which are of such a length, that, when the blade is in the water, the loom or handle is four or five feet above the deck. The man who works it stands behind, and with both his hands sculls the vessel forward. This method of proceeding is very slow, and for this reason, the canoes are but ill calculated for fishing, especially for striking of turtle, which, I think, can hardly ever be done in them. Their fishing implements, such as I have seen, are turtle nets, made, I believe, of the filaments of the plantain tree, twisted; and small hand nets, with very minute meshes made of fine twine and fish gigs. Their general method of fishing, I guess, is to lie on the reefs in shoal water, and to strike the fish that may come in their way. They may, however, have other methods, which we had no opportunity to see, as no boat went out while we were here, all their time and attention being taken up with us. Their canoes are about thirty feet long, and the deck or platform about twenty-four in length and ten in breadth. We had not, at this time, seen any timber in the country so large as that of which their canoes were made. It was observed, that the holes made in the several parts, in order to sew them together, were burnt through, but with what instrument we never learnt; most probably it was of stone; which may be the reason why they were so fond of large spikes, seeing at once they would answer this purpose. I was convinced they were not wholly designed for edge tools; because every one showed a desire for the iron belaying pins which were fixed in the quarter deck rail, and seemed to value them far more than a spike-nail, although it might be twice as big. These pins, which are round, perhaps have the very shape of the tool they wanted to make of the nails. I did not find that a hatchet was quite so valuable as a large spike. Small nails were of little or no value; and beads, looking-glasses, &c. they did not admire. The women of this country, and likewise those of Tanna, are, so far as I could judge, far more chaste than those of the more eastern islands. I never heard that one of our people obtained the least favour from any one of them. I have been told, that the ladies here would frequently divert themselves, by going a little aside with our gentlemen, as if they meant to be kind to them, and then would run away laughing at them. Whether this was chastity or coquetry, I shall not pretend to determine; nor is it material, since the consequences were the same. CHAP. X. PROCEEDINGS ON THE COAST OF NEW CALEDONIA, WITH GEOGRAPHICAL AND NAUTICAL OBSERVATIONS.