times with a greenifh hue. Thefe Hrata are interfered perpendicularly
or nearly fo, by veins o f white quartz (qaarzum lacteum Linn. )
and fometimes contain a green kind o f Hone o f a famellated Hrudture,
and nearly related to the talcous Hones. On fhingly beaches 1 have,
though feldom, found a few black fmooth Hones o f the flinty order,
and fame large detached pieces o f a folid, ponderous, Ipeckled. grey
or blackifh green lava, employed by the natives to form their emit-
tees, or weapons for clofe engagement. A few pumice-Hones' (p«~
mex vukani Linn.) were likewife colledled on the fhingly beaches;
of this iHe: but whether they were thrown up b y a volcano in the
neighbourhood, or carried there from remote parts b y the, fea, I cannot
determine. Among the foflil productions o f this country, we
muH likewife reckon a green Hone, which fometimes is opaque, and
fometimes quite tranfparent, manufactured by the natives into
hatchets, chiffelsi and ornaments, and feems to be o f the nephritic
kind ( 'talcum nepbriticum Linn.) This Hone is commonly brought
by the natives from, the interior parts o f Queen Charlotte’s Sound
to the South WeH, in which direction they pointed. W e afked
for its native place, and they called, it Poi'namon, from whence
probably the abovementioned part o f the country obtained the-denomination
of Tavai Poenamoo-: but next to Motc/a-arm, on the little
iflet, where the natives formerly had. one. o f their hippa’s or Hremg
holds, this Hone is found in perpendicular dr fomewhat; oblique veins,
6 o f
* 9
o f .about two inches thicknefe, in the above-mentioned flrata of s t r a t a .
talcous greyifh Hone. Th e nephritic is feldom folid or in large
pieces, for the greatefl fragments we few, never exceeded twelve
or fifteen -inches in breadth, and about two inches in thicknefs.
O n the Chores wC commonly met with a blueifh grey, argillaceous
Hate o f a lameilated fenatSure, eafily crumbling to pieces, when ex-
pofed to the weather: fometimes this Hate is more folid, ponderous,
and o f a darker colour, probably on account o f fame metallic
irony particles, which I fuppofe it to contain. Th e fragments o f this
Hate fcattered on the beach our feamen call fiiiigie. We found in
N orfolk I sland aimed the feme Hrata as in New -Zeeland, and
slfo red and yellow fragments -of a fpungy lava: this ifland likewife
contains the fame plants and birds.
E a s t e r I s l a n d has Hrongly-the appearance o f a land that has
lately undergone a great alteration by fire. A ll its rocks look black,
burnt and cavernous, refembling flags, or drofs. The foil is a red-
diih brown, dufly mould, as if-it had been burnt, and might with
juflice be deemed a kind o f Puz&olana, * fpread with innumerable
fragments o f tarras ft-one, feme rocks which I few were o f a brown
or reddifli -ochreons volcanic tufa, -J* {tophus tubahaini Linn.) full
o f caverns, and feme ferrugtneous particles. O f this fubHance die
D 2 gigantick
* See: Berber's it’avelslbtwgb •‘tjknflatrd %y Mr, Rafpe, p. r^o,
f See Berber's travels p. 128,