MR. J. WILLIAMS RECOG-
NISED AS CONSUL—REGULATIONS DISCUSSED AND ADOPTED—DEMAND FOR OPOTUNO—
FONO ADJOURNED—ITS SECOND MEETING—SPEECH OF MALIETOA’S ORATOR—REWARD
OFFERED FOR THE APPREHENSION OF OPOTUNO—TERRITORIAL DIVISIONS OF UPOLU—
TYRANNY OF TAMAFAGO—WAR OF AANA—DESOLATION OF THAT DISTRICT—ISLAND
OF MANONO—ISLAND OF APOLIMA— PROCEEDINGS OF THE PORPOISE AT SAVAII—DR.
PICKERING AND LIEUTENANT MAURY LAND THERE—SURVEY OF THE COAST OF SAVAII
—NATIVE MISSIONARY AT SALACHUA—FELIALUPO—ASAU—BAY OF MATAATUA—PECU-
LIARITIES OF ITS INHABITANTS —SAPAPALE — DR. PICKERING’S JOURNEY IN THE
INTERIOR OF SAVAII—CURIOSITY OF THE NATIVES—FISHING ON THE CORAL REEF—
DESCRIPTION OF SAVAII—ITS PEAK—ITS INTERIOR—ITS WANT OF STREAMS—ITS CORAL
REEF—ITS SOIL—THE-PORPOISE PROCEEDS TO 'TUTUILA, AND THENCE TO UPOLU —
REUNION OF THE SQUADRON—REVIEW OF THE MARINES—EARTHQUAKES.
\
CHAPTER IV.
UPOLU—MANONO—SAVAIL
1839.
TuE surveys of the island of Tutuila having been completed by
the 23d November, we made preparations for our departure, and on
the 25th we weighed anchor. In leaving the harbour we had a
narrow escape from wreck; the almost constant southeast wind,
which is fair to a vessel entering the bay, and makes it easy of
access, is ahead on going out, which renders egress difficult; it
therefore becomes necessary to make frequent tacks, and a vessel
must be well manceuvred to escape accident, for to miss stays would
be almost certain to bring about shipwreck. When we beat out,
the wind was light, and it failed altogether just as we reached the
most dangerous part of the channel; we were in consequence brought
within an oar’s length of the reef, on which a heavy surf was break-
ing. The moment was a trying one, and the event doubtful; all
were at their stations, and not a word was spoken. Of my own
feelings on the occasion I have no very precise recollection ; merely
remembering that I felt as if 1 breathed more freely after the crisis
had passed and we were in safety.
The afternoon was fine, and we sailed along the southern shore of
the island, admiring its diversified surface, its luxuriant groves, and
the smiling villages that crown its bays. Where the valleys come
out from between the ridges to the shore, there is usually a level
plain extending inwards for a couple of miles; these plains are occu-
pied for the most part by groves of cocoa-nut and bread-fruit, beneath
whose shade lie the dwellings of the natives. Many of the inhabitants
were abroad in their canoes, employed in fishing; some of them
scarcely seemed to notice the ship, passing them rapidly with all sail
92 UPOLU—MANONO—SAVAITL.
set, while others appeared to regard her with intense curiosity. In
the evening we had much lightning, but no thunder.
The distance between Tutuila and Upolu, of thirty-six miles, was
soon passed, and in the morning we were delighted with the view
of the latter island as we ran down its coast to the westward. It
appears much richer and more fruitful than the other islands of
this group, and may be described as of moderate height, rising
gradually in a succession of ridges from a low shore; here and
there, broad and fertile valleys are seen, with numerous streams
falling from the mountains in cascades. The eastern portion of
the island is much more rugged than the western; the main ridge
runs east and west, and ridges or spurs run back to it from the
northern coast in a southeast direction. Between these lateral ridges
are broad and fertile valleys, decreasing in width as they recede
from the coast. ‘The shore is lined with a coral reef, which is now
and then interrupted by channels, and forms snug and convenient
harbours.
At noon we descried the Peacock lying in the harbour of Apia,
and shortly afterwards I received a message from Captain Hudson,
saying that my presence was required on shore. In the hope that it
was not a business of such a nature as to cause detention, I left the
Vincennes in the offing, while 1 went ashore in my boat. On
reaching the land, I found the chiefs engaged in the trial of a native
called Tuvai, who had killed an American named Edward Cave-
naugh, a native of New Bedford.
It appeared that on Captain Hudson’s arrival the murderer was
pointed out to him in the village, upon which he very properly deter-
mined to have the offender punished, and gave orders to have him
arrested. He was in consequence seized in a house near the water,
and carried on board the Peacock. Being taken by surprise, he
offered no resistance to his capture. Captain Hudson then requested
a conference with the neighbouring chiefs, who in consequence had
assembled on the 27th.
The fono, as such assemblies are called, was held in the council-
house, or fale-tele, where the chiefs were collected. The Rev. Mr
Mills acted as interpreter on the occasion. Captain Hudson, through
him, stated that the object of his having requested them to assemble
was to bring the accused to a trial before them, in order that if his
guilt were established, he might be brought to condign punishment :
he then pointed out to them the guilt and consequences of the crime
UPOLU—MANONO—SAVAIL 93
of murder, and declared the course he had considered it his duty to
adopt. The chiefs listened attentively to this address, and in reply,
through the principal one, admitted that the man taken was in
reality the guilty person, a fact known to every person upon the
island. Captain Hudson then stated to them that it was absolutely
necessary that Tuvai should be promptly punished, in order that
others might be deterred from the commission of the same crime.
He suggested, however, that in spite of the universal belief in Tuvai’s
having committed the crime, it was proper that he should undergo a
trial, or at least an examination, in order that he might have the
privilege of being heard in his own defence.
This suggestion being approved, Tuvai was brought on shore under
a military guard, and placed in the centre of the building. He was
an ill-looking fellow, of about twenty-eight years of age, and mani-
fested no fear, but looked about him with the greatest composure.
The trial was simple enough; he was first asked by the chiefs
whether he was guilty of the crime, to which he answered that he
was; being next asked why he had committed it, he replied that he
had done it in order to possess himself of the man’s property, (clothes
and a knife.)
The chiefs, among whom was Pea, of Apia, to whom the criminal
was distantly related, made every effort in their power to save his
life ; stating that he was in darkness, and therefore unconscious of
the guilt of the action, when he committed the murder; that as they
had but just emerged from heathenism they ought not to be subjected
for past actions, to laws they knew not; that these laws were made
for people who occupied a more elevated station; that Tuvai was a
poor man of no account, and was not a person of sufficient impor-
tance to be noticed by a great people like us; that Faa Samoa (the
Samoan fashion) did not allow men to be put to death in cold blood,
but that after so long a time had elapsed, as in the instance before
them, it admitted of a ransom.
Pea went on to say, that many bad acts had been committed upon
natives by white men, with impunity, and asked whether the Chris-
tian religion sanctioned the taking of human life. He then appealed
to our generosity to pardon the present crime, and assured us that no
such offences should be committed in future.
Pea had one of those countenances which exhibits all that is
passing in the mind. It was amusing to see him at one time exhi-
biting a picture of whimsical distress at the idea of being compelled
VOL. Il. 24
94 UPOLU—MANONO—SAVATI
to put his kinsman to death, and immediately afterwards laughing
at something ludicrous which had occurred to him.
Pea was seconded in his endeavours by Vavasa, of Manono, one of
the finest-looking of the chiefs, whose attitudes and movements were
full of grace, and his manner exceedingly haughty and bold.
In reply to their arguments, Captain Hudson stated, that however
freely other sins might be forgiven, in consideration of their late
benighted state, even the darkness of Paganism could not extenuate
the crime of murder. He told them that the Scriptures said, ““ Whoso
sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed ;” that nothing
but the life of the offender could satisfy the demands of justice, and
that they must execute the criminal themselves.
This announcement caused much excitement; the chiefs again
asserted that they knew no such laws; that by the customs of Samoa,
the anger of the friends and relations of a person who had been killed
was to be appeased by a present from the criminal or his relations,
and by a form of submission, which consisted in knocking their heads
three times on the ground. ‘To this it was replied, that the guilt of
the prisoner had been proved and admitted—he must die.
The chiefs, after much reluctance, consented, but expressed great
repugnance to an immediate execution. They urged in the most
strenuous manner, that the criminal should be carried on board ship,
and executed there, or that he should be taken to some uninhabited
island and left. ‘These alternatives were refused by Captain Hudson,
and the chiefs seemed in great distress.
At this point of the discussion, the Vincennes was announced as
being in sight, and the proceedings were suspended. An officer was
immediately despatched, who, as has been already mentioned, boarded
that vessel off the harbour.
When I landed, I found the assembly anxiously awaiting the result
of my arrival. Captain Hudson and myself had a private interview,
in which he detailed all the facts, and stated that it had been his
intention to compel the chiefs to make all the preparations for the
execution, but before it was carried into effect to come forward and
reprieve the criminal, at the same time requesting Mr. Mills to make
an appropriate speech, stating the reasons for the pardon.
After a full discussion of the whole subject, we came to the con-
clusion, that it would be best to transport the criminal to some other
island; for it appeared probable that this would have a better effect
than even his execution, as it would be longer remembered, while
UPOLU—MANONO—SAVAIL 95
to cause him to be put to death might naturally excite a desire of
revenge.
This decision was at once communicated to the chiefs, with a
statement, that in conformity with the laws of Tahiti in such cases,
Tuvai should be transported to a desert island, where he would never
again have an opportunity of killing a white man. The chiefs,
although evidently relieved from the most intense part of their dis-
tress, were still much affected by this decision.
The prisoner was then ordered to be taken on board the Peacock,
whither he was followed by a crowd of natives, with many tears
and lamentations, among whom his wife was the most affected.
Among others, Pea the chief of Apia, to whom, as has been stated,
the prisoner was related, was very much distressed and excited.
Unable to vent his rage and trouble in any other manner, he spent
it upon the crowd around him, striking in all directions with a
huge stem of a cocoa-nut leaf, by which he soon dispersed them.
I felt a curiosity to see what effect the sentence would have upon
the prisoner. Death he would have suffered without uttering a
murmur ; but when he heard he was to be taken from his native land,
his firmness was overcome, and he was observed to shed tears. He
made no resistance to his being removed on board ship, but after he
got there he said he would rather be put to death and buried in his
own native island, than banished to a desert one.
After this difficult business was arranged, they brought their own
grievances before me, and particularly their complaints against the
American whalers. ‘They said that some of them had evaded their
port charges, and refused to pay for the provisions with which they
had been furnished. ‘To this I replied that I was ready to indemnity
them for their losses, and should ask no other proof of them than
their own statement. They appeared struck with the unexpected
liberality of this offer; but after consultation, as if to manifest a
corresponding feeling, declined to accept it. I then mformed them
that their port charges for the squadron should be paid, which gave
much satisfaction, particularly to old Pea, who would derive the
principal benefit from them. ‘The fono then broke up in great good
humour.
Pea and some of the other chiefs were very anxious to hear from
me what sort of an island Tuvai was to be put upon. ‘They asked
many questions in relation to it, and always among the first, whether
96 UPOLU—MANONO—SAVAITIL.
there would be any cocoa-nut trees, Nature’s first and best gift to
them, upon it. Wishing to make the intended punishment as
terrible as possible to them, I always replied that there would be
none whatever.
After Tuvai was again on board ship, old Pea paid him a visit, in
the course of which the former melted into tears, howled bitterly,
and begged that he might be taken on shore to be put to death, in
order that his body might be buried in his native soil. It appeared
from information that we received, that this was a part of a concerted
plan to obtain a farther commutation of his sentence, and that this
affecting interview was got up in order to excite our sympathies.
Finding it did not produce the desired effect, old Pea went about the
ship with a doleful visage, exclaiming, “ Eoloisa-ia-tu Tuvai’’—have
compassion on ‘Tuvai.
I was in hopes to find the surveys of Upolu nearly, if not quite
finished; but the Flying-Fish, which was to have aided in perform-
ing them, had not yet been seen or heard from. ‘This was no small
disappointment, as it might compel me to bring the Vincennes into
the harbour, and thus incur a serious delay.
Before I had decided upon this step, I learned that a chief of the
name of Opotuno, whose capture had been considered so important
by our government that a ship of war had been despatched for the
express purpose, had again become troublesome, and was threatening
vengeance upon all the whites who might fall in his power. I there-
fore determined to make an attempt to obtain possession of his person
by stratagem. Lest, however, such an attempt should create dis-
turbance in the island. or be productive of injury to the white
residents, I determined, before putting my purpose into effect, to
have an interview with the Rev. Mr. Willams, the principal mis-
sionary in these islands, both to consult as to the best mode of
accomplishing this object, and to learn what effect it would be likely
to have on the operations of the missionaries.* I accordingly set out
for his residence at Fasetootai, about twenty miles to the westward
of Apia, in the hopes of seemg him. Mr. Cunningham, H. B. M.
Vice-consul, was kind enough to accompany me.
* Mr. Williams is the author of the well-known Polynesian Missionary Researches,
and it will be our melancholy office hereafter, to speak of his falling a martyr in his
efforts to propagate the gospel.
UPOLU—MANONO—SAVAITI. 97
We left the Peacock at sunset, and reached Mr. Williams’s snug
cottage about midnight. Nothing could be kinder than the welcome
he gave us; and the pleasure he expressed at our visit soon made us
feel at home. He gave us supper, and provided us with comfortable
beds. Shortly after our arrival, another party was welcomed, con-
sisting of three ladies and a gentleman of the mission, who were in
like manner provided for, without apparent inconvenience.
Mr. Williams seemed to me exactly what a missionary ought to
be, pious, cheerful, and meek, although resolute. His whole thoughts
seemed to be directed to the welfare of those whom he had under-
taken to enlighten. His views were pointed not only to the diffusion
of the gospel, but also to the extension of the useful arts, and what-
ever could tend to elevate the condition and eradicate the vices of the
natives.
After a long consultation, Mr. Williams came to the conclusion
that there was no reason for fearing that the arrest of Opotuno
would be the cause of any injury to the whites or missionaries. He
said that Opotuno was a blood-thirsty fellow, and that it would be
doing the islands a great service should he be removed; that there
was not a shadow of doubt that he had murdered twelve whites, of
whom several were Americans; that he was a determined enemy to
the whites, and in the habit of saying that he would omit no oppor-
tunity of killme all who might come within his power. Mr.
Williams, however, doubted the success of any attempt to take
Opotuno, unless it was made under disguise; for upon the approach
of all men-of-war, and during their stay, he lived in the mountains
of Savan, where it was csnyposeitlle to find him.
The situation of Mr. Williams’s cottage is pretty ; it stands within
a few rods of the beach, and is surrounded by a nicely dressed lawn,
on which are several fine trees; the background is filled up with
cocoa-nut, bread-fruit, and a variety of other trees. Near by is the
tiny ship-yard of his son, Mr. John Williams, who was taken by his
father to England, and there taught all the mechanical trades. He
has returned thence within a few months, with his wife, and by the
aid of a few natives has already built himself a vessel of about twenty-
five tons burden, which he proposes to employ in trading among
these islands.
The next day we returned to Apia. On our way we stopped at
Sagana for the purpose of visiting Malietoa, the principal chief of the
Malo or conquering party.
VOL. II. 25
UPOLU—MANONO—SAVATI.
we)
0.8)
Sagana is a neat settlement, and is regularly laid out; it is situated
on a small peninsula, across whose isthmus a stone wall has been
erected, for the purpose of protecting the plantations within it from
the swine. he village contains about six hundred inhabitants, and
there is a school composed of about fifty scholars kept by Mr. Wilson,
one of the missionary teachers, son of the missionary at Matavai Bay.
No preparation had been made to receive us, for I came unan-
nounced ; nor, indeed, had it been my intention to stop, but hearing
that this was the residence of Malietoa, and that he was at home, we
paid him a visit. He was well advanced in age, and it was generally
remarked that he bore a striking resemblance to General Jackson.
The resemblance is not confined to that of person only ; for Mahetoa
possesses also not a little of the same energy of character.
I have rarely seen a place where more attention is paid to clean-
liness than at Sagana. A similar regard to neatness prevails in the
walks around the village, and in the cultivation of the taro, melons,
and bananas, which is carried on in the immediate vicinity. The
paths leading to these cultivated grounds pass through fine shady
groves. ‘The preservation of the broad walks and paths appears to
be rather an amusement than a labour to the villagers.
Here Malietoa was seen in his domestic circle, with his wives and
children around him. I found him in a small house, enjoying the
afternoon breeze, with his daughter playing about him. She was
about fifteen years of age, and decidedly the prettiest girl we had
seen in this group; her name was Emma, and she was as intelligent
as she was pretty.
The chief, whose hair was white with age, made us warmly wel-
come, and wished to go over to his fale-tele to receive us as became
chiefs, but this I would not permit. His wives busied themselves in
getting things in order, very much after the fashion of other parts of
the world, when a stranger arrives unexpectedly. In a few minutes
the fine mats were laid, the stools, calabashes, and straw put away.
A clean shirt was slipped over the old man’s head while my attention
was called off to another object.
Malietoa’s house was not larger than the others in the village, and
exhibited no other difference from them than in containing a dais or
platform, occupying about a third of it, and raised about a foot higher
than the rest of the floor.
When the domestic arrangements were completed, large bunches
of bananas and fresh cocoa-nuts were brought in and presented to us.
UPOLU—MANONO—SAVAITI.- 99
Mr. Wilson was an excellent imterpreter, and by his aid I had a long
and agreeable talk with the old chief, who, when his wars were
touched upon, appeared full of fire and animation.
I intimated my desire to have a conference with the ruling chiefs,
for the purpose of transacting business, whereupon he readily
assented to call a fono, and appointed the 4th of November as the
earliest day on which he could possibly get the chiefs, a part of
whom must come from Savaii, together. This day he named
himself, after having made a reckoning of the six intervening days
upon his fingers; I observed, however, that he found it necessary
to repeat the count several times. Having transacted this business
with him, and regaled ourselves on his hospitable fare, we took our
leave.
On reaching the Peacock, I found that none of her surveying
parties had returned, and the Flying-Fish was still missing; I thus
became satisfied that I should be detained here for several days. I
therefore sent orders for the Vincennes to make for the harbour, where
she anchored in the afternoon near the Peacock.
The next day, parties were despatched in various directions, so as
to bring all parts of the island under examination at the same time.
One of these excursions was made across the island. On arriving
at the highest point of the ridge, between Siuma and Siusinga, which
has an elevation of two thousand and fifty feet, and just before the
descent began, a clearing was found, in which were two mounds of
earth, each about fifteen feet high, and one hundred and twenty feet in
circumference ; several stone walls were also seen. In respect to these,
there is a tradition that they were built by the warriors of Vavao, who
invaded Upolu, and after their predatory warfare along the coast was
over, occupied this commanding position for the purpose of cutting
off the communication between the opposite sides of the island. The
trees growing on these mounds are nearly two feet in diameter, and
the missionaries have inferred from their inquiries that the invasion
referred to occurred seventy or eighty years ago.
Messrs. Dana and Couthouy visited a lake called Lauto, which lies
to the westward of this pass, and in the centre of an extinct crater.
The edge of the crater was found to be two thousand five hundred
and seventy feet above the sea, and the descent thence to the water of
the lake is one hundred and twenty feet. These gentlemen succeeded
in obtaining a line of soundings across the lake, by cutting down
trees, and forming a raft of them. They found the depth in the
100 UPOLU—MANONO-—SAVAIL
middle nine and a half fathoms, decreasing thence gradually in
all directions to the shore. ‘The form of the lake is nearly circular,
and it has a subterranean outlet. ‘The hill in which this crater is
situated is conical, and there is a low knoll at some distance to the
south of it, which is the only other elevation in the neighbourhood,
above the general height of the ridge.
The border of the crater is clothed with the usual forest foliage of
these islands, which, however, exhibits here more than usual beauty,
being decorated with the finely worked fronds of the arborescent ferns,
in widely-spread stars, and the graceful plumes of a large mountain
palm.
The poets of the island have appreciated the beauty of the place,
and allude to the perpetual verdure which adorns the banks of the
lake, in the following line :
«¢ Lauuto’o e le toi a e lau mea.”
‘¢ Lauto, untouched by withered leaf.”
There is a legend connected with this lake, that has more of poetic
beauty and feeling than one would have supposed to exist among so
rude a people. It is as follows:
Many generations since, during a war between Upolu and Savaii,
a number of war-canoes from the latter island crossed over to attack
Ulatamoa (or, as it is now called, Ulumoenga), the principal town in
the district of Aana. At the time of their approach, two brothers,
To’o and Ata, chanced to be paddling their canoes in the channel
between the reef and the shore, and before they could reach the land
were attacked by a party of Savaiians. After a valiant defence, Ata
was overpowered and slain, while 'l'o’o narrowly escaped the same
fate.
Overwhelmed with sorrow at the loss of a brother whom he
tenderly loved, To’o retired to a neighbouring mountain, and burying
himself in the darkest recesses of its forests, made them resound with
his bitter lamentations. At length in his wanderings he came to
the summit, where, stooping down, he scooped out with his hands a
vast hollow, and, leaning over its brink, suffered his tears to fall in
until it was filled. The lake thus formed has ever since borne the
appellation of Lauu-to’o.
The regard of To’o for his brother’s memory was further evinced
by his adoption of Ata’s name, conjoined to his own as his family
UPOLU—MANONO-—SAVAIL 101
title, and the appellation of Toomata, a contraction of 'To’o-ma-ata, is
retained by his descendants, who are still chiefs of note in Upolu,
and from whom the tradition was derived.
The lake of Lauto is regarded with superstitious dread by the
natives, who believe it to be the abode of the spirits, who, in former
times, were regarded with great veneration, and worshipped. ‘These
were supposed to inhabit the waters of the lake, in the shape of eels,
as thick as a cocoa-nut tree, and two fathoms long. The attempt of
our gentlemen to explore it was looked upon as such a profanation
that their native guides left them, and regarded them as persons
doomed to accident if not to destruction. The eels were represented
as so savage and fierce that they would bite a person’s leg off. No
eels, however, nor any other fish, were seen in the lake.
In the neighbourhood of the crater no rock was observed in place,
nor any light scoria. Only a few fragments of stone were scattered
about.
The cone of the crater of Lauto, is flatter than the others of the
same character that were visited, and particularly than that of Mount
Tofua. This is the westernmost of them all, and les behind Fase-
tootai. It rises so boldly, that it is seen distinctly from the sea.
This, with all the other craters, are situated upon the central ridge,
and the most conspicuous of those which remain, are Siusinga, which
lies behind Sagana and Faliata. There is also one upon Mount
Malata, in the rear of Fangaloa, and another on the southern side of
the island, near Salomana.
The part of the ridge on which Tofua is situated, is much lower
than the cone itself, and has gradually declined from its eastern end.
The ascent from Fasetootai has, for the first three or four miles, an
almost imperceptible rise ; after this, the slope increases rapidly until
it becomes quite abrupt. Even in the steepest parts, however, the
rock was rarely visible, but is covered with a deep and fertile soil,
arising from its decomposition, and mixed with vegetable mould.
The whole declivity, from the very summit of the peak to the shore
of the sea, is, like other parts of the island, clothed with a dense
forest, which shuts out all view of the ocean, except from the top of
the mountain. ‘The ridge whence the cone rises was found to be
one thousand one hundred and fifty feet above the level of the sea,
and the angle of ascent thence upwards, was from 40° to 50°. The
top of the peak, which forms the edge of the crater, is not more than
fifteen feet wide in any place, and sometimes not more than half as
VOL. Il. 26
7
102 UPOLU—MANONO—SAVAIL
much. It is of uniform height, and has a circular form; the cavity
within it was estimated as having a circumference of about two and
a quarter miles, and occupies the whole summit. The depth of the
crater was found to be three hundred and sixty feet, and the whole
of its interior is filled with lofty trees. The slope of the inner
declivity was 60°. At the foot of this is an uneven plane, covered
with earth and loose cinders or scoria. Upon this grow forest trees,
many of which were more than one hundred feet in height, beneath
which is a dense growth of shrubbery.
It was remarked, that although it had rained constantly for several
days before this crater was visited, no water was found within it.
This is accounted for by the fact that many of the brooks and streams
on the island are subterranean throughout their whole course, while
others are partly so. The former gush up near the sea-shore in large
springs or fountains, forming natural, or feeding artificial pools, in
which the natives bathe. According to our observations, such pools
are so numerous on the western shore of the island, as to occur on the
average, at intervals of a mile.
The rocks of this island are of the volcanic character that might be
expected from the existence of so many craters. They are princi-
pally composed of a variety of basaltic lava, in which are found
augite, felspar, albite, and chrysolite. Extensive currents of lava are
seen, and are particularly abundant on the southern side of the island.
It appears as if these had flowed down towards the sea-shore in
various directions, and that after their outer surface had cooled, the
portion that remained lhquid within had run out, and left a sort of
tunnel. Such tunnels are numerous, and form the subterranean
courses of the streams. Some of these natural tunnels are remark-
able: among them, one visited near Sanga will serve as the type of
all. It was found to be a cavern nine hundred and fifty-eight feet in
length, extending in a southeast direction, and to have an average
width of about fifteen feet; its roof was about eight feet in height.
At the termination of this cave, there was a pool of water five feet in
depth, the temperature of which was observed to be 72°, while that
of the air within the cavern was 76°6°, and that of the open air was
77-4°. These streams of lava are much more frequently seen on the
southern than on the northern side of the island; they are also larger
on the former of these sides, where they were in some places four
miles in width.
The path from Vivimanga to Sanga is called the Stone Road,
UPOLU—MANONO—SAVAITI. 103
formed in part of blocks of lava. ‘There are also in this neighbour-
hood many caves in the streams of lava. The cave at Sanga is the
largest of these, and to describe it will convey an idea of those of
smaller dimensions. |
The cave at Sanga was dedicated to the god “ Moso,” who was
supposed to reside in it. The entrance was found to be closed by an
artificial wall built across it, about three feet thick; it is four feet
high, and six feet wide. ‘The sides, roof, and floor of this cavern are
comparatively smooth, and are covered with stalagmites of a light
yellowish colour, which are not calcareous.
It had been reported that this cave was frequented by a peculiar
kind of swallow, which never ventured into the light of day. Mr.
Peale, who was one of the party that visited it, found swallows in
abundance, which made a bat-like noise, or rather one having a resem-
blance to the rattling of pebbles. So far, however, from their being
a peculiar species, as they had been represented, they were the
common species of the islands, and instead of shunning the light of
day, they were continually passing in and out of the cavern, which
was merely a place selected by them for breeding. On the ledges
of the sides and roof their nests were found composed of pieces of
moss glued together. The eggs were white, and of a large size in
proportion to the bird, and no more than one was found in each nest.
In traversing the island of Upolu, many deep gorges were seen, in
which there were waterfalls. One of these cascades was measured,
and found to be seven hundred and fifty feet in height, so that the
whole of the water was dissipated in spray before it reached the
bottom. These glens are wild in the extreme, and beautiful, from
the great variety and peculiar character of the foliage with which
they are clothed.
The south side of Upolu, like that of Tahiti, is much more luxu-
riant than the northern, which is owing to a like cause, namely, that
it receives more moisture from the prevailing winds.
The wild orange grows every where in great abundance, and in
some places the road was literally strewed with the fruit, which here
equals the cultivated variety in size.
In the different jaunts across the island, many of the “ Devil’s” or
unconverted towns were visited, where our parties were always
treated with great hospitality. At the town of Suisinga the chief
who entertained our party was a priest of the Gzmbdlet religion.
This new faith has made some progress among these islands, and has
the following singular origin :
104 UPOLU—MANONO—SAVAIL
A native of Savaii, by name Seeovedi, was taken from that island
by a whale-ship, and did not return for several years. During his
absence he visited several ports, where it would seem he obtained
some notions of the forms and ceremonies of the Roman Catholic
Church. Possessed of considerable natural shrewdness, he founded
on this knowledge a plan to save himself from labour for the future,
by collecting followers at whose expense he might be maintained.
During his absence, and while on board the whale-ship, he had
received, as is usual in such cases, instead of his native name, that
of Joe Gimblet, and this cognomen is now firmly attached to the sect
of which he was the founder.
Having formed the plan of founding a sect, he did not scruple as to
the means of carrying it into effect; for he boldly claimed a heavenly
mission, professing to hold converse with God, and asserting that
he possessed the power of working miracles, raising the dead, &c.
He soon gained many proselytes, and had attained great conside-
ration and authority, when, unfortunately for him, he was called
upon to exert his pretended power of raising the dead, by restoring
to life the favourite son of a powerful chief called Lelomiava, who
had been murdered.
Joe did not hesitate to undertake the accomplishment of this miracle.
He in the first place directed a house to be built for the reception of
the body, and when it was finished he required that it should be sup-
plied with the best provisions. In conformity with this requisition,
the choicest articles of food that could be obtained were regularly
handed to Joe for the use of the defunct, upon whom he alone
waited, while every other person except the chief and himself was
excluded from the building.
The food thus regularly supplied as regularly disappeared, and
Joe assured the chief that his son had eaten it, and under this
bountiful allowance would soon recover his strength, and walk forth.
In this way time wore on, until the patience of the old chief began
to show symptoms of being exhausted. ‘This somewhat alarmed Joe,
but as he was a fellow of infinite resources, he contrived to evade
inquiry and procrastinate, hoping, no doubt, that some lucky incident
might turn up, by which he should be enabled to extricate himself
from the dilemma. Unfortunately for him, however, after another
month of anxious suspense, the old man’s pigs and taro fell short,
notwithstanding the chief’s dependants had for a long time been
restricted from using them. All of them were in fact much reduced
by their compulsory fast, with the exception of Joe, whose rotundity
UPOLU—MANONO—SAVAIL 105
of form seemed to indicate that he at least ran no risk of starvation.
Whether it were owing to the suspicions which his jolly appearance
excited, or that he began to entertain doubts of Joe’s supernatural
powers, is not known; but one day old Lelomiava determined to,
satisfy himself of the progress making in the restoration of his son.
With this design he entered the house, and was shocked with the
sight of his son’s body in a state of loathsome putridity. He imme-
diately summoned Joe, and informed him that it was time that the
promised miracle should be accomplished, adding, that it must be
done by the morrow’s dawn. Joe immediately redoubled his exer-
tions, and prayed hastily to all the saints of his calendar. He,
however, knew full well what would be his fate if he remained to
encounter on the morrow the anger of the savage chief. He therefore
effected his escape during the night, and made his way to his native
island. ‘There he remained for some time incog., but now ventures
to appear openly, practising his impositions boldly, and is the worst
antagonist the missionaries have to deal with.
This story was related by the old chief himself, who, instead of
finding his son restored to life, was compelled to bury his body,
which he did, with the exception of the head. This he put in a box,
and suspended beneath the peak of the roof of his house, where it
remains, a witness of his credulity and of the gross imposition that
was practised upon him.
While the party remained at Siusinga, a sick native was brought
from the coast to a neighbouring house, and their host, the Gimblet
priest, was called upon to pray for him. This afforded them an
opportunity that might not otherwise have occurred, of learning some
facts in relation to the ceremonies of this sect.
