A.—6

4

abroad or stay at home, dance or sleep, with the assurance that the beautiful grove of breadfruit trees in which his cottage is embowered will afford him an abundant supply, and (if these should prove insufficient) that the mountains abound with bananas, plantains, wild yams, and other esculents, more than enough to supply the deficiency, what necessity has he to work at all ? Notwithstanding this, however, the Samoans cultivate vast quantities of taro, because they prefer it to the yam. The soil is so exceedingly rich that coffee, sugar, and cotton, and every other tropical production, may be raised in these islands to almost any extent; and, as they are well-watered and abound with springs, lakes, and streams, machinery, in many places, might be worked with the greatest facility. This, of course, enhances the value of these superb islands incalculably." In comparison with Australian or New Zealand land, every acre in Samoa is worth twenty of the former. The growth of cane or cotton or cocoanut or banana upon one acre of insular land within the tropics is simply astonishing. Therefore, it is not because the area of Samoa is small that this group is to be despised. I should think that the small Island of Mauritius, a mere speck in the ocean, exports fully one-half what New Zealand now exports. And I think time will prove that the arable land of the South Sea Islands collectively, suitable for agriculture, will hereafter run the Australasian Colonies pretty close as to the value of their exports ; insular tropical exports being so much more valuable than the exports derived from grazing-lands or wheat culture. Of course, there is a great amount of lofty volcanic rock and limestone quite unfitted for agriculture in the islands. At present a cloud hangs over all the insular land within the tropics—namely, the West Indies, Ceylon, Malaysia, and the Pacific Islands, in consequence of the bonuses given to beet-sugar growers in Europe. Directly these bonuses cease, as they must shortly cease, cane-sugar will be again in demand, and then insular cane-sugar, such as can be grown in Fiji and Samoa, will be produced more cheaply than the cane-sugar of the tropical continental lands. But I must proceed briefly to describe the islands of the group, a description I extract from Williams's standard work.* " Of the ten inhabited islands, the eight chief ones are Manua, Orosenga, Ofu, Tutuila, Upolu, Manono, Aborima, and Savaii. " The names given to these islands by the French navigators are incorrect and confused. In this respect, as well as in every other, Captain Cook's superiority is strikingly displayed. The accuracy of his directions is such that you may follow them with as much confidence as you travel the high roads of England ; and the excellent sense of this prince of navigators is manifested in his retaining the native names of the places at which he touched. This is of singular advantage to persons visiting the numerous islands of the Pacific. " Manua. —Sailing to the eastward (after passing a small uninhabited island, about seventy miles east of the whole group), this island, 169° 1' west longitude, 14° 9' south latitude, presents itself. It is circular, and so elevated as to be visible at a distance of forty or fifty miles. The shore is lofty and bold, and there appears to be but little low land. I did not observe any dangers off the coast. The inhabitants of Manua are regarded as a conquered people, and are in consequence despised and oppressed by the other islanders. Indeed, in most of the groups of the Pacific, one island was subject to peculiar oppression, and supplied the others with human sacrifices and slaves; and in single islands particular districts were thus subjected. This was the case with the District of Arorangi, at Barotonga, the chief and people of which dwelt in the mountains. " Oeosenga and Ofu next appear. These are two comparatively insignificant islands, nearly united at right angles. The inhabitants were not as numerous as at Manua; indeed, most of the people of Ofu have been destroyed by those of Orosenga. The coast appears to be free from danger. "Tutuila is about fifty miles west of Orosenga, in 170° 16' west longitude, 14° 20' south latitude. This is a fine, romantic island of from eighty to a hundred miles in circumference. It was here that the unfortunate M. de Langle lost his life; and on this account the bay in which he was murdered received the name of Massacre Cove. In sailing down the south coast we observed several fine bays, two of which attracted our particular observation. " Upolu, the next island of the group, is in circumference between one hundred and fifty and two hundred miles. The mountains on this island are very high, and in clear weather may be seen for fifty or sixty miles. These are richly clothed with verdure to their summits ; and in the northeast parts of the island they present a variety in their form and character which, in some situations, renders their appearance romantic and sublime, in others, soft, luxuriant, and beautiful. It has been stated that there were no harbours in this group ; but at this island alone we found three, and there may be others. The one at Apia, in which we anchored, is spacious, commodious, and safe, and, as it faces the north, it admits with the prevailing trade-wind of easy ingress and egress. The bottom is sandy, and at twenty yards from the shore there are about five fathoms of water. A river falls into the bay, so that any quantity of excellent water may easily be obtained there. " Manono lies next, and is about five miles in circumference. It is attached by a shoal and reef to the south-west extremity of Upolu; the reef passes round it and rejoins Upolu on the opposite side. This island offers several good harbours for vessels of forty to fifty tons burden. There is shoal water to a considerable distance from the shore; but I am not aware that any rocks exist to render approach dangerous. On the north side of the island there is a good roadstead. Manono, although small, is of great importance, for, as its inhabitants have been victorious in every struggle, it has obtained a kind of political superiority over the whole group. It has many dependent settlements on the larger islands of Savaii and Upolu, and, when engaged in a contest, draws such assistance from these as to form a force which no single chief can withstand. Hence the inhabitants of Manono are called the " Malo " or victorious people. Notwithstanding this, it is affirmed that they have never been the aggressors in a conflict. The island is badly supplied with water, but the natives have sunk wells, and have thus succeeded in obtaining it.

* " Missionary Enterprise in the South Sea Islands."