19th November 1835

Tahiti
At Daylight, after their morning prayer, my friends prepared an excellent breakfast in the same manner as in the evening. — They themselves certainly partook of it largely; indeed I never saw any men eat anything nearly so much in quantity. They did not, however, over eat themselves, that is their activity was anything but impaired. — I should suppose such capacious stomachs must be the result of a large part of their diet consisting of fruits & vegetables which do not contain in a given bulk very much nutriment. — Unwittingly I was the means of my companions breaking one of their own laws & resolutions. — I took with me a flask of spirits, which they could not resolve to refuse, but as often as they drank a little, they put their fingers before their mouths & uttered the word "Missionary". — About two years ago, although the use of the Ava was prevented, drunkedness from the introduction of spirits became very prevalent. The Missionaries prevailed on a few good men, who saw their country rapidly going to ruin, to join with them in a Temperance Society. — From good sense & shame all the chiefs & Queen were thus at last united. — Immediately a law was passed that no spirits should be allowed to be introduced into the island & that he who sold & he who bought the forbidden article should be punished by a fine. — With remarkable justice a certain period was allowed for stock in hand to be sold before the law came in effect. — On that day a general search was made in which even the houses of the Missionaries were not exempted, & all the Ava (as the natives call all ardent spirits) was poured out on the ground. — When one reflects on the effect of intemperance on the aboriginals of the two Americas, I think it will be acknowledged that every well wisher of Tahiti owes no common debt of gratitude to the Missionaries.

After breakfast we proceeded on our journey: as my object was merely to see a little of the interior scenery, we returned by another track, which descended into the main valley lower down. For some distance we wound along the side of the mountain which formed the valley; the track was extraordinarily intricate; in the less precipitous parts it passed through very extensive groves of the wild Banana. — The Tahitians with their naked tattooed bodies, their heads ornamented with flowers, & seen in the dark shade of the woods, would have formed a fine picture of Man inhabiting some primeval forest. — In our descent we followed the line of ridges; these were exceedingly narrow, & for considerable lengths steep as the inclination of a ladder, but all clothed by Vegetation. The extreme care necessary in poising each step, rendered the walking fatiguing. — I am not weary of expressing my astonishment at these ravines & precipices. — The mountains may be almost described as merely rent by so many crevices. — When viewing the surrounding country from the knife edged ridges, the point of support was so small that the effect was nearly the same as would, I imagine, be observed from a balloon. In this descent we only had need of using the ropes once, at the point where we entered the main valley. — Proceeding downwards we slept under the same ledge of rocks where we had before dined. — The night was fine, but from the depth and narrowness of the gorge profoundly dark. — Before actually seeing this country, I had difficulty in understanding two facts mentioned by Ellis. Namely, that after the murderous battles, the survivors on the conquered side retired into the mountains, where a handful of men could resist a multitude. — Certainly half a dozen men at the spot where the Indians reared the old tree could easily have repelled thousands. — Secondly that after the introduction of Christianity, there were wild men who lived in the mountains, & whose retreats were unknown to the more civilized inhabitants.

Captain Fitzroy’s Journal
We weighed anchor, and went into the little cove of Papawa, for the sake of watering quickly, without exposing the men and boats to a heavy surf. It is easy to avoid the numerous rocky patches, while there is a breeze, and the sun shining on either side, or astern; but if the sun is a-head, it is almost impossible to distinguish the reefs, by the colour, or relative smoothness of the water. Walking to the house of Mr. Nott, I saw an elderly native writing in a cottage, and apparently very intent upon his employment. He showed me what had engaged his attention, an Otaheitan version of the book of Jeremiah, in Mr. Nott's writing, which he was copying in a very distinct, good hand.

Mr. Nott, the senior missionary upon the island, had then almost completed a great work, the translation of the Bible. When we consider the judgment and persevering industry required to translate the Bible from one written language into another, it becomes easier to obtain a fair conception of the labour necessary to fix, and make proper use of an unwritten, and very peculiar language, in order to effect such a work, a work worthy of the fathers of our church. I paid my respects to the author of this immense undertaking, and asked his advice and opinion respecting the affairs in which I was instructed to take a part, while on the island.

