es and plantations, and confirmed us in
the opinion, that the Navigators' Islands are the most beautiful in the
Southern Ocean, and consequently in the whole world.

The shore was thronged with people, some of whom pushed their canoes
into the sea to approach us, and others stood quietly watching us as we
sailed past. The recurrence of a calm enabled the islanders to reach us,
and our traffic with them was carried on in the same manner as with the
natives of the Flat Island.

To avoid repetition, I shall only remark, that they seemed more shy than
our yesterday's friends; that one of them offered us a red paint for
sale; and that another cheated us. The former daubed his face with some
of the colour to show us its use. Since none of them were painted with
it, it is probably only used in war, or on grand occasions. The cheat
remained, when the darkness had driven the other islanders homewards,
bargaining with us for the price of a hog: a sack was lowered to him
with the required payment, and when drawn up was found to contain a dog.
The rascal had made off, but we sent a bullet after him, which seemed to
produce no small dismay.

On the following day, the 7th of April, having completed our
observations, we took our course with a fresh trade-wind and full sails
towards the north-west, in a direction where, according to the opinion
of hydrographers, islands must lie.

With respect to our geographical observations on the Navigators'
Islands, I must make one remark--that all the longitudes found by us
differ from those of La Perouse by from 20 to 23', and the points
observed lying so many miles more easterly than he considered them. His
observations were grounded on the distance of the moon, which always
gives a false longitude unless there is an opportunity of seeing the
moon at equal distances, right and left, from the sun. Our longitudes
were fixed by good chronometers, which having been regulated at Cape
Venus, could not in so short a time have made any important error.

[Illustration: CHART OF THE ISLANDS OF RADAK AND RALIK]

RADACK CHAIN OF ISLANDS.

RADACK CHAIN OF ISLANDS.

On the 8th of April, at noon, we found ourselves, according to our
observation, in the latitude 11 deg. 24' South, and in the longitude 174
deg. 24'. We had left the north-west point of the island of Pola one
hundred and forty miles behind us: the weather was fine, the horizon very
clear, but we looked in vain from the mast-