On this occasion, the priest approached the house where the sick
man lay, and when upon the stone platform in front of it, he drew
forth a book from the folds of tapa in which it had been carefully
enveloped. He then called upon Jehovah, returning thanks for the
many blessings which had been conferred on his people, and asked for
a continuance of the same, invoking the name of Jesus. He ended
by inquiring the Divine pleasure concerning the sick man, and
begging mercy for him.
The nature of the book could not be distinctly seen, as it was again
carefully enclosed in the tapa as soon as the ceremony was over; but
so far as it was visible, it bore an unquestionable resemblance to a
blank note-book !
VOL. II. 27
106 UPOLU—MANONO—SAVAIL
The proselytes of this sect, in case of sickness, confess their sins to
one another, and have a number of fast-days, which are rigidly kept.
Their Sabbath occurs only once a month, and is celebrated by the
firmg of guns and the puerile mummery in which their worship
consists.
In pursuance of the resolution I had adopted, Captain Hudson set
out on the 30th of October, with the boats of his ship, for the purpose
of attempting the capture of Opotuno. This noted chief of the neigh-
bouring island of Sava, had, as has been stated, committed several
murders and other outrages. Among other acts, he had taken
possession of two boats, sent on shore by the whale-ship William
Penn, Captain Swain, of Nantucket, killing the chief mate, and the
two boat-steerers. The third officer of the vessel was also wounded
and left for dead upon the beach; he was however, picked up by some
females, who removed him to a hut, where, through their kind atten-
tions, he recovered. He did not, however, rejoin his ship, but re-
mained for some time on the island.
The most surprising part of the history of this transaction is, that
Captain ‘Toby, of the ship Swift, of New Bedford, afterwards pur-
chased these boats from Opotuno, although he knew that chief had
obtained them by murdering this captain’s own countrymen.
Captain Hudson fell in with the Flying-Fish, on his way to Savau,
and took her with him, to aid in carrying on the stratagem by which
the watchfulness and suspicions of the wary chief were to be lulled
to rest.
On their arrival off the part of the island where Opotuno usually
resides, they made for the shore under pretence of surveying, and
reached the village of Setipetea, which adjoms that where he dwells.
We afterwards learned that no sooner had the boats got within the
reef, than he prepared for his flight to the mountains. The news of
the capture of Tuvai, and the reappearance of boats from a vessel
(the Peacock) which had passed about ten days before, served to put
him on the alert. He had, however, become so daring that he did
not at once fly, but awaited more decided indications of hostility, and
when Captain Hudson, accompanied by only two men, passed through
his village, having left his boats only a mile distant, he entertained
the intention of shooting him. He had actually cocked his gun for
this purpose, when one of his followers advised him not to fire,
as he would bring great trouble on the island if he shot a chief.
When the boats’ crews afterwards entered Opotuno’s village, the
UPOLU—MANONO-—SAVAIL 107
inhabitants showed much alarm, but the chief was missing. It was
therefore considered advisable to make no hostile demonstrations ;
as no good purpose could have been effected by following him to
the mountains, where it would have been impossible to apprehend,
him. $
The boats therefore returned, and although without succeeding in
the main object of the expedition, something was gained in reviving
his apprehensions of being captured. His village was not destroyed,
because to do so would have been no injury to him, but only distress-
ing to its poor inhabitants. He would have laughed at the idea of
his being punished by the burning of their habitations, as it is said
he did so when an attempt was made during a previous cruise of the
Vincennes by her commander, who visited his village, and burned
two or three of his houses.
The impunity he has hitherto enjoyed has served to render him
audacious, and it is not long since he put to death an American
seaman, who had been left sick in his charge.
Opotuno is detested by his brother chiefs, not only for his aggres-
sions upon foreigners, but on his countrymen also. Only a short
time before our arrival, he seduced and carried off the wife of Vavasa.
This act was considered so outrageous, and was so deeply resented,
that we were informed a war was only prevented by the near
relationship of these two chiefs. The Samoans regard with horror the
idea of those connected by ties of consanguinity, fighting against
each other.
Opotuno is not only related to Vavasa, but is the adopted son of old
Pea of Manono, a connexion which was not without its effect in
averting hostilities.
On the 4th of November, a fono was held, according to the
appointment made with Malietoa, in the fale-tele of Apia. All
the officers who could be spared from the ships were ordered to
attend. Old Pea, the chief of Apia, seemed to be the master of
ceremonies on the occasion. Clean mats were spread for the chiefs,
and chairs and benches borrowed from the missionaries’ houses were
placed for us, opposite to them. All the highest chiefs of the “ Malo”
party were present, except Pea of Manono, and two minor chiefs of
Sava. Malietoa presided. His whole demeanour was dignified,
composed, and thoughtful. His personal appearance has already
been spoken of, and the form of his head, his white hair, and digni-
fied bearing, again reminded us of General Jackson. He is slender
108 UPOLU—MANONO-—SAVAIL
and tall, although somewhat bent by age. It was to be regretted
that his dress was ill chosen, and rather detracted from the respect he
would have inspired had he appeared in his native garb; he wore
pantaloons, a round jacket, and a pink and white striped cotton shirt.
Tooa, the nephew of Malietoa, who acted as spokesman, and whose
countenance betokened the interest he felt in the business, attracted
attention in the second degree. ‘Then came Mole, the son of Malie-
toa, Maletau, their general, the most renowned leader in the war of
Aana, and Tai-ma-le-lagi, Malietoa’s brother. ‘There were also pre-
sent a number of chiefs of less distinction, among whom was old Pea
of Apia; although he was compelled to take his place, yet he did not
fail to be conspicuous, not merely by his personal appearance, but by
his officiousness.
The proceedings were conducted with great ceremony, but there
was a marked difference between this fono, and the solemnity of our
Indian councils. The Samoan assembly appeared more quiescent,
the proceedings exhibited more refinement, and the customs partook
of an Asiatic character.
In all such meetings a rigid order of precedence, that seems well
understood by every one, is established; all conversation is carried
on in a whisper; no one is seen standing in the presence of a
superior, and sitting with outstretched legs is considered indecorous.
Articles were never passed over a person, and no native ever ventured
to come in contact with a chief.
The background on the side of the natives was filled up with
inhabitants from different parts of the island.
On the opposite side of the building, the officers of the squadron
and the missionaries formed a numerous group. Among the latter,
was our friend Mr. Williams and his son, whom I had appointed to
act as consul until the pleasure of the government of the United
States was known, and whom it was intended to present in this
capacity to the meeting, in order that he might be recognised
formally by the chiefs. Messrs. Heath, Mills, and Wilson were also
present; and Mr. Heath, who was believed to be best acquainted
with the Samoan language, was kind enough to officiate as our
interpreter.
The object I had in view, in requesting the fono to be called, was
to procure the formal enactment of laws and regulations which might
secure to our whale-ships a certainty of protection and security, and
at the same time to prevent 1mpositions being practised by them upon
UPOLU—MANONO-—SAVAIL 109
the native government, of which, as has been stated, complaint had
been made. ‘To the breach of these laws, it was intended that the
penalty of a fine should be attached, in order to secure obedience to
them.
The meeting being organized, I in the first place presented Mr.
John Williams, as the consul of the United States, whom the chiefs
recognised as such with great willingness and satisfaction.
We then entered upon the discussion of the proposed regulations,
which were adopted in a form which promises to be mutually
beneficial, being highly advantageous to them, and at the same time
insuring a certainty of security to American vessels that may visit
the island they could not before enjoy.*
One of the articles referred to the redress of injuries committed by
the natives, and provided for the punishment of those who had been
culty of crime, by giving them up.
Wishing to rid these islands of a pest both to natives and foreigners,
I now, as authorized by the spirit of this article, made a demand for
the murderer, Opotuno, and stated that a compliance with this would
settle all disputes between us. This demand produced a great
sensation among the chiefs, and much excitement prevailed in the
meeting. Malietoa, in reply to it, expressed himself strongly in
detestation of the character of Opotuno, and stated that his capture
by us would give him satisfaction, but argued that the regulations
now enacted could not apply to his past misdeeds, and that he
would only come within its operation should he be again guilty of
like crimes. He in short pleaded that the law could have no ez post
facto bearing.
He next argued, that the inevitable consequence of any attempt on
their part to seize Opotuno, would be to involve the whole group in a
civil war, for he was not only a powerful chief himself, but connected
with others still more so; and that a civil war was that which he
most desired to avoid. He however went on to say, that so far as he
was concerned, no opposition would be made to any steps on our
part to secure one whom they knew to be guilty of great outrages ;
but he could not in any way assist.
In conclusion, he stated that the islands had, until within the few
years that had elapsed since he obtained the command, been the seat
* A copy of these regulations will be found in Appendix IX.
VOL. Il. 28
110 UPOLU—MANONO—SAVAIL
of continual wars; that they were now aware of the advantages of
peace, and had a just sense of the benefits they im consequence
enjoyed ; and declared that he should do all in his power to preserve
the blessings of peace, and maintain the unwonted state of prosperity.
For these blessings he ascribed high acknowledgments to the mis-
slonaries, saying that he hoped the Samoan people would in due time
profit by the lessons taught them, and adopt all the improvements of
the Papalangis.
Few persons have ever inspired me with more respect than this
old chief, and his sentiments were delivered by Tooa in an impressive
manner.
It was not my object to drive them to extremities, or to press for an
instant decision. I also wished to give them time to reflect upon and
canvass the regulations just adopted, and perceived that they began
to be fatigued with the length of the conference. I therefore proposed
that before they gave me a final answer in relation to Opotuno, they
should take time for consideration and reflection, for which purpose
I suggested that the meeting should be adjourned until the next day,
which was accordingly done.
On the 5th November we again met, when the arguments urged
the day before were a second time brought forward, and the necessity
of their taking measures that should effectually prevent outrages
upon the persons and depredations on the property of white men,
strongly set before them. They met these arguments with complaints
against the white men who had come to the islands or been left upon
them, saying that many of them were bad fellows, and had caused
much trouble. I at once told them that if they would bring these
turbulent persons to me, I would take them away from the islands,
and that the laws they had now assented to, were such as would
secure their punishment for any future offences.
In this state of the proceedings we were favoured with a set speech
from the official orator of Malietoa, an old blind chief, who stood up
supporting himself by leaning with both hands upon a long stick.
In this attitude he poured forth such a torrent of words as few of us
had ever before heard ; and if eloquence be composed of elocution
and a ready flow of language, he was fully entitled to the praise of
possessing it.
As we learned from the translation of this speech, its object was to
urge the necessity of gomg to war, in order to secure the murderer,
UPOLU—MANONO-—SAVAIL ati
Opotuno, for the purpose of delivering him up. This, however, was
intended only for effect; for these, as we well knew, were not the
real sentiments entertained by Malietoa.
This speech was made up of short and distinct sentences, was
spoken in a loud voice, and contained many repetitions.
However contrary this speech may have been to the cool determi-
nation of Malietoa, it seemed to meet the popular feeling, and there
is no saying what might have been the consequence, had not the
missionaries contrived to check the outburst. It was now proposed,
that the fono should receive and publish a document, offering a large
reward for the seizure and delivery of Opotuno, dead or alive. This
proposition was a new source of excitement, and old Malietoa ex-
claimed with emphasis, “ Give me the paper—I will put it upon my
house; where all the world shall see it.”
A copy was then nailed on the pillars of the council-house, which
Pea was made responsible for, and others were prepared and distri-
buted to the several chiefs.
The meeting was then dissolved, and every one present evinced
the greatest satisfaction that the whole of the business before it had
been concluded in so satisfactory a manner.
The island of Upolu is divided into three districts, viz., Atua, Tua-
Masanga, and Aana. Hach of these was formerly governed by a sepa-
rate and independent chief, styled Tw. Atua occupies the eastern end
of the island, which extends as far as the town of Lauli; Tua-Masanga
is the middle division, and includes the towns of Siuma and Safata,
on the southern shore; Aana lies west of this, and comprises the
remainder of the island. The first of these districts is of the greatest
extent, the second is at present the most powerful, and the third is
the most fertile. The union of these districts under one general
government, in which the island of Savaii is also included, is a late
event. Previous to 1830, this island had suffered from the usurpation
of a chief of Manono, called Tamafago, who was a great tyrant, but
who had contrived to cause his person to be considered as sacred, and
to impress on his countrymen the idea that it would be sacrilege to
disobey, hurt, or even to touch him. After the conquest of a rival
district in Savaii, he assumed the style of king of that island, “ O-le-
Tupe-o-Savaii,’ a title which Malietoa now enjoys, but without
deriving from it any power.
Tamafago not only ruled at Savait with royal and divine attributes,
112 UPOLU—MANONO—SAVAIL
but obtained a complete ascendency over Upolu, where he compelled
all to give up their property to him, and to yield the women of all
classes to his desires.
Finally, his tyranny and excesses exceeded the bounds of patience,
and the people of Aana rose against him, conquered and put him to
death. From this arose the war of Aana, which will be again spoken
of; for the chiefs of the other islands considered themselves bound to
avenge the death of Tamafago. The people of the other districts of
Upolu were not united in the support of their neighbours of Aana,
who had made themselves almost universally odious by their haughty
bearing. The war was a bloody one, and resulted, after a continuance
of two or three years, in the entire defeat of the people of Aana by
those of Manono, who expelled them from their district, and forbade
their return to it on pain of death.
This fertile region remained entirely unoccupied until the arrival
of the missionaries; but when the Christian influences of their
preaching began to be felt, the decree that condemned Aana to
solitude was annulled, and the few of its former inhabitants who
had escaped slaughter, were permitted to return to their ancient
homes.
The island of Manono, whose inhabitants exerted such an influence
in the closing scenes of the war of Aana, is situated within the sea-
reef of Upolu. It contains eleven hundred inhabitants, and is the
residence of the chief Pea, who must be distinguished from the
inferior personage of the same name who resides at Apia. This
island is covered with forests throughout its whole extent; its cir-
cumference is about four miles; and it is the station of one of the
English missionaries.
In spite of its small extent and scanty population, Manono is
identified with the political history of all the other islands of the
group; for, during the reigns of the two Tamafagos, it held supremacy
over them. ‘The reason of its acquiring and exercising this political
supremacy, is principally to be ascribed to the possession by its inhabi-
tants of the small island of Apolima, which they used as their “olo” or
citadel. To this retreat, inaccessible except at a single point, the
inhabitants of Manono were in the habit of retirmg when pressed by
too powerful an enemy, and when his rage had spent itself, they
thence returned to their home with undiminished numbers.
This natural fortress hes between Manono and Savaii, and sound-
UPOLU—MANONO-—SAVAIL 113
ings extend to it both from the shores of Upolu and Savau. The
coral reef attached to it is but small.
Apolima, on the most cursory examination, is evidently the crater
of an extinct voleano. Perpendicular cliffs rise from the sea around
its whole circuit, except at a single point on its northern side. Here
the lip of the crater is broken down, and admits the water of the
sea into a small bay, which affords a safe harbour for boats. The
entrance to this is so narrow as to admit no more than one boat at
a time, and is dangerous whenever there is any surf. It may,
therefore, be easily defended. ‘There is only one other point on the
island where it is possible to effect a landing, namely, at a small
height to the westward of the bay, and here it can only be done
when the water is perfectly smooth. But an enemy landing here
would have made no progress, for before the mterior can be reached
from this point, the steep and precipitous rocks remain to be climbed.
The highest point of Apolima is on its south side, where it is four
hundred and seventy-two feet above the sea. The perpendicular
cliffs which face the sea are of course bare of vegetation ; but with
this exception the whole surface is covered with cocoa, bread-fruit,
and other trees, or with plantations of taro, yams, &c.
In the centre of the island is a village of about twenty houses, and
the permanent population consists of no more than about seventy-five
VOL. Il. 29
114 UPOLU—MANONO—SAVAIL
persons. ‘The people are evidently jealous of the maiden reputation
of their natural fortress, and showed much concern when we visited
it, which the women even manifested by shedding tears.
It can be readily understocd from this description of Apolima, that
whatever party held it would be able to maintain possession of it
against great odds, and thence to take advantage of any weakness
or want of watchfulness on the part of their enemies.
While we were engaged at Tutuila and Upolu, the survey of the
island of Savai was performed by Lieutenant-Commandant Ringgold,
in the Porpoise. It has already been mentioned that this vessel had
been detached for that purpose, and that Dr. Pickering, from the
Vincennes, had gone in her. ‘The brig first touched at Sapapale, the
residence of the Rev. Mr. Hardie, who gave them a cordial welcome,
although much surprised at so unusual an arrival.
Many of the natives collected to view the white men, of whom so
many had never been seen together on the island. In their remarks,
they, among other things, praised our people for their beauty.
Dr. Pickering and Lieutenant Maury were landed here, to remain
upon the island while the brig was employed in surveying it; the
former to examine its productions, the latter to observe the tides.
Mr. Hardie kindly afforded them accommodations in a new house
he had just been erecting.
Lieutenant-Commandant Ringgold, after landing Dr. Pickering
and Lieutenant Maury at Sapapale, proceeded around the island for
the purpose of surveying it. He began with the examination of the
large bay of Paluale, near the eastern point of the island. Here there
iS a missionary station, under the superintendence of Mr. M’Donald,
who had resided there for about six months, with his wife and chil-
dren. ‘The natives are peaceable, but are described as inquisitive and
rude. The village is prettily situated, and is approached through a
boat-passage in the reef.
The south side of the island was found rocky and iron-bound, with
a heavy surf breaking on it. Towards the western end of the island,
the rocks around the poimts were worn into cavities, and the sea
rolling into them produced innumerable spouts of water.
When the brig was abreast of the deep inlet of Salealua, a native
missionary came off in a whale-boat. He tendered every possible
civility, and was very desirous that a trade might be opened with the
village of the same name. ‘This is situated at the head of the bay,
upon a sandy beach, and has around it and upon the sea-shore a con-
UPOLU—MANONO—SAVAIL 115
siderable extent of level plain, filled with groves of cocoa-nut and
bread-fruit. Upon examination, no shelter was found for vessels in
this bay, and the urgency of the duty required that the brig should
pass on w thout farther intercourse with the shore.
Near the northwestern point of Savaii is the large and beautiful
village of Felialupo, with a snug little cove for boats. This place is
under the charge of a Tonga missionary. ‘The natives were friendly,
and disposed to exchange their poultry and fruit, for tools, cloth, &c.
The next inlet on the north side, was that of Asau. ‘This was
supposed to be the only place where there was any probability of
finding a harbour. But the hope of such discovery was frustrated,
for there is only a small and shallow entrance through the reef, and
within the reef the shore forms an extensive flat.
Many canoes from this village visited the brig, and before they had
taken leave a theft was discovered. A commotion immediately took
place, and the native missionary at once gave himself up as a hostage,
until the article (a whetstone) should be brought back. A canoe was
then despatched to the chief, and in the course of an hour he came
on board, bringing the article. Both the chief and the native mis-
slonary expressed great mortification that such an occurrence had
taken place. Several small presents were made to them, and they
returned to the shore highly pleased.
Proceeding on the survey, the brig arrived off the north point of
the island, and reached the bay of Mataatua, which was examined,
and found to afford a good anchorage. ‘The brie was anchored here,
and the harbour surveyed. This is the only harbour in the island
where a vessel can anchor with safety, and here supplies of hogs,
poultry, and vegetables, may be had in abundance; wood and water
are also easily obtained, the latter from copious springs near the
beach.
A great difference in form, physiognomy, and manners, from those
of the adjacent villages, was observed here, as well as a change in
the character of many articles of manufacture. he war-clubs, and
spears, were of uncommon form, and neatly made.
This bay is surrounded by a white coral beach. The natives
appeared harmless, but manifested great curiosity. ‘The women are
more gracefully formed than at the other islands.
The native missionaries appeared to exercise much influence over
them, having put a stop to many of their former evil practices.
On the 24th, the brig again arrived off Sapapale, after an absence of
116 UPOLU—MANONO—SAVAIL
nine days. Here they were joined by Dr. Pickering and Lieutenant
Maury, and found the o'd chief Va etoa and his son Mole, who were
extremely courteous. On the former being presented with some
articles, he remarked, that ‘our property was very gocd, but our
good-will better.”
Dr. Pickering engaged natives to accompany him into the interior,
and to visit the Mu or burnt district. Preparations for the journey
were made in advance, and among other things it was stipulated,
that there should be only two meals a day: one early in the morning,
and another in the evening. ‘The first day, however, was to form an
exception.
Mr. Hardie accompanied the party for a few miles, and they soon
after their departure met a native who was styled “the Lord of the
Forest.” The party were desirous that this man should accompany
them, for his appearance promised more than that of the others, and it
seemed it was necessary to obtain his permission before they could
enter the forest. In times of scarcity, his domains become of great
value, in consequence of the quantity of wild yams they yield. This
person agreed to accompany them, and they proceeded along a good
path through cultivated grounds of Taro, Dracena, &c. Mr. Hardie,
before leaving the party, endeavoured to make the natives understand
the nature of Dr. Pickering’s errand; the latter was unable to make
himself understood by them. ‘They had not proceeded far before they
came to an uninhabited house, where the natives stopped for the pur-
pose of preparing dinner, the cooking of which occupied three hours!
The day was in consequence well advanced before they again started,
and at about 4 p. Mm. they reached an open shed, about two miles from
the last stopping-place, where the natives concluded to halt for the
night. ‘The occupants, who consisted of two elderly women and a
young man, were dispossessed, and the shed was enclosed by hanging
up leaves of the Heliconia, which resemble those of the banana. They
then prepared’ some excellent cocoa-nut pudding, and heated some
cocoa-nut milk in the shells. This beverage is usually taken by
them every morning and evening; the natives all saying grace
before their meal, and prayers before they went to rest. It was
late the next morning before Dr. Pickering could get the party in
motion, and pursuing their route, they soon overtook the Lord of the
Forest, who had preceded them, and was employed in cutting a path
through the woods, although that already made might have been
easily passed through. No inducement could make them change
UPOLU—MANONO—SAVAITLI WG
their purpose, and they continued to work at their turnpike, lopping
off large branches, beating down ferns, &c. After some time, they
reached a rising ground, which they found to be on one side of a
crater, about a thousand feet above the sea, and seven miles inland.
Dr. Pickering now concluded that it was a hopeless task to attempt
to penetrate into the interior with such guides, and determined to
return, which he accordingly did. He found the rest of his party a
mile in advance of their previous encampment, where they had built
for themselves a fine house, and each man had collected two large
baskets of yams for provisions. ‘This was their stopping-place for the
night, and among other cares for the Doctor’s comfort, they con-
structed for him a native pillow, formed of a piece of bamboo, with
legs lashed to it about three inches high.
The natives were in high spirits during the evening, talking and
laughing immoderately. They succeeded in getting off by nine
o'clock the next day, and reached the coast about noon.
During the stay of Dr. Pickering and Lieutenant Maury on this
island, they were objects of great curiosity; and whenever they
walked out they were followed, not only by boys, but grown men,
who did not, however, offer to molest them in any way. When they
passed through the villages, all the inhabitants, not excepting the
scholars from the schools, came out to look at them. ‘The latter,
however, did not abandon their books, but retained them in their
hands; for all, whether young, middle-aged, or old, are anxious to
learn, and their perseverance, as in other parts of the group, is
astonishing.
Dr. Pickering here witnessed the taking of fish in a different mode
from that practised on the other islands. Application was made to
the chief, and through his influence a meeting of the head men of the
town was called, and a fishing expedition agreed upon. The net, if it
could be so called, was prepared, and in the course of two days every
thing was ready. ‘The net was a kind of cheval-de-frise, made of the
leaves of the cocoa-nut tree, split and wound round a line, and was
little less than half a mile in length. It was more formidable in
appearance than in reality. This net was taken out at high water to
the coral reef, in three pieces, then fastened together, and thus made
to enclose a large extent of water. This space was gradually con-
tracted by doubling up the net, which answered the same purpose
as the drawing of a seine. The fish did not attempt to pass it, and
were thus driven towards a certain point, where a sort of sack of
VOL. II. 30
1s UPOLU—MANONO-—SAVAIL
matting had been placed for them to enter. As the fish were
gradually enclosed by the mat, and the tide fell, the scene became
an animated one. Men, women, and boys, to the number of two or
three hundred, were eagerly engaged in picking up or catching
the stragglers as they were seen leaping up; the whole area seemed
alive with fish, jumping in every direction, some over the heads of the
natives, and thus escaping, while others leaped into hand-nets. About
a canoe-load was caught, comprising thirty different kinds of fish,
some of which were six or eight pounds in weight, but the majority
were smaller. The haul was considered an unsuccessful one, which
was attributed to some misunderstanding and mismanagement among
the natives, by which a large stone fell on the net, and allowed many
of the fish to escape.
Savaii is the most western island of the Samoan Group, and is also
the largest, being forty miles in length and twenty in breadth. It is
not, however, as populous, or as important, as several of the others.
It differs from any of the others in its appearance, for its shore is low,
and the ascent thence to the centre is gradual, except where the cones
of a few extinct craters are seen. In the middle of the island a peak
rises, which is almost continually enveloped in clouds, and is the
highest land in the group. On account of these clouds, angles could
not be taken for determining its height accurately, but it certainly
exceeds four thousand feet.
The interior of the island is rarely entered, even by natives, and
has never been penetrated by strangers. ‘The only settlements are
upon the shore, along which the natives always journey, and there
are no paths across it.
Another marked difference between Savaii and the other large
islands, is the want of any permanent streams, a circumstance which
may be explained, notwithstanding the frequency of rai, by the
porous nature of the rock (vesicular lava) of which it is chiefly
composed. Water, however, gushes out near the shore in copious
springs, and when heavy and continual rains have occurred, streams
are formed in the ravines, but these soon disappear after the rains
have ceased.
The coral reef attached to this island is interrupted to the south
and west, where the surf beats full upon the rocky shore. There
are, in consequence, but few places where boats can land, and only
one harbour for ships, that of Mataatua; even this is unsafe from
November to February, when the northwesterly gales prevail.
UPOLU—MANONO—SAVAII. 419
The soil is fertile, and was composed in every part of the island
that was visited, of decomposed volcanic rock, and vegetable mould.
The Porpoise, having taken Dr. Pickering and Lieutenant Maury
again on board, set sail for Tutuila, for the purpose of joining the,
Vincennes, and beat to windward along the south side of Upolu.
During this passage many of the crew became sick, which rendered
it necessary to stop for a few days at Pago-pago, in order to recruit
them. Here they all speedily recovered, except one man, named
David Blodget, who died. ‘The disorder was attributed to the damp-
ness of the vessel.
The delay in the arrival of the Porpoise at Apia caused me to send
the Flying-Fish to Tutuila, whence they both returned to Apia.
Previous to sailing, at the pressing instance of the chiefs, I ordered
the marines and small-arm men of the squadron, in all about one
hundred and fifty, to be sent on shore, with their music, for exercise.
They had been well drilled to act on shore should occasion require,
and were provided for the occasion with blank cartridges. The
natives from far and near were collected to witness the review, and
few scenes that occurred during the voyage were as amusing as this.
The old and young were equally delighted, and it was ludicrous to
see them endeavouring to imitate the soldiers, in their marches and
countermarches. ‘They were not satisfied unless the drummers were
constantly beating, and were particularly delighted with the bass-
drum. ‘The firing occasioned some alarm at first, but when they saw
it did no harm, they became reconciled to it, although even to the
last they would scamper off to a distance at each discharge.
The review left an impression on their minds of the superiority of
our arms that will not soon be forgotten.
The men were embarked at sunset, and had many jokes to relate
of the conduct of the natives, and particularly old Pea, who on this,
as on other occasions, acted as master of the ceremonies.
During our stay in this group, we experienced two slight shocks of
earthquakes, their occurrence here is not unusual, but there is no
account of any damage having been done. ‘Their motion is generally
tremulous and horizontal; one, however, has been experienced of a
wavy description. ‘They are said by the foreigners often to produce
the sensation of sea-sickness. :
On the 10th of November, the whole squadron was assembled in
the harbour of Apia, after having been actively engaged since the
8th of October in examining the different islands, and making
120 UPOLU—MANONO-SAVAIL
surveys of their coasts and harbours, &c. This work was all expe-
ditiously and well done, with the exception of the south side of the
island of Upolu, which was imperfect in some respects; it was con- e
sequently re-surveyed in the following year, and the charts finished.
Besides the surveys, full series of experiments were made in magnet-
ism, and extensive collections obtained in natural history, botany, &c.,
the islands being traversed by parties in several directions for this
purpose. For the results in these departments, the reader is referred
to the Reports of the Naturalists; and to the Hydrographic Atlas, for
the charts. _
SSS
SSS
SS
>
SSS
SSSISES
et iH, U
Ue i i
FAN, BASKET, NECKLACE, AND COMB. ~
CoE AC ea iaiphue ave
CONTENTS.
GEOGRAPHICAL POSITION OF THE SAMOAN GROUP —ITS HARBOURS—ITS TIDES AND
CURRENTS—ITS CLIMATE —SIZE OF THE ISLANDS—SOIL AND PRODUCTIONS OF THE
GROUP—ITS CULTIVATION—ITS QUADRUPEDS—ITS BIRDS—ITS REPTILES—ITS FISH—ITS
PRODUCTS AVAILABLE FOR COMMERCE—LANGUAGE OF ITS NATIVES—THEIR DISEASES
—THEIR GENERAL APPEARANCE — THEIR NATIONAL CHARACTER — LABOURS OF THE
MISSIONARIES—NATIVE MISSIONARIES—SELECTION OF THEM FOR THE NEW HEBRIDES—
POPULATION OF THE ISLANDS— RELIGION OF THE HEATHEN—THEIR IDEA OF THE
CREATION—OF A FUTURE STATE—THEIR OMENS—THEIR SUPERSTITION—THEIR DANCES—
THEIR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS—THEIR AMUSEMENTS—PAPALANGI SHIP—THEIR BIRTHS
—THEIR MARRAIGES AND COURTSHIP—THEIR ADOPTION OF CHILDREN—THEIR BURIALS
—THEIR MOURNING —THEIR MANNERS AND APPEARANCE—THEIR DRESS —1MPROVE-
MENTS IN THE ANCIENT DRESS—TATTOOING—THEIR MANUFACTURE OF TAPA AND
MATS—SAMOAN CANOES—BOAT-SONG—HOUSES OF THE NATIVES—THEIR LIGHTS—THEIR
FOOD—THEIR HABITS—THEIR MALANGAS—THEIR PUNISHMENTS FOR CRIMES—THEIR
WARS—THEIR OLOS— THEIR PEACE-MAKING—CLASSES OF SAMOAN SOCIETY—ALLOT-
MENT OF LANDS—MODE OF GOVERNMENT—DESCENT OF CHIEFTAINSHIP—CEREMONIES
AT THE FONOS.
CHHEAGRATE IR: We
SAMOAN GROUP.
1839.
