and that it became absolutely necessary for us to land, oii
account of our h e alth : they debated amongst themselves
for some time, and then said that a final answer would be
given to-morrow. They have quite forgotten their promise
to send a pilot for the harbour to the northward : they wish
also that we should forget it, since they change the subject
whenever it is spoken of, and affect total ignorance of our
meaning. The government probably think it best to keep
us where we are, and therefore discourage our investigating
the island any further.
Jeeroo, who begins to get quite familiar with us all, is a
laughing good-humoured man, about th irty : he shakes everyone
cordially by the hand when he comes on board, and engages
in all our amusements with great cheerfulness. He is
very useful to us, because the anxiety he has to learn English
makes him communicate freely the knowledge of his own
language: thus there is little difficulty in fixing him over a
glass of Constantia, upon which occasions he contributes
largely to Mr. Clifford’s vocabulary. Some of our words the
Loo-chooans cannot pronounce; the letter I preceded by e
appears the most difficult; they call Clifford “ Criffar,” and
even this requires many efforts : not one of the natives has
yet been able to make any thing of child; they call it shoidah,
choiah, and chyad.
< 26th of September.—No boats have been near us to-day,
and we might readily land if-we chose it; but Captain Maxwell
is resolved not to do so till he gets the consent of the
natives.
27th of September.—As we were still prevented from
going on shore, we amused ourselves by examining a reef
which forms the north side of the anehorage. We found à
field of coral about half a mile square, dry a t low water,
with the surf breaking very high on the outer edge, which
lies exposed to the waves from the north. The surface of
the rock is every where worn into small holes, which being
left full of water as the tide goes out, are occupied by a
number of beautiful blue fish. The coral is exceedingly
hard, and though a t many places it sticks up in sharp
points, it requires a hammer of considerable weight to
break it, and emits sparks like flint when struck; in a
short time it entirely defaces the hammer. This extent
of level space has suggested the idea of measuring a base
on it in order to survey the anchorage, since there appears
so little chance of our being allowed to land for this, purpose
on the beach. . * -o t '
While we were deliberating on this matter, we had a
striking proof of thè inconvenience to which we were likely
to be exposed during this survey, by the tide rising and