•773" already mentioned, together with the chart, will be more
O&ober. _^__/ than fufficient to find this anchorage. The bank is a coarfe
land; it extends two miles from the land, and on it there is
_ from twenty to forty fathoms water. The fmall creek before
it affords convenient landing for boats at all times of the
ridewhich here, as well as at the other iflands, rifes about
four or five feet, and is high-water on the full and change-
days about feven o’clock. The iftand of Tongatabu is
fhaped fomechiftg like an ifofceles triangle, the longeft fides
whereof are feven leagues each, and the fhorteft four. It
lies nearly ih the direction of E. S. E. and W. N. W.; is
nearly alL of an equal height, rather low, not exceeding,
fixty or eighty feet above the level of the fea. This ifland,
and alfo that of Eaoowee, is guarded from the fea by a reef
of coral rocks extending out from the fhore one hundred
fathoms more or lefs. On this reef the force of the fea is
fpent before it reaches the land or fhore. Indeed, this is,
in fome meafure, the fituation of all the Tropical Hies in
this fea that I have feen; and thus Nature ha« effectually
fecured them from the encroachments of the fea, though-
many of them are mere points when compared to this vaft
ocean. Van Diemen’s Road, where we anchored, is under
the northweft part of the ifland, between the moft northern
and weftern points. There lies a reef of rocks without it,
bearing N. W. by W., over which the fea breaks continually.
The bank does not extend more than three cables
length from the fhore; without that, is an unfathomable
depth. The lofs of an anchor, and the damage our cables
fuftained, are fufficient proofs that the bottom is none of
the belt.
On the eaft fide of the north point of the ifland (as Mr.
Gilbert, whom I fentto furvey the parts, informed me), is a
very
very fnug harbour, of one mile or more in extent, wherein '773-
is feven, eight, and ten fathoms water, with a clean fandy <__.
bottom. The channel, by which he went in and out, lies
clofe to the point, and has only three fathoms water ; but
he believes that farther to the N. E. is a channel with a much-
greater depth which he had not time to examine. Indeed
it would have taken up far more time than I could fpare to-
have furveyed thefe parts minutely ; as there lie a number
of fmall iflots and reefs of rocks along the N. E. fide of the
ifland, which feemed to extend to the N. E. farther than the
eye could reach. The ifland of Amfterdam or Tongotabu
is wholly laid out in plantations, in which are planted fome-
of the richefl productions of nature ; fuch as bread-fruit,,
eocoa-nut trees, plantains, bananoes, fhaddocks,, yams, and-
fome other roots, fugar-cane, and a fruit like a neCtarine;
called by them Fighega, and at Otaheite A buy a In ffiort,.
here are moft of the articles- which the Society Illands produce,
befides fome which they have not. Mr. Eorfter tells
me, that he not only found the fame plants here, that areas
Otaheite and the neighbouring ifles, but feveral others-
which are not to be met with there: And I probably have
added to their ftock of vegetables, by leaving with them am
afiortment of garden feeds, pulfe, &c,. Bread-fruit here, as
well as- at all the other ifles, was not in feafon nor was this
the time for roots and fhaddocks. We got the latter only
at Middleburg.
The produce and cultivation- of this iflè is the fame as.at
Amfterdam ; with this difference,, that a part only of the:
former is cultivated, whereas the whole- of the latter isf
The lanes or roads Heceffacy for travelling, are laid out im
fo judicious a manner as to open a free and eafy communication
from one part of the ifland to the other. Here are-
y- no.)