Durine the time that the squadron remained in the Samoan
Group, all the islands of which it is made up were visited ; not only
were the examinations, spoken of in the two preceding chapters,
made, but their shores were minutely surveyed by boats; the meteo-
rological instruments were duly registered ; astronomic and magnetic
observations made, and a full record of the tides kept. We have
thus obtained a large amount of information, which will be more
easily intelligible in a condensed form, together with a great number
of facts in relation to the aboriginal population, which may be made
more interesting when applied to give a general view of the habits,
character, and state of civilization among the natives, than if dispersed
in isolated remarks in the accounts of the separate tours in which it
was obtained.
The group lies between the latitudes of 13° 30’ and 14° 30’ S., and
the longitudes of 168° and 173° W. ‘The islands, as has been seen,
agree in the general character of being of volcanic structure, and
having coral reefs; differing, however, in the modifications of these
formations, which have been from time to time described. ‘The
harbours are usually situated within the reefs, but Tutuila is an
exception to this rule, by the possession of the deep land-locked basin
of Pago-pago. ‘This is, of all the ports, the one best adapted for the
refitting of vessels; but Apia, in Upolu, in the latitude of 13° 48’
56-6” S., and longitude 171° 41’ 09” W., is not so difficult of egress,
and in consequence of its proximity to the fertile district of Aana, the
most convenient for vessels seeking only a temporary anchorage and
refreshment.
The approach to Pago-pago, and the other harbours of the Samoan
124 SAMOAN GROUP.
Isles, is not difficult; and as the soundings extend in some places for
a distance beyond the reefs, vessels may drop an anchor in case of
necessity.
The flood tide among these islands sets to the westward; beyond
its influence, on the southern side of the islands, a current generally
prevails to the eastward, while it runs westward on their northern
side. Vessels, therefore, when beating to windward, would find it to
their advantage to keep on the southern side of the group, where
there is not only a favourable current, but where the winds would be
found more regular, and calms less frequent.
Tidal observations were made cotemporaneously at Tutuila, Upolu,
and Savaii; these show a regular difference of one hour in the tidal
wave between Tutuila, and Upolu; the tide at Savai appears from
the record to have been more irregular than at the other islands,
which may in part be attributed to the extent of the reef, but I
also fear that there may have been a want of due attention to the
observations.
The climate of these islands may be termed variable, and there is
much bad weather, particularly during the winter months, when
long and heavy rains, attended at times with high winds and
northerly gales, are frequent. Destructive hurricanes also occur,
and of these one is still recollected which blew down the bread-fruit
trees, and destroyed many of the houses.
The air is more moist than that of the Society Islands, and the
vegetation in consequence more luxuriant. ‘Thunder and lightning
are often experienced, but during the summer months light winds
and calms are the prevailing characters of the climate.
Some of our gentlemen made the remark, that, to judge from the
time at which the bread-fruit was gathered, there must be a great
difference between the seasons of this island and Tahiti; for when we
arrived at Tutuila, that product was ripe and in abundance, although
when we left Tahiti, only a few days before, it was unripe and not
to be had. The same remark was made in relation to the vi-apple
(Spondias dulcis). But, by comparing the voyages of Cook and Wallis,
it would appear that the time of the year at which the bread-fruit is in
season at Tahiti is not constant, for both these navigators found it in
perfection, although they visited that island in different months. If
there be a difference between the time of the ripening of the bread-
fruit in the Society Islands and this group, the greater moisture and
higher mean temperature of the Samoan climate will account for it.
SAMOAN GROUP. 125
The temperature of the air at Apia varied from 77:7° to 80:2°; that
of the water from 81:25° to 83°75°.
The mean height of the barometer in the group was 30-7128 in.
The islands of the Samoan Group contain two thousand six hundred
and fifty square miles, which are divided as follows, viz. :
Savail 5 2 . é 5 5 : 00
Upolu 0 : . a : 0 . 560
Tutuila : 4 , * , 5 ; . 240
Manono 5 5 : . 5 P 6 6 9
Apolima. C ¢ : : - : 4 7
Manua ‘ 6 3 6 6 6 6 . 100
Oloosinga . : : - 9 2 9 . 24
Ofoo 5 6 O 5 ° ss 3 6 =o)
The soil of all the islands is rich, and arises chiefly from the
decomposition of volcanic rocks. At Tutuila, it was remarked that
the vegetation was luxuriant, and the trees of large growth. At
Upolu the forests seemed more sombre than those of Brazil, although
the same kind of growth appeared to prevail.
The trees do not branch out until near the top, which renders it
difficult to obtain botanical specimens. ‘The trunks are covered, and
even the summits of the trees sometimes overgrown, with the leaves
of the scandent Flagellaria (Freycinetia), a climbing Piper, and
other vines, as Hoyas, Convolvulus, &c. The lower part of the
trunks are enveloped with ferns, of which there are many varieties,
and with some species of Pothos, which give the whole ground a
matted or woven appearance.
The woods in the interior of the islands are very thick, and often
composed of large and fine trees; among them are, tree-ferns, a
species of banyan, pandanus, and several species of palms. Among
other plants a species of Cerbera was observed, with beautiful clusters
of large and odorous white flowers, which yielded a quantity of white
viscous sap, that our botanist, Mr. Rich, thought might be manufac-
tured into caoutchouc. On the whole, the species of trees are much
more numerous than at Tahiti, and the vegetation in consequence
richer and more varied. ‘The woods, however, are not enlivened by
showy flowers, and the few of these that are seen are of a white or
grayish hue, which is to be ascribed to their being but little exposed
to the rays of the sun, in consequence of the umbrageous foliage.
Many of the flowers seen on the ground were unknown to our
botanist, as were several fruits.
VOL. Il. 32
126 SAMOAN GROUP.
Among the trees which have been named, that which struck us as
most remarkable was the species of banyan (Ficus religiosa), called
in these islands ohwa. Some of these were seen, whose pendent
branches had taken root in the ground to the number of thousands,
forming stems from an inch to two feet in diameter, uniting in the
main trunk more than eighty feet above the ground, and supporting
a vast system of horizontal branches, spreading like an umbrella over
the tops of the other trees. For the sketch of one of these I am in-
debted to Mr. Peale.
OHWA TREE.
The bread-fruit is the most abundant of all the trees, and grows
here to a large size; the vi-apple, the cocoa-nut, and the wild orange,
are also found in great numbers; and at Tutuila a large lime-tree
was seen in full bearing, which was said to have been planted before
the arrival of the missionaries.
Among the most singular of the vegetable productions is the stinging
tree, of which the natives are much afraid ; for if its leaves be touched,
an eruption is produced, particularly if the skin be wet. Its leaf is
cordate, but quite smooth.
The arborescent ferns are not as numerous as at Tahiti, but grow
toa larger size. ‘The palms gave a character of luxuriance to the
country, from the variety of their foliage. Rattans ninety feet in
length were seen running over the trees.
Bamboos and the wild sugar-cane were very common; the latter is
used in thatching houses: the wild ginger also abounds.
Of the wild nutmeg (Myristica), two species were seen, which are
small trees, and likely to be passed without notice, were it not for the
peculiar manner in which branches grow out of the trunk, which is
SAMOAN GROUP. 127
in whirls, at regular intervals, like the white pine (Pinus strobus) of
our Northern States.
It was remarked that the character of the vegetation approached
more nearly to that of the East Indies than of the Society Islands,
and the leafless acacias were the type of those we afterwards saw in
New Holland; but there are some plants which appear peculiar to
these islands.
Many of the trees we have named, as well as other plants, are
objects of cultivation ; but the ground cleared for this purpose does not
extend far from the coasts, near which all the villages are situated.
To clear the land, the bark is burnt off the trees, after which they
are permitted to stand until they become dry, when they are cut
down and used as fuel.
The cultivated plants and trees are, bread-fruit (of which they have
twenty varieties), cocoa-nut, ti (Dracena), bananas, taro, paper-mul-
berry, tacca, from which arrow-root is made, and of which they have
several sorts; sugar-cane, which is not made into sugar, but used
only for thatching; coffee, ava (Piper mythisticum), sweet-potato,
pime-apple (Anana), brought by the missionaries from the Society
Islands; yams, the papaya, and tobacco in small quantities. The
agave has not been introduced ; but in a few years lemons and sweet
oranges will be produced in great quantities from trees which have
recently been planted.
To the cultivation of the tacca they pay little attention, yet the
quality of the fecula (arrow-root) made from it is said to be superior.
The missionaries are endeavouring to teach the natives the best
mode of cultivating the sugar-cane and manufacturing it ; and it is said
that a few persons have adopted the new methods. At present they
find a substitute for sugar in the root of the ti plant, which is baked
in ovens, and yields a large quantity of saccharine juice resembling
molasses.
Great attention is paid to the cultivation of the yam. ‘They are
planted in October, and are ripe in February and March. The vines
run up the trees, and when they die, the root is known to be ripe.
To plant them, they are cut, like the potato, into pieces containing
eyes, which are laid in heaps and covered up until the sprout appears.
The pieces are then set out at distances of about three feet from each
other.
Hearing that there were some extensive savannas in Upolu, over-
grown with the wild sugar-cane, I directed Assistant-Surgeon Whittle
128 SAMOAN GROUP.
and Mr. Couthouy, to proceed to the east end of the island, where
they were said to grow. ‘They, however, saw nothing of the kind,
except a few small patches of that plant.
There are no traces among these islands of any native quadruped,
nor any other of the mammalia, except a species of bat (Pteropus
ruficollis), which is very destructive to the bread-fruit. Swine have
now become abundant, and the missionaries have introduced cattle,
which are rapidly increasing, and will in a few years be in sufficient
numbers for the supply of vessels.* Horses have also been brought
to the islands.
The first large quadruped ever seen by these islanders was a mule.
With it they were much astonished, and it was considered so great a
curiosity, that it was carried around the island of Upolu for the
purpose of gratifying the natives with a sight of it. They gave ita
name signifying—the hog that travels over the ground.
Poultry of all descriptions is plentiful, and pigeons abound, which,
however, are considered sacred, and not used as an article of food.
Of the latter bird (Columba oceanica), between sixty and seventy
specimens of different varieties were obtained, but it is remarkable
that of all these, none were the same as those found in the Society
Islands. To the Zoological Report I would refer for further informa-
tion on this subject. ‘There are but few birds of game, and none of
the hawk genus. A philomel was pointed out by the missionaries as
the principal singing bird, and the woods of Tutuila were filled with
warblers. The note of the philomel, although much praised, did not
appear agreeable to me.
The pigeon is commonly kept as a plaything, and particularly by
the chiefs; for this purpose they are fastened to a stick by a thread
about twelve feet in length. They are taught to fly from and return
to the stick, and when well tutored to this feat, the possessor of the
bird exhibits it with much pride and satisfaction. One of our officers
unfortunately on one occasion shot a pigeon, which caused great com-
motion, for the bird was a king-pigeon, and to kill it was thought as
great a crime as taking the life of aman. ‘The people were not to be
pacified until the interpreter told them that the officer belonged to
“‘man-of-war,’’ which intelligence, together with a small present
satisfied them, and the matter was settled.
To justify their regard for them, we were told that when the
* On Upolu there are now twenty head of cattle, and seven horses.
SAMOAN GROUP. 129
inhabitants of Aana were driven away, about eight years since,
by the people of Manono, the pigeons abandoned the district, but that
upon their return to their homes, the pigeons again made their
appearance in their former abodes.
Snakes were found in Upolu, and sea-snakes are reported to have
been seen off the islands.
Fish are taken in the neighbouring waters, in great abundance
and variety. Besides other modes of taking them, they are caught
on the reefs by women, who place baskets near the holes where they
are accustomed to take shelter. They are also speared by torchlight,
and taken in deep water by the hook. Among the sea-fish, mullets
are very numerous, and are frequently seen leaping from the water in
immense shoals.
One of the modes in which fish are caught by the Samoans, was
witnessed at Samatau. About a dozen canoes formed themselves into
a ring around what appeared to be a dark circular spot in the water,
about six feet in diameter, and which was moving along with a slow
and unequal motion. ‘This was a shoal of the small fish called lou,
which is about two inches in length. The shoal being thus sur-
rounded, the circle of canoes was gradually lessened, until the fish,
finding themselves enclosed on all sides, ceased to move forward. At
this moment the head fisher, who was seen standing up in the canoe
with a net m his hand, threw it dexterously over the shoal, upon
which all the other men dove at once from the boats, and remained
for several seconds under the water, where they secured the sides of
the net. On reappearing, all regained their canoes except four, who
remained to take charge of the net, which with its prize they con-
veyed to the chief.
These islands furnish abundant supplies for the refreshment of
vessels, but as yet there are few articles which can be rendered
available in foreion commerce. ‘'Tortoise-shell, of which a little has
at times been procured at Savaii, cocoa-nut oil, and arrow-root, are
nearly all that can be procured in quantities beyond the immediate
wants of the visiters. Caoutchouc, gum Arabic, castor beans, orris-
root, ginger, and coffee, might however be easily added to the list of
exports. In return for what they can furnish, the natives now look
to objects of real utility; beads, jews-harps, &c., once so much in
request, are now scarcely prized; and cotton cloth, writing-paper,
and hardware, particularly needles and other small articles of utility,
are the kinds of manufactured goods which are most sought after.
VOL. II. 33
130 SAMOAN GROUP.
The Samoan language is soft and smooth, and is the only one of
the Polynesian dialects in which the sound of s is found. The
letters that the missionaries have found necessary to adopt in order to
write it, are only fourteen in number, viz.: AEF GIL MNOPSTUY.
In attemptimg to sound the words of other languages, they use L in-
stead of r, s for H, and p instead of B. The c has a nasal sound, as
in ong.
It has nearly the same construction as the Tahitian, nevertheless
the Samoan is far from being understood by the natives of the Society
Islands. The Samoans say that they never can acquire it—* their
jaws are too stiff.’ The missionaries also have great difficulty in
speaking it, and are lable to make many mistakes which appear
absurd to the natives.
We have seen that it possesses the sibilant sound of s, and every
one of the words terminates with a vowel.
A separate dialect is appropriate to the chiefs, all of whose actions,
the parts of their bodies, &c., have different names from those of the
common people. The Philological Report is referred to for further
information upon this subject.
Many of the Samoans reach the age of seventy or eighty years.
There is, however, a great mortality among the young children,
which is probably owing to their exposure to the weather. Those
who survive, grow up robust and healthy.
Among the diseases which afflict the adults, one of the most usual
is a Spinal affection, which results in caries and produces humpback.
This is no doubt owing to the peculiar manner in which the children
are carried. Catarrhs and bronchial disorders, occasioned by the
exposed life of the natives, are prevalent, and a white resident died of
phthisis during our stay. The dysentery, as an epidemic, is unknown,
but sporadic cases of it occur, occasioned by imprudence in diet.
There is an eruptive complaint, called ilamea, which covers many
of the children under the age of ten years with sores, and which
seems more particularly to attack the face and head. ‘The mode in
which it is treated is singular: the child is rubbed with the husks of
the cocoa-nut, until all the scabs are removed; a soft preparation of
the bread-fruit is then applied, after which they are washed. This
operation is undergone every time they bathe, which is daily. When
the bread-fruit is not in season, a decoction of the husk of the cocoa-
nut is used in its place.
The elephantiasis prevails to a great extent among men who are
SAMOAN GROUP. 131
past the middle age ; and some of the cases are truly frightful. There
are also many instances in which women are affected by it. It does
not appear to cause the least degree of pam. Among the reasons
that have been assigned for the frequency of this disease are, the
habit of eating their food without salt, and the use of cocoa-nut water ;
to which may be added exposure at night, and want of sufficient
exercise. The latter cause, whether it be capable of producing this
disease or not, unquestionably exists; for they are in the habit
of sitting for hours with their legs bent under them, which must
cause a stagnation of healthy circulation. Laziness, however, cannot
be ascribed to them as a part of their national character, for they are
disposed to exertion, and willing to be employed. When, therefore,
they have received sufficient instruction, and civilization has taught
them new wants, they will probably become an industrious and
thriving people.
Ophthalmia, which is supposed to arise from the reflection of the
sun from the sandy beaches near which all their villages are built, is
so prevalent, that, to speak within bounds, not less than a fifth part
of the population is affected with it.* In most cases it was observed
to begin on the inner corner of the eye, whence it extends gradually
over the pupil, until the sight is completely lost. As the disease
advances, the thickness of the film increases, and when it has covered
the eye, that organ becomes enlarged and appears to project. From
appearances it would not be difficult to remove the film, and thus
cure the disorder; but the natives have not made any attempt of
the kind. Several cases of total blindness arising from this disorder
were seen.
The venereal disease does not exist at Tutuila, and is hardly known
in the other islands. This serves to prove how great a superiority
this island possesses over Tahiti in the chastity of its females, who in
general observe their marriage vow with strict fidelity.
Fevers are rare, and those of a remittent and intermittent type are
unknown; in fact, the geological formation of these islands is by no
means favourable to the generation of the miasmata that cause them.
No means of medical assistance are attached to the English mis-
sion, and the missionaries, therefore, can do but little in alleviating
the maladies of the natives. Even their slight knowledge of remedies
* Tt is so common at Savaii, that at least one case of blindness, in one or both eyes, 1s
to be seen in every family.
132 SAMOAN GROUP.
affords some alleviation, and their practice is far preferable to that
of the natives, who always abandon to their fate those who are
very ill.
Among the few curative means that the natives do employ is a sort
of shampooing. ‘This is performed by rubbing the body and limbs
with the hands, at first gently, and gradually more and more roughly.
These manipulations are applied as a restorative after fatigue, and to
alleviate pain. For the former purpose they are effectual, and often
abate, if they do not remove, the latter.
Among all the Polynesian islanders, the men of Samoa rank, in
point of personal appearance, second only to the Tongese; and many
specimens of manly beauty are to be seen among them. As much
cannot be said of the women, who are rather ill-formed and stout.
When very young, however, some of them are pretty, and their
colour is light, being little darker than that of a brunette or South
American Spaniard. The girls are lively, have a good expression of
countenance, and, what is rare in Polynesia, have some degree of
bashfulness.
The average height of the men is five feet ten inches, and some of
the chiefs whose limbs are well rounded, would be called fine-looking
men in any part of the world. Their features are not in general
prominent, but are well marked and distinct, and are all referable to
a common type. The nose is short and wide at the base; the mouth
large and well filled with white and strong teeth, with full and well-
turned lips; the eyes black, and often large and bright; the forehead
narrow and high; and the cheek-bones prominent. It was observed
that some of them had the eye turned up at the outer corner like the
Chinese. Of beard, they have but little, but their hair is strong,
straight, and very black; instances, however, were observed, where it
had been turned to a carroty red, by washing it with lime-water for
the purpose of destroying vermin (Pediculus humanus).
Little difference was perceived in the shape of the heads of the
two sexes, for observing which there is a good opportunity among
those who have embraced Christianity, who shave off their hair.
The general form of the skull is broad and short, and is highest near
the crown.
When the islands were first visited, the natives were represented
as ferocious and treacherous. This arose in a great degree from the
bloody conflict they had with the boats of La Perouse’s squadron ;
and the opinion was kept up by the just resentment they in some cases
’
SAMOAN GROUP. 133
manifested for wrongs committed on them by lawless visiters. The
instance of Opotuno, however, shows that this idea of their charac-
ter is not entirely without foundation. Viewed in a more favourable
light, they are, as we found them, kind, good-humoured, intelligent,
fond of amusements, desirous of pleasing, and very hospitable.
Both sexes show great kindness and love for their children, and age
is so much respected that only old men are admitted to council. As
a shade on this picture, they are indolent, covetous, fickle, deceitful,
and little reliance can be placed upon them. ‘To illustrate these
features of their character: the first question asked when a chief
receives a visiter 1s, ‘“ What present will you take?” for they consider
it incumbent upon them to bestow some token of regard, and a
neglect to offer it would be indecorous. This custom was always
complied with, when any of our officers visited them, and although
it was evident they did not wish to part with any thing valuable,
their choicest possessions were exhibited as if for the choice of the
stranger. On the refusal of their offered presents, great joy was
always to be observed in their countenance and manner, showing
that they rejoiced in an escape from loss, while they had at the
same time performed the prescribed rites of hospitality. This risk
being over, they were too happy to supply us with cocoa-nuts and
fruits. In spite, however, of the apparent liberality with which
these were furnished, they do it in expectation of a full return. In
pursuance of this hospitality, it is the custom when a stranger passes
through a village without showing an intention to stop, to follow him
and offer food.
‘The Samoans are usually very inquisitive, and it was amusing to
excite their curiosity. Among other things mentioned for the
purpose was, that white men often wore false teeth and wigs.
The latter practice in particular seemed strange to them, and they
called it “‘thatching the head.” A terrestrial globe was also shown
to some of them, whereon the position of their islands and their
small relative importance was pointed out. This excited great sur-
prise, for until within a few years they had no idea that there was
any country except their own.
If the chiefs are liberal in their tenders of presents to their visiters,
they on the other hand do not hesitate to ask for whatever they see.
They may, in fact, be styled sturdy beggars. One of the most
persevering in his mendicancy, was no less a person than Vavasa,
the proud and overbearing chief of Manono. They usually began
VOL. I. 34
134 SAMOAN GROUP.
with begging from the humblest individual, and ended with the
highest; and when they had obtained all they could, would go over
the side of the ship ridiculing our folly for giving so much.
Old Pea, by way of excusing himself when charged with being a
great beggar, said he did not keep any thing he got for himself; that
it was the Samoan fashion always to ask for every thing he saw. It
mattered not if his request was refused, he was as content as if he
obtained what he desired, but he said he should have blamed himself
if he had not asked.
The beneficial effects of the labours of the missionaries are more
evident among the Samoans, than at Tahiti. The spread of the
gospel has not been opposed by evil habits of the same inveterate
character, and the natives of this group have been more easily re-
claimed from their vices than those of the Society Islands. The
greatest obstacle to the success of the missionaries has arisen from the
presence of a few abandoned white men, who attach themselves to
the heathen chiefs. ‘Their opposition, although injurious to the mis-
slonary cause, yields little benefit to themselves, for of every thing
they acquire, the chief under whose protection they are, takes half;
and although no opposition is ever made to their departure from the
islands, they are not permitted to take any thing with them. The
vices of these men excite the disgust of the more well-disposed of the
natives, who often express their astonishment at their ignorance of
sacred subjects, and ask if it be possible that such men can have been
brought up in a civilized community.
The first attempt to introduce Christianity is related to have
occurred in the following manner. Some years before the arrival of
the missionaries, a vessel was wrecked upon the island of Upolu, and
her cargo seized upon by the natives, many of whom even to the
present day, regret that they did not then understand what riches
were thus placed at their disposal. ‘Their mode of treating the prize
was farcical in the extreme: pipes were made out of candlesticks,
clothing was thrown away as valueless, and many injured themselves
with the fire-arms. ‘lhe crew were well treated, and fed for a long
time, although the natives were greatly astonished at the quantities
of pigs required for their support, and entertained fears lest they
should breed a famine in the land. ‘The captain advised his crew to
turn missionaries, and set them the example himself. He met with
much success, and succeeded in building several churches, until upon
the arrival of the English missionaries he was compelled to relinquish
SAMOAN GROUP. 135
his assumed occupation. It is not probable that even the captain was
deeply versed in religious knowledge, and very certain that the crew
could not have been; but their success appears to have arisen from the
ereat veneration with which white men were at first regarded by the
Samoans. They looked upon them as a sort of spirit, whom it was
impossible to hurt or to kill; and the ships first seen off the coast
were considered as heavenly messengers, prognosticating some dread-
ful calamity. The bad conduct of their nautical visiters has destroyed
this reverence, and foreigners generally no longer meet the kind
welcome they formerly received; this observation does not apply to
the missionaries, who receive all the honour that is due to their good
intention, of which the natives are fully aware.
The Wesleyan missionaries, and those of the British Board,
reached these islands about the same time, or the former were per-
haps the first to arrive. ‘The influence of the Wesleyan tenets, and
the number of their followers increased rapidly under the superin-
tendence of the Rev. Mr. Turner. Difficulties, however, arose
between the two parties of missionaries, which were finally adjusted
between the two boards in London, and the Wesleyans abandoned
this field for that of the Feejee Group. This arrangement was amicably
made, and I heard of only one individual on either side, who showed
an uncharitable spirit towards his fellow-labourers of the other party.
In spite of the removal of the Wesleyans, there is still a large number
of the natives who adhere to the tenets and forms taught them by
Mr. ‘Turner, and still retain a strong attachment to him.
The missionaries were from the very first taken under the protec-
tion of the most powerful chiefs, and have never received either insult
or injury from any of the natives. ‘They have established schools in
many of the villages, but have found a difficulty in obtaining native
teachers.
A printing-press has also been established at Upolu, and rapid
progress is making in the translation of the Scriptures, of which some
portions are already published. Many publications have issued from
this press: among them [ regretted to observe a small tract contain-
ing a violent attack upon the Roman Catholics. The sight of this
surprised me, as it contradicted the opinion I had formed, from my
intercourse with the missionaries, of their liberality and freedom from
intolerance. The sole object of the tract was to prepossess the minds
of the natives against the missionaries of the Papal church in case
they should visit these islands. This struck me as being at variance
136 SAMOAN GROUP.
with the first principles of our religion, and I could not refrain
from expressing an opinion that the tract was calculated to do much
harm.
The labours of the English missionaries have been much aided by
native assistants, who have been both industrious and successful ; and
among them, those of Raratonga have the merit of having led the
way. ‘They have acted under the direction of Mr. Williams, and he
was loud in praise of their exertions. I witnessed a most interesting
meeting of these native missionaries, for the purpose of selecting nine
from their number to accompany Mr. Williams to the New Hebrides,
which has-perhaps left a more deep impression on my mind from the
melancholy result of that attempted mission.
Great anxiety was exhibited by the candidates; and I have never
seen a more proper state of feeling, or listened to more correct
sentiments than were expressed on this occasion. All appeared
devoted to their calling, and some of them were quite eloquent.
After the choice was announced, those upon whom it had fallen
manifested a cheerful but not unbecoming triumph, while the re-
jected candidates were evidently grieved and disappointed. The
former were now invested with new apparel, which, although no
more than a striped cotton shirt,* gave them an air of consequence
among their brethren, which was amusing to us who could draw
comparisons between this simple garment and prouder kinds of
canonicals.
Each of the resident missionaries now delivered a long harangue,
which was replied to by one of the selected. ‘The subjects of these
discourses were, on the one hand, advice in reference to the duties
about to be entered upon, and on the other a recognition of the weight
of the responsibility incurred by the successful candidates.
Most, if not all, of those selected for the new mission were fine-
looking men, and they were chosen out of many applicants, for their
steady habits and strict moral conduct. The term of their engage-
ment on the new duty was three years, after which they were to
* This garment is the only remuneration that they receive during each year from the
missionary funds, and with it they feel themselves well requited.
I have to acknowledge the obligation under which I feel myself to the missionaries,
both individually and collectively, for their kindness and attention. They did all in their
power to further the objects of the Expedition, and to them the squadron is mainly
indebted for a great part of the facilities we enjoyed of becoming acquainted with the
manners, habits, and customs of the Samoans.
SAMOAN GROUP. 137
return to their wives and children, who were not to accompany
them.
The extent and influence of the labours of the missionaries may
be best understood by a comparison between the whole population of
the islands, with the numbers of those who have embraced Chris-
tianity, and attend the schools.
The entire population of the group is estimated at 56,600, of whom
14,850 have embraced Christianity, and 12,300 attend the schools.
These numbers are thus distributed :
ISLANDS. POBULATIONS iesetiet eee PUPILS.
CHRISTIANITY.
Eastern Group. . . 2,000 150 | 150
dbo 6 6 5 6 6 8,000 2,200 1,900
Wincluaeree tei ce ee 25,000 8,000 6,200
Savatid eet! sti 20,000 4,000 3,700
WENCH 5 6 4 o 1,100 400 230
Apolimaee a seen 500 100 120
Total, 56,600 14,850 12,300
The whole number of foreion missionaries is eleven, of whom one
resides in Tutuila, six in Upolu, three in Savaii, and one in Manono.
The number of native teachers is one hundred and thirty-eight, of
whom five are in the Eastern Group, thirty-one in Tutuila, fifty in
Upolu, thirty-six in Savaii, twelve in Manono, and four in Apolima.
Besides those counted as having actually embraced Christianity, it
is said that two-thirds of the whole population belong to the Christian
party.
Of those who attend the schools, about ten thousand read, and this
newly introduced habit has of course made a very great change in
the habits of a majority of the people, but the number of heathen still
left is sufficient to furnish an idea of their original manners and cus-
toms, which will in a few years be either entirely lost, or so modified
by the spread of the gospel as to change their character entirely. The
rapidity with which this change is going on, rendered it desirable to
VOL. Il. 35
138 SAMOAN GROUP.
obtain as much information as possible in relation to the pristine
manners of this people.
As respects their ancient religion, we have obtained the following
particulars of the heathens. They acknowledge one great god,
whom they call Tagaloa-lagi, but pay less worship to him than to
their war-gods, Tamafaiga, Sinleo, and Onafanua. ‘The first entices
them to war, the second leads them to it, and the third is a female
goddess, who encourages them to fight.
Mafuie is their god of earthquakes, who was deemed to possess
great power, but has, according to the Samoans, lost much of it.
The way in which they say this occurred is as follows. One Talago,
who possessed a charm capable of causing the earth to divide, coming
to a well-known spot, cried, “ Rock, divide! I am Talago; come to
work!” The earth separating at his command, he went down to
cultivate his taro patch. His son, whose name was Tutu, became
acquainted with the charm, and watching his father, saw him
descend and the earth close after him. At the same spot, Titi
said, “Rock, divide! I am Talago; come to work!” The rock did
not open, but on repeating the words, and stamping his foot violently,
the earth separated, and he descended. Being a young man, he
made a great noise and bustle, notwithstanding the advice of his
father to be quiet, lest Mafuie would hear him. ‘The son then asked,
“Who is Mafuie, that I should be afraid of him?’ Observing smoke
at a distance, he inquired the cause of it. ‘Talago said, “It is Mafuie
heating his oven.” ‘Tiitii determined to go and see, notwithstanding
all the persuasions of his father, and met Mafuie, who inquired who
he was. ‘Are you a planter of taro, a builder, or a twister of ropes?”
“T am a twister of ropes,” said Titi; “@ive me your arm, and IJ shall
show you.” So taking the arm of Mafuie, he twisted it off in a
moment. Such a practical illustration of his powers soon made
Mafuie cry out, “ Na fia ola, na fia ola!’’—I desire to live, I desire to
live! ‘Tutu then took pity upon him, and let him go. The natives,
on feeling an earthquake, exclaim, “Thanks that Mafuie has but one
arm! if he had two, he would shake the earth to pieces.”
The god Salefu supports the earth. They have likewise Mesua,
Faana, Tinitini, Lamamau, who are gods of lightning, rain, whirl-
winds, &c. ‘These gods are said to reside on an island to the west-
ward, from which quarter their bad weather usually comes.