In the course of another visit to Papiete, I again met the titular king of Nuhahiva, and told him my suspicions, so plainly, that he said he should appeal to the governor of New South Wales, to the Admiralty, and to the king of England himself, against the unjust suspicions and improper conduct of the captain of the Beagle!

Since the 17th the weather had been too cloudy, by night and by day, to admit of astronomical observations. Instead of fine clear weather, there was a thickly overcast sky, and only light and variable wind. From the latter end of December to the beginning of March cloudy weather (with much rain, and westerly winds) is usual at Otaheite. Singular interruptions to the regularity of the trade-wind occur among all the tropical islands of this ocean. One instance has already been given of the uncertain and changeable state of the weather among the Low Islands, and many more may be found in the narratives of voyages in the Pacific between the tropics.

18th November 1835

Tahiti

In the morning I came on shore early bringing with me some provisions in a bag & two blankets for myself & servant. — These were lashed to each end of a pole & thus carried by my Tahitian companions. From custom a man will walk a whole day with fifty pounds at each end of such a stick. — I had before told my guides to provide themselves with food & clothing; for the latter however they said their skins were sufficient & for the former that there was plenty of food in the mountains. The line of march was the valley of Tia-auru, in which the river that enters the sea by point Venus flows. This is one of the principal streams in the Island & its source lies at the base of the loftiest mountains which attain the elevation of about 7000 ft. — The whole Island may be considered as one group of mountains, so that the only way to penetrate the interior is to follow up the valleys. Our road at first lay through the wood which bordered each side of the river; the glimpses of the lofty central peaks, seen up the avenue of the valley with here & there a waving Cocoa Nut tree on one side, were extremely picturesque.— The valley soon began to narrow & the sides to grow higher & more precipitous. — After having walked for three or four hours, the width of the ravine scarcely exceeded that of the bed of the stream; on each hand the walls were nearly vertical, yet from the soft nature of the volcanic strata trees & a rank vegetation sprung from every projecting ledge. These precipices must have been some thousand ft high; the whole formed a mountain gorge far more magnificent than anything I had ever beheld. — Till the midday sun stood vertically over the ravine, the air had felt cool &damp, but now it became very sultry. — Shaded by a ledge or rock beneath a façade of columnar Lava we ate our dinner. — My guide before this had procured a dish of small fish & fresh-water prawns. — They carried with them a small net stretched on a hoop; where the water was deep in eddies, they dived & like otters by their eyesight followed the fish into holes & corners & thus secured them. The Tahitians have the dexterity of Amphibious animals in the water; an anecdote mentioned by Ellis shows how much at home they feel in that element. — When a horse was landing for Pomarre in 1817, the slings broke, & it fell into the water; immediately the natives jumped overboard & by their crys & vain efforts at assistance, almost drowned the animal. As soon as it reached the shore, the whole population took to flight & tried to hide themselves from the man-carrying pig, as they christened the horse.

A littler higher up, the river divided itself into three little streams; the two Northern ones were impracticable from a succession of waterfalls which descended from the jagged summit of the highest mountain; the other to all appearance was equally inaccessible, but we managed to ascend in that direction by the most extraordinary road which I ever beheld.— The sides of the valley were here quite precipitous, but as generally happens small ledges projected which were thickly covered by wild bananas, liliaceous plants & other luxuriant productions of the Tropics. — The Tahitians by climbing amongst these ledges hunting for fruit had discovered a track by which the whole precipice could be scaled. — The first leaving the bottom of the valley was very dangerous; a face of naked rock had to be passed by the aid of ropes which we brought with us. — How any person discovered that this formidable spot was the only point where the side of the mountain could be attempted, I cannot imagine. — We then cautiously followed one of the ledges, till we came to the stream already alluded to. — This ledge formed a flat spot, above which a beautiful cascade of some hundred ft poured down its waters, & beneath it another high one emptied them into the main stream. — From this cool shady recess we made a circuit to avoid the overhanging cascade. As before we followed little projecting ledges, the apparent danger being partly hidden by the thickness of the vegetation. In passing from one ledge to another there was a vertical wall of rock: — one of the Tahitians, a fine active man, placed the trunk of a free against this, swarmed up it & then by the aid of crevices reached the summit. — He fixed the ropes to a projecting point & lowered them for us & then hauled up the dog & luggage. — Beneath the ledge on which the dead tree was reared the precipice must have been five or six hundred feet deep; if the abyss had not been partly concealed by the overhanging ferns & lilies, my head would have turned giddy & nothing should have induced me to have attempted it. — We continued to ascend sometimes by ledges & sometimes by knife edge ridges, having on each hand profound ravines. — In the Cordilleras I have seen mountains on a far greater scale, but for abruptness no part was at all comparable to this. In the evening we reached a flat little spot on the banks of the same stream which I have mentioned as descending by a chain of beautiful waterfalls. Here we bivouacked for the night. — On each side of the ravine there were great beds of the Feyè or mountain Banana, covered with ripe fruit. — Many of these plants grew to a height from twenty to twenty five feet high 636 & from three to four in circumference. By the aid of strips of bark for twine, the stems of the bamboos & the large leaf of the banana, the Tahitians in a few minutes built an excellent house; & with the withered leaves made a soft bed.

