overhead, forming a sort of leafy tunnel,
through which the sea-breeze passes refreshingly. There is also what
is called the Chinamen's quarter, through which we walked, and which
consists of a collection of regular Chinese-built bamboo houses, whose
occupants all wore their national costume, pigtail included. The
French commandant lives in a charming residence, surrounded by
gardens, just opposite the palace of Queen Pomare, who is at present
at the island of Bola-Bola, taking care of her little grandchild, aged
five, the queen of the island. She went down in a French man-of-war,
the 'Limier,' ten days ago, and has been obliged to remain, owing to
some disturbances amongst the natives. I am rather disappointed that
she is absent, as I should like to see a person of whom I have heard
so much.

Having completed our tour, we next went to call on the British Consul,
who received us kindly, and entertained us with an interesting account
of the island and its inhabitants, its pearl-fisheries and trade, the
French policy, the missionaries, &c., on all of which subjects he is
well informed. He has just completed an exhaustive consular report on
the condition of the island, which will, no doubt, appear in due
course in the form of a blue-book.

On our return to Messrs. Brander's office, where we had left one of
our letters of introduction, we found the manager, with whom we had a
long chat before returning on board.

[Illustration: Chaetodon Tricolor.]

At 5 p.m. we went for a row in the 'Glance' and the 'Flash' to the
coral reef, now illumined by the rays of the setting sun. Who can
describe these wonderful gardens of the deep, on which we now gazed
through ten and twenty fathoms of crystal water? Who can enumerate or
describe the strange creatures moving about and darting hither and
thither, amid the masses of coral forming their submarine home? There
were shells of rare shape, brighter than if they had been polished by
the hand of the most skilful artist; crabs of all sizes, scuttling and
sidling along; sea-anemones, spreading their delicate feelers in
search of prey; and many other kinds of zoophytes, crawling slowly
over the reef; and scarlet, blue, yellow, gold, violet, spotted,
striped, and winged fish, short, long, pointed, and blunt, of the
most varied shapes, were darting about like birds among the coral
trees.

At last, after frequent stoppages, to allow time for admiration, we
reached the outer reef, hauled