They had, likewise, many inferior gods, who watched on particular
SAMOAN GROUP. 139
districts. These various gods owned certain animals, reptiles, fish,
and birds. In some few districts inanimate objects were worshipped,
thus: a branch of bamboo, with a bunch of cocoa-nut fibres tied on
the top, was worshipped in Manono. They also had carved blocks |
of wood and stone erected in memory of dead chiefs, which they
worshipped.
The account they give of the creation of their island is as follows:
Tangaloa, their great god, who lives in the sky, sent down the bird
Tuli (a kind of snipe), his daughter, to look what was below. She
reported to her father that she saw nothing but sea. 'Tangaloa then
rolled a stone from heaven, which became the island of Savaii, and
another which produced Upolu, and the same for the others.
This did not suit Tuli, who returned to ask for inhabitants. He
gave her orders to plant the wild vines (fuefue), which after growing
were ordered by him to be pulled up and thrown into heaps, from
which worms were produced. Then it was desirable that they should
become human. Spirits were accordingly sent to them by Tuli, and
the worms became man and woman.
Their notions of a future existence are quite vague. ‘They believe,
however, in a happy future state, where every thing good is provided.
Some say that it is on their own island, others on distant islands, and
for the chiefs at the residence of the gods on Pulotu, an island to the
westward. They also believe that the spirit goes there immediately
after death; that in these places it never rains; that they eat and
drink there without labour, and are waited upon by the most beau-
tiful women, who are always young, or as a chief expressed it to one
of our officers, ‘“‘ whose breasts never hang down.”
The spirits, according to their belief, often come down to wander
about at night around their former dwellings; some spirits are be-
lieved to die, while others are immortal; some dwell in subterranean
abodes, and are eaten by the gods. Some persons believe that after
death they become “‘aitus,” or inferior gods.
They believed in many omens, which were carefully watched. If
the black stork, called matuu, flew before them on a war expedition,
in the direction they were going, they deemed it betokened success;
but if in any other direction, it was an ill omen. If adim moon, or
very bright starlight, or comet, were observed, it always indicated the
death of a chief; and a rainbow was a sign of war.
The squeaking of rats was an unfortunate omen. Sneezing was
oF
140 SAMOAN GROUP.
also considered unlucky ; if any one of a party sneezed on a journey,
their further progress was postponed.
I was told that the Samoans have a great dread of being abroad in
the dark, and that when obliged to pass about their villages by night,
they use flambeaux made of the dried stalks of the cocoa-nut leaf to
light them on their way. This fear is partly owing to superstition,
which makes them fearful of encountering some spirit or aitu with
which their imaginations people the groves, springs, rocks, trees, &c.
They are in the habit of occasionally making a feast for the king’s
aitu, when a number of pigs are prepared, and a quantity of taro,
fruit, &c., is gathered. The portion for the aitu is placed near his
supposed dwelling-place, and the dependants and others enjoy them-
selves on the remainder.
They were formerly in the habit of presenting their first fruits to
the aitus and chiefs. ‘This custom still continues among the heathen,
but the Christian party present theirs to the missionaries. ‘The
ceremony usually takes place in January or February. In drinking
ava, the first cup was always presented to the gods.
There is an account of a large lizard which dwells on the south
side of the island, and is worshipped as an aitu. The description
given of it makes it two fathoms long and as large round as a
cocoa-nut tree, with huge scales, and a mouth filled with sharp
teeth. It is said to dwell in a stream near Safata, into which
the natives frequently throw meat. Some of them declare that
they have seen him, and that he has dwelt there upwards of fifty
years.
It is not remarkable, however, that they should have this tradition ;
and this circumstance affords an additional proof that they have had
frequent intercourse with the Tonga, or Friendly Islands, where a
similar tradition is spoken of in Mariner’s Tonga Islands.
Among their other superstitions is that of a malignant spirit that
resides in the vicinity of Apolima, in the shape of an enormous eel,
of from six to ten fathoms long, and large in proportion, which
attacks canoes and drags them down.
A story is told that is said to have happened only a few years ago.
While two natives of Manono were swimming across the channel in
the reef, they were drowned in the sight of many others ; immediately
a large canoe was manned, and went in quest of them; the crew of
this canoe encountered the monster, and wounded it. ‘The canoe
AMOAN GROUP. 141
was upset, and although a few saved themselves by swimming to the
shore, the greater part of them were destroyed. When asked if it
was not a shark, (of which they have two kinds, the tanifa or great
white shark, and the masi, or small blue one), they replied, it was
a monstrous pasz, which is the name applied to the murcena or
conger eel.
Their dances and other amusements are in a great degree abolished,
but they are still practised in the heathen villages, and even the
Christian women may still be induced to exhibit the former, which
they call seva. The mode of performing it differs from that of the
Tahitians, but is like it lascivious, and neither of them would be
called dances in our sense of the term. The dance is usually per-
formed by young girls, who stand up before the audience throwing
their arms, legs, feet, and hands, in numerous strange attitudes,
which are any thing but graceful. The others who are present sing
amusing words, in two or three parts, while a third or fourth part is
kept up in a coarse grunt or guttural sound, in the bass clef. The
words are comprised in short sentences, each of which finishes sud-
denly with a staccato note, and a violent gesture. The music of one
of the dances at Tutuila was as follows :
bh = Rm RP! j
("eees|soalereelveet terse le |
The females, unlike those of Tahiti, have not many musical voices
among them, but in common with other uncivilized races, have a
perfect knowledge of time.
The men, on the contrary, produce round rich sounds, rather
below tenor, but as wild as nature would have them to be.
The dance of the girls at Upolu consisted entirely of motions of
the body, and was so indelicate as to produce disgust. The chaunt
which accompanied it was sung with a high voice, and three or four
women were employed in beating time on the mats with short sticks,
in which most of the spectators jomed with their hands. In all cases
they kept time with the greatest accuracy.
The Samoan drum is made of a part of a tree, hollowed out; they
have also an instrument formed of a loose slat, fitted into a board, on
which they beat time with two sticks. Their flute, if it may be so
VOL. II. 36
—_,
142 SAMOAN GROUP.
~
called, is made of bamboo, as are also their pipes, which resemble
those of Pan.
The dances of the men are by no means indecorous. ‘Those who
perform them vary in number from two to a dozen, and are divided
into two parties. These parties alternately advance and retreat,
which gives an appearance of animation. Clapping their hands,
swinging them to and fro, or clasping them over their heads, they
follow each other in a circle, leaping up and down, and turning
suddenly around, keeping time to the music. ‘The dances continue
a considerable time, and end with a sudden clap of the hands and a
simultaneous shout.
The music to which they danced in Upolu, was as follows
po Voices.
Joe f= GARE
b Second Voices.
oe ae —
(| b- — steea as any
The song is usually extemporaneous, relating to some recent occur-
rence. ‘The following is a translation of one of them, obtained by
Mr. Couthouy through one of the interpreters.
The Papalangi has come to Samoa,
The Papalangi has come to Vaiusu,
Let us all go down to the spring.
The Papalangi is fond of the Siva.
Where is the pig? Where is the fattened fowl ?
The Papalangi cannot join in the Siva.
Kindle up a bright blaze! Where are the virgins?
I am going to get some cocoa-nuts.
Look at this Samoan, how finely he dances!
These dances are usually performed in the fale-tele, where stran-
SAMOAN GROUP. 143
gers are entertained. The inhabitants and their guests occupy
different ends of the building, and alternately keep up the dancing
and singing. Through the latter all the news is made known,
occurrences related, inquiries made and answered.
Many of the nights are spent in this way; and much of the day-
time, in eating, bathing, and sleeping.
Besides these dances, there are various games. One of these,
called “lupe,” is played by two persons, who sit opposite each other.
One of them presents his closed fist to his opponent, and then rapidly
holds up one, two, three, or all the fingers and the thumb, striking
the back of his hand on the mat at the same time. If his opponent
fails of instantly holding up a like number of fingers, he loses a
point, and ten points finish the game.
“TLafo litupa” is also played by two persons, who place about
fifty beans of the Mimosa scandium before them; then taking up
four at a time, they throw them up in the air, and catch them on
the back of the hand; the player who catches a hundred soonest is
the winner.
Tuae-fua. This is played by five or six persons. It resembles the
sport of the Chinese jugglers with iron balls. The first player some-
times takes as many as eight oranges, throwing them successively
into the air, and endeavours to keep the whole in motion at once.
They are very dexterous at this: if they miss three times, the game
is lost.
Tui-muri affords the natives much amusement. Any number of
persons may play at it. ‘They seat themselves in a circle, and divide
into two parties. An orange is suspended from above, about two feet
from the ground, and each person is supplied with a small sharp-
pointed stick. The orange is swung round, and as it passes, each
one endeavours to pierce it, some with great eagerness, others quite
calmly, and others again with a wary coolness, all of which affords
much amusement to the bystanders. The party wins who first
succeeds in fairly hitting the orange fifty times.
It is played for mats, trinkets, &c., but more generally for a baked
pig, which is eaten when the play is over.
Litia. This is a general sport, sometimes whole villages playing
against each other; it is in fact an exercise in spear-throwing. ‘Two
parties furnish themselves with light sticks of the Hibiscus tiliaceus,
about eight or ten feet long and as thick asa finger. The bark is
stripped off, which makes them very light. The two parties arrange
144 SAMOAN GROUP.
themselves in a line, and strive to throw these as far as possible; the
party which succeeds in throwing fifty the farthest wins the game.
The usual distance to which they are thrown is about forty yards,
and one would conceive it almost impossible for them to be thrown so
far. A grand feast usually terminates the sport, which the losing
party pays for.
“Lafe,” is a game confined to the chiefs, who play it for pastime.
Four persons sit at the corners of a mat, ten or twelve feet long, in
whose centre is placed another of ten inches square; the persons at
opposite corners are partners ; each party is provided with five circular
pieces of cocoa-nut shells, from two inches in diameter to half a cocoa-
nut. The first player lays his smallest piece on the little mat, and
his opponent tries to knock it off, and leave his own in its place.
Each in his turn endeavours to knock their opponent’s pieces off.
The party which first succeeds in knocking its opponent’s pieces off
one hundred times, wins the game. The pieces of cocoa-nut are
finely polished and carved with a variety of devices.
Sham club-fights and wrestling-matches are common, and fre-
quently end in broken heads, limbs, and teeth knocked out.
‘An odd amusement of the natives was seen in the forest, in one of
the clearings near one of the heathen villages, and at a short distance
from Apia, (the vignette gives a good idea of it.) A fine large tree
SAMOAN GROUP. 145
had been lopt of its branches (except at the very top), for a mast;
around this a framework of timber, after the model of a vessel, was
constructed ; all the timbers were carefully fastened together with
sinnet, and with the requisite curvature; from the bow a large and
long piece of timber projected, and at the stern a rudder was con-
trived, with its tiller; but instead of its ordinary movements as with
us, it was intended to act vertically, in the way to which they are
accustomed in managing or steering their large canoes with an oar;
vines and creepers were used for the rigging; ballast had likewise
been placed in the hold.
This afforded them great amusement, and showed an ingenuity in
the construction of this Papalangi ship, as they called it, which had
cost them much time and labour.
There is no ceremony at births, or indeed any inconvenience. The
mother generally proceeds immediately to the spring, bathes and
washes her infant, and at the same time her usual occupations are
resumed. ‘The naming of the child frequently takes place some time
before its birth, for sex makes no difference in the names, which are
given indiscriminately to males and females.
The mothers often suckle their children until they are six years
old; and I was told of an instance where a woman gave nourishment
to three children of different ages at once, the eldest removing the
youngest sometimes by force from the mother’s breast.
It is their practice to wash the children frequently in the fresh-
water streams.
When a native wishes to get a wife, the consent of the chief is first
obtained. ‘Then he takes a basket of bread-fruit}.and offers it to the
girl of his choice. His suit is considered as accepted if she partakes
of it. He must then pay her parents a certain price for her, which
varies with the station and ability of the parties. A chief’s daughter
is valued high, viz., at half a dozen hatchets and as many fathoms of
cloth. ; nde
Another mode of courtship is to go to the house of the object of
attachment or desire, and be entertained.- If the family show a
friendly feeling towards the young man and eat with him, his
addresses are favourably received. ‘The formal offer is made by a
large present to the family of the female, which being accepted, the
match is made, and if refused, the courtship is at an end. The
parents expect their children to abide by their decision. The
“Malo” party have been in the habit of taking wives from their
VOL. II. 37
146 SAMOAN GROUP.
conquered enemies when they thought proper. Ata marriage cere-
mony a great feast is made, particularly if it be a chief’s.
A man is at liberty to repudiate his wife and marry again on
certain conditions, but the woman cannot leave her husband without
his consent.
Adultery was formerly punished with death, and is very seldom
committed. Among single women, intercourse with a Samoan
before marriage, is a reproach, but not with transient foreigners.
It is a common practice for parents to make a present of their
children to chiefs or others, who adopt the child as their own, and
treat it ever after as such. After it is grown up, one-half of its earn-
ings goes to its adopted parent. ‘This custom gives the chiefs many
adopted children of both sexes, who continue to live with them, and
are in all respects treated as their own; and spreads their connexions
far and wide.
In their burials at Upolu, they have but little ceremony. The
body is enveloped in many folds of tapa, and deposited, as has
already been described at Tutuila, with the Ti planted around. No
utensils, arms, &c., are deposited with the bodies; for, according to
their belief, they have these things provided for them in their
Elysium. A feast is made for the attendants, consisting of pigs, taro,
bread-fruit, &c.; presents are made by all the relatives to the family
of the deceased, and if the family can afford it, a small canoe is
procured for a coffin. After the body has lain in the grave some
time, they take up the skull and place it in a box in their houses.
The reason assigned for this is to prevent their enemies from possess-
ing themselves of it, for it was a custom in their wars to violate the
sanctity of the grave. We heard that a few of the bodies of chiefs
had been preserved by oil and heat; and the missionaries informed
me that they had seen the bodies of those who died thirty or forty
years before, preserved in this manner.
Their mode of showing their grief is to burn themselves to
blisters, (forming indelible marks,) with little rolls of twisted tapa,
which, on being lighted, soon produced a coal. ‘They also scratch
their bodies. ‘lhe females are said (in token of affliction for deceased
friends) to have pricked holes in the corpse, and sucked out the
fluids. All these practices may be now said to be passing away, and
are almost obliterated.
There is already a very great difference not only in dress, but in
appearance, between those who have adopted Christianity, and those
SAMOAN GROUP. 147
who adhere to heathenism. The latter have a wild look, to which
their long hair, tied in a bunch behind, adds not a little, and when
going to war they let it hang down in wild confusion, which increases
their savage appearance.
DEVIL MAN.
On the other hand, the Christians crop their hair short, a fashion
which was introduced by the missionaries.
The hair of the children is cropped close, except a lock on each
side of the head. The manners of the people in the Christian and
heathen villages are as different as their appearance. In the latter
no schools are seen, nor any of the incipient marks of civilization.
Their reception of strangers in the Christian villages is always kind
and hospitable, although, as has been stated, a return is looked for.
Among the heathen, the manner of reception cannot be counted upon
with certainty, for they at one time welcome their visiters with cor-
diality, and at another are rude, insolent, and anxious to obtain all the
strangers possess. When in good humour, they entertain their guests
with the lascivious dances we have described, performed by native
girls. Their whole manner and conduct are so different from those of
villages within a short distance of them, that the effect produced on
the latter by the instruction of the missionaries, appears almost
miraculous.
In the heathen villages the dress of the Samoans is to be seen in
its primitive simplicity. It is no more than the titi, which is a short
apron and girdle of the leaves of the ti (Dracena), tied around the
loms and fallmg down to the thighs. The women besmear them-
selves with cocoa-nut oil mixed with turmeric, which gives them a
shining yellow tint, that is considered as a beauty. On each breast a
spot of reddish brown, of a singular shape, and of various sizes, from
148 SAMOAN GROUP.
that of a dollar to that of a dessert-plate. They do not show the least
sign of feminine bashfulness, while those of the Christian villages
cover their bosoms, and exhibit as much modesty as those of any
country.
During the last ten years the dress of the natives has undergone
much change ; the titi has been increased in length, and extends all
round the body; it has a neat and pretty effect when first put on, but
requires renewing often, as the leaves wilt in a few days; this
garment is well adapted to the climate, being cool. and the necessity
of frequent change insures cleanliness.
The Wesleyan missionaries from the Friendly Islands have intro-
duced the siapo of Tonga, which has now come into common use. It
is soft, phable, and not glazed, and is principally used as a wrapper,
after the manner of the pareu of the Tahiti Islanders. of things, that one or two favourable years
will completely repay all former losses; and it is due to the perse-
verance and industry of the inhabitants of New South Wales to
say, that they have already, in spite of the difficulties they have
had to encounter, made it one of the most flourishing colonies on the
globe.
What these difficulties are, may be better understood by quoting
some remarks of Major Mitchell, the Surveyor-General, who has had
sreater opportunities than any other person of examining the country,
every accessible portion of which he has visited.
“Sandstone prevails so much more than trap, limestone, or granite,
as to cover six-sevenths of the whole surface comprised within the
boundaries of nineteen counties, from Yass Plains in the south, to the
Liverpool range in the north. Wherever this happens to be the
surface, little besides barren sand is found in the place of soil.
Deciduous vegetation scarcely exists there; no turf is found; for the
trees and shrubs being very inflammable, conflagrations take place so
frequently and extensively in the woods during summer, as to leave
very litt e vegetable matter to turn to earth.
“In the regions of sandstone, the territory is in short good for
nothing, and is, besides, generally imaccessible, thus presenting a
formidable obstruction to any communication between spots of a
better description.”
The information obtained from other sources does not, however,
sustain so very unfavourable a picture; it may, indeed, be true, when
applied to the labours of husbandry alone; but there is reason to
believe, on the other hand, that the excellence of the great staple of
the country, its wool, is in a great measure to be ascribed to the
short and sweet pasturage which these very sandstone districts
afford. These lands produce, except during the prevalence of
excessive droughts, a nutritious herbage, and form a dry healthy
soil, on which sheep thrive particularly well, although it is said that
one hundred acres of this description, of average quality, will not
support more than five or six head of cattle.
In seasons of drought, the flocks and herds are driven into the
interior. ‘The year of our visit (1839) was accounted a wet one, and
VOL. Ii. 46
me -;
182 NEW SOUTH WALES.
some parts of the sandstone district which produced good crops of
grain,* in drier seasons would have been dry to barrenness.
In such a climate it is not surprising that there are hardly any
streams that merit the name of rivers. It is necessary to guard
against being misled by the inspection of maps of the country,
and forming from them the idea that it is well watered. Such an
impression would be erroneous, and yet the maps are not inaccurate ;
streams do at times exist in the places where they are laid down on
the maps, but for the greater part of every year no more is to be seen
than the beds or courses, in which, during the season of floods, or
after long-continued rains, absolute torrents of water flow, but which
will within the short space of a month again become a string of deep
pools. Were it not for this peculiar provision of nature, the country
for the greater part of the year would be without water, and, conse-
quently, uninhabitable.
The principal rivers which are found to the east of the Blue Moun-
tains are, the Hunter, George, Shoalham, and Hawkesbury. None
of these streams are navigable further than the tide flows in the
estuaries, which sometimes extend twenty or thirty miles inland, for
beyond them they are usually no more than twenty inches in depth.
Each of these streams has numerous tributaries, which drain a
large area of country, and during heavy rains the main branches are
suddenly swelled, and cause the floods which have been spoken of.
To the west of the mountains, the water-courses are of a very
different character. The Darling, for stance, through a course of
seven hundred miles, does not receive a single tributary, although it
is said to drain an extent of sixty thousand square miles. It possesses
the other character which has been mentioned, of being frequently
reduced to a mere string of pools. ‘The Darling, Murrumbidgee,
and Lachlan, unite about one hundred miles from the ocean, and
their joint stream is known by the name of the Murray, which after
passing through Lake Alexandria, enters the sea at Encounter Bay.
The surface drained by these streams is about two hundred and
fifty thousand square miles.
Another remarkable occurrence observed in these western waters,
is the disappearance of a river in swampy lands, where, as is sup-
* In the diluvial flats along the rivers, the wheat crop is usually about twenty-five
bushels to the acre. Forty to forty-five bushels have been obtained, but such crops are
very unusual.
NEW SOUTH WALES. 183
posed, it is swallowed up by the caverns in the limestone rocks.
This is the case with the Macquarie, which has its source near
Bathurst.
According to all accounts, salt is very generally diffused throughout
New South Wales, and even all Australia. It has been reported as
being found in masses in the sandstone, but no specimens of it were
obtained by the Expedition. Scarcely a well is dug in the interior
which is not brackish ; and, according to Major Mitchell, Captain
Sturt, Oxley, and others, many of the rivers are quite saline in parts
of their course. The northern tributaries of the Hunter and Darling
are instances of this.
The lakes are also said to be saline, and in some instances sufi-
ciently strong to afford a large and profitable yield of salt; but being
very far in the interior, and without the means of transportation, they
are of little value. Along the south coast of Australia, such lakes
are described as existing near the sea, and may possibly prove of
some value to that portion of New Holland.
Lead and iron have been found in small quantities; the deposits
of the former are all trifling. ‘Those of the latter afford too impure
an ore, and not in sufficient abundance to be worked.
The minerals stated to be found in Australia, specimens of which
were procured for the Expedition, are, chalcedony, agates, jasper,
quartz, augite, and stilbite, feldspar, arragonite, gypsum, chlorite,
mica in granite; sulphur and alum, galena and plumbago, magnetic
iron, iron pyrites, and basalt.
Fossils appear to be confined to particular localities, but are by no
means rare.
Columns of basalt of great regularity are found on the coast of
IHawarra, but the articulations are all plane.
The water is much impregnated with alum and iron, and its use is
avoided by the inhabitants.
Deserts covered with saline plants are said to be frequently met with.
Mitchell, in his travels in New South Wales, speaks of the
different heights of the ranges of mountains in this country, some of
them in the southern and some in the eastern portion, as being
covered with snow, and rising four thousand five hundred feet above
the sea. To the Blue Mountain range he ascribes a height of three
thousand four hundred feet, composed entirely of sand; beyond this
the granite or dividing range occurs, which is only two thousand two
184 NEW SOUTH WALES.
hundred feet in height. ‘The Canobolus Mountains, further to the
westward, are four thousand four hundred and sixty-one feet high,
and of primitive rock; beyond these the extensive plains of the
interior, the valley of Millewa or Murray River, seem again to be
entirely composed of sedimentary rocks, similar to the sandstone of
the coast.
The climate of Australia may be considered generally as very dry ;
the irregularity of the rains, and the nature of the soil, all prove that
it is so; yet the aridity is not marked, as in other countries, by a
general tendency in the plants to produce thorns, although the
peculiarity of the vegetation makes the dryness apparent in other
ways. From all accounts, New South Wales is subject to as great
atmospheric vicissitudes, as the middle United States. For a series
of years, droughts will occur, which in turn give place to years of
successive floods, and these prevail to an extent that can hardly be
credited, were it not that the account has been received from good
authority. As a striking instance of it, Oxley, in his exploring
journeys into the interior, in 1817, found the country every where
overflowed, so as to prevent him from proceeding; while Mitchell,
in 1835, in the same districts, was continually in danger of perish-
ing from thirst. The latter states that he found unios (or fresh-
water mussels) sticking in the banks of rivers and ponds above
the level of the water; and also dead trees and saplings in similar
situations.
This alternate change must exert a great influence on the produc-
tions of the soil; the rivers ceasing to flow, and their beds becoming
as it were dry, with the exception of the pools heretofore spoken of,
must likewise have an influence. The prevailing westerly winds
sweep with force over the whole country, blighting all they touch.
The effect of these hot winds is remarkable, for they will in a few
hours entirely destroy the crops, by extracting all the moisture from
the grain, even after it is formed, and almost ready for harvest; and
the only portion that is left is that which has been sheltered by trees,
hedges, or fences. They thus destroy the prospect of the husband-
man when his crops are ready for the sickle. It is thought, and I
should imagine with reason, that were the Blue Mountains a more
lofty range, this would not be the case, as they would have a tendency
to continue the supplies to the streams throughout the year, by the
condensation of the vapour from the sea.
NEW SOUTH WALES. 185
These hot winds come from the direction of the Blue Mountains,
and, what seems remarkable, are not felt on the other side of the
mountains, or in their immediate vicinity. Yet the extent between
the coast and the mountains is not sufficient to produce these winds,
being only forty-five miles; and if they proceed from the interior,
they must pass over those mountains, an elevation in some places of
three thousand four hundred feet. Their great destructiveness is
undoubtedly caused by their capacity for moisture, although few
observations have as yet (as far as | was able to obtain imformation)
been made upon them, except in relation to the blight they occasion.
It has been found that fields which have a line of woods on the side
whence they blow, escape injury. ‘The harvest immediately on the
line of the coast does not suffer so much, being exempted in part
from their withering influence by the moisture that is imbibed from
the sea.
There is a portion of this country that is an exception to the
general rule of aridity, namely, the district of Illawarra. ‘This forms
a belt of from one to ten miles wide, and has the range of the
Kangaroo Hills just behind it, of one thousand feet; these are suffi-
ciently high at this distance from the coast to condense the moisture,
and also to protect the district from the blighting effects of the
blasts from the interior.
One is entirely unprepared for the alleged facts in relation to this
country ; for instance, Mitchell in his journey to the south and west,
during the four winter months, witnessed no precipitation of moisture
except frosts in the mornings, and the thermometer was often below
the freezing point. Violent winds occur, which have obtained the
name of brick-fielders. ‘They are nothing more than a kind of gust
peculiar to the environs of Sydney, after a sultry day. During one of
these gusts little or no rain falls, though the wind frequently ap-
proaches a hurricane in force. These winds get their name from
bringing the dust from the brick-fields, formerly in the suburbs of
Sydney, but which are now almost entirely built over. The tempera-
ture during the blow generally falls twenty or twenty-five degrees,
in the space of as many minutes; the dust is very great, and the
wind so strong, as to cause apprehension lest the houses should be
unroofed, or the chimneys thrown down. Our standard barometer
was carefully watched during the coming on of two of these
custs, and found to fall 0-200 in.: the first time, and the second only
0-020 in.: but the temperature fell each time about ten degrees. They
VOL. Il. 47
186 NEW SOUTH WALES.
were not, however, true brick-fielders, or such as a resident would
so denominate.
Snow has been known to fall in Sydney, but so rarely, that we
were told some of the inhabitants were doubtful as to its nature. On
the mountains it is not uncommon, and in the winter season 1s always
seen on those in the New England district, which, although three
or four degrees to the northward of Sydney, enjoy a much cooler
climate.
Major Mitchell often found that the temperature exceeded 100° of
Fahrenheit. ‘The heat was, of course, very oppressive, and more so
on account of the little shade the native trees afford. The difference
of temperature between the day and night is great, but upon this
point I was able to get but little information; the meteorological
registers that have been kept at Sydney, have omitted the night hours
altogether.
IT have been favoured since my return with the abstract returns of
the meteorological registers during parts of the years 1840 and 741,
kept at the South Head of Port Jackson, two hundred and fifty-four
feet above the level of the sea. Being kept immediately at the sea-
coast, this record does not furnish so satisfactory an account of -
the climate, as if the place of observation had been farther in the
interior. I have also those kept at Port Macquarie to the north,
and at Port Philip to the south; the following are some of the results
from them.
During the winter months, June, July, August, and September, on
the eastern coast, they have the winds from the south to the west
quarter, blowimg strong and cold, not unlike our northeast winds,
accompanied by rain. ‘The quantity of rain which fell in the winter
of 1840 was.35-25 inches; in 1841, 45-00 inches. The temperature
during this season is from 40° to 78°, mean temperature, 66°. During
the summer months, October, November, December, January, and
February, easterly winds prevail, and the temperature varies from
56° to 90°; the mean temperature being about 78°. On the south
coast, as appears from the tables kept at Port Philip, the winds pursue
a reversed order; for during the summer months they are found
to prevail from the southward and westward, whilst in winter they
come from the eastward. ‘The mean standing of the barometer seems
to be higher at Port Philip than at Port Jackson and Port Mac-
quarie; its range is within 0-5 inches, and at the two latter places it
seldom reached 30-000 inches. During our stay at Sydney, the range
NEW SOUTH WALES. 187
of the barometer was generally higher than this. The temperature of
the winter months varies from 35° to 65°: the mean is about 47°; and
that of the summer months from 50° to 98°, the mean being 68°.
The above observations relative to the winds on the south and
eastern coast, will serve to explain some of the difficulties that have
resulted from vessels taking the southern route round New Holland,
to proceed west. These, during some seasons of the year, have met
constant head winds and storms. It would seem that the most
feasible time to make the southern passage to the westward, is during
the winter months. The probable cause of this difference is the
immense vacuum which is formed on the vast plains in the interior
of New Holland during the summer, that is supplied by these
southerly winds. But it is not altogether certain that these winds
prevail at any distance from the land. They were described to me
rather as regular breezes, prevailing during the day, moderating
towards night, and succeeded by light land-winds until the following
morning. The intermediate months between the summer and
winter, or those about the equinoxes, are attended with variable
winds and uncertain weather, but from information I received, they
do not appear to suffer here from very violent gales during these
seasons. Severe gales are, however, experienced at these seasons at
New Zealand, in the same latitude, of which I shall speak hereafter.
Our own results for the time we stayed in Australia will be found
under their appropriate head. At Sydney I found a great variety of
opinions existing about the climate. During our stay the weather
was unfavourable for all astronomical observations, and almost the
whole time cloudy or ramy. It was amusing to find many of those
to whom I had the pleasure of an introduction, apologizing for the
badness of the weather. It brought forcibly to my recollection, the
fault that Captain Basil Hall finds with the people of the United
States, but was far from being annoying to me. I have but little
doubt, that the climate is, generally speaking, a healthy one, and not
unlike that of some parts of our own country. ‘The colony is
subject to occasional epidemics, and from the best information I
could procure, it is thought that the mortality is about one in forty-
three ; this may be called a very small proportion, when one takes
into consideration the great quantity of ardent spirits that is con-
sumed.
The general appearance of the vegetation of New South Wales
presents many peculiarities. The character of its productions is
1&8 NEW SOUTH WALES.
totally distinct from those of the other portions of the globe. The
gum trees, Norfolk pines, and those of Moreton Bay, attract atten-
tion from their scattered appearance, and peculiar foliage. All
these have a dark and sombre hue. A remark made by one of our
gentlemen is characteristic of the former, “that they were ghosts of
trees.” ‘The leaves being set edgewise causes this appearance, and
in consequence give little or no shade. This peculiar position of the
leaf is more conspicuous in the Eucalypti than in other genera, for
in them the leaves are all pendant, while the leaves in the other
genera are usually upright, rigid, and somewhat as may be seen in
the Acacias and other tribes. It was observed that both surfaces of
the leaves were much alike, having as it were, two upper surfaces.
Whether any physiological purpose has been assigned for such an
arrangement I have not been informed.
According to observations made by the gentlemen of the Expedi-
tion, the great mass of the vegetation of Australia belongs to the
natural orders of Myrtacee, Leguminose, Proteacee, Epacridee, and
Composite.