They then proceeded to make a fire & cook our evening meal. A light was procured by rubbing a blunt pointed stick in a groove, as if with the intention of deepening it, until by friction the dust became ignited. — A peculiarly white & very light wood is alone used for this purpose; it is the same which serves for poles to carry any burthen & for the floating out-rigger to steady the canoe. — The fire was produced in a few seconds; to a person however, who does not understand the art, it requires the greatest exertion, as I found before I at last to my great pride succeeded in igniting the dust. The Gaucho in the Pampas uses a different method; taking an elastic stick of about eighteen inches long, he presses one end on his breast & the other pointed one in a hole in a piece of wood, & then rapidly turns the curved part, like a carpenter does a Centre-bit. — The Tahitians, having made a small fire of sticks, placed a score of stones about the size of a cricket ball on the burning wood. In about ten minutes time, the sticks were consumed & the stones hot. They had previously folded up in small parcels made of leaves, pieces of beef, fish, ripe & unripe Bananas, & the tops of the wild Arum. — These green parcels were laid in a layer between two of the hot stones & the whole then covered up by earth so that no smoke or steam escaped. — In about a quarter of an hour the whole was most deliciously cooked; the choice green parcels were laid on a cloth of banana leaves; with a Cocoa nut shell we drank the cool water of the running stream & thus enjoyed our rustic meal.

I could not look on the surrounding plants without wonder. On every side were forests of Banana, & the fruit which served for food in many ways, lay in heaps decaying on the ground. — In front of us there was an extensive brake of wild Sugar Cane. — The banks of the stream were shaded by the dark green knotted stem of the Ava, so famous in former days for its powerful intoxicating effects; I chewed a piece & found that it had an acrid & unpleasant taste which would induce any one at once to pronounce it poisonous. — Thanks be to the Missionaries this plant now thrives in these deep ravines innocuous to every one. — In the close neighbourhood I saw the wild Arum, the roots of which when well baked are good to eat & the young leaves better than spinach: — there was the wild Yam & a liliaceous plant called Ti, which grows in abundance, & has a soft brown root in shape & size like a huge log of wood. This served us for dessert, for it is as sweet as treacle & with a pleasant taste. There were moreover several other wild fruits & useful vegetables. The little stream, besides its cool water, produces also eels & cray-fish. — I did indeed admire this scene, when I compared it with an uncultivated one in the temperate zone. — I felt the force of the observation that man, at least savage man, with his reasoning powers only partly developed, is the child of the Tropics.

As the evening drew to a close, I strolled alongside the stream beneath the gloomy shade of the Bananas. — My walk was soon brought to a close by coming to a Waterfall of two or three hundred feet high; — and above this was another. — I mention all these waterfalls in this one brook, to give an idea of the general inclination of the land. — In the little recess where the water fell, it did not appear that a breath of wind ever entered. — The leaves of the Bananas, damp with spray, showed one unbroken edge, instead of as commonly happens, being split into a thousand shreds. — Suspended, as it were, on the side of the mountain, there were glimpses into the depth of the neighbouring valleys; & the highest pinnacles of the central mountains towering up within sixty degrees of the Zenith, hid half the evening sky. Thus seated it was a sublime spectacle to watch the shades of night gradually obscuring the highest points.

