*779* ter from the preva iling winds, and that the beach affords ai
March. . .
.— — > convenient place fo r landing. T h e country behind prefents
a moft romantic appearance. T h e hills rife almoft perpendicula
rly, in a great variety o f peaked fo rm s ; and their
fteep fides, and the deep chafms between them, are covered
w ith trees, amongft w h ich thofe o f the bread-fruit were
obferved particularly to abound- T h e tops o f thefe hills are-
entirely bare, and o f a reddiih brown colour. We were in formed
b y the natives, that there is an ha rbour to the
Southward o f the Eaft point, w h ich they affirmed to be
fuperiour to that o f K a ra k a k o o a ; and w e w ere alfo told,
that, on the North Weft fide, there was another harbour,,
called Keepoo-keepoo.
Tahoorowa is a fmall ifland ly in g o ff the South Weft p a r t
o f Mowee, f r om 1 w h ich it is diftant three leagues. T h is
ifland is deftitute o f wood, and the foil feems to be fandy and
barren. Between T ah owrow a and Mowee lies the fmall uninhabited
ifland Morrotinnee.
Morotoi is only two lea gu es and a h a lf from Mowee to the
Weft North Weft. T h e South Weftern coaft, w h ich was the
only part near which w e approached, is ve ry lo w ; but the
land rifes backward to a coniiderable h e ig h t ; and, at the
diftance from w h ich w e faw it, appeared to be entirely
withou t wood. Its produce, w e were told, confifts chiefly
o f yams. It may, probably, have frefh. water, and, on the
South and Weft fides, the coaft forms feveral bays, that pro-
mife good ffielter from the trade winds.
Ranai is about three leagues diftant from Mowee and Morotoi,
and lies to the South Weft o f the paffage between
thefe iflands. The country, to the Sotith, is high and
. c r a g g y ; but the other parts o f the ifland had a better af-
8 petft,
p e il, and appeared to be w e ll inhabited. We were told that »779-
it produces v e ry few plantains, and bread-fruit trees ; ■ Ma_rch‘ •
but that it abounds in roots, fu ch as yams, fweet potatoes,
and tarrow.
Woahoo lies to the North Weft o f Morotoi, at the diftance
■of about feven leagu es. As fa r as w e could ju d g e , from the
appearance o f the North Eaft and North Weft pans (for w e
faw n othing o f the Southern fide), it is b y fa r the fineft
¡ifland o f the whole group. Nothing can exceed the verdure
o f the hills, the va rie ty o f wood and lawn, and rich cu ltivated
vallies, w h ich the w hole face o f the country d is played.
H a vin g already g iv en a defcription o f the bay,
formed by the North and Weft extremities, in which we
came to anchor, I ha ve on ly to obferve, that in the b igh t o f
¡the bay, to the South o f the anchoring-place, w e found
ro ck y fo u l ground, two miles from the ffiore. Should the
ground ta ck lin g o f a ffiip be w eak, and the wind blow
ftrong from the North, to w h ich quarter the road is entirely
open, this circumftance migh t be attended w ith feme dang
e r ; b u t w ith g o o d cables there wou ld be little riik, as the
ground from the anchoring-place, w h ich is oppofite to the '
v a lley throu gh w h ich the river runs, to the N orth point, is a
fine fand.
Atooi lies to the North Weft o f Woahoo, and is diftant
from it about twenty-five leagu es. T h e face o f the country,
to the North Eaft and North Weft, is broken and r a g g e d ;
but to the South it is more e v e n ; the hills rife with a g en tle
flope from the fea-fide, and, at fome diftance* back, are
covered w ith wood. Its productions are the fame with thofe '
o f the other iflands j but the inhabitants fa r furpafs all the
n eigh bou rin g lflanders in the management o f their plant-
’A l ? -ations.