Until late in the evening the arrival and departure of natives from the shore never ceased. I sent my interpreters on shore to make known the object of my visit in the various villages, and to call the chiefs together to a general meeting. On the following morning one of the boats, armed with two one-pounder guns, was sent in advance to the village of Aweer, on the south-west point of the island, and I followed soon after in another boat, accompanied by the gentlemen attached to the commission. On stepping ashore we were saluted by a salvo from the guns of the boat sent in advance, and were received with friendship by a large concourse of natives clad in their war dresses. We first entered the village of Aweer, where women and children, as well as men, assembled around us, which, as I have previously remarked, always affords an undoubted proof of friendship and confidence on the part of the natives. We were much struck by the neatness of this village, and the large amount of its population. We perceived no less than a hundred handsome huts, built in the manner previously described. The curiosity of the natives was very great, which is not very surprising when it is considered that we were probably the first Europeans they had ever seen. They could scarcely be satisfied with narrowly viewing us on all sides. The Orang Kaya of Aweer, a very well-mannered young man, welcomed us with many expressions of friendship; and his handsome young wife, to whom he had lately been married, kindly tendered us some _sagoweer_ and _tuak_, or palm-wine. From here I proceeded to the village Ewena, where we were also received with much courtesy. This is the centre one of the three villages which lie on this side of the island, and the least populous. Romian, the third, is situated farther to the eastward, none of them being more than a musket-shot apart. The latter village is equal to Aweer in point of population. This day having been fixed on for a preliminary meeting of the chiefs, at which we might learn something of their social state, I was unable to tarry long at either of the villages. In passing I charged the chiefs to bring all their wars and contentions to an end, and announced to them that I should enquire into the causes of their differences, and make an equitable adjustment of them.