P f : in ornamenting their clubs, to have frequent occafion to
ufe them.
At day-break the next morning we unmoored and fee
fail, Handing towards the ifland of Tofooa, on which we
had again obferved the volcano burning during night. A
whole fleet of canoes followed us feveral miles, trading,
with a variety of articles, particularly their drefies, utenfils,
and ornaments. Some of them likewife brought filh o f
different forts, which we had found very well-rafted.
The ifland of Namoka, which we left after a flay of two-
days only, was not above fifteen miles in circuit, but
feemed to be remarkably populous. It lies in 200 17' S.
and 1 7 4 0 32' W. In the group of iflands which appeared
around it, its fize was the moft confiderable ; but all feemed
to be well inhabited, and very rich in vegetable productions.
They are fituated on a kind of bank, on which there is
from nine to fixty and feventy fathom water, and the foil
is probably the fame in every ifland. Namoka confifts, like
Tonga-Tabboo, of a coral-rock, covered with a rich mould
on which all forts of vegetables thrive. We had no time
to examine the hillock in its centre, which feems to have-
had a different origin, and may perhaps be volcanic. At
prefent it is wholly covered with the richeft groves, like
the reft of the ifland. The abundance of frefh water in the
pond, is an advantage which the people of Namoka enjoy
itt
in preference to thofe of Tonga-Tabboo 5 but it does not
appear that they bathe fo regularly as the Taheiuans, perhaps
becaufe the ftagnant water is not very inviting. ts
advantage is however fo much felt, that the natives brought
it to the fhip in calabafhes, and did the fame to Tafman,
which implies that it is looked upon as a valuable article
among them. The abundance of water, and the richnefs
o f the foil likewife feems to be the reafon, that bread-fruit
and (haddock trees are much more frequent, and all vegetation
infinitely more luxuriant than on Tonga-Tabboo.
The fences on that account are not laid out, and kept up
with that extreme regularity, though they are g O T W
in part. The long walks of fruit-trees, and the delightful
green turf under them, were rather to be compared to the
richeft fpots on Ea-oowhe, or Middleburg Ifland. The
tufted arbours which vaulted over the paths, are hung wit
beautiful flowers of all kinds, many of which filled . e
air with fragrance. The variety of feenes formed by many
little rifings, and different groups of houfes and trees, together
with the lagoons, confpire to adorn this ifland. The
fowls and hogs which we Taw in the neighbourhood of
every dwelling, the prodigious number of (haddocks which
lay under every tree, hardly noticed by the natives, and the
quantities of yams which filled their houfes, gave a picture
of abundance and affluence which delighted the eye and
comforted the heart. At fight of a plenteous profpedt,
B b 2 human
*774-
June.