On the 30th I sent Mr. Gore ashore again, with a guard of marines, and a party to trade with the natives for refreshments. I intended to have followed soon after, and went from the ship with that design. But the surf had increased so much, by this time, that I was fearful, if I got ashore, I should not be able to get off again. This really happened to our people who had landed with Mr. Gore, the communication between them and the ships, by our own boats, being soon stopped. In the evening they made a signal for the boats, which were sent accordingly; and, not long after, they returned with a few yams and some salt. A tolerable quantity of both had been procured in the course of the day; but the surf was so great, that the greatest part of both these articles had been lost in conveying them to the boats. The officer and twenty men, deterred by the danger of coming off, were left ashore all night; and by this unfortunate circumstance, the very thing happened, which, as I have already mentioned, I wished so heartily to prevent, and vainly imagined I had effectually guarded against. The violence of the surf, which our own boats could not act against, did not hinder the natives from coming off to the ships in their canoes. They brought refreshments with them, which were purchased in exchange for nails, and pieces of iron hoops; and I distributed a good many pieces of ribbon, and some buttons, as bracelets, amongst the women in the canoes. One of the men had the figure of a lizard punctured upon his breast, and upon those of others were the figures of men badly imitated. These visitors informed us, that there was no chief, or _Hairee_, of this island; but that it was subject to Teneooneoo, a chief of Atooi; which island, they said, was not governed by a single chief, but that there were many to whom they paid the honour of _moe_, or prostration; and among others, they named Otaeaio and Terarotoa. Amongst other things which these people now brought off; was a small drum, almost like those of Otaheite. About ten or eleven o’clock at night, the wind veered to the south, and the sky seemed to forbode a storm. With such appearances, thinking that we were rather too near the shore, I ordered the anchors to be taken up, and having carried the ships into forty-two fathoms, came to again in that safer station. The precaution, however, proved to be unnecessary; for the wind, soon after, veered to N. N. E., from which quarter it blew a fresh gale, with squalls, attended with very heavy showers of rain.