Avv.lL. ° f Cafiete, who had fet on foot that expedition. We had re-
courfe to this account, in order to gain fome information relative
to the land which now engroffed all our attention.
Thurfday 7‘ The next morning we flood in-lhore, and though the
weather ftill continued hazy, we foon diftinguifhed the different
iflands which the Spaniards have called la Dominica,
St. Pedro, and St. Chriftina. We were convinced at the
fame time, that the fmall bluff ifland which we had firft
fallen in with, had not been feen by Mendana ; and captain
Cook gave it the name of Hood’s Ifland, from the per-
fon who firft difcovered it. La Dominica, which lay neareft
to us, was a high and mountainous ifland, of which the
N. E. point was very fteep and barren; but farther to the
north we obferved fome vallies filled with trees, amongft
which we now and then difcovered a hut. As the haze
cleared away, we faw many craggy rocks like fpires, and fe-
veral hollow fummits piled up in the centre of the ifland,
which proved that volcanoes and earthquakes had
been adtive there in changing the face of the country!
All its eaftern part is a prodigious fteep and almoft perpendicular
wall, of a great height, which forms a fharp
ridge, Chattered into fpires and precipices. St. Pedro is a
fmall ifland, of very moderate elevation, but did not appear
either fertile or populous. St. Chriftina, the weftermoft of
all, had the molt promifing appearance ; and, though very
high and fteep, yet had feveral vallies, which widened towards
wards the fea, and were covered with fine forefts to the A’” ^r
fummits of the mountain. About three o’clock we entered
the ftraits, between the fouth end of Dominica, and the
N. E. part of St. Chriftina, which is above two miles wide.
We obferved fome pleafant fpots on both iflands, between
the clefts of the mountain ; but faw no plains, like thofe
which fo greatly embellifh the Society Iflands. The Chore
of St. Chriftina was, however, fufEcient to revive all our
fpirits, and infpired that cheerfulnefs which every fertile
and pleafing profpect gives to. the weary mariner. We
palled feveral little coves, where the white foaming furf
tumbled in upon the beach. The two projecting points of
every cove included a valley, filled with forefts and plantations,
of a pleafing verdure. On every beach we faw fome
inhabitants running about, or gazing at our Chip. Sometimes
they launched their canoes, and attempted to come
after us ; but a ftrong breeze carried us fo fwiftly through
the fmooth water, that we left them far behind. We found:
a harbour on the weft fide of the ifland, which, looked fo
tempting, that we eagerly wifhed to come to an anchor ;
but juft as we were turning about, in order to run into it,
a heavy fquall came over the high mountain with prodigious
violence, and laid the Chip on her fide, fo that we
fprung our mizen-topmaft, and narrowly efcaped being:
driven againft the fouthern point of the harbour. After
we had trimmed our fails again, we tacked, and anchored:
about