on
this island was that of keeping the beard well combed, curled,
and oiled. Two or three of the men had something like a bead or
bone suspended to a string, which was fastened round the neck.
The size and very healthy appearance of these people excited our
admiration very much; indeed it is wonderful how so small a spot
of ground can support the vast number of inhabitants we saw on
the island, all of whom appeared equally strong and handsome as
those who were in the canoes.

The island cannot be more than two miles in circumference: it
is low, but entirely covered with trees, many of which are the
cocoa-nut; we likewise saw a number of large trees which bore a
very fine red blossom, but the red was so very conspicuous, that
I am inclined to think the leaves were of that colour. These
trees reached to the margin of a very fine sandy beach, which
entirely surrounds the island; a great number of canoes were
lying on the beach, and, from the number of natives we saw there,
besides what were in the canoes, there cannot be less than a
thousand inhabitants on the island. Lieutenant Ball named this
place _Tench's Island_, after Captain Watkin Tench of the
marines: it is situated in 1 deg. 39' south latitude, and
150 deg. 31' east longitude.

After lying-to near an hour, and finding we could have no
farther intercourse with the natives, without considerable loss
of time, we bore up and kept on our course, steering west by
north. At sun-set, we saw another island bearing west by north,
Tench's Island bearing east half north. The next morning at
day-light, the island seen the preceding evening, bore from south
by west, to west by south, about three leagues distant; on this,
we altered our course, in order to run along the shore. This
island is pretty high, and appears to be about 70 miles in
circumference, if I may judge from the length of its east side,
which I measured by angles. It is well wooded, and there were a
number of clear cultivated tracts of ground, on which something
was growing that had the appearance of Indian corn, or
sugar-cane.

As we ran along shore, we could not perceive any place of
shelter for a vessel on the east side of the island, but there
probably is on some part of it. The island is surrounded by a
sandy beach, on which the surf beats with some violence: a number
of canoes were lying on the beach, and some parts of the shore
were covered with the natives; but none of them attempted to come
off,