adjacent foreft. About two o’clock three canoes came off
from the ifland of Aurora, when we were clofe in fliore,
but as we could not flay for them, they returned like thofe
of Lepers Ifland. The illand of Aurora is about twelve
leagues long, but not above five miles broad in any part,-
lying nearly north and fouth. The middle is in 1 5 0 6' S.
and 168° 24^ E . Its mountain or ridge is ftiarp, and of:
confiderable height. Whitfun Illand, which lies about
four miles to the fouth of it, runs in the fame direction,
and is of the fame length, but appears to be fomewhat
broader at its northern extremity. Its middle lies in iy °
4 s ' S. and in 1 68° 28'eaft longitude. The Ifle of Lepers
is almoft as large as Aurora, but of greater breadth, and
its fituation is nearly eafl and weft ; the middle lies in 15 0
2 0' fouth, and 1 <5 8 ° 3’ eaft,
Whitfun Ifland, as well as the Ifle of Lepers, having
more Hoping expofures than Aurora, appear to be better
inhabited, and to contain more plantations. At night we
obferved many fires on them, particularly the firft, where
they extended to the tops of the hills. This circumftance
feems to prove, that they live in great meafure on agriculture
; and fince they have but few canoes, and their Ihores
very fteep, filhing does not feem to employ them fo much
as other iflanders.
wedntfd. 10. The illand which M. de Bougainville has placed to the
fouthward of Whitfun Ifland, came in fight the next
morning,
morning, but was ftill lb much involved in clouds, that we j ” *.
could not diftinguifh its form or height. We palled all
that day in working to windward, which we performed
with better fuccefs, as the gale had a little abated.
The next morning we had moderate and fair weather, Thurfiay <u
and faw M. de Bougainville’s fouthern ifland very diftinftly.
There was a paffage between it and the fouth end of Whitfun
Ifland, about fix miles in breadth. A long low point
extended from this fouthern ifland to the eaftward; and
all its north fide, though fteep towards the fea, rofe from
thence with a gentle and gradual a {cent to the higheft
mountains in the centre. In the mountains, which were .
ftill covered with clouds, we obferved fome volumes, as it
appeared, of fmoke, which indicated a volcano. This
ifland is about feven leagues in length, and its middle lies
in 16 0 iy ' S. and 1680 2 0 'E.
Later in the day we difeovered land to the weftward,
which proved to be the fouth-wefternmoft land feen by M.
de Bougainville. We advanced towards it, overjoyed with
the variety of new iflands which prefented themfelves to our
view. Having reached the N. W. end of the former ifland,
on which we fufpected a volcano, we were convinced of its
exiftence, by columns of white fmoke, which rolled up with
great violence from the fummit of an inland mountain.
The whole fouth-weft coaft of this ifland Hoped into a very
fine and extenfive plain, on which innumerable fmokes
arofe, between the richeft groves which our eyes had be-
D d a . held