Before we laid ourselves down to sleep, the elder Tahitian fell on his knees & with closed eyes repeated a long prayer in his native tongue. He prayed as a Christian should do, with fitting reverence, & without fear of ridicule or ostentation of piety. — In a like manner, neither of the men would taste food without saying before hand a short grace. — Those Travellers who hint that a Tahitian prays only when the eyes of the missionary are fixed on him, should have slept with us that night on the mountain side. — Rigidly to scrutinize how far a man, born under idolatry, understands the full motive & effect of prayer, does not appear to me a very charitable employment. During the night it rained heavily, but the good thatch of Banana leaves kept us dry.

Captain Fitzroy’s Journal
Mr. Wilson went with me in a boat to Papiete, the most frequented harbour of Otaheite. We passed inside the reefs, by narrow twisting passages among the coral rocks. Seeing two marks set up on an extensive rocky flat, partially covered by the water, I concluded they were placed as beacons; but was told they were tabu (taboo) marks to keep people from fishing or picking up shells upon the queen's 'preserve.' We passed the royal burying-ground, which is adorned by that peculiar tree, the aito, whose wood is so hard that it is called iron-wood. This tree looks like the English yew. It is purposely planted by the natives near their burying-grounds, and used to be considered sacred. Another remarkable tree, resembling (although larger and finer than) the ilex, also casts a solemn shade over the tomb of Pomare.

The point of land on which the tombs and one of the royal houses stand, is one of the most agreeable places on the island, in point of position; and was a favourite residence of old Pomare. A portion of their superstition hangs about the natives yet: I could not persuade them to approach the tomb of their king, although they told me to go and look at it. The tomb is a plain mass of masonry, sheltered by a roof of wood.

At Toanoa, between this place (called Papawa) and Papiete, we saw Mr. Bicknell's sugar-mill. The sugar made there from native cane is of a very good quality, and cheap. Mr. Bicknell told me that the natives brought their canes to him; and that latterly he had given up growing and attending to them himself. Noticing a large deficiency in some lead-work, he remarked: "That lead was stolen in the last civil war; our books were then in high request, not to be read, but to make cartridges." That such a sad misapplication of numbers of books sent out by missionary societies, has also occurred in New Zealand, as well as among the eastern Indian nations, I have heard from many quarters.

Papiete is a pretty and secure little bay. Around it is low land, ornamented with trees and European as well as native houses: but immediately behind the level part, hills rise to a height of two or three thousand feet. Lying to leeward of the island it enjoys less sea-breeze, and is therefore hotter than other harbours. In the middle of the bay is a little island belonging to the queen, where the colours of Otaheite (red, white, red, horizontal) are displayed.

Several neat-looking white cottages showed that European ideas had extended their influence hither: but I was sorry to see the new church, a large wooden structure capable of holding six hundred people, covered by a partly Otaheitan roof, in lieu of one formed completely in their own style. Instead of the circular end, an ugly gable terminates a high box-shaped house, resembling a factory.

Mr. Pritchard (HM Consul) arrived from Eimeo as we landed. Leaving him for a short time, I went to see a person who styled himself Baron de Thierry, King of Nuhahiva and sovereign chief of New Zealand. About the house in which resides this self-called philanthropist, said to be maturing arrangements for civilizing Nuhahiva and New Zealand — as well as for cutting a canal across the Isthmus of Darien, were a motley group of tattowed New Zealanders, half-clothed natives of Otaheite, and some ill-looking American seamen. I was received in affected state by this grandee, who abruptly began to question me with "Well, Captain! what news from Panama? Have the Congress settled the manner in which they are to carry my ideas into effect?" I tried to be decently civil to him, as well as to the 'baroness'; but could not diminish my suspicions, and soon cut short our conference.

