Nothing worthy of particular notice occurred during the remainder of our passage to the islands. When in sight of the island of Coroo we saw a rankish looking schooner off our bow standing toward us. When near us she luffered by the wind, brailed up foresail and hoisted Chilian colors. Not knowing who or what she was, and as she had rather a suspicious look, we loaded our big guns and prepared for the worst. She kept off from us, came down and spoke us. We found it was the schooner Valador of and from Valparaiso, on a trading cruise among the islands for tortoise-shell, etc. We stood in for the island of Coroo. When we got near the island the natives came off, bringing yams, bread-fruit, etc., for trade. It was now late, so we shortened sail and lay to for the night. At daylight we made sail and arrived at Ovalau late in the afternoon. We were soon visited by David Whippey and a host of natives who informed me that the old king of Ambow was dead and that he was succeeded by his brother Veserwanker, who was greatly his inferior in every sense. Mr. Driver, the chief officer, was dispatched to Ambow to visit the new king and see if a cargo could be procured. The king thought he could furnish a cargo as well and as quickly as his brother had done for the Clay. The weather being fine we got under way for Ambow, where we soon arrived and were visited by the king and suite. The captain invited the king below and treated him with rum, which he drank very freely and soon found he liked it better than carva. His visits became very frequent and lengthy; he would sit and drink rum until he became boozy; then he would praise the rum saying it was much better than carva and tell me how foolish his head was, which I did not at all doubt, for his actions were quite as foolish as his feelings. When he left us after these visits he would insist on having a couple of bottles to take with him. He used to tell me to tell the captain not to give the rest of the natives any, but to keep it all for him. He was the only one among them that I ever saw drink rum. We got along slowly with the beche de mer. It was getting scarce and we had frequent spells of bad weather which prevented the natives from going after it.