The most common genera are Eucalyptus and Acacia. Many
trees of one of the species of the former genus were seen one hundred
and twenty feet in height, and with a girth, about six feet from the
ground, of eighteen feet. This species is called by the settlers black
gum, and is much used for domestic purposes, particularly its bark,
with which they cover their huts and houses. The dilated foliaceous
acaclas are very numerous, and are objects of attraction from their
gay and fragrant blossoms. ‘The trees which present the greatest
variety of species, are those known as gum trees, viz.: blue gum,
gray gum, flooded gum, iron bark, and strimgy bark. The leaves
of these gum trees have a powerful aromatic flavour, and a taste
approaching to camphor. ‘They are used in the colony for a variety
of purposes, according to their quality. Thus, the blue gum, (Euca-
lyptus piperita,) is employed for ship-building; the iron gum,
(Eucalyptus resinifera,) for fencing; and the gray gum, black-butted
gum, for boards and plank.
The Norfolk Island pine, (Araucaria excelsa,) is used for cabinet-
work; the swamp oak, (Casuarina torulosa,) for shingles and cabinet-
work, as is the cedar (Cedrela australis,) which grows to a very
large size; the turpentine wood, (Tristania arbicans,) for boat-build-
ing; the pear tree, (Xylomelum pyriforme,) the apple, (Angophora
5?
lanceolata,) the mountain-ash, sallow, sassafras, and several kinds of
NEW SOUTH WALES. 189
?
wood which they called “Curagong,’
the trees were not seen.
The grass tree (Xanthorrheea hastilis) did not equal our expecta-
tions, which were probably too highly raised by the descriptions of
those who had gone before us; yet when in flower it must be a con-
spicuous object, and in all stages of growth suits well for the fore-
ground of a picture.
Among the most, singular of the productions of Australia are the
wooden pears, as they are called. These have a close external
resemblance to the fruit whose name they bear, but are ligneous
within. Another of the fruits is a cherry whose stone is external,
and would be similar to our fruit of that name were the kernel in its
proper place. The pit adheres firmly to the pulp, which is of the
size of a pistol-bullet, but the fruit shrinks when ripe to that of a buck-
shot. ‘The pear grows on a low shrub, the cherry on a large bush.
I have before remarked how different the “forest,” so called in
New South Wales, is from what is understood by the term elsewhere.
The want of close growth is not the only remarkable appearance, but
the absence of all decayed foliage is also extraordinary. ‘The ground
is clear of any fallen leaves, and every thing betokens that perennial
verdure is here the order of things. ‘These two features combined,
give the forests of Australia the air of a neatly-kept park. Annual
plants, (if so they can be called,) abound in the forest, requiring, it
is said, more than a single year to bring their seeds to maturity.
There were instances we were told of crops of grain remaining three
years in the ground. A few plants found in other parts of the world,
are, it 1s well known, only brought into existence after a lapse of
years, and others give repeated crops during the same year. ‘That
these types, so rare in other countries, should be abundant in Aus-
tralia, is not remarkable when it is considered that they are but
instances of an almost complete diversity between the natural history
of this country and that of other regions.
The timber of the Australian trees is generally of greater specific
gravity than water.
The remark, that the leaves of the trees are wood, and their wood
iron, is not Inappropriate to most of the plants of this country. It is
not, however, to be inferred that all the plants are different from those
of other countries; so far from this being the case, a considerable
admixture of ordinary forms was met with. Among these were a
great variety of grasses, some of which were before considered to be
were also observed in use, but
VOL. Il. 48
ae
190 NEW SOUTH WALES.
peculiar to North America; many other forms decidedly North
American were also met with, a circumstance which, from the
difference of geographical position, distance, and climate, was not
to be expected; but for these details I must refer to the Botanical
Report.
All seem to have been struck with the apparent monotony of the
scenery, foliage, and flora, although in reality the latter presents
great variety. ‘The general sentiment was, that they were fatigued
by it, which is not a little surprising, as the Australian Flora rivals in
number of species that of Brazil. This feeling may be accounted for
by the overpowering impression that is made by the gum trees, whose
foliage is of a dark sombre green. ‘There is also something in the
general absence of underbrush; and the trees are so distant from one
another that there is no need of roads, so that a carriage may drive
any where.
The trees are in general tall in proportion to their diameter, with
an umbrella top, and have the appearance of being thinly clad in
foliage. No woody vines are to be seen, nor any parasitic plants.
In many places a stunted growth of detached shrubs, called in the
colony “scrub,” exists, which might be termed one of their “ forests”
in a dwarf shape.
In the Hlawarra district a totally distinct state of things exists.
Here is to be found all the luxuriance of the tropics—lofty palms,
among them the Corypha australis, with tree-ferns of two or more
varieties, different species of Ficus, a scandent Piper, and very many
vines. The forest of this district is thick, and alive with animal
life.
This district 1s about fifty miles long, and forms a semicircular
area about thirty miles in its greatest width. ‘The peculiarity of the
situation of this district would tend to show what would have been
the probable state of New Holland, or rather its eastern side, if the
mountains were sufficiently high to intercept the moisture of the
ocean, and prevent the access to it of the dry hot winds from the
interior. Illawarra may be termed the granary of New South Wales;
here the crops seldom if ever fail, and are very abundant.
The flower-gardens at and in the neighbourhood of Sydney would
do credit to any part of the world. Among the most conspicuous are
the Botanic Garden and that of Mr. M’Leay. The latter particularly
interested us. It is situated on Elizabeth Bay, beyond or within
Wooloomoloo. The house, which displays much taste, is built of
NEW SOUTH WALES. 191
sandstone, and is situated beneath a hill, and on a knoll about fifty
feet above the water. In front of it is a lawn bounded by a parapet
wall, and between this and the water are several acres of land very’
tastefully laid out as an arboretum and flower-garden. Copses of
native trees have been judiciously left on the north and south sides
of the grounds, and not only protect them from the injurious winds,
but add greatly to their beauty. ‘The garden is intersected by many
walks, leading to the best points of view. It contains many rare and
fine specimens of plants from England, Mauritius, the Cape of Good
Hope, the East Indies, and America. A splendid specimen of the
Acrostichum grande, or Stag-horn, from Moreton Bay, was seen
suspended from a tree.
The Norfolk Island pine, and that from Moreton Bay, (the Arau-
caria Cunninghamii,) thought by some to be as handsome a tree
as the one from Norfolk Island, were also among the plantations.
From the flower-garden a walk leads through a lattice-work bower,
192 NEW SOUTH WALES.
covered with native Bignonias and Passion-flowers, into the kitchen
and fruit-garden. ‘These we found well stocked with fruit and vege-
tables of almost all Kuropean kinds, which seem to thrive particularly
well here. ‘The kindness, attention, and hospitality, with which we
were received and treated, will long be gratefully remembered. ‘To
Mr. M’Leay, the Expedition is indebted for much aid, and through
him our coilections were increased. ‘The English oak thrives well,
and many fine specimens of it were seen. From the information I
have received, very many of the Australian plauts succeed admirably
in England.
The soil of Sydney consists of black mould, mixed with a clean
white sand. ‘The quantity of sand is such, as in the dry seasons to
affect the vegetation. ‘This sand I understood is now exported to
England at a great profit, beimg found a valuable article in the
manufacture of plate glass. ‘This soil, however, is made to yield a
plentiful supply of fruits and vegetables; and the display exhibited at
the horticultural exhibition was highly creditable, not only for the
perfection to which the productions had been brought, but for their
great variety. The exhibition was held in the large market-house in
George Street, which was tastefully decorated for the occasion with
branches and festoons of flowers. In front of the door was an arch
formed of beautiful flowers, with the motto “Advance, Australia,”
surmounted by a crown, and the letters V. R. in yellow flowers.
Behind this the band was stationed, which, on our entrance, struck
up Yankee Doodle. ‘Tickets were sent to the consul for those be-
longing to the squadron. ‘There were a great many South American
plants in pots. A premium was received for 'Tropeolum penta-
phyllum, Maurandya Barclayana, and for two species of Calceolaria.
There were likewise Amaryllis belladonna and umbellata, Bouvardia
triphylla, Cobeea scandens, and several Passifloras, and a variety of
Hyacinths, Dahhas, Tuberoses, &c., all fine.
The grapes exhibited were beautiful, and some of them in very
large clusters. Nectarines, peaches, apples, pears, small oranges,
shaddocks, pime-apples, chestnuts, and walnuts, were also in abun-
dance.
After viewing the fruit we examined the vegetables, which con-
sisted of potatoes, carrots, turnips, very large pumpkins, cucumbers,
cabbages of different kinds and very fine, particularly the curled
Savoy and early York, tomatoes, celery, squashes, vegetable marrow,
beets, capsicums, and beans.
NEW SOUTH WALES. 193
After the vegetables came specimens of native wines, and a silver
cup was given as a premium for the best. The white wine resembled
hock in taste ; the red, claret. The climate is thought to be favourable
to the production of the grape. The first wine made in the colony
was by Mr. Blaxland, on his estate at Newington.
The premiums were silver medals. A very handsome gold one
was also exhibited, which was to be given the next year for the best
crop of wheat.
There was a large concourse of visiters, all seemingly much inte-
rested in the exhibition, which was open from one o’clock until six.
The proceeds of the exhibition of the following day were for the
benefit of the poor.
There are a variety of other fruits and vegetables grown near
Sydney, which, being out of season, were not exhibited; but to show
the great variety this climate produces, it is as well to mention them,
viz.: English cherries, plums, raspberries, figs, water and musk-
melons, filberts, citrons, lemons, strawberries, grenadillas, olives, and
a species of cherimoyer; and for vegetables, asparagus, cauliflower,
lettuce, radishes, spinach, broccoli, artichokes, egg-plant, mustard,
and capers.
They have many imported varieties of grapes. Sir John Jamison
is now making experiments on his estate to effect their successful
srowth, and manufacture wine. He has obtained cultivators both
from Madeira and the Rhine, to superintend his vineyard and vin-
tage. ‘The reports made yearly to the Agricultural Society, hold out
well-founded hopes of success.
Several good nurseries of fruit trees exist in the vicinity of Para-
matta, and the Botanical Garden at Sydney also furnishes trees to the
cultivators.
The grains grown in the colony are, wheat, rye, barley, Indian
corn, and oats. ‘The wheat yields from six to twenty-five bushels to
the acre, and on some low ground as high as thirty-five bushels. Its
weight per bushel is sixty-two pounds. ‘The crops of this grain are
subject to great fluctuations, and the most promising appearance may
in a single day be entirely destroyed.
Tobacco has been cultivated, and it is thought will succeed; but
the frequent frosts render it a very uncertain crop.
Cotton has been attempted, but with little success. The value of
pasturage, and its profitable yield in sheep-walks, will long be a bar
to the extensive cultivation of any plants that require much labour in
VOL. II. 49
194 NEW SOUTH WALKS.
their production. Our horticulturist remarks, that cherries do not
succeed well, being affected by the dry cutting winds which occur in
the blossoming season.
The orange, citron, and lemon trees present a scraggey and yellow
appearance, and produce small and insipid fruit, in comparison with
that of the tropics. Peaches thrive, and grow in large quantities,
and of high flavour. Every farmer has his peach orchard; and the
fruit is so plenty that they fatten their pigs on them.
The natives of Australia are fast disappearing. ‘The entire abo-
riginal population of Australia has been estimated as high as two
hundred thousand; this estimate is founded on the supposition that
the unexplored regions of the country do not differ materially from
that part of it which is known, which cannot well be the case. Other
estimates, and probably much nearer the truth, are given at from
sixty to seventy-five thousand.
The ravages of intoxication and disease, combined with their occa-
sional warfare, will readily account for the rapid disappearance of
the native population; and but afew more years will suffice for the
now scanty population to become extinct. In 1835, the Surveyor-
General, Mitchell, estimated that in about one-seventh of the whole
colony, which he had examined, the natives did not exceed six
thousand in number; they are in many parts most wretched-looking
beings. and incorrigible beggars; the moment they see a stranger,
he is fairly tormented to give something; a shilling or a six-pence
contents many, and when laid out for rum, or bread, is shared by
all present.
The introduction of Huropean arts has caused but little improve-
ment, while the vices which accompany them have been the bane of
the native population, which has thus acquired a fondness for ardent
spirits and tobacco. ‘The natives usually lead a wandering, vagabond
life, hanging about the houses of the settlers, where they are well
treated, and doing little jobs for a slight recompense in the above
articles. Their habitations are mere temporary shelters, formed of
boughs and bark piled up against the stump of a fallen tree, rather
to shield them from the wind than for a regular habitation; the
reason for this may be, that owing to superstitious scruples they
never encamp in one spot three nights in succession. At Illawarra,
their huts were made by setting two forked sticks upright, on
which another was laid horizontally; on the latter, one end of
pieces of bark, taken from the nearest gum tree, is laid, while the
NEW SOUTH WALES. 195
other end rests upon the ground. A fire is built on the open side,
which not only warms them, but keeps off the myriads of musquitoes |
and other insects. As many as can enter such a hut, take shelter in
it, lying upon the soft bark of the ti tree.
NATIVE HUT, NEW SOUTH WALES.
The natives of Australia differ from any other race of men, in
features, complexion, habits, and language. ‘Their colour and fea-
tures assimilate them to the African type; their long, black, silky
hair has a resemblance to the Malays; in their language they
approximate more nearly to our American Indians; while there is
much in their physical traits, manners, and customs, to which no
analogy can be traced in any other people.
The natives are of middle height, perhaps a little above it; they are
slender in make, with long arms and legs. From their wandering life,
irregular habits, and bad food, they are extremely meagre; and as
their thinness is accompanied by a considerable protuberance of the
abdomen, it gives to their figure a distorted and singular appearance.
The cast of the face is between the African and Malay; the forehead
usually narrow and high; the eyes small, black, and deep-set; the
nose much depressed at the upper part between the eyes, and
widened at the base, which is done in infancy by the mother, the
natural shape being of an aquiline form; the cheek-bones are high,
the mouth large, and furnished with strong, well-set teeth; the chin
frequently retreats; the neck is thin and short. Their colour usually
approaches chocolate, a deep umber, or reddish black, varying much
in shade; and individuals of pure blood are sometimes as light-
coloured as mulattoes. ‘Their most striking distinction is their hair,
which is like that of dark-haired Europeans, although more silky.
It is fine, disposed to curl, and gives them a totally different appear-
ance from the African, and also from the Malay, and American
Indian. Most of them have thick beards and whiskers, and they are
more hairy than the whites. ‘The proportions of two of them will
196 NEW SOUTH WALES:
be found in the table of comparative proportions at the end of the
fifth volume.
r
NATIVE OF AUSTRALIA.
They are difficult to manage, taking offence easily when they are
ill treated ; and if any one attempts to control, thwart, or restrain their
wandering habits, they at once resort to the woods, and resume their
primitive mode of life, subsisting upon fish, grubs, berries, and occa-
sionally enjoying a feast of kangaroo or opossum-flesh. They eat the
larve of all kinds of insects with great gusto. Those who reside
upon the coast, fish with gigs, or spears, which are usually three-
pronged; they have no fish-hooks of their own manufacture.
When they feel that they have been injured by a white settler,
they gratify their revenge by spearing his cattle ; and it is said upon
good authority, that not a few of the whites, even of the better class,
will, when they can do so with impunity, retaliate in the blood of
these wretched natives; and it is to be regretted that they are not
very scrupulous in distinguishing the guilty from the innocent.
The natives of New South Wales are a proud, high-tempered race :
each man is independent of his neighbour, owning no superior, and
exacting no deference; they have not in their language any word
signifying a chief or superior, nor to command or serve. Each
individual is the source of his own comforts, and the artificer of his
own household implements and weapons; and but for the love of
companionship, he might live with his family apart and isolated from
the rest, without sacrificing any advantages whatever. They have
NEW SOUTH WALES. 197
an air of haughtiness and insolence arising from this independence,
and nothing will induce them to acknowledge any human being as
their superior, or to show any marks of respect. In illustration of this,
Mr. Watson the missionary is the only white man to whose name
they prefix “ Mr.,” and this he thinks is chiefly owing to the habit
acquired when children under his authority. All others, of whatever
rank, they address by their Christian or surname. ‘This does not
proceed from ignorance on their part, as they are known to under-
stand the distinctions of rank among the whites, and are continually
witnessing the subservience and respect exacted among them. ‘They
appear to have a consciousness of independence, which causes them,
on all occasions, to treat even the highest with equality. On being
asked to work, they usually reply, “ White fellow work, not black
fellow ;” and on entering a room, they never remain standing, but
immediately seat themselves.
They are not great talkers, but are usually silent and reserved.
They are generally well-disposed, but dislike to be much spoken to,
particularly in a tone of raillery. An anecdote was mentioned of a
gentleman amusing himself with a native, by teasing him, in perfect
good-humour, when the man suddenly seized a billet of wood, threw
it at him, and then in a great rage rushed for his spear. It was with
great difficulty that he could be pacified, and made to know that no
insult was intended ; he then begged that they would not talk to him
in that manner, as he might become wild and ungovernable. They
look upon the whites with a mixture of distrust and contempt, and to
govern them by threats and violence is found impossible. ‘They are
susceptible of being led by kind treatment, but on an injury or insult
they immediately take to the Bush, and resume their wandering
habits. They do not carry on any systematic attacks, and their fears
of the whites are so great, that large companies of them have been
dispersed by small exploring parties and a few resolute Stockmen.
Though they are constantly wandering about, yet they usually
confine themselves to a radius of fifty or sixty miles from the place
they consider their residence. If they venture beyond this, which
they sometimes do with a party of whites, they always betray the
greatest fear of falling in with some Myall or stranger blacks, who
they say would put them to death immediately.
Their great timidity has caused a false estimate to be put upon
their character, by ascribing to it great ferocity ; and, as an instance
of it, itis mentioned, that if a party of natives be suddenly approached
in the interior, who are unacquainted with white men, and taken by
VOL. II. 50
198 NEW SOUTH WALES.
surprise, supposing that they are surrounded and doomed to death,
they make the most furious onset, and sell their lives as dearly as
possible: this arises from the panic with which they are seized,
depriving them temporarily of reason.
They have not, properly speaking, any distribution into tribes. In
their conflicts, those speaking the same language, and who have
fought side by side, are frequently drawn up in battle-array against
each other, and a short time after may be again seen acting together.
Their conflicts, for they do not deserve the name of wars, are con-
ducted after the following manner. ‘The quarrel or misunderstanding
generally arises from some trivial affair; when the aggrieved party
assembles his neighbours to consult them relative to the course to be
pursued. ‘lhe general opinion having been declared, a messenger is
sent to announce their intention to commence hostilities to the oppo-
site party, and to fix a day for the combat. ‘The latter immediately
assemble their friends, and make preparations for the approaching
contest. ‘The two parties on the day assigned meet, accompanied
by the women and children. ‘The first onset is made by the oldest
women (hags they might be termed) vituperating the opposite side.
Then a warrior advances, and several throws of spears take place.
These are parried with much dexterity, for all the natives possess
great art and skill in avoiding missiles with their shields. This
exchange of missiles continues for some time, and not unfrequently
ends without any fatal result. When one of either party is killed, a
separation takes place, succeeded by another course of recrimination,
after which explanations are made, the affair terminates, and hostility
is at an end; the two parties meet amicably, bury the dead, and join
in the corrobory dance.
These dances are not only the usual close of their combats, but
are frequent in time of peace. ‘They appear almost necessary to stir
up their blood; and under the excitement they produce, the whole
nature of the people seems to be changed. ‘To a spectator, the effect
of one of these exhibitions almost equals that of a tragic melodrame.
A suitable place for the performance is selected in the neighbour-
hood of their huts. Here a fire is built by the women and boys,
while such of the men as are to take a share in the exhibition,
usually about twenty in number, disappear to arrange their per-
sons. When these preparations are completed, and the fire burns
brightly, the performers are seen advancing in the guise of as many
skeletons. This effect is produced by means of pipe-clay, with
which they paint broad white lines on their arms and legs, and on
—s
wy
@
i
4
NEW SOUTH WALES. 199
the head, while others of less breadth are drawn across the body,
to correspond to the ribs. The music consists in beating time on
their shields, and singing, and to it the movements of the dancers
conform. It must not be supposed that this exhibition is a dance
in our sense of the word, nor is it ike any thing that we saw in the
South Sea Islands. It consists of violent and odd movements of the
arms, legs, and body, contortions and violent muscular actions, amount-
ing almost to frenzy. ‘The performers appear more like a child’s
pasteboard supple-Jack than any thing human in their movements.
This action continues for a time, and then the skeletons, for so I
may term them, for they truly resemble them, suddenly seem to
vanish and reappear. ‘The disappearance is effected by merely turn-
ing round, for the figures are painted only in front, and their dusky
forms are lost by mingling with the dark background. The trees
illuminated by the fire, are brought out with some of the figures in
bold relief, while others were indistinct and ghost-like. All concurred
to give an air of wildness to the strange scene. As the dance pro-
ceeds, the excitement increases, and those who a short time before
appeared only half alive, become full of animation, and finally were
obliged to stop from exhaustion.
These corroborys are the occasion of much intercourse among the
tribes, as they frequently make visits to each other for the sole pur-
pose of carrying a new song for the dance. ‘They have several kinds
of these dances, which appear to be their only amusement. In their
music they do not sound any of the common chords, and the only
accompaniment was a kind of bass, as written below, which was in
fact only a very deep-toned grunt, sounded, as ho, ho, ho, very deep in
the throat. At the end of each dance they finished with a loud whoo,
or screech, an octave above the key-note.
= ese ne ee === =e ==
(peer eee Bae
ee ee a See
(|S2e== 2 ase Sas oe ees ———
—————— o-e-@ ——— ~g-g@--—— —
(Se 2-2— —= =f
E 5 = Ic eto eee
ah a
Sie a ee ftttsce aa eee —=+
—— 3-5-4 -— ——-} 4-4-4 — ——_-
e—e-e--___—_le-¢-6 _____—_1,-,-,—__—_—.
200 NEW SOUTH WALES.
The above is thought by Mr. Drayton, not to be entirely native
music, but the following he has no doubt of; the words were given
as he heard them.
a aS Sy es [oe ee ee |S ee oar Soe oe
(‘ames See ee
== . 1 — _—— eat a eae
Mer - ry dunbar a - roa Merry dunbar roa
— ——— =p sis rei
: SS See o- = pas ceeaa] ates Parree jeseeal
(oe ee ee eee
Sg =
O man gar merry nee run mun gar.
The above, as well as those which follow, were obtained from a
native, who was on his way with the new song to his tribe.
pee ec ae Cn
ened pasa eee geet
ase}
BS ea ars Ge
Ae ee bee -O-- =e bene. ener, el Rae nee
5 a aa = Sheeley HOY Sy BOW Be -0-: 0 >
Cec Eaes —— fae Se parla ee ala ge
se So
Abang abang abang abang abang abang abang abang a
(ees
(Sacececace Perris arava pereror
gumbe-ry jah jim gun relah gumbe - ry jah jim gun relah
7e== Sai ieemoee eaten ieee era aI
== SPRL oR Sa sf = a al
MEN oS -o- o--6— -0- 6-97 o-e @-@ oe oe
bang abang abang abang abang abang abang abang a.
We have seen that the combats, of which mention has been made,
are attended with little loss of life; nor are their set battles bloody.
In all their contests they seem to act wpon certain principles, well
established in their code of honour, and firmly adhered to. Ac-
cording to eye-witnesses of their battles, these are conducted with
system and regularity. On one occasion, the parties advanced
towards each other drawn up in three lines, with the women fol-
lowing in the rear, and when they had arrived within a few rods
of each other, they threw their boomerengs or curved sticks. These,
as they fell among their opponents, were picked up by the women,
and given to the warriors, who hurled them back to their original
owners, by whom they were again used. When these weapons
were lost or broken, they then had recourse to their spears, which
NEW SOUTH WALES. 201
NATIVE THROWING THE BOOMERENG,
they threw, parried, and returned in like manner. They then
closed, and fought hand to hand with their clubs, for a considerable
time. ‘heir extraordinary quickness of eye, alertness, and agility of
movement, protect them from much harm; and their thickness of
skull may also be taken into account, for nothing worse than a few
bruises and broken limbs resulted. The fight gradually dwindled
down to a single combat between two of the most determined war-
riors, and when one of these was knocked down by a stunning blow,
another took his place and continued the fight until one was severely
injured. ‘The battle then terminated. _
Some of their personal or private quarrels are settled by a sort of
duel, or rather a trial of whose head is hardest. ‘The accused or
challenged party extends his head, with the crown uppermost, towards
his adversary, who strikes a blow with his utmost force with a waddy,
which is the weapon they usually carry about them, and with which
they punish their wives, who exhibit generally many marks from the
use of it. The challenger then presents his head in return, and
blows are thus continued alternately, until one or the other is disa-
bled, or both declare themselves satisfied. Those who have witnessed
these encounters are quite astonished that every blow does not stun
or kill, for each of them would be fatal to a white man; but the great
thickness of their skulls enables them to sustain this violence with
but little injury.
VOL. Il. 51
202 NEW SOUTH WALES.
Their weapons are the spear, club, or nulla nulla, boomereng,
dundumel, and the bundi, of which drawings are given in the tail-
piece at the end of the last chapter. Their spears are about ten feet
long, and very slender, made of cane or wood tapering to a point,
which is barbed. ‘They are light, and one would scarcely be inclined
to believe that they could be flung with any force; nor could they
without the aid of the wammera, a straight flat stick, three feet in
length, terminating in a socket of bone or hide, into which the end of
the spear is fixed. ‘The wammera is grasped in the right hand by
three fingers, the spear lying between the fore-finger and thumb.
Previous to throwing it, a tremulous or vibratory motion is given to
it, which is supposed to add to the accuracy of the aim; in projecting
the spear, the wammera is retained in the hand, and the use of this
simple contrivance adds greatly to the projectile force given to the
spear. They are well practised in the use of these weapons.
The nulla nulla, or uta, is from thirty to thirty-six inches in length,
the handle being of a size to be conveniently grasped.
The dundumel is a weapon used by the natives of the interior; it
has a curved flat handle thirty inches in length, and terminates in a
projection not unlike a hatchet; it is thrown from the hand before
coming to close quarters, and usually at a very short distance.
But the most extraordinary weapon is the boomereng. ‘This is a
flat stick, three feet long and two inches wide by three quarters of an
inch thick, curved or crooked in the centre, forming an obtuse angle.
At first sight one would conclude it was a wooden sword, very rudely
and clumsily made; indeed one of the early navigators took it for
such. It is an implement used both for war and in the chase. In
the hands of a native it is a missile efficient for both, and is made to
describe some most extraordinary curves and movements. It is
grasped at one end in the right. hand, and is thrown sickle-wise,
either upwards into the air, or downwards so as to strike the ground
at some distance from the thrower. In the first case it flies with
a rotary motion, as its shape would indicate; after ascending to a
great height in the air, it suddenly returns in an elliptical orbit to a
spot near its starting-point. The natives in its use are enabled to
strike objects which he behind others with great precision, and to
reach those near as if by a back-stroke, by throwing it at a particular
angle. The diagram at the end of the chapter, exhibits the curves at
the angles of 22°, 45°, and 65°, respectively, which I have obtained in
making experiments with it. Some facts which were spoken of in its
use, are remarkable. On throwing it downwards on the ground, it
NEW SOUTH WALES. 203
rebounds in a straight line, pursuing a ricochet motion until it strikes
the object at which it is thrown. Birds and small animals are killed
with it, and it is also used in killing ducks. The most singular
curve described by it, is when thrown into the air, above the angle
of 45°; its flight is always then backwards, and the native who throws
it stands with his back, instead of his face, to the object he is desirous
of hitting. The diagram also exhibits its fall in case it loses its rotary
motion. It is a favourite weapon with the natives, and is frequently
seen ingeniously carved.
As a defence they use a shield made of the thick bark of the gum
tree; this they call hiclemara. It is peculiar in shape, and on the
coast is three feet long by six or eight inches wide, with a handle in
the centre; it is made rounding. Those in the interior are only a
three-cornered piece of wood, with a hole on each side, through
which the hand is thrust. The size of the latter is smaller, beg
only two feet long and three or four inches broad. It would seem
almost impossible that so small a shield should be sufficient to guard
the body of a man; and nothing but their quickness of eye and hand
could make it of any value, as a protection against the spear or club.
The mode in which the natives climb trees was considered ex-
traordinary by those who witnessed it, although they had been
accustomed to the feats of the Polynesians in the ascent of the cocoa-
nut trees. The Australians mount a tree four or five feet in diameter,
both with rapidity and safety. As they climb they cut notches
above them, with a stone or metal hatchet, large enough to admit two
of their toes, which are inserted in them, and support their weight
until other holes are cut.
The natives who reside upon the coast use canoes which are con-
structed as follows.
A eum tree that has a thick and tough bark is selected ; this is
girdled, and the bark slit so that by care a piece of it may be stripped
from the tree large enough to make the canoe, which is usually about
fourteen feet long and seven wide. This piece of bark is charred on
the inside, after which it is folded in each end, so as to bring the
edges of the two halves of the entire circuit of the bark together; in
this position these edges are fastened by cords and wooden rivets.
The simple canoe is now complete, and being usually about three
feet wide in the middle, will convey half a dozen persons.
They use paddles of different sizes, say from two to five feet in
length. In using the shorter kind, a paddle is held in each hand.
204 NEW SOUTH WALES.
A fire is commonly carried upon a layer of gravel in the middle of
the boat: a custom which appears to arise either from a natural or
superstitious reluctance to be without a fire at any time. In this
custom, as will be recollected, they resemble the Fuegians, who,
however, far excel them in the art of constructing canoes.
The social system and intercourse of the Australians is regulated
by custom alone. As no system of government exists, or any
acknowledgment of power to enact laws, they are solely guided by
old usage, and can give no account whatever of its origm. The
universal reprobation of their associates which follows a breach of
ancient customs, has a strong tendency to preserve a strict observance
of them. Many of these customs struck us as remarkable; those
that have not been actually seen by the officers of the Expedition,
have been described by persons entitled to the fullest credit.
The onsen, (to use the language of the settlers,) “of making
young men,” is singular. The object of the institution seems to be to
imprint forcibly upon the youth the rules and observances by which
his after life is to be governed; and so strikingly are they adapted to
insure good conduct, that it can hardly be believed that they could
have originated among savages, such as the natives of Australia
now are.
When the boys reach the age of fourteen, or that of puberty, the
elders of the tribe prepare to initiate them into the privileges of
manhood. A night or two previous, a dismal cry is heard in the
woods, which the boys are told is the Bulu calling for them.
Thereupon all the men of the tribe set off for some secluded spot,
previously fixed upon, taking with them the boys or youths to be
initiated. No white man is allowed to be present, and the precise
nature of the ceremony is therefore unknown ; but it is certain that
the ceremonies are designed to try their courage, fortitude, and the
expertness of the boys in reference to their future employments in
the chase and in war. ‘There is probably some difference in these
ceremonies among the different tribes. The Wellington station, or
those of the interior, for instance, never knock out a front tooth,
which is always done on the coast.
