At our place of landing, the island between the ocean and inland sea, was not more than two hundred yards wide, and this appeared to be as wide as any part of the chain that came under our immediate observation. In passing over to the borders of the lake, we saw near the centre of it a large raft, and a number of canoes filled with people. On first landing, we were surprised not to see any women or children, the mystery of which was now explained, as well as the singular visit we received on first approaching this part of the island. The person in the canoe had been sent off as a spy, to reconnoitre us, and from the report he made, it was thought expedient to remove the women and children, where we now saw them at a place of safety. They did not appear to be more than thirty in number, and the men on the island did not exceed fifteen. The men resembled the inhabitants of Clarence Island, in dress, colour, and every thing, except that they had a sickly look, and, in strength and activity, seemed much their inferiors. Their canoes were also the same. Like the inhabitants of the Duke of Clarence Island, they had nothing amongst them that indicated a visit of white men before. The cocoa-nut, except when they catch fish, is their only food. No bread-fruit trees were seen growing upon either island. They exchanged for iron hoop and old nails, their rude shell ornaments, mats, cocoa-nuts, and fishing nets. We witnessed several instances of dishonesty, practised by them upon us, and each other. Their fishing-nets, which were beautifully wrought, they had concealed, from the apprehension that we would plunder them; but when they had made acquaintance with us, and found that our disposition towards them was friendly, persons, to whom the nets did not belong, would purloin, and bring them to us, in exchange for pieces of iron hoop. Not long afterwards the owner would discover his net in the possession of one of our people, and claim it as his property, or demand a gratuity. In this way, they made us pay in some instances three or four times for the same thing, frequently (we began to suspect) pretending a fraud had been committed upon them, whilst they themselves were the rogues. We saw no animals or birds upon the island, but presented them with a pair of pigs, male and female, with which they were very much pleased, and before we left them, so far acquired their confidence, that they came amongst us without fear, and, in many instances, became troublesome by their familiarity. The only water we saw on the island was in a few trunks of cocoa-nut trees, the stumps of which had been hollowed out, and from whence we supposed that, in time of drought, if not always, they are supplied with this important necessary of life. We regretted the more that we could not find a sufficient supply here, as the thinly populated state of the island would admit of sending our parties on shore,