The schooner coasted along the islands, keeping way with the captain, who continued on to the westward, examining all parts of it. Beyond, in what we afterwards ascertained was an inland sea of great extent; several large sail canoes were discovered coming from a distant islet. The captain crossed the reef into the inland sea, where he found the water smooth, but every where filled with shoals of coral. Without indicating a wish to examine the canoes, which might have caused them to put back, he soon afterwards returned on board, and another boat was sent to continue the examination of the islet, as we advanced. The officer prevailed upon some natives, that he met with, to come near him, and one of them gave him, in return for a present, some glass beads. Upon arriving at the western extremity of the islet, the captain put off for the shore, where he found four large canoes hauled up on the beach, and those he had seen before, coming over the inland sea, just in the act of landing. As we afterwards ascertained, it was the high chief of the Mulgrave Group, with from fifty to a hundred of his chiefs and warriors, on a cruise of observation, to satisfy himself who, and what we were, and what was the object of our visit to his lonely and unfrequented isle. None of the chiefs had any thing to distinguish them, so that we knew not but that they were here upon some ordinary pursuit, otherwise, their presence would have excited in us a much more lively interest. As it was, we were gratified to have an opportunity of seeing so many of the natives, with their canoes, which we could examine, for proofs of the crew of the Globe having landed upon these islands, of which we were already pretty well satisfied from what we had seen. The fact was satisfactorily proved in a few minutes afterwards, by our discovering upon the platform of their canoes the lids of several sailors' chests. On a farther examination, pieces of cloth and ash-spars were also found. The natives were watching our every look and motion, and notwithstanding their pretended apathy and indifference, could not conceal the intense excitement that our close examination produced amongst them, It soon gave rise to an animated conversation, which was accompanied with angry looks, and the only satisfaction they gave us, when we pointed to the chest-lids, was a vacant stare, or a few words of their island language not more intelligible. Not far from the beach was a pleasant grove of cocoa-nut and bread-fruit trees, through which was scattered a number of neat little Indian huts. One of them, near the shore, was frequented by a great many of the natives, with whom our people freely mingled. It was about ten feet high, and above the ground; had a small garret, which was screened from observation by a floor of sticks, thickly interwoven with leaves. Although most of the huts had been examined by our men, it was our good or ill fortune, that