From the time the youths are initiated, they are required to yield
implicit obedience to their elders. This is the only control that
seems to prevail, and is very requisite to preserve order and harmony
in their social intercourse, as well as to supply the place of distinc-
tions of rank among them.
NEW SOUTH WALES: 205
The youths are likewise restricted to articles of diet, not being
allowed to eat eggs, fish, or any of the finer kinds of opossum or
kangaroo. ‘Their fare is consequently of a very poor description, but
as they grow older these restrictions are removed, although at what
age we have not learnt; but after having passed the middle age, they
are entirely at liberty to partake of all. The purpose of this is
thought to be not only to accustom them to a simple and hardy way
of living, but also that they should provide for the aged, and not be
allowed to appropriate all to themselves. Selfishness is therefore no
part of their character, and all observers are struck with their custom
of dividing any thing they may receive among each other, a disin-
terestedness that is seldom seen among civilized nations.
To protect the morals of the youths, they are forbidden from the
time of their initiation until their marriage to speak or even to approach
afemale. They must encamp at a distance from them, and if, per-
chance, one is seen in the pathway, they are obliged to make a detour
in order to avoid her. Mr. Watson stated he had been often put to
great inconvenience in travelling through the woods with a young
native for his guide, as he could never be induced to approach an
encampment where there were any women.
The ceremony of marriage is peculiar. In most cases the parties
are betrothed at an early age, and as soon as they arrive at the proper
age, the young man claims his gin or wife.
The women are considered as an article of property, and are sold
or given away by the parents or relatives without the least regard to
their own wishes. As far as our observation went, the women appear
to take little care of their children. Polygamy exists, and they
will frequently give one of their wives to a friend who may be in
want of one; but notwithstanding this laxity they are extremely
jealous, and are very prompt to resent any freedom taken with their
wives. Their quarrels for the most part are occasioned by the fair
sex, and being the cause, they usually are the greatest sufferers; for
the waddy is applied to their heads in a most unmerciful style, and
few old women are to be seen who do not bear unquestionable marks
of the hard usage they have received. The husband who suspects
another of seducing his wife, either kills one or both. ‘The affair is
taken up by the tribe, if the party belongs to another, who inflict
punishment on him in the following manner.
The guilty party is furnished with a shield, and made to stand at a
suitable distance, and the whole tribe cast their spears at him; his
VOL. II. 52
206 NEW SOUTH WALES.
expertness and activity often enable him to escape any serious injury,
but imstances do occur in which the party is killed. Such punish-
ments are inflicted with great formality, upon an appointed day, and
the whole tribe assemble to witness it. The person most injured
has the first throw, and it depends upon the feelings of the tribe
respecting the offence committed, whether they endeavour to do
injury to the culprit or not; and thus it may be supposed that there
is some judgment evinced in this mode of punishment.
The following account of the burial of their dead, was received
from the missionary, who was an eye-witness to it. He was called
out one evening to see a native, who they said was dying. On
repairing to the camp, he was too late, for the man was already
dead, and notwithstanding the short space of time that had elapsed,
the corpse was already wrapped up for burial. The legs had been
bent at the knees and hips, and tied to the body, and the head bent
downwards towards the legs. In this position the corpse was enve-
loped in a blanket, and bound round with many ligatures, so as to
form a shapeless lump. There were about fifty natives present,
seated within a small space in front. The women were raising
dismal lamentations and cutting themselves with sharp sticks; while
the men were engaged in an earnest consultation as to the place
which should be fixed upon for the burial. At length it was deter-
mined to be on the banks of the Macquarie, at no great distance from
the mission station. On the following day the missionary proceeded
to the place, and found that the natives had already cleared the grass
from a space about twenty feet in diameter; in the centre of this the
grave was marked out, of an oval shape, six feet long by three feet
wide. After digging to the depth of about a foot, they left a ledge
all around the grave of a few inches in width: the excavation thus
diminished in size, was continued to the depth of five feet, the sides
not being exactly perpendicular, but sloping slightly inwards. At
the bottom of the grave was laid a bed of leaves covered with an
opossum-skin cloak, and having a stuffed bag of kangaroo-skin for a
pillow; on this couch the body was laid, and the implements of
hunting and war which the deceased had used during his lifetime
were laid beside him. Leaves and branches of bushes were strewed
over him, until the grave was filled up to the ledge or shelf above
mentioned. Across the grave were laid strong stakes, with the ends
resting on this shelf, and on these a layer of stones, which filled the
hole to the level of the soil. The excavated earth was then put over
NEW SOUTH WALES. 207
the whole, forming a conical heap eight or nine feet high. The trees
on each side were marked with irregular incisions, but whether
intended as symbols, or merely to identify the place of sepulture, was
not understood. All the time this was going on, fires were kept
burning around the place, to drive away evil spirits, and the women
and children ut‘ered loud lamentations, inflicting at the same time
wounds upon themselves. When the grave was completed, all the
women and children were ordered away, and the missionary, perceiv-
ing that it was expected that he would do the same, retired also. His
presumption was that they intended to give utterance to their grief,
and that they were ashamed to do it in his presence, or before the
women and children.
The day after the burial the natives visited every spot in which
they recollected to have seen the deceased, and fumigated it, for the
purpose of driving away the evil spirits. They even went into the
missionaries’ houses, greatly to the annoyance of the ladies.
Their style of mourning consists in bedaubing themselves with
pipe-clay ; and a more hideous object than an old woman thus tricked
out can hardly be conceived. The body and limbs are streaked with
it, and the face completely covered as with a mask, in which holes
are left for the eyes, nostrils, and mouth. The mask is gradually
removed, until the last that is seen of it is a small patch on the top
of the head.
They have some idea of a future state, although some assert that
the whole man dies, and that nothing is left of him ; while others are
of opinion that his spirit yet lives, either as a wandering ghost or in
a state of metamorphosis, animating a bird or other creature of a
lower order than man.
Their opinions on religious subjects generally partake of the same
unsettled character, which makes it very difficult to obtain any clear
idea of them. The great difficulty is the unwillingness of the natives
to talk upon the subject, either from superstition or shame; and it is
the opinion of the missionaries that no full account of their religious
notions will be obtained, until one of the well-informed adults is
converted to Christianity, an event which is not soon to be expected.
The missionaries have had little or no success; none of the adults
have hitherto shown any desire to embrace Christianity; and it is
remarked, that there appears to be a want of susceptibility in their
character to religious impressions. Some of their ceremonies which
partook of that character have been discontinued of late years, and no
208 NEW SOUTH WALES.
others have been adopted in their place. They have, however, some
indistinct notions of a Deity. ‘The missionaries at Wellington have
heard from them of a being whom they call Bai-a-mai, and whom,
with his son Burambin, they deem the creator of all things. To this
Bai-a-mai they pay a kind of annual worship by dancing and singing
a song in his honour. ‘This song, they say, was brought from a
distant country by strangers who went about teaching it. This
annual worship took place in the month of February, and all who
did not join in it were supposed to incur the displeasure of the god.
Bai-a-mai was supposed to live on an island beyond the great sea
of the coast, and to eat fish, which, when he required food, came up
at his call from the water. Burambin, others say, was brought into
existenee by Bai-a-mai, when the missionaries first came to Wel-
lineton.
Dararwirgal is a brother of Bai-a-mai, and lives in the far west.
To him they ascribe the origin of the small-pox, which has made
such ravages among them. They say that he was vexed for want
of a tomahawk, and therefore sent that disease among them; but
they now suppose that he has obtained one, and that the disease will
come no more.
Balumbals are angels, said to be white, who live on a mountain to
the southwest, at a great distance. ‘Their food is honey, and their
employment like that of the missionaries.
Wandong is their evil spirit, whom they have learnt from the
whites to call the “ Devil.” They describe him as a gigantic black
man, always prowling about at night, ready to seize and devour any
unfortunate wanderer. So great is their horror of this imaginary
being, that they never venture from their fires at night, except under
the pressure of great necessity, when they always carry a firebrand
to intimidate the monster.
FLIGHT OF THE BOOMERENG.
om N
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SETTLED PART
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were’ 9 NEW SOUTH WALES
| 1S4©.
Barmouth Cr.
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a
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SW-Cape|
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H York Sony 4 AUS TN ALL I Ay OT?
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stablished 1838.
yp
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= a]
SETTLED PART OF
Barmouth Cr.
CHAPTER VII.
CONTENTS.
EXTENT OF SEA-COAST OF AUSTRALIA—PROGRESS OF DISCOVERY—EXTENT OF THE
GOVERNMENT OF NEW SOUTH WALES—HISTORY OF NEW SOUTH WALES—AUSTRALIAN
LAND COMPANY—LAND FUND—POLICY OF GOVERNOR MACQUARIE—CONVICT-SHIP —
VALUE OF CONVICT LABOUR—DISPOSITION OF CONVICTS ON ARRIVAL— ALLOWANCES
TO CONVICT SERVANTS — WORKING OF THE ASSIGNMENT SYSTEM — SEPARATION OF
FEMALE CONVICTS FROM THEIR CHILDREN—FACTORY AT PARAMATTA—ITS DISCIPLINE
—CHILDREN IN THE FACTORY—IRON-GANGS—CAPTAIN MACONOCHIE’S SOCIAL SYSTEM
—ITS OPERATION—ITS PARTIAL ADOPTION AT SYDNEY, AND AT NORFOLK ISLAND—TWO
DIFFERENT FORMS OF SOCIAL SYSTEM—CONDITION OF CONVICTS AND SOLDIERS COM-
PARED — TICKET OF LEAVE-MEN — DISTINCTIONS IN SOCIETY — FREE EMIGRANTS —
LABOURING CLASS OF FREE EMIGRANTS — CRIMPS — HIGHER CLASS OF SOCIETY —
GOVERNOR, HOW APPOINTED, AND FOR WHAT TERM—HIS POWERS—HIS SUCCESSOR
IN CASE OF DEATH OR ABSENCE — LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL — COLONIAL RULES AND
REGULATIONS—EXPENDITURE AND MODE OF TAXATION—WORKING OF THE LEGISLA-
TIVE SYSTEM—STATUTE OF NEW SOUTH WALES—DESIRE FOR A NEW CONSTITUTION—
BOUNTY ON IMMIGRATION—EMIGRATION—MODE OF PROCURING GRANTS OF LAND —
STATE OF CRIME IN NEW SOUTH WALES—JUDGE BURTON’S CHARGE—HIS REPORT ON
THE JURY SYSTEM—OPINIONS OF OTHER JUDGES—COURTS OF LAW — EDUCATION —
BISHOPRIC OF NEW SOUTH WALES—COLLEGES.
CHAPTER: VI.
HISTORY, GOVERNMENT, AND SOCIAL STATE
OF NEW SOUTH WALES.
1839.
New Sovurn WaLEs is known in the United States almost by its
name alone.
It happened from. the circumstances of our visit, that we were
enabled to obtain much information in relation to this rising colony.
Australia, or New Holland, of which New South Wales is as yet
the most important part, requires no description of its dimensions
and geographical position. It is sufficient to note the fact that it
possesses a sea-coast of the vast extent of eight thousand miles. It
was first discovered by the Dutch, while engaged in exploring the
coast of New Guinea, who saw the portion of it to the south of
Endeavour Straits, and gave it a name from that of their own
country, im 1606. my a
1838.
County oF CuMBERLAND :—
Seay FS ooo 6 2 6 100 | im | as) Wes mae |) ma
Campbelltown . .. . 11 18 12 w 9 5
Raramattayauinen co) Genie 12 15 12 14 18 14
Windsor ieee! a Be 42 55 24 15 20 8
Ist Jan, 1837, to 15th Aug. 1839,
LSENIWESE dg SO ha Bo dle = 16 12 —_ 48 29
Ist Jan. 1837, to 15th Aug. 1839,
Man than eeagsiamass sisters ete p ie 38 = — 4] — =
CRIMINAL ISSUES TRIED BEFORE THE SUPREME COURT.
A Return of the number of Criminal Issues and Prisoners tried before the Supreme Court
of New South Wales, from the 1st day of January, 1887, to the 15th day of August,
1839; distinguishing those tried by Civil, and by Military Juries.
NO, OF CASES TRIED.| NO, OF PRISONERS TRIED.) NO. OF PRISONERS CONVICTED.
YEAR.
BY A CIVIL | BY A MILI- BY A CIVIL BY A MILITARY BY A CIVIL BY A MILITARY
JURY. TARY JURY. JURY. JURY. JURY. JURY.
1837 136 130 223 175 99 97
1838 108 136 168 181 96 118
1839 | 57 46 83 76 46 60
TOTALS) 301 312 A774 432 241 275
VOL. Il. 115
458 APPENDIX.
er
U.S. Ship Vincennes,
Sydney Cove, December 11th, 1839.
GENTLEMEN,
To prevent any misunderstanding relative to the conversation with
you on the 30th ultimo, I would state that it was not my intention to
make any proposition to you to leave the squadron, during our cruise
south, but to receive any suggestions that you might offer, after being
informed of our cruise, that might be considered more advantageous
to your departments than accompanying the squadron in the Antare-
tic cruise.
It is my intention to sail from this harbour on the 18th instant,
with all the vessels of the squadron, for the Antarctic Ocean.
The vessels will be ordered to call at New Zealand in the spring,
and may be expected there in March or April, if they are not detained
by ice.
I request that such of you as may wish orders to join the
squadron at New Zealand under these circumstances, will inform me
by letter.
I am, respectfully, your obedient servant,
(Signed) CuarLes WILKES,
Commanding Exploring Expedition.
To the Gentlemen of the Scientific Corps.
U.S. Ship Vincennes,
December 19th, 1839.
GENTLEMEN,
Agreeably to your application, you will remain on shore, and join
the squadron on the return of the Expedition, from the Antarctic
Ocean, at the Bay of Islands, by the Ist of March next.
You will, of course, employ yourselves as may be most conducive to
the interest of the Expedition, in New South Wales and New
Zealand, and will keep a minute journal, making all possible collec-
tions, and a full report to me in writing, of your observations and
duties.
APPENDIX. 459
Vouchers for passages and expenses on scientific excursions on
public duty, will be taken when practicable for my approval.
IT am, very respectfully, your obedient servant,
(Signed) CHARLES WILKES,
Commanding Exploring Expedition.
To Messrs. PEALE,
Ricu,
PICKERING,
Hate,
Dana,
AGATE,
Drayton,
Scientific Corps.
U. 8. Ship Vincennes,
Sydney Cove, December 23d, 1839.
Sir,
You will proceed to New Zealand by the first opportunity, and
attend to the following duties.
Ist. You will make hourly observations of the tides.
2d. Observations of the temperature, at eight, twelve, and six;
winds, weather, &c.
3d. Collect all specimens possible for the scientific corps, and
other departments of the Expedition.
4th. Keep a journal, and note all the information you can obtain
relative to New Zealand, and make a report in writing to me.
You will take with you a tide-staff, three thermometers, watch,
stationary, &c.
I am, respectfully, your obedient servant,
(Signed) CHARLES WILKES,
Commanding Exploring Expedition.
Mr. J. W. WaLpRon,
U.S. Brig Porpoise.
Sydney, December 2d, 1839.
Sir,
The undersigned, naval officers and naturalists, attached to the
Expedition under your command, are prompted by sincere zeal in
the public service, and a most disinterested desire to promote the
important objects of the cruise, to submit to your indulgent consider-
ation the following proposition :
460 APPENDIX.
We are induced to think that an English brig lately arrived in this
harbour, and, in our judgment, very well adapted for such a service,
may be purchased at a reasonable rate; and that, while the rest of
the squadron proceeds on the southern tour, we may be advan-
tageously employed in the survey and examination of many
interesting and important islands. We, therefore, respectfully
suggest the employment of this or a similar vessel, and volunteer
our best endeavours to perform to the spirit such duties as you may
conclude to assign to us during your absence in the south; and we
beg you to accept our assurance, that, in case of your consent, no
exertion shall be spared to justify this proposal, and recommend our
temporary service to your highest consideration.
Very respectfully,
Wm. M. WaLKER,*
James ALDEN,
Lieutenants.
J. C. Pater,
Acting- Surgeon.
Wm. Reynotps,
Simon F. Buunt,
Passed Midshipmen.
405 18s IP roa,
Wm. Ricu,
James D. Dana,
H. Hate,
ALFRED T. AGATE,
Scientific Corps.
Note.—No notice was taken of this letter; it being one of the
official communications of the cruise, has caused me to insert it.
CHARLES WILKES.
U.S. Ship Vincennes,
December 2d, 1839.
In declining to sign the accompanying paper I do not wish to have
it understood that I disapprove of the proposition in the main. [f the
* Mr. Walker begs leave to disavow any thought of promotion on the projected
service, and, in anticipation, begs respectfully, but most earnestly, to declme any acting
appointment.
APPENDIX. 461
commander of the Expedition should find that it better suited his
convenience to charter a vessel to convey us to a rendezvous, and for
other purposes, I should not conceive that I had a voice in the
matter; but a direct proposition having already been made (with
which I have every reason to be satisfied), perhaps some expression
of opinion may be looked for on my part.
I confess then freely that I have been actuated somewhat by selfish
considerations. A visit to New Zealand is a point which I have
more at heart than any other in these seas, and I conceive the time
allotted by no means too much to be employed between Australia,
New Zealand, and the Tonga Islands. Perhaps, if I had every
thing at my disposal, I should feel tempted to touch at some southern
point of New Zealand, before proceeding to the Bay of Islands; but
there would be danger in this, both by land and water, besides the
risk of losing the main points of observation. Farther than this, I
should not think of attempting. I should therefore deprecate any
change of plan, which would lead to a change of destination, but of
course should not expect my individual voice to weigh against the
general good of the Expedition.
CHARLES PICKERING.
To CHarues WILKES, Esa.,
Commanding Exploring Expedition.
VOL. Il. 116
462
RETURN OF THE SCHOOLS IN NEW SOUTH WALES IN
APPENDIX.
3 NO. OF SCHOLARS
4 ATTENDING.
DESCRIPTION. WHERE SITUATED. | 2 = a
a oF ’
i) =| ral <
Sh So: iS
z Bs &
I. INSTITUTIONS AND
SCHOOLS, SUPPORTED
WHOLLY, OR IN PART,
BY GOVERNMENT.
Church of England.
Male Orphan Institution.. | Liverpool....+ 900|) sei) SG) | eS 147
Female Orphan Institution | Paramatta---..+.| 1 | — 141] 141
Primary and Infant Sydney ++.+eceees 6 | 567] 383) 950
Schools Country Districts | 29 | 682] 548 | 1,230
37 | 1,396 | 1,072 | 2,468
Roman Catholic.
Orphan Institution..... } WaverlyGrescenty 1 40 22 62
near Sydney --
Sydney ....... e--| 5 | 239] 225 | 464
Primary and Infant-- «e+ oes
Country Districts | 5 | 234) 157 | 391
Sydney «-..+..e+ 1
Primary and Infant..... j ee 50 70 | 120
Country Districts | 4
16) 563 | 474 | 1,037
Presbyterian.
Sydney ...-.-.--- 10 .
Primary and Infant....- 200 | 150 | 350
Country Districts | 7 | Estijmated|/Nos.
Australian School Society.
Primary and Infant....... | Sydney «+++.s++++ 2) 46) 30| 76
Wesleyan.
Sunday Schools .........+ Sydney «....e0s 4| *
II. INSTITUTIONS AND
SCHOOLS, SUPPORTED
WHOLLY BY PRIVATE
INDIVIDUALS.
Colleges.
King’s School .......+ ....| Paramatta......- 1 | 105) — 105
Sydney College.......-.++5 Sydney ...---..-| 1) 125) — | 125
Australian College...-..-- Sydney -+++.++++- D520) | 70
3 300 | — 300
Private Schools. =| ee
Classical, Elementary, j Sydney .........-| 30 | 390] 530} 920
Crt Country Districts | 37 | 442] 444 | 886
67 832 974 | 1,806
TOTALS 142 | 3,337 | 2,700 | 6,037
XGIae
THE YEAR 1838.
—
s00 0 0 ;
769 13 1 |
}
126 7 7
lntcce am al
|
1,121 6 6 |
|
178 011 |
5015 8 |
2,580 0 3}
em)
£12,425 6 0}
5
i
EXPENSE PAID
BY THE
GOVERNMENT REMARKS.
IN
1838.
a & GS
1
3000S Es } Supported wholly by Go-
3,708 5 5 vernment.
Supported chiefly by Go-
| eae some slight por-
tion of the expense is paid by
the parents of the children.
Supported wholly by Go-
vernment.
Supported chiefly by Go-
vernment; some slight por-
tion of the expense is paid by
the parents of the children.
These schools are sup-
ported by Government, and
by voluntary contributions;
the principle being, that in
aid of each school, sums are
paid from the Colonial Trea-
sury, equal to those raised
by private subscriptions.
The expenses are defrayed
by the subscribers to these
institutions, and by the fees
paid by the parents or guar-
dians of the students.
* Number of Children attending these Schools, 312, of which 157 are Males, and 155 Females.
463
APPENDIX.
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x
NEW SOUTH WALES—
ABSTRACT OF THE RETURNS OF THE POPULATION IN THE DIFFERENT POLICE DISTRIC™
DISTRICTS BEYOND THE BOUNDARIES OF LOCATION, PENAL SETTLEMENTS
DISTRICT.
Police District of
o
Dis-
tricts beyond the
Commissioners’
Port Philip
District.
=)
Commissioners’
Districts.
boundaries of
location,
Fe
Sydney °
Paramatta .. .
Liverpool .
Campbelltown
Stonequarry .
Illawarra .
Berrima
Goulburn .
Braidwood
Broulee .
Queanbeyan .
Wasser
Windsor
Penrith .
Hartley
Bathurst .
Carcoar
Wellington
Mudgee og
Brisbane Water .
Newcastle and Ray-
mond Terrace
Dungog .
Maitland iue-a-mee
Wollombi and Mc-
Donald River .
Paterson 0
Patrick’s Plains .
Merton and Mus-
wellbrook .
Scone and Murru-
rundi
Cassilis
Macquarie
Wellington
Bligh
Lachlan
Monaroo
Murrumbidgee
Peel’s River .
New England .
Clarence River .
McLeay River
Moreton Bay
Norfolk Island .
Colonial Vessels
County of Bourke
Grant .
Normanby .
Western Port
Portland Bay .
TOTAL .. .
NUMBER OF EACH AGE.
MALES.
3 3)
B| &
. & & ‘Ss
8 | 8 6 =
SPS) By Teh Tee
|| eh ie § 8
lee) lle ee oles lt
or rat lcs] Bale a
a gel a oP Bs 5
Se ey | Ss gle) . |e
S & q 2 a 5 6 g
5 Pls cS 5 2 3 EB =
Se | ee eS ey | ee Sr |S
= 3 oO >=] Q =] =]
Ses ee jes ce |S S12 | 2
BS eS Es || feel ol || Ae
PlJaAl/ala |] ae |e |/a/ sp ]a
1106 1977 1882 1849) 11782)1626) 511/1161/1998
284 515) 642) 488 2727) 528) 221| 301) 616
52} 139| 220| 83) 588] 137) 48) 70) 112
108) 179) 214) 145! 952] 176) 66] 110) 184
42) 77| 76| 54| 466] 66| 19) 47] 72
155) 257} 213) 190, 1529] 240) 49| 144] 233
37| 81) 63] 61) 613} 99] 26) 37] 67
109} 206] 150] 134) 1835] 227} 48) 133] 187
15} 42} 52} 61| 540) 89) 15! 28] 48
27) 36] 37] 56) 363) 37/ 7] 27] 32
21] 31] 31| 44) 524) 63) 3] 92] 35
36] 53] 56) 50) 621] 76] 14) 41] 69
238) 449] 504) 308] 1626] 512) 285} 212] 476
125) 260] 232) 176] 1063] 283) 74] 131] 228
23| 39] 41] 44) 327) 48) 12] 95] 45
132} 224] 159] 178] 1604] 244) 26) 97] 208
22) 46] 18] 30) 606] 66) 20] 19] 50
TH 13) 5/22) 0 O57 407i asim
11] 29] 18 25] 397] 75] 7] 24) 26
39] 59] 57) 53] 441] 60) 12) 56] 55
59] 102} 72) 107} 1221] 135] 17] 51] 96
50] 71] 56/110} 771) 991 11) 39] 69
202) 365) 351) 237; 2324] 277{ 52/ 233° 371
37| 63} 65) 52; 429] 97| 15) 41) 78
89] 137) 119] 117) 1246] 120} 15! 123 143
77) 165; 160} 105, 1110) 152} 29) 101] 152
33}, 151, 46) 55) 515) 59] 10 | Al
35| 52] 39] 33) - 642) 63] 5) 38 54
7| 15} 16) 29) 430) 50] 10| 13, 10)
44) 68] 58) 90) 1327] 240] 92) 54) 68
10} 18} 14) 37] 665} 87] 6] 12) 19
14 27] 3! 20) 467| 45] 1! 11} 21
25| 42) 35] 60| 782] 41) 9] 29] 39
36, 90) 65] 96; 1080] 118] 24] 52| 68
42) 47| 35) 63) 958] 97] 16] 34] 55
a ereN SS)
— || 52! (33) (1258) 75 6 |e,
11] 23) 23) 51) 934) 56) 5) Je) 17
TU aad) LG |e 5212381029 |e ne ee
12] 20] 21) 30) 308) 47) 5) 17) 25
Bll Gl, 4\eeole e143 eo ees | ali
15] 21} 10) 87} 1722) 189 = 16, 12
242, 384 304 387, 3355 187, 23) 276) 336
13} 24| 22) 45, 445) 47; 2) 16 22
8} 20) 11] 8 408 45 2 10) 16
18} 30, 37/ 68 972 58 7 20) 27
24) 21) 21 53) 865 105) 4 18 24
| | | | | |
37076633 6306 6045 53381 7212 1884 3967 6581
|
FEMALES.
Ut <>
g | a
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P=7 a Ila
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19161861] 6914) 717) ¢
721| 486] 2082) 331
102| 79) 314| 49
200| 164] 472] 73
62| 36] 189] 16
222/165] 547| 88
70| 53) 173] 31
132] 92] 464! 43
52} 33] 110] 11
331/516 |eemedte nol)
31/018 | esr eto
36| 42) 164! 20
415| 330| 841! 177
198] 128] 550] 87
39] 32} 109] 11
133] 105] 504) 48
yl 10) ES) Gls
77a |e | eG
14} 13 Gil Zi
37| 36] 164) 19
81] 86] 295] 28
55| 42| 153] 28
308] 220] 947] 91
58] 34] 156] 22
113} 86! 406] 31
ng 80| 373] 30
38 18] 141] 10
27| 22] 132] 8} -
12), 3) 339) 2) -
44| 61] 231) 25
Fee oa) 2a
10! 4 eee
27; 22! 125] 9] -
30, 41] 162) 20
99! 21) 133, 8
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5861 4892 19513 2175 !
|
Il.
NSUS OF THE YEAR 1841.
AS DEFINED IN THE GOVERNMENT NOTICE OF 12TH AUGUST, 1840; COMMISSIONERS’
ND EMPLOYED IN THE COLONIAL VESSELS, TAKEN ON THE 2D MARCH, 1841.
MARRIED OR SINGLE. CIVIL CONDITION.
- TOTALS.
MALES, FEMALES.
MALES, FEMALES.
FREE, BOND. FREE. BOND.
3 :
- Ss 5 3}
oO
ee z e/ 2 | 2
: 2lelz| 2], slElElE
= = EI S
2 i -) ° n
° = (>) Ar o go = 2 i= =
A 3 = S ee ie ls c= i gS a | 2 :
= : z A s Et & ao | 2 5 s 3 Fete | 800) Ons 3
= 2 = 3 aos 2 a | ° se a 2 pe =| S|] 951 a rcs
= eae | = | & |e s (37S |e Bl sh] ee ee fs E
s c=] 2) =} GC) Ss a 3)
eee a ie) << los ir he WS loaa | iS | Sins es ee
} ——S ee {4 | } | 4
| 6082! 14651; 5891} 8883) 4001) 10731) 3022) 240/1852 887} 4240} 8836/1023] 48 6} 621) 20733) 14774
1332; 4073} 1338! 3309] 1450; 1722) 1020} 285) 544 384] 1668] 1386) 473] 30] 869) 221) 5405) 4647
nn
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91} 472 84] 117 67; 176 83] 73) 15) 149 63] 121) 11) — 6| 563) 201
105; 612 94 111 82} 165; 143) 91) 24) 212 7.6 |e L077) aS | ees 1 717| 205
149) 757} =155| =220) +155) 147) 267) 122) 3) 212] 165) 120) 54) 11 1) 24, 906) 375
924; 2998) 942) 1601) 1625) 494) 1084] 385} 48] 286) 1603} 514/ 318] 31 4) 73) 3922] 2543
579} 1634) 559) 776) 616) 556) 520) 169) 128) 224) 598} 486) 128) 23 ]) 99} 2213) 1335
fol
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454; 2113} 461) 639} 507} 598) 596) 355) 44 467| 455) 449) 113) 15] 20) 48] 2567; 1100
96} 712 94| 116 69 160} 197) 118} 4/ 260 70| 112) 22) 3) — 3] 808} 210
44, 308 A4 55 26 94 93) 42) — 97 44 39 gs) ol) — 7) +352 38)
71} -491 64 84 84, 100) 141) 69) 9 159 65 57) 21 1) — 4) 562) 148
1444 625) 132) 151 86] 224) 135) 115! 1) 208 78| 160} 21} 3] 2] 19} 769} 283
138} 731) 131] 150 84 213] 138) 138] 2} 294 84 |e 5163/99/83 | 9} 869} 281
53| 504 38 4] 23 93} 110] 106} 2] 223 18 506 |e et | 557 79
498} 1421) 200) 290) 437) 261) 139) 150) 591/ 341) 148) 205) 98] 10) 28) 71) 1919) 490
79) 758 55 43 35} 138] 293) 128) 9] 934 25 54) 16) — | — 3] 837 98
54) 523 50 45 33] 106] 200! 71) 5) 162 28 59) 7] — 1) — 1] 577 95
124 870| 125] 126) 125| 162| 362) 121| 9| 215 94) 111) 39} 2) — 5] 994) 251
183) 1326) 183) 191) 194) 365) 4521198! 6] 9294! 141] 191] 38) — | — 4| 1509) 374
144) 1114) 129) 152) 147) 281! 354] 164) 35) 277) 110} 130) 32) 2) — 7| 1258) 281
90! 1334 86 81 92) 258) 445) 178] 17| 434 AAS LOL S353 |k— 6| 1424] 167
82) 921 60 52 32] 280) 224) 76) 11} 380 19 73) 15} — | — 5| 1003) 112
40, 303 35 38 30| 118 89] 11] 10 85 23 ANT 2 343 73
65| 378) 68 73 46 115 68] 60) — 154 52 56] 15] 4 —| 4) 443) 141
11} 165 13 11 15 24 | 1) TO) 8 13) 1) —|] — 2} 176 24
459} 1623 56 49 25| 227 O=N1'628)/—— 28 1) | |) 3 203 105
— = — = _ = — he eS = SS) S| | |) Oe) =
1311} 3571) 1266) 1572) 323! 3987| 333] 61) 98 80| 255) 2520} 58) 2 1) 9] 4882) 2838
120, 478! 107 85 18} 476} 61| 1] 36 6 ig) MEG) BD) = || |] 598} 192
57| 445 56 39 26| 266] 191) — | 12 7 21 68/5 |e 1/502} 95
107) 1083 98 83 45| 604| 363) 50} 5] 123 Bm) dsl: By) 4) | Tg) aed
go) 1012 92 66 35| 942 86, 12] 4 23 pay) alsiy) Sn 5) =) 5 |] Te) aS
| |
| 26007 14819
| |
30745, 157605843 6658 11343, 14630, 22158 3637 316 979 1838 87298 43558
| |
ABSTRACT OF T
X1IL
NEW SOUTH WALEs—opysuS OF THE YEAR 1841.
