mIt places. It was plain, during our former ftay, that the war
between the two peninfulas had been diftrefsful to this part
of the larger one ; but at prefent there was not the lead;
trace of it remaining ; the whole country was a fcene of
plenty, where numbers of hogs grazed around every houfe,
which none of the natives attempted to conceal from us, as
they had formerly done. I was much pleafed to obferve an
alteration in the behaviour of the natives, who never once
importuned us with begging for beads or nails, and who,
inftead of being backward to part with their ftore, appeared
eager to out-do each other in aCts of benevolence and hofpi-
tality. We did not pafs a Angle hut, where we Were not
invited to come in, and partake of fome refrefhment ; and
we never accepted their invitation, without being made extremely
happy by their unaffeCted kindnefs. About ten
o’clock we reached the manfion of that hofpitable man,
who had entertained us fo well during our former ftay on
the ifland, when We came from the hills exceflively fatigued
*. He treated us With a few coco-nuts, and we pro-
mifed to come and dine with him on our return down the
valley. He gave his directions accordingly, and accompanied
us all the way. We found no habitations beyond
his houfe, as the mountains on both fides approached very
■ clofe together, and were exceffively fteep. Having advanced
about a mile, we came to a place where the hill on Six-
the eaft fide formed a perpendicular wall, not lefs than
forty yards high, beyond which it had fome inclination, and
was crowned with fhrubberies to a great height. A fine
cafcade fell from this fringed part along the wall into the
river, and made the fcene more lively, which in itfelf was
dark, wild, and romantic. When we came nearer, we ob-
ferved that the perpendicular rock had many projecting longitudinal
angles, and on wading through the water to it,
we found it to confift of real columns of black compaCfc
bafaltes, fuch as the natives manufacture into tools. They
flood upright, parallel, and joined to each other. Their
diameter feemed not to exceed fifteen or eighteen inches,
and only one,or two angles of the fame pillar projected or
were vifible. As it is now generally fuppofed that bafaltes
is a production of volcanoes, we have here another ftrong
proof that Taheitee has undergone great changes by fuch
fubterraneous fires, where nature produces the moft wonderful
chymicai operations, upon a very extenfive plan.
Beyond thefe columns the vale, for the fpace of two or three
miles, is more and more confined by mountains, fo that we
found it difficult to proceed, having been obliged to crofs
the river near fifty times. At laft we came to the fame place
where Mr. Banks was obliged to flop in his excurfion