1779* Koaara extends from the Wefternmoft point to the Nor-
> . them extremity o f the ifland ; the whole coaft between them
fo rm in g an extenfive bay, called To e-yah-yah, w h ich is
' bounded to the North by two ve ry confpicuous h ills . T o ward
the bottom o f this bay there is fou l, corally ground,,
extending upward o f a mile from the £hore, w ithou t w h ich
the foundings are regu lar, w ith good anchorage, in twenty
fathoms. T h e country, as fa r as the eye could reach,
feemed fru itfu l and w e ll inhabited, the foil be in g in appearance
o f the fame k in d w ith the diitridt o f K a o o;; but no freih.
water is to be got here.
I have hitherto confined m y fe lf to the coaft's o f this ifland,
and the adjacent country, w h ich is a ll that I had an opportunity
o f b e in g acquainted w ith from m y own obfervation.
T h e only account I can giv e o f the interior parts, is from
the information I obtained from a party, w ho fet our, on
the afternoon o f the 26th o f January., on an expedition u p
’ the country, w ith an intention o f penetrating as fa r as th e y
c o u ld ; and principally o f reaching, i f poilible, the fn ow y
mountains.
H a v in g procured two natives to ferve them as gu id e s ,
they le ft the v illa g e about four o’clock in the afternoon,
• d ir e flin g their courfe a little to the Southward o f the Eaft,
T o the diftance o f three or fo u r miles from the bay, they
found the country as before defcribed ; the hills a fterward
rofe w ith a more fudden afcent, w hich brought them to th e
extenfive plantations, that terminate the v iew o f the coun try,
as feen from the fliips.
T he fe plantations confift o f the * tarrow or eddy root;,
and the fweet potatoe, w ith plants o f the cloth-tree, neatly
fe tr
• * Both: the fweet potatoes, and the tarrow, are here planted four feet from each,
ether: the former was earthed up almoft to the top of the italicj with, about half a,
buihel
fet out in rows. T h e walls that feparate them are made o f
the loofe burnt ftones, w h ich are got in clearing the groun d; — ■—
and, b e in g entirely concealed by fugar-canes, planted clofe
on each fide, m a k e the moil b e au tifu l fences th a t can be
conceived. T h e party flopped fo r the n igh t at the fecond
hu t they found amongft the plantations, where they judg ed
'themfelves to be about fix or feven miles from the fliips.
T h e y defcribed the pro fpe fl from this fpot as ve ry de lightfu
l ; th e y faw the ihips in the bay before th em ; to the left,
a continued range o f villa g e s , interfperfed with groves o f
cocoa-nut trees, fpreading a long the fea-ihore; a th ick wood
ilre tchin g out o f fight behind th em ; and to the right, an extent
o f ground laid out in re gu la r and w e ll cultivated plantations,
as fa r as the eye could reach.
Near this fpot, at a diftance from any o ther dw ellin g, the
natives pointed out to them the refidence o f an hermit,
who, they faid, had formerly been a great C h ie f and w a rrior,
but had lon g ago quitted the Ihores o f the ifland, and
now never ftirred from his cottage. .T h ey proftrated themfelves
as they approached him, and afterward prefented to ■
h im a part o f fu ch provifions a s 'th e y had brought with
them. His behaviour was eafy and c h e e r fu l; he feared
Ihewed any marks o f ailoniftiment at the fight o f our people,
and though prefled to accept fome o f our curiofities, he
buihel o f light mould j the latter is left bare'to the root, and the mould round it is made
in the form of a bafon, in order to hold the rain-water, as this root requires a certain
degree of moifture. It has been before obferved, that the tarrow, at the Friendly and
Society Iflands, was always planted in low and moift iituations, and, generally, where
there was the conveniency of a rivulet to flood it, It was imagined that this mode of -
culture was abfolutely neceflary ; but we now found, that, with the precaution above -
mentioned, it fucceeds equally well in a drier iitpation indeed, we all remarked, that
the tafrow of the Sandwich Iflands is the belt we had ever, tailed. The plantains are
not admitted in thefe plantations, but grow amongft the bread-fruit trees.
P a .declined