HE RETURNS OF THE POPULATION IN THE DIFFERENT POLICE pisrricrs, as DEFINED IN THE GOVERNMENT NOTICE oF 121TH aucust, 1840; commissioners’
DISTRICTS BEYOND THE BOUNDARIES OF LOCATION, PENAL SETTLEMENTS, xyD EMPLOYED IN THE COLONIAL VESSELS, TAKEN ON THE 2D MARCH, 1841.
NUMBER OF EACH AGE, MARRIED OR SINGLE. CIVIL CONDITION.
MALES. FEMALES, TOTALS.
MALES, FEMALES, MALES. FEMALES.
FREE, BOND. FREE, BOND.
a 6 silive
G || a a4 z 3
led a . Bw > S =
gia] es |= die] s/s gs |e s| 8
DISTRICT. BN te s/i| a |e i ll a Sy]
alzle| 8 13 g/5)a) 8 |# . dais & eee
al rs = = = az = = GOST 18 061'8 GB GEST
GSSSE COL | 6P6'9T 06 = = = = = = = = OPFSI LS £98°¢ 8T TEs
GEB'8T LPL | 800°6T 08 = = = = = = = = C9C CT cg 1ss‘p GI ogg
985'LE 89I | Tes‘st GL = = = = = = —) = GOS‘SL GL EPO i 6E81
98106 69 80L'9 9 = = = = = = = = £168 8g coc’ ST 8681
10S‘FT £9 G08'e IL = = = = = a = = 8L9'9 OV 160'F GI LOST
O@OLT 09 6SL‘E Il = = = = == a == = 861'9 &% £90'L 96 981
“suo Ty, “ON, *SUOT, “ON, "suo y, ‘ON “suo y, “ON “suo T, “ON, “suOT, ‘ON, *SsuOT, “ON “suo y, "ON,
“UVOA
*so}e}G USTOIOT ‘soqeyg poy ‘purfeozy MONT | ‘spurysy vag YyNog | ‘seTuojoD YsIWIg
*STVLOL ‘solloysty OT, “UlRILIG, JIID OT,
OL OL oL OL OL
+
‘ATUAISOTONI ‘OPS OL 9S8T UVAA AHL WOU ‘SGUVMLOO GIUALNA STASSAA AO ADVNNOL GNV UAAWON AHL JO NUALAY
‘dHONILNOQ— JITAX
APPENDIX. 473
Xe Val
RETURN OF WOOL EXPORTED FROM THE COLONY OF NEW SOUTH
WALES, FROM 1822 To 1840.
VALUE, VALUE,
As entered in As entered in
YEAR, QUANTITY. | the Returns of YEAR, QUANTITY. | the Returns of
Exports. Exports.
Ibs. £ lbs. £
1822 172,880 Not known 1832 1,515,156 73,559
1823 198,240 _— 1833 1,734,203 103,692
1824 275,560 — 1834 2,246,933 213,628
1825 411,600 _— 1835 3,893,927 299,587
1826 552,960 48,384 1836 3,693,241 369,324
1827 — 407,116 24,306 1837 4,448,796 332,166
1828 834,343 40,851 1838 5,749,376 405,977
1829 1,005,333 63,555 1839 7,213,584 442,504
1830 899,750 34,907 1840 8,610,775 566,112
1831 1,401,284 75,979
RETURN OF AMOUNT OF AUCTION DUTY, AT 14 PER CENT., PAID INTO
THE COLONIAL TREASURY, FROM 1824 To 1840, INCLUSIVELY.
YEAR. AMOUNT OF DUTY. YEAR. AMOUNT OF DUTY.
£ Ss. d. £ Ss. d
1924 328 Sie ait 1833 1,540 oullans
1825 555 Soleo 1834 2,327 Gi i210
1826 516 dq | 2 1835 3135 | 16 | 2
1827 62 | is | 113 1836 4697 | 11
1828 1,325 | 10 | 7% 1837 4,820 3 | im
1829 1,228 @ | ae 1838 any | a) a
1830 1493, | 18 || 38 1839 “e700 1G ial eae
1831 1,353 ab oh 1840 18,701 2 | 10
1832 TVA Spel ets ae
roran>| £8,689 | 12 | - 43 TOTAT a E49 (0G0Nma ae TO Mn aed
VOL. Il. 119
A474
APPENDIX.
XCINXE
RETURN OF THE AMOUNTS RECEIVED FROM THE SALE OF CROWN
LANDS, FROM 1824 To 1840, INCLUSIVELY.
AMOUNT.
£ & d.
94956 | 1 | 1
41,844 9 1
80,784 | 14 6
126,458 16 0
120,427 | 0 5
116,324] 18 | 11
152,962 16 4
316,626 | 7 5
980,385 3 9
YEAR. AMOUNT. YEAR,
£ Ss: d.
1824 21k) || ily 93 1833
1825 5,048 | 14 10 1834
1826 2,596 2 6 1835
1827 2,274 | 11 7 1836
1828 5,004 | 19 2 1837
1829 25710) 15 0 1838
1830 943 5 10 1839
1831 2,597 1 10 1840
1832 12,509 | 13 10
TOTAL 34,465 2 | 4} TOTAL
XX
ESTIMATED QUANTITY OF LAND IN CULTIVATION, EXCLUSIVE OF
GARDENS AND ORCHARDS, ON 31ST DEc. 1840.
CROPS.
WHEAT.| MAIZE. BARLEY. | oats. | RYE. | uanzer. | POTATOES. TOBACCO. SOWwK
GRASSES.
| |
Acres. | Acres.| Acres. |Acres.| Acres. | Acres. | Acres, Acres. Acres.
|
74,133) 24,966] 5,144 | 5,453) 609 115 2,594 381 12,721
PRODUCE.
| | SOWN
WHEAT, | MAIZE. | BARLEY. | OATS. RYE. | MILLET. | POTATOES. | TOBACCO. |gRassEs
| (HAY.)
Bushels. | Bushels. | Bushels. | Bushels. | Bushels. Bushels.| Tons. |Cwt.| Tons. (Cwt.| Tons.
| | |
1,116,814] 777,947 | 105,389 | 66,020 | 8,863 3,338 |11,050] 15 | 215 | — 21,329
APPENDIX. A75
X XI.
U.S. Ship Peacock,
Sydney Cove, New South Wales,
December 21st, 1839.
Sir,
Having thoroughly examined this ship at different times, and par-
ticularly at this place, I would respectfully submit the following report
of her condition. First, that the sheer-streak is quite rotten in many
places, as well as the gun and berth-deck water-ways; and from the
frequent calking the gun and spar-decks have undergone, they have
become much worn, and quite leaky, particularly the spar-deck ;
also, the stanchions supporting the bulwark on the spar-deck are very
much decayed, and with the exception of three or four of them, are
unsafe, and not able to support the rail and boats attached to it, under
any thing more than ordinary circumstances.
Iam, Sir, yours respectfully,
(Signed) Jonas D1pBLe,
Carpenter.
Witiram L. Hupson, Esa.,
Commanding U. 8. Ship Peacock.
U.S. Ship Peacock,
Sydney, New South Wales,
December 22d, 1839.
Sir,
I have delayed reporting in writing the defective state of the Pea-
cock until the present time, with a full knowledge it would have been
utterly impossible to have completed the necessary repairs at this port
in sufficient time for our Antarctic cruise. I feel, too, that the govern-
ment and whole country are anticipating results from that quarter,
and are under the full belief that all the ships composing this squad-
ron were thoroughly overhauled, and amply prepared to encounter
every kind of weather. I have no wish at present to undeceive them,
but feel it my duty to state to you on the present occasion, that the
Peacock’s sheer-streak, to which the channels are bolted and ports
hung, is perfectly decayed, fore and aft, and that all the stanchions of
the upper-deck bulwarks, are either rotten, or in an advanced state of
decay. Against these defects, however, I feel it my duty to contend,
476 APPENDIX.
without anticipating any thing but favourable results, but at the same
time prepared for the worst that may occur.
Yours, respectfully,
(Signed) Wm. L. Hupson.
CapTaIN CHARLES WILKES,
Commanding Exploring Expedition.
XeXGle
RETURN OF TIMBER EXPORTED, FROM THE YEAR 1830 To 1840,
INCLUSIVELY.
Blue Gun, Pine, and | o
Cedar. ethos ninban: Treenails.
YEAR. VALUE.
Quantity. Quantity. Number.
&
1830 368,830 } 179,403 , 23,959 5,218
1831 580,393 416,857 | 3 24,316 8,401
1832 418,930 | 3 233,653 | © 186,831 6,132
1833 1,086,437 | 5 147,170 | 328,503 13,153
1834 899,492 | = 30,065 }-3 212,467 7,941
1835 907,921 as 145,628 | e 178,969 10,489
1836 1,409,467 |‘ = |106 Logs 3,778 | 3. 35,094 14,611
1837 116,828} 3, 18823] a 62,989 14,463
1838 699,066 | F 9,000 73,450 6,382
1839 729,001 823 Deals, 15 Logs 40,588 8,815
1840 1,250,786 § 151,500 4,350 20,971
2 Superficial Feet.
RETURN OF OIL, ETC., EXPORTED, FROM THE YEAR 1830 To 1840,
INCLUSIVELY.
Sperm Whale. Black Whale.) Whalebone. | Seal Skins.
YEAR. VALUE.
Tuns. Tuns. Tons. | Cwt. | No.
£
1830 983 98 9 16 9,720 59,471
1831 1,571 505 28 5 4,424 95,969
1832 2,491 695 43 6 1,415 147,409
1833 3,048 418 _ — 1,890 146,855
1834 2,760 975 43 15 890 157,334
1835 2,898 1,159 112 — 641 180,349
1836 1,682 1,149 79 — 386 140,220
1837 2,559 1,565 Ut 8 107 183,122
1838 1,891 3,055 74 | — 3 Cases 197,644
1839 1,578 1,229 134 | 14 7 Cases 172,315
1840 1,854 4,297 PN |) A7A 224,144
|
APPENDIX. A777
XOX Ii.
STATEMENT OF THE INTRODUCTION AND PROGRESS OF THE BREED OF
FINE-WOOLLED SHEEP IN NEW SOUTH WALES, DELIVERED AT THE RIGHT
HON. LORD HOBART’S OFFICE, 26TH JULY, 1803.
Tue samples of wool brought from New South Wales having ex-
cited the particular attention of the merchants and principal English
manufacturers, Captain MacArthur considers it his duty respectfully
to represent to His Majesty’s ministers, that he has found, from an
experience of many years, the climate of New South Wales is pecu-
liarly adapted to the increase of fine-woolled sheep; and that, from
the unlimited extent of luxuriant pastures with which that country
abounds, millions of those valuable animals may be raised in a few
years, with but little other expense than the hire of a few shepherds.
The specimens of wool that Captam MacArthur has with him,
have been inspected by the best judges of wool in this kingdom;
and they are of opinion that it possesses a softness superior to many
of the wools of Spain; and that it certainly is equal, in every valuable
property, to the very best that is to be obtained from thence.
The sheep producing this fine wool are of the Spanish kind, sent
originally from Holland to the Cape of Good Hope, and taken from
thence to Port Jackson.
Captain MacArthur being persuaded that the propagation of those
animals would be of the utmost consequence to this country, pro-
cured, in 1797, three rams and five ewes: and he has since had the
satisfaction to see them rapidly increase, their fleeces augment in
weight, and the wool very visibly improve in quality. When Cap-
tain MacArthur left Port Jackson in 1801, the heaviest fleece that had
then been shorn weighed only three pounds and a half; but he has
received reports of 1802, from which he learns that the fleeces of his
sheep were increased to five pounds each ;* and that the wool is finer
and softer than the wool of the preceding year. The fleece of one
of the sheep originally imported from the Cape of Good Hope, has
been valued here at four shillings and sixpence per pound; and a
* In the grease. The average weight of the fleeces of fine-woolled sheep in New
South Wales, washed, is two and a half pounds.
VOL. Il. 120
478 APPENDIX.
fleece of the same kind bred in New South Wales is estimated at six
shillings a pound.
Being once in possession of this valuable breed, and having ascer-
tained that they improved in that climate, he became anxious to
extend them as much as possible; he therefore crossed all the mixed-
breed ewes of which his flocks were composed, with Spanish rams.
The lambs produced from this cross were much improved; but when
they were again crossed, the change far exceeded his most sanguine
expectations. In four crosses, he is of opinion, no distinction will be
perceptible between the pure and the mixed breed. As a proof of
the extraordinary and rapid improvement of his flocks, Captain
MacArthur has exhibited the fleece of a coarse-woolled ewe, that
has been valued at ninepence a pound; and the fleece of her lamb,
begotten by a Spanish ram, which is allowed to be worth three
shillings a pound.
Captain MacArthur has now about four thousand sheep, amongst
which there are no rams but of the Spanish breed. He calculates
that they will, with proper care, double themselves every two years
and a half; and that in twenty years they will be so increased as to
produce as much fine wool as is now imported from Spain and other
countries, at an annual expense of £1,800,000 sterling. ‘To make the
principle perfectly plain upon which Captain MacArthur founds this
expectation, he begs to state that half his flock has been raised from
thirty ewes purchased in 1793, out of a ship from India, and from
about eight or ten Spanish and Irish sheep purchased since. The
other half of his flock were obtained in 1801, by purchases from an
officer who had raised them in the same time, and from about the
same number of ewes that Captain MacArthur commenced with.
This statement proves that the sheep have hitherto multiplied more
rapidly than it is calculated they will do in future; but this is attri-
buted to the first ewes being of a more prolific kind than the Spanish
sheep are found to be; for since Captain MacArthur has directed his
attention to that breed, he has observed the ewes do not so often
produce double lambs.
As a further confirmation of the principle of increase that Captain
MacArthur has endeavoured to establish, and which he is positive
time will prove to be correct, he would refer to the general returns
transmitted from New South Wales. In 1796, (since when not one
hundred sheep have been imported), one thousand five hundred and
thirty-one were returned as the public and private stock of the colony.
APPENDIX. 479
In 1801, six thousand seven hundred and fifty-seven were returned ;
and although between those periods all the males have been killed as
soon as they became fit, yet there is a surplus over the calculation of
six hundred and thirty-three.
Captain MacArthur is so convinced of the practicability of supply-
ing this country with any quantity of fine wool it may require, that
he is earnestly solicitous to prosecute this, as it appears to him, im-
portant object; and on his return to New South Wales, to devote his
whole attention to accelerate its complete attainment. All the risk
attendant on the undertaking he will cheerfully bear—he will require
no pecuniary aid—and all the encouragement he humbly solicits, is
the protection of government, permission to occupy a sufficient tract
of unoccupied lands to feed his flocks, and the indulgence of selecting
from amongst the convicts, such men for shepherds, as may, from
their previous occupations, know something of the business.
(Signed) Joun MacArruor.
London, 26th July, 1808.
XOX AVE
U.S. Flag-Ship Vincennes,
New Zealand, Bay of Islands, April 5th, 1840.
My pear Sir,
I need not tell you how much I feel interested in your cruise.
From the interest you took in the outfit of our expedition, I am sure
you well know the interest it excites, and how much this feeling is
heightened by a knowledge on my part of what you have undertaken,
and have to go through. This prompts me to a desire to be useful to
you if possible, and to give you my experience of the last season
among the ice, whither you are bound.
Your cruise will be an arduous one, no matter how you may be
enlightened on your course ; but you have so much knowledge of the
ice, and the manner of treating it, that it appears almost presumptuous
in me to sit down to give you any hints relative to it. But, believing
as I do, that the ice of the Antarctic is of a totally different character
from that of the Arctic, | venture to offer you a few hints that may
be useful to you in your undertaking; and although my instructions
are binding upon me relative to discoveries, I am, nevertheless aware
that Iam acting as my government would order, if they could have
480 APPENDIX.
anticipated the case, knowing how deeply it feels the liberal assistance
and great interest evinced by all the societies and distinguished men
of Great Britain, to promote and aid this, our first undertaking in the
great cause of science and usefulness; and I must add the pleasure it
gives to me personally, to be able to return, though in a small degree,
the creat obligation I myself feel under to you, and many others, the
promoters of your undertaking.
Winps.—The winds for the first fortnight of our time, to the east-
ward of longitude 140° E., were from the northward and westward,
light generally, accompanied occasionally with clear weather for
hours, and again with dense fogs of short duration, with a long swell
from the same quarter.
After passing longitude 140° E., or to the westward of it, we
experienced fine weather, with southeast winds and occasional snow-
squalls, lasting but ten or fifteen minutes, and a dry, healthy
atmosphere.
The barometer, during our stay on the coast, was always indicative
of wind by its depression, and was a true guide. Its mean standing
was 28in. The temperature surprised me: we seldom, if ever, had
it above 30°, even in the sun at mid-day, and I do not think that three
times it was found above 35°.
Gales come on very suddenly, and are always attended with snow,
sleet, and thick fogs, rendering it extremely hazardous; for one must
be found, when they do come, more or less surrounded with ice-
islands. They sometimes last for thirty-six hours. After they set in,
you may calculate that they will blow strong for at least half that
time. ‘The nearer you are to the land, the more violent they are,
though not of such long duration. Fine weather usually precedes
them, and we found them to happen, and the weather to be more
changeable near the full and change, although I am no believer in
the lunar influences upon the weather.
Currents.—During the whole of our stay along the icy coast, we
found no perceptible current by the reckoning and current log.
During a gale of wind I was induced to believe that some existed,
from the short sea that was formed, thinking there was more than was
to be expected. Tvzdes on such an extent of coast there undoubtedly
must be, but of little strength, or we should have perceived them.
In many of the icy bays we were stationary for a sufficient time to
perceive them if they had been of any magnitude, and where the
current was repeatedly tried.
APPENDIX. A81
The winds have their effect upon the loose drift-ice, or that which
is detached from the icy barrier. Owing to a change of wind from
southeast to north, with a fresh breeze, the Peacock became embayed,
and the ice forced in upon her, which brought about the accident.
The northerly winds are always accompanied with a heavy swell,
and her escape is attributable to a rare exercise of good seamanship
and perseverance. If Captain Hudson’s ship had been as strong as
adamant itself, he is of opinion she would have been ground to atoms
by a longer exposure ; her stem was abraded to within an inch and a
half of the wood-ends.
There are places in which the barrier is within the floe-ice several
miles. I enclose you the mean temperature during the summer
months.
You will see there is but little chance of the ice melting or disap-
pearing, as from accounts frequently takes place in the Arctic Ocean.
Your time, being unlimited, will allow you to wait some days in a
situation to make experiments.
I frequently found myself so closely beset that I thought it next to
impossible to escape, and if the wind had not been extremely con-
stant in its direction, | should have been shut up or much injured ;
as it was, I escaped with scarcely a scratch, although we took some
heavy thumps.
The charts will show you the tracks and state of the ice. It was
constructed as I went on, and the ice-islands laid down by carefully-
kept diagrams by the officer of the deck during his watch. This I
found gave me more confidence in proceeding, and facilities in case of
having to return.
Maenetic Pote.—I consider we have approached very near to the
pole. Our dip was 87° 30’S., and the compasses on the ice very
sluggish ; this was in longitude 147° 30’ E., and latitude 67° 04’ 8.
Our variation, as accurately as it could be observed on the ice, we
made 12° 30’ EK. It was difficult to get a good observation, on
account of the sluggishness of our compasses. About one hundred
miles to the westward, we crossed the magnetic meridian.
The pole, without giving you accurate deductions, I think my ob-
servations will place in about latitude 70° S., and longitude 140° E.
On the meridian of 140° E., you will find a small bay, partly
formed by ice-islands and rocks, which I have named Piner’s Bay,
and I think among the rocks you may find a snug little harbour. I
was driven out of the bay by a gale of wind; sounding about one and
VOL. II. 121
482 APPENDIX.
a half miles from the shore in thirty fathoms. The icebergs being
aground, form good shelters; but I was too much exposed to venture
to remain, and my object was to trace the land and the icy barrier,
which I have done, as you will see it laid down on my chart.
We had delightful and clear weather ten days or a fortnight along
the coast, with the wind at from southeast to south-southwest; the
two latter points particularly. The drift-ice is in large pieces, so large
as to give a ship an awkward thump; but when I found it tolerably
open I have run through it to get to clear water, and in hopes of
making the land, but our progress was soon stopped by the firm
barrier, impenetrable, through whick there is no passing.
I am of opinion that there is little movement of the ice during the
season. Strong gales may change its position a trifle, but I think not
materially.
The only prospect of nearing the land is through a sea well studded
with large icebergs, nearly thirty or forty miles in width; and I
generally found that we got nearer to the shore in those places than
elsewhere. One thing I must tell you, as respects filimg your
water: you will sometimes find a pond of delicious water on the
top of an old iceberg, frozen over, but on cutting through it you will
see a supply sufficient for a navy. It will save you fuel, and discom-
fort and cold to you, your vessels, and their crews.
I was very fortunate in the weather the latter part of the time; and
indeed altogether I was scarcely a day without some observation,
(except during the gales, of which we had three, occupying about
eight days,) and generally half a dozen.
My time for six weeks was passed on deck, and having all day-
light, I of course had constant employment, and with the many
assistants, I could make rapid progress; and you will find that no
opportunity ought to be lost in this navigation, if one is to do any
thing. One’s ship is in constant danger, and the Vincennes, a first-
class sloop of seven hundred and eighty tons, it requires all the
foresight and activity one is possessed of to look out for her.
I consider that I have had a most providential escape ; and if this
ship had not been enabled to “do every thing but talk,” I should not
have been where [ now am; but she had inspired me with so much
confidence, among the coral reefs last summer, that I could put full
faith in her doing her duty. I must refer you to the chart, on which
I have noted remarks, variations, &c.
I should have mentioned that in 1838 and 1839 I went south in
APPENDIX. 483
the brig Porpoise, in order to trace Palmer’s Land on its eastern
side, (but too late for any trial to reach high latitudes,) and hoping
that the lateness of the season would enable me to run some distance
along it. I got within three miles of the coast, and saw it trending to
the south-southeast about thirty miles; but it was so blocked up with
ice as to render it impossible to get through. I have little doubt
myself, in favourable seasons, Weddell’s track may be followed, not-
withstanding what the Frenchman may say, there being no land to
which the ice is attached; and that the ice in those parts changes
very much, the currents being exceedingly strong, as I myself wit-
nessed. I could not afford the time to be frozen up, as my other
duties were and are paramount to passing the winter in such a
situation. But you are differently situated, and I should advise you,
by all means, to try to penetrate between longitude 35° and 45° W.
Tam, &c.,
CHARLES WILKES,
Commanding Exploring Expedition.
To Caprain James C. Ross,
Commanding H. B. M. Ships Erebus and Terror.
XOXO
U. 8. Ship Vincennes,
Sydney Cove, Dec. 23d, 1839.
Sir,
The following instructions will claim your particular attention
during our contemplated Antarctic Cruise.
ist. It cannot be too strongly impressed upon you the necessity to
use every means in your power to avoid a separation, as the lives of
those entrusted to your particular care, and those comprising the
squadron, may be jeoparded by it.
2d. The most careful attention must be given by you to the health
and comfort of your crew, and the most economical care and expen-
diture of your stores and provisions. The greatest attention to the
cleanliness and airing of the vessels, and the drying of the clothes and
bedding, to avoid all dampness and foul air, are likewise essential.
In the event of your being frozen up or detained by the ice, your
responsibilities will be great, and every precaution must be taken to
insure your safety. You may rest assured that every exertion will
be made to relieve you at the earliest possible day.
A84 APPENDIX.
I now give you a short sketch of what I deem to be the principal
object of our cruise towards the Antarctic Circle: first, to reach as
high a southern latitude as can be attained, without hazarding the
safety of your vessel and crew; and last, to make all the observations
that my former instructions have pointed out, including the dip and
intensity.
In the event of parting company, you will rendezvous, first, at
Macquarie Island, if it should occur before reaching its latitude,
where you will remain forty-eight hours, off and on; thence proceed
to the Emerald Isle, waiting on and off thirty-six hours, and from
thence to the south as far as the ice will permit, and continue cruis-
ing along its borders, between the longitude of 160° E. and 105° E.,
until the Ist of March, at which period it is deemed the season will
become too far advanced to proceed south with any chance of success.
On your return, you will proceed to the Bay of Islands, New
Zealand, where you will await my arrival, or find orders with the
American consul, resident there.
If the Lord Auckland Group should lay in your path on your return,
you will find a secure harbour in that of Sarah’s Bosom, in latitude
50° 38’ S., longitude 166° 16’ E.
On your return, you will vary your route as much as possible, or
as the weather and state of your vessel will permit.
In case you should not be able to reach the Bay of Islands, prior to
the 25th of March, you will thence make for the island of Tonga-
taboo, Friendly Group, where you will find me or orders directing
your further movements. (If no intelligence before the 15th of April,
you will then proceed to the Feejee Group of islands, Harbour of
Takanora, or Sandalwood Bay, and there continue to employ yourself,
making the various surveys directed in the copy of the instructions.)
Leave letters where you may stop, and place signal No. 2 on a
conspicuous spot; No. 1 will represent the Vincennes, No. 3 the
Porpoise, and No. 4 the Flying-Fish.
In the event of your penetrating the ice, with the prospect of a
clear sea before you, you will steer to the westward, bearing in mind
that the only prospect of again clearing it is on the route you first
followed, or that supposed to have been taken by Weddell, between
the longitude of 35° and 49° W.
On clearing it, you will proceed to carry out the foregoing instruc-
tions, to make the appointed rendezvous with the least possible delay.
(It is my intention, if 1 am not detained by ice, to reach the harbour
APPENDIX. 485
of Sandalwood Bay, in the Feejee Group, in April, and after exami-
ning those islands, to proceed to the Sandwich Islands for provisions
early in July. I state this that you may govern yourself accordingly,
in the event of your not being able to meet me or the Peacock at any
of the rendezvous pointed out. Should you fall in with the Peacock,
Captain Hudson will give you the necessary instructions. )
I am, very respectfully,
Your obedient servant,
(Signed) CuarLes WILKES,
Commanding Exploring Expedition.
The foregoing instructions were sent to Captain Hudson. ‘To
Lieutenants-Commandant Ringgold and Pinkney, without the clause
in parenthesis.
U.S. Ship Vincennes,
At Sea, December 29th, 1839.
Sir,
The following observations and duties will be attended to on board
the Flying-Fish, under your command, during her present cruise to
the Antarctic Ocean :
1st. You will keep a daily journal of every occurrence of interest.
2d. Your route will be daily laid down upon the skeleton chart;
also, the position of all land, islands of ice, &c., which you may fall
in with. Astronomical bearings will be taken when the weather will
permit.
3d. You will note in your journal the variation of the compass,
daily, sketches of refractions, and appearances of ice-islands and
formations.
4th. You will obtain, if possible, and preserve, any stones, speci-
mens of earth, &c., from the ice, and note the appearances of any
halos, aurora australis, &c.
5th. The observations, &c., required in the General Order of the
25th August, 1838, will be attended to, when practicable, excepting
those of the barometer and hygrometer, and the observations of the
masthead.
I am, very respectfully,
Your obedient servant,
(Signed) CHARLES WILKES,
Commanding Exploring Expedition.
To Lieut. Com. PINKNEY,
U.S. Schooner Flying-Fish.
VOL. Il. 122
APPENDIX.
XXVI.
BAROMETRICAL OBSERVATIONS DURING THE GALE OF WIND EXPERIENCED
BY U. S. SHIP VINCENNES, JAN. 28TH, 29TH, 30TH, 31ST, AND FEB. LST
AND 2D.
DATE.
HOUR.
BAROMETER.
REMARKS,
1840.
JAN, 28TH,
66
oe
10 30
29°50 in.
29°40
29°24
29°10
28°90
28°79
28°68
28°68
28°59
28°57
28°57
28°68
28°67
28-78
29°16
29°10
29°04
29°00
28°98
28°91
28°90
28:90
28°88
28°82
28°80
28-80
28:76
28°76
28°74
Light snow; 8. E. by S. fresh.
Wind fresh from 8, E. by S., cloudy.
Wind quite fresh S. E. byS., light snow.
Wind blowing a gale from S. E., snow.
Weather was pleasant the remainder
of 29th.
At 8 4. m. of the 30th, the Barometer
rose to 29°16 in., and remained at
that point several hours.
APPENDIX. 487
X X VI.—ConrTinueEb.
BAROMETRICAL OBSERVATIONS DURING THE GALE OF WIND EXPERIENCED
BY U. S. SHIP VINCENNES, JAN. 28TH, 29TH, 30TH, 31ST, AND FEB. 1ST
AND 2D.
DATE. HOUR. BAROMETER. HOUR. BAROMETER.
1840. A. M. P. M.
JAN. 31st, 1 28°72 in. 1 28°60 in.
Ge 2 28°72 2 28°60
cc 3 28°73 3 28-60
GS 4 28°70 4 28°60
GS 5 28°70 5 28°60
OS 6 6 28°60
ee 7 30 28°68 7 28°60
ce 8 8 28.66
a 9 28°62 9 28°70
G 10 28°60 10 28°70
ce 11 28°60 11 28°70
ee 12 28°60 12 28°70
FEB. Ist, 2 28°72
£0 3 28:73 3 28-90
o 4 28:73
ce 5 28°73
ee 9 28°76 9 29°00
FEB. 2D, 3 29-12 2 29°31
ce 9 29°25 3 29°31
se 11 29°30 7 29°35
OS 12 29°32 9 29°37
£¢ 10 30 29-300
ce 12 29°210
488 APPENDIX.
XX Vale
U.S. Ship Vincennes,
At Sea, January 31st, 1840.
Sir,
It becomes my duty, in consequence of the report of the assistant-
surgeons of this ship (a copy of which is enclosed), relative to the
health and condition of the crew of this ship, to restore you to duty
for their benefit, and to obtain all the medical advice in my power to
enable me to carry out the instructions of the government.
You will, after due examination and consideration, relative to the
health and condition of the crew, report to me, in writing, your
opinion in regard to the same.
I am, very respectfully,
Your obedient servant,
(Signed) CuarLEs WILKES,
Commanding Exploring Expedition.
Dr. Enwarp GILcuRIsT,
Acting Surgeon, Vincennes.
U.S. Ship Vincennes,
At Sea, January 31st, 1840.
Sir,
I have received your letter of this date, restoring me to duty,
enclosing a report of the assistant-surgeons of this ship, and directing
me, after due examination and consultation relative to the health and
condition of the crew, to report to you in writing my opinion in
regard to the same.
In obedience to that order, I respectfully report that, in my opinion,
the health of the crew is materially affected by the severe fatigue,
want of sleep, and exposure to the weather, to which they have lately
been subjected ; that a continuance of these hardships, even for a very
short period, will entirely disqualify a great number of men for their
duty ; and that the necessary attention to the health of the crew, and
their future efficiency and usefulness, demand the immediate return
of the ship to a mild climate.
I am, very respectfully,
Epwarp GILcHRIST,
Acting Surgeon.
Cartes WILKES, Esa.,
Commanding Exploring Expedition.
APPENDIX. 489
U.S. Ship Vincennes,
At Sea, January 31st, 1840.
Sir,
In answer to your letter of this date, enclosing the report of the
medical officers on the present state of the health of the crew; and
requesting the opinion of the ward-room officers, as to the expe-.
diency of pushing farther south under the present circumstances, we
would state, that, in our opinion, it would be as well to hold on until
to-morrow at meridian, in order, should the weather then prove more
favourable, to attempt making the recently discovered land at another
point; but that on a material increase of the sick-list, or continuance
of the present bad weather beyond the above period, we should run
to the northward.
We are, very respectfully,
Your obedient servants,
(Signed) OVERTON Carr,
1st Lieutenant.
A. Lupiow Case,
JosepH A. UNDERWOOD,
Tneutenants.
Epmunp H. De Haven,
SamMvuet R. Knox,
Acting Masters.
To Cuar.es WILKES, Esa.,
Commanding Exploring Expedition.
U.S. Ship Vincennes,
At Sea, January 31st, 1840.
Sir,
In answer to your communication of to-day, addressed to the ward-
room officers, calling upon them for their opinion with regard to the
practicability of our prosecuting the desirable researches in these
latitudes, I am of opinion, with due regard to the report of the
medical officers, which you have submitted for our perusal, that it is
very desirable to ascertain the extent of the recently discovered land,
by another attempt to the westward; provided, of course, this object
can be attained without further endangering the health of the crew.
Very respectfully,
Your obedient servant,
(Signed) JAMES ALDEN.
CuarLes WILKES, Esa.,
Commanding Exploring Expedition.
VOL. II. 123
490 APPENDIX.
U.S. Ship Vincennes,
At Sea, January 31st, 1840.
Sir,
In answer to your letter, with the report of the medical officers
enclosed, requesting the opinion of the ward-room officers of this
ship, as to the expediency under the present circumstances of prose-
cuting our discoveries south at this time, I beg leave to state, that in
my opinion the report of all the medical officers of the ship, as to the
reduced condition of the crew, would be a sufficient reason for
putting back; and, in addition, I would state other reasons which
occur to me.
We have been almost surrounded with drift-ice and ice-islands for
the last twenty-three days, and coasting along the barrier of field-ice,
which has rendered it impossible to penetrate further south in this
vicinity; and, although gratifymg it would be to land upon the
Antarctic Continent, I am not aware that any advantages to be
derived from it would be commensurate for the dangers it would be
necessary to incur; and if the discovery of new land in these regions
is important, I consider it equally so that every precaution be taken
to communicate the same to others.
Farther, in my opinion, the continuance of the severe gale which
we have encountered for the last five days, accompanied with sleet,
hail, and snow, and the necessity of keeping all hands on the watch,
owing to the thick weather, &c., and difficulty of navigating among
ice, makes it not only most dangerous, but, if necessary to be con-
tinued in, will render the watch officers and crew unfit for the
arduous duties now and hereafter required of them, at a time when
the ship and rigging are enveloped in ice.
In fact, I am of opinion, that the future operations should not be
hazarded by encountering dangers and risks to be run, under all the
circumstances, greater than I have ever encountered in the course of
seven years’ sea service.
In expressing, however, finally and respectfully, my opinions, I
most cheerfully yield to those of more experience and skill, if they
do not concur with mine.
I am, sir, very respectfully,
Your obedient servant,
(Signed) R. R. Wapron,
Purser, U. S. Navy.
CHARLES WILKES, Esa.,
Commanding Exploring Expedition.
APPENDIX. 49
U.S. Ship Vincennes,
At Sea, January 31st, 1840.
Sir,
In reply to your communication of this date, addressed to the
ward-room officers of this ship, I would state, that I think that it
would be advisable to remain in this vicinity at least two days longer,
and, if possible, get farther information respecting the recently dis-
covered land. At the expiration of the above mentioned time, if the
stormy weather we have experienced should continue, or the number
of sick be increased, I think it would be expedient to bear up to the
northward. In expressing this opinion, I am sensible of the hardship
and danger to which the officers and men are exposed, but I am also
prepared to share the same with them in any manner you may
dictate.
Respectfully, yours,
(Signed) JARED ELLioTT.
CuarLes WILKES, Esq.,
Commanding Exploring Expedition.
492 APPENDIX
XOXO VAT:
BAROMETER AND DAILY MEAN OF TEMPERATURE OF AIR AND WATER,
DURING THE CRUISE OF THE U. S. SHIP VINCENNES, NEAR THE ANTARC-
TIC CIRCLE, IN JANUARY AND FEBRUARY, 1840.
DATE, BAROM, AIR. WATER. DATE, BAROM. AIR. WATER.
Jan. 11| 29°36 in.| 32°45° | 31-29° |¥en.1 | 28:85 in.| 30:75° | 29-50°
12 | 28-97 32-45 30-00 2 | 29:26 32-45 29-41
13 | 28-87 32-45 30°45 3-| 28-74 | 32-04 31°33
14 | 29:17 32°37 31:74 4 | 28:50 32°80 32°75
15 | 28-87 32°95 31°16 5 | 29:23 32°58 32°62
16 | 28-68 33-95 30°50 6 | 29-21 31:17 32°75
17 | 28:84 30°95 31-20 7 | 29:00 31-00 31-90
18 | 28-87 3252 31°75 8 | 2914 32°16 31°75
19 | 28-77 32-48 31-26 9 | 29-19 32°18 31°50
20 | 28-91 31°70 32-04 10 | 29:08 31-83 31°75
21 | 29-02 3456 31-09 11 | 29-08 30°12 30-00
22 | 29:03 25°18 30°63 12 | 2915 29-00 30°03
23 | 29:04 26°16 30-45 13 | 29-08 27°75 30°20
24 | 2915 26°37 30°75 14 | 29:15 25°29 29-90
25 | 29-22 23-04 28-45 15 | 29-28 27-00 30°80
26 | 29:06 25°69 29-00 16 | 29-33 26°58 30-20
27 | 29:29 26-40 28-91 17 | 29:16 28°79 30-00
28 | 29:31 25°91 28-87 18 | 28-91 28°58 30-00
29 | 23-88 28-75 29-00 19 | 28-76 30°12 30°75
30 | 29-00 26-04 23-75 20 | 28-97 28-00 30-62
31 | 28-66 | 29-00 29-00 21 | 29-06 29-08 31°70
22 | 28:89 32-22 32-50
| 23 35-25 35-45
24 | 36-08 34:82
APPENDIX. 493
EXONS.
[ Copy. ]
U.S. Ship Peacock,
Sydney, New South Wales,
March 3d, 1840.
SIR,
I have the honour to report the arrival of the Peacock at this port,
for the purpose of making such few repairs as have become necessary,
preparatory to the further prosecution of the objects of the Expedition,
and avail myself of the occasion to say, that in our recent adventures
south, we fell in with a barrier of ice in the latitude of 65° S., and
longitude 159° E., and had followed its trendings as far as 67° S.,
longitude 150° E.
On Sunday, January 19th, while standing into a bay of ice, in
latitude 66° 31’ S., and longitude 153° 40’ E., we made (what we
believed to be) land to the southward and westward.
It was seen towering above and beyond some large icebergs, that
were from one hundred to one hundred and fifty feet in height. We
endeavoured to work up for this land, which presented the appear-
ance of an immense mass of snow, apparently forming a vast amphi-
theatre, with two distinct ridges or elevations throughout its extent.
After working up until midnight through detached portions of ice, we
reached the barrier at the head of the bay, and were compelled to
give up any further attempt to near it, (what we believed to be land,)
and passed out of the bay again, which was some twenty miles in
extent, through drift-ice, into a more open space for pursuing our
course to the southward and westward along the barrier.
On the 23d of January we made, beyond the barrier, which was
thickly studded with bergs and islands of ice, (what we believed it to
be,) high land, at least so far as terra firma can be distinguished
where every thing is covered with snow, and worked into a bay for a
nearer and more minute examination. ‘The sea-water had been dis-
coloured for some days, but no bottom obtained by soundings; in the
bay, however, it changed to a dark dull green, and gave every indi-
cation that we were on soundings, and not far from land.
The result confirmed the appearances: we obtained bottom in three
hundred and twenty fathoms, of slate-coloured mud, and the lead
brought up with it a piece of stone, about an inch in length, of nearly
VOL. II. 124
494 APPENDIX.
the same colour, while the lower part of the lead showed a fresh and
deep indentation, as though it had struck on a rock. Dip observa-
tions were made on the ice with Robinson’s and Lloyd’s needles; the
former gave 86:10°, the latter 86:23°.
While ascertaining the dip, a large king-penguin was captured on
the ice, and brought to the ship; to add to our collections, in his
stomach were found thirty-two pebbles of various sizes, which ap-
peared to have been very recently obtained, and afforded additional
evidence of our immediate proximity to land.
While further pursuing the object of our search in this vicinity, on
the morning of the 24th, and endeavouring to clear some ice ahead of
us, the ship made a stern-board, and came in contact with a large
piece of ice, which carried away one of the wheel-ropes, wrenched
the neck of the rudder, and rendered it useless.
We immediately commenced working ship with the sails and ice-
anchors into a more open sea. In this we were successful for a time,
until an increase of wind, and a change in its direction, brought in
upon us masses of ice for miles in extent, which completely beset the
ship, finished the work of destruction on our rudder, and forced us
into the immediate vicinity of an ice-island some seven or eight miles
in extent, with an elevation equalling our topgallant-masthead, and
its upper portion inclining towards the ship. In this situation we
furled all but the fore-and-aft sails, and hung by our ice-anchors.
Fortunately, between us and a portion of this island, lay a large piece
of ice, one end of which held us by the counter, until forced beyond
it by the pressing masses of ice outside, which started our anchors,
and set us stern on to the island, carrying away our spanker-boom
and stern-davits, and forcing the starboard quarter-deck bulwarks in
end some three or four inches, jamming a signal-gun hard and fast in
the gangway, and breaking off all the bulwark stanchions on that
side of the quarter-deck. We took this occasion to cant her, with the
jib, into a narrow channel alongside the island, and with the help of
other sails, passed by a portion of it without further injury to our
spars, until an opportunity presented of forcing her into a small
opening in the ice, with the head towards the sea.
Our rudder, which we unshipped and got m upon deck while
wedged in the ice, came in over the side in two pieces, the head
and neck entirely broken off, with the two midship pintles, and we
shortly afterwards found the upper and lower braces gone from the
stern-post.
APPENDIX. 495
Towards midnight the sea was increasing, accompanied with snow,
with every indication of a gale from seaward ; and the ice, with which
we were continually in contact, or actually jammed, more formidable
in character, rapidly accumulating outside of us, and forming a
compact mass. I found, as we were nearing the open sea, that we
had been carried so far to leeward by the ice, as to be in great danger
of taking up our last residence in the barrier, amongst bergs and
islands of ice. ‘There was, therefore, no choice left but to force her
out, or grind and thump the ship to pieces in the attempt.
Aided by a kind Providence, we reached an open space on the
morning of the 25th, after having beat off the gripe of the ship, &c.,
and at meridian the carpenters had so far secured our rudder that it
was again shipped, in the two remaining braces left on the stern-post.
We were yet surrounded by ice and icebergs, in a bay some thirty
miles in extent, from which no outlet could be seen from the mast-
head. At midnight, however, we found a passage, about half a mile
in width, between some bergs and field-ice.
On the morning of the 26th, having reached a partially clear sea, and
thoroughly turned over in my mind the state of the ship, with the head
of the rudder gone, hanging by two braces only, and in such a state
we could hardly hope to have it answer its purpose, through the bois-
terous weather with which we should have to contend before reaching
the nearest port, and its utter unfitness for further cruising amongst
icebergs and near ice, through the foggy, thick weather, and frequent
snows to which those latitudes are subject, and when rapid evolutions
are often necessary, in which the rudder must perform its part,—with
the ship considerably strained, her starboard spar-deck bulwarks
gone, as far as the gangway, the eripe off and stern mutilated, and
the further fact before me, that the other vessels of the squadron
were ranging over the same longitude, with directions to leave on
the 1st of March for surveying operations in the north; that the ship’s
bottom would have to be examined, and repairs made before leaving
another port, (which would occupy, with all the facilities this quarter
of the world affords, at least four weeks,) durmg which time the
services of this ship would be lost in surveying the Feejee, &c., I
determined to proceed at once to Sydney, expedite as much as
possible the repairs of the ship, and be ready at the earliest moment
to co-operate with the rest of the squadron.
The Vincennes was seen by us in the distance on the 19th, and
the brig Porpoise on the 23d of January.
496 APPENDIX.
On the night of the 7th, and morning of the 8th of February, we
had frequent and unusually brilliant displays of the aurora australis,
one of which made its first appearance in the southwest portion of
the horizon, but soon diffused its beams of light from east to west,
throwing them up to a concentrated point in the zenith, where they
were attended with continued quick flashes, resembling heat light-
ning, and extending over about a third part of the heavens. The rays
or beams of light composing this magnificent spectacle, varied in
colour from a light orange to tints of pale red, assuming in their
changes hues I should in vain attempt to describe.
During intervals of the brightest flashes in the zenith, however,
they lost their distinctive outlines, and mingled in the glow of bright
twilight which nearly overspread the heavens.
This exhibition was to us so perfectly unique and strongly marked
in character, as to excite the attention of those on board most indif-
ferent to such phenomena, and called forth from all exclamations of
surprise and pleasure.
The ship’s compasses were minutely examined on this occasion,
but exhibited no symptoms of being affected by the presence of the
aurora. ‘The motion of the ship, however, from the effect of the sea
at the time, would have rendered any change imperceptible, if the
disturbing cause had not produced an oscillation of the needle
beyond four or five degrees.
During the aurora, a single squall of light hail passed over the ship.
After a rough and boisterous passage north, we anchored within
the Heads at Sydney, on the night of the 21st of February.
The officers and crew have all enjoyed good health; indeed, we
have been for some days past without a man on the sick-list, and it
affords me great pleasure again to bear testimony to the zeal and
efficiency of the officers and men in the performance of their various
duties.
I feel quite confident we shall have completed our repairs, and be
ready to leave Sydney, in about three weeks.
T am, sir, most respectfully,
Your obedient servant,
(Signed) Wituiam L. Hopson,
Commander.
To J. K. Pautnine, Ese.,
Secretary of the Navy.
APPENDIX. 497
U.S. Ship Peacock,
Sydney, New South Wales,
March 12th, 1840.
Sir,
The foregoing report was prepared for the Honourable Secretary of
the Navy, immediately after my arrival in port, but no conveyance
having offered, I take leave to address it to you as commander of the
squadron ; availing myself of the occasion to add, that we fell in with
the first ice, on our passage south, in the latitude of 61° 32’ S., longi-
tude 161° E., and made the barrier on the 15th of January, in the
latitude of 65° 53’ S., longitude 159° E., and followed its trendings
as far as 67° S., and 150° E.
Our compasses were at the time exceedingly sluggish, and gave no
evidence of the ship changing her position, unless kept in continual
agitation by shaking.
Immediately after my arrival at this port, 1 commenced the repairs
of the Peacock, which are now so far advanced that I shall be ready
for such duties as you may assign me by the 25th of the present
month.
The Peacock, as you have seen, has been considerably strained ;
and we have found on examination while repairing, that after her
gripe was beaten off, the ice had chafed the stem to within one inch
and a half of the wood-ends of the planking.
I trust my efforts to carry out your orders, and the course I have
pursued in returning to Sydney, and expediting the repairs of the
ship, have been such as to meet your approbation, as well as that of
the Honourable Secretary of the Navy.
I am, sir, yours, respectfully,
(Signed) Witiiam L. Hupson,
Commander.
CHARLES WILKES, Esq.,
Commanding Exploring Expedition.
[ Copy. ]
U.S. Brig Porpoise,
Bay of Islands, New Zealand,
March 31st, 1840.
Sir,
I have great gratification in reporting my arrival at this place on
the night of the 26th instant, all in good health; and respectfully
VOL. II. 125
498 APPENDIX.
report the following results, as occurring since the period of sepa-
rating from you.
The 12th of January was consumed in diligent search and endea-
vours to regain: failing to do so, I proceeded westerly. At 10>. m.,
the day following, I entered an inlet formed by the barrier, for the
purpose of making a close examination and experimenting on dip.
On a near approach to the margin, numbers of Phoca proboscide
were seen reposing: I succeeded in taking a pair, the skins of which
were subsequently placed on board the Peacock.
Very lofty ridges of ice, and the loom usual over high land, were
visible along the southern horizon, over the barrier. ‘The compass at
the time being very sluggish, showing the brig’s head to the north,
when her head was correctly south.
From appearances to the southward, with the numerous Phoca
proboscide, I was strongly impressed with the belief of the close
approach to land.
On the 15th the water was much discoloured, casting in one
hundred and fifty fathoms without success. Dense fogs and snow
prevented further examination. I fell in and communicated with the
Peacock on the evening of the 15th, having her in sight on the 21st
and 22d.
On the evening of the 16th, strong appearances of land again arose,
in corroboration of which I insert an extract from my journal, as well
as the remarks from the log-book.
EXTRACT FROM JOURNAL.
“ At 6" 30" p. m. I went aloft to take a look, the weather being
clear, horizon good, and clouds lofty. I heard the noise of a pen-
guin; soon after, one was seen very near the brig, with a large seal
to windward. After reaching masthead, I saw over the field of ice,
an object, large, dark, and rounding, resembling a mountain in the
distance. The icebergs all were bright and brilliant, and in great
contrast.
‘“‘T watched for an hour to see if the sun in his decline would change
the colour of the object by a difference of rays: it remained the same,
with a white cloud above, similar to those generally hovering over
high land; at sunset it remained the same. I took the bearing
accurately, intending to examine it closely as soon as I got a breeze.
1 am strongly of the opinion it is an island, surrounded by immense
fields of ice now in sight.”
APPENDIX, 499
EXTRACT FROM LOG.
“At 7 p. m., discovered what was supposed to be an island, bearing
south-by-east, a great deal of field-ice in sight.
(Signed) “J. H. Norrs.”
17th, the indications were again noticed, corroborating those of the
day preceding. From the 19th to the 21st, I was not in sight of the
barrier, owing to adverse winds and thick weather. On the afternoon
of the last date, I closed in again. On the 22d, 4 a. M., appearances
of land again to the southward and eastward, at the time passing an
iceberg with dark veins, and dusty appearances, exciting again confi-
dent hopes of soon making positive discoveries.
On the 23d, I attained the parallel of 66° 49’ S., 151° 24’ E., by
observation, having reached the southern extreme of an extensive
gulf, studded with islands of ice, and far in the distance to the south-
ward high and lofty bergs were identified and entangled in the main
barrier, rendering our advancement one step further impossible. I
put about, tried dip, and retraced my steps, exchanging colours with
Peacock at 2" 30™ p. m., then on her way in.
After separating from you on the 27th, I proceeded westward,
keeping the barrier close to, reluctantly meeting insuperable obstacles
in every effort to pass the Antarctic Circle.
On the 28th, I experienced a heavy gale from southeast of thirty-
six hours, with snow and dense fog, rendering my situation dangerous
in the extreme, from the vast numbers of icebergs, and quantities of
floe and drift-ice, surrounding the brig at the time.
On the afternoon of the 30th, at 3° 45™, a ship was discovered
ahead ; at 3" 50" another appeared in company ; being in latitude 64°
52’ 30” S., and longitude 135° 27’ KE. I determined to speak them,
supposing them to be the Vincennes and Peacock; at 4" made them
out to be standing to the northward, under easy sail, and discovered
them to be strangers; at 4" 30" hoisted our colours, knowing that an
expedition under Captain Ross was expected in these seas. I took
them to be his ships, and stood ready to cheer the discoverer of the
North Magnetic Pole. At 4°50", having gained considerably upon
them, and being within I suppose a mile and a half, the strangers
showed French colours, the leeward and sternmost displaying a broad
pennant; and concluded they were the French discovery ships under
Captain D’Urville.
500 APPENDIX.
Desirous of speaking, and exchanging the usual and customary
compliments incident to naval life, I closed with them, designing to
pass within hail under the flag-ship’s stern. When within short
musket-shot, my intentions too evident to excite a doubt, so far from
a reciprocity being evinced, I saw, with surprise, sail made on board
the flag-ship. Without a moment’s delay, I hauled down my colours
and bore upon my course.
On the morning of the 31st, at 8 a. m., I found myself com-
pletely embayed in an immense gulf, with a field of table-ice one
hundred and fifty feet high, bearing to the northward, and from east
to west so far as eye could discern. After consuming the day in
trending to windward, I passed out along its eastern margin without
accident.
In my progress and examinations, I obtained frequent specimens of
sandstone, granite, and red clay, from the field and floe-ice.
I gained the meridian of 105° E., on the 12th of February, latitude
64° 54’ S.; the weather was at intervals misty, affording little oppor-
tunity for observation; many strong indications of land presented
themselves. The barrier assumed a dark discoloured appearance,
with numerous stratified veins of earth and rocks, and with lofty and
conical peaks, remotely placed along its southern portion; the im-
pression of land, surrounded and covered by field-ice, was often
strongly urged. Penguins and seals were seen, and in my anxiety
to land and convince my mind, I was embayed in a narrow and dan-
gerous inlet, which, with the aid of a strong southeast wind, was
cleared in safety ere night closed in.
The wind easterly and the weather becoming clear, the occasion
seemed so auspicious, that I was induced to extend my researches a
day or two, believing it would meet your approbation.
As I advanced westward, the marks of the approach to land were
becoming too plain to admit a doubt. ‘The constant and increasing
noise of penguins and seals, the dark and discoloured aspect of the
ocean, with frequent huge masses of black frozen earth identified
therewith, strongly impressed me with the belief that a positive result
would arise, in the event of a possibility to advance a few miles
further south.
On the afternoon of the 13th, I landed and extracted from an im-
mense mass of black earth identified with the barrier, some hundreds
of yards back from the margin, specimens of rock corresponding to
those previously obtained. At sunset of the 13th, one hundred and
APP HN DIX 501
fifty-one icebergs, all assuming a discoloured and earthy appearance,
were counted from deck.
At6 a.m. of the 14th, the wind having set in from the northwest,
I stood back along the barrier on my return, hauling in to the south-
ward, and making it within the meridians of 120° and 130° E., being
a portion which escaped my personal observation, arising from incle-
ment weather.
T had reached the meridian of 100° 07’ 40” E., latitude 64° 15’ S.
I attempted to close with the barrier on the 24th, in order to procure
a supply of ice, being reduced to a half-gallon allowance of water ;
after several unsuccessful attempts, owing to rough and fogey weather,
I concluded to proceed north, in conformity with my instructions, and
at 2 p.m. bore up im a gale from northwest; the wind prevailing
heavy from that quarter gradually carried me near the Lord Auck-
land Isles, passing the last iceberg in latitude 55° 24’ S., longitude
148° 37’ E.
I availed myself of your suggestion,=-put in and anchored on the
night of the 7th of March in the harbour of Sarah’s Bosom. I
procured a supply of wood and water, and sailed again on the after-
noon of the 10th. The sketch of the island in my possession, though
not entirely correct, is sufficiently so to guide a vessel safely to the
anchorage. I proceeded to this place, passing to the eastward of
New Zealand,—strong northeast winds prolonging the passage.
I spoke the American whale-ship Mary and Martha, Coffin
master, of Plymouth, Massachusetts, off Cook’s Straits, on the night
of the 17th instant: twenty-seven months out; twenty-two hundred
barrels of oil; reported at least one hundred ships engaged on the east
coast in the fisheries.
The weather during the cruise has been attended with great
variety, and sudden transitions. The great anxiety I felt to attain a
high southern parallel, and obtain convincing proofs of the existence
of land from the indications presented, added to the ardour of the
officers and crew, often involved us in situations, alike interesting,
critical, and dangerous, attributing our escapes without myury to the
too plain guidance of the watchful hand of Providence.
Among the most pleasing reflections are those of the perfect ex-
emption from sickness and disease,—not a serious case occurring
during the whole period, and not a symptom of incipient scurvy. I
have avoided all unnecessary exposure, affording every convenience
VOL. II. 126
502 APPENDIX.
and comfort to the crew, ever keeping in mind, and rigidly adhering
to, your sanitary regulations.
I cannot sufficiently express the satisfaction I feel in reporting the
very exemplary conduct of the crew; a universal desire to perform
their several duties was evinced, from the eldest to the youngest.
I beg leave to recommend them in the strongest terms to your notice
and consideration.
To the officers I return my thanks: they were ever attentive and
unremitting in their duties, greatly contributing to the gratifying and
safe termination of the cruise.
I feel great pleasure in speaking in high terms of them, and feel
assured they will receive from you the merit which they deserve.
The observations resulting from the cruise, together with the
currents, soundings, &c., are minutely and correctly placed upon the
chart accompanying, which indicates the track of our researches
along the Antarctic Circle.
I have the honour to be,
Very respectfully,
Your obedient servant,
(Signed) CapwaLapEeR RinGcoup,
Lieut. Com. U. S. Navy.
To CuarLes WILKES, Esa.,
Commanding Exploring Expedition.
KOXOXG:
[ Copy. ]
Sir,
In reply to your letter of yesterday, I have to inform you that
Captain William Hobson, R. N., arrived here on the 29th January,
ult., in H. B. M. ship Herald, and that on the following day the two
proclamations now enclosed were made. During the next week
meetings with some of the chiefs were held by Captain Hobson, when
the treaty (of which I have forwarded you a copy) was signed by a
few chiefs. Subsequently Captain Hobson and suite visited Hokianga
and the ‘Thames, and obtained a few signatures at either place;
hitherto these are the only proceedings which have taken place rela-
tive to the cession of any rights, by the chiefs of New Zealand, to the
British crown.
APPENDIX. 503
Referring to the above, the other apparent measures taken by Cap-
tain Hobson to establish the British authority here, are, the holding a
court of sessions at Kororarika, which is in active operation, having
a strong police force under its control; the formation of a General
Post for New Zealand, and the appointment of various government
officers for New Zealand, by His Excellency the Governor of New
South Wales.
It is, however, to be remarked, that no laws relative to the mode or
form of government intended to be pursued in this colony, have as
yet been published.
I have the honour to be, &c.,
(Signed) James R. CLENDON,
U.S. Consul.
PROCLAMATION.
Victoria, Queen of England, with her affectionate remembrance to
the chiefs and tribes of New Zealand, desires to point out to them
their chieftainships in these lands; and that they may keep in peace
and live in comfort, thinks it right to send an English chief to advise
with the natives of New Zealand, that they may accept the govern-
ment of the Queen over all their land and islands. Because there
will be thousands of the Queen’s subjects to reside in the lands, and
they are coming.
The Queen is desirous of establishing a government, that all the
evils now upon the natives from the English living in idleness and
lawlessness may be removed.
Now the Queen is pleased to send me, William Hobson, Captain,
Royal Navy, as governor of all the islands of New Zealand, which
will at another time be given to the Queen.
The Queen says to the collection of the tribes of New Zealand,
and all other tribes of New Zealand, these are the laws that we have
spoken of.
First. That the chiefs at the assembly, and those that were not at
the assembly, hereby give up entirely to the Queen for ever the
government of all their land.
Secondly. The Queen of England agrees and consents to secure
to all the tribes, chiefs, and all men in New Zealand, and the head
chiefs, all their rights in their lands, villages, and other property.
504 APPENDIX
But the chiefs are to give to the Queen the right of purchasing all
the lands that the owners are willing to sell, at the price they choose
to put on it, and the Queen says she will pay for it herself.
Thirdly. This is the consent to the government of the Queen.
The Queen will protect all the natives of New Zealand, and secure
to them all the rights and privileges of the people of England.
(Signed) Witiiam Hopson,
Consul and Lieutenant-Governor.
We the chiefs at the collection of the tribes of New Zealand,
assembled at Waitanga, are the chiefs of New Zealand, and see the
truth of these words and accept them, and therefore we put our
names and marks thereto.
Done at Waitanga on the 6th day of February, in the year of our
Lord one thousand eight hundred and forty.
TRANSLATION OF THE TREATY.
Her Mayesry, Vicroria, Queen of England, in her gracious consi-
deration for the chiefs and people of New Zealand, and her desire to
preserve to them their lands and to maintain peace and order amongst
them, has been pleased to appoint an officer to treat with them for the
cession of their country, and of the islands adjacent.
The Queen seeing that many of Her Majesty’s subjects have
already settled in this country, and are constantly arriving, and that
it is desirable for the protection of the natives to establish a govern-
ment amongst them.
Her Majesty has accordingly been pleased to appoint me, William
Hobson, a Captain in the Royal Navy, to be governor of such parts of
New Zealand as may be now or hereafter ceded to Her Majesty, and
proposes to the chiefs of the confederation of the united tribes of New
Zealand, and the other chiefs, to agree to the following articles :
Art. I. The chiefs of the confederation of the united tribes, and
the other chiefs who have not joimed the confederation, cede to the
Queen of England for ever the entire sovereignty of the country.
Art. II. The Queen of England confirms and guarantees to the
chiefs and tribes, and to all the people of New Zealand, the possession
of their lands, dwellings, and all their property. But the chiefs of
the confederation and the other chiefs grant to the Queen the exclu-
APPENDIX. 505
sive right of purchasing such lands as the proprietors thereof may be
disposed to sell, at such prices as shall be agreed upon between them
and the persons appointed by the Queen to purchase from them.
Art. TIT. In return for the cession of the sovereignty to the Queen,
the people of New Zealand shall be protected by the Queen of
England, and the rights and privileges of British subjects shall be
granted to them.
(Signed) Witiiam Hopson,
Consul and Lieutenant-Governor.
Now we the chiefs of the confederation of the united tribes of New
Zealand, being assembled at Waitanga, and we the other chiefs of
New Zealand having understood the meaning of these articles, accept
of them and agree to them all. In witness whereof our names or
marks are affixed.
Done at Waitanga the 6th day of February, in the year of our
Lord one thousand eight hundred and forty.
Here follow signatures of chiefs.
END OF THE SECOND VOLUME.
SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION LIBRARIES
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