In his house was a pile of muskets, whose fixed and very long bayonets had not a philanthropic aspect. He had been there three months, and was said to be waiting for his ships to arrive and carry him to his sovereignty. Born in England, of French emigrant parents; his own account of himself was that he was secretary of legation to the Marquis of Marialva, at the congress of Vienna; and that in 1815 he belonged to the 23d Light Dragoons (English). In 1816 he was attaché to the French ambassador in London. In 1819 he was studying divinity at Oxford. In 1820-21, he was a student of laws at Cambridge. Afterwards he travelled on the continent: and lately had been sojourning in the United States. He visited and brought letters from the Governor of St. Thomas, in the West Indies. He showed papers to prove these assertions: had a wife and four children with him; and he had succeeded in duping a great many people.

Mr. Pritchard had seen the queen (by courtesy called Pomare, after her father, though her name was Aimatta) at Eimeo, the day before he arrived at Otaheite; and as she had not intimated an intention of coming thence, I agreed to go with him in a few days to pay my respects to her, and to make a formal application upon the subject of the Truro, a merchant vessel plundered and destroyed by the Low Islanders in 1830-31. I returned to Matavai in the evening, and, after landing Mr. Wilson, remained nearly two hours listening to the natives singing. I asked them to dance; but they said it was forbidden, and that the watchman would take them to the governor of the district, who would fine them heavily. Singing, except hymns, is also forbidden to the grown people, but they seemed to like listening to the children.

This evening, before dark, there was a sight upon the Beagle's deck, which delighted us who wished to collect shells but had not time to look for them. An Englishman had spread out a large collection which he had just brought from the Low Islands, and soon found eager purchasers.

17th November 1835

Tahiti

Before breakfast the ship was hemmed in by a flotilla of canoes, & when the natives were allowed to come on board, I suppose the number could not have been less than 200 on our decks. It was the opinion of every one, that it would have been difficult to have picked out an equal number from any other nation who would have given so little trouble. — Every body brought something for sale; shells were the main article of trade. — The Tahitians now fully understand the value of money & prefer it to old clothes or other articles. — The various coins of English & Spanish denomination puzzle the inhabitants & they never seem to think the small Silver quite secure until changed into dollars. — Some of the chiefs have accumulated considerable sums of money; one not long since offered 800 $ for a small vessel & frequently they purchase horses & whale-boats at from 50–100 $.

After breakfast I went on shore & ascended the slope of the nearest part of the mountains to an elevation between two and three thousand feet. — The form of the land is rather singular & may be understood by explaining its hypothetical origin. I believe a group of the interior mountains stood as a smaller island in the sea, & around their steep flanks streams of Lavas & beds of sediment were accumulated in a conical mass under water. This after having been raised was cut by numerous profound ravines, which all diverge from the common centre; the intervening ridges thus belonging to one slope & being flat-topped. — Having crossed the narrow girt of inhabited land, I followed the line of one of these ridges; having on each hand very steep & smooth sided valleys. — The vegetation is singular, consisting almost exclusively of small dwarf fern, mingled higher up with coarse grass. — The appearance was not very dissimilar from that of some of the hills in North Wales; and this so close above the orchard of Tropical plants on the coast was very surprising. At the highest point which I reached trees again appeared. — The wood here was very pretty. — tree ferns having replaced the Cocoa Nut. — It must not however be supposed that these woods at all equalled the forests of Brazil. — In an island, that vast number of productions which characterize a continent cannot be expected to occur.

From this point, there was a good view of the distant island of Eimeo, dependant on the same Sovereign with Tahiti. — On the lofty & broken pinnacles white massive clouds were piled, which formed an island in the blue sky, as Eimeo itself in the blue ocean. The island is completely encircled by a reef, with the exception of one small gateway; at this distance a narrow but well defined line of brilliant white where the waves first encountered the wall of coral, was alone visible; Within this line was included the smooth glassy water of the lagoon, out of which the mountains rose abruptly. — The effect was very pleasing & might be aptly compared to a framed engraving, where the frame represents the breakers, the marginal paper the lagoon, & the drawing the Island itself. — When I descended in the evening from the mountain, a man whom I had pleased with a trifling gift met me bringing with him hot roasted Bananas, a pineapple & Cocoa Nuts. — I do not know anything more delicious than the milk of a young Cocoa Nut, after walking under a burning sun. — The pineapples here are also of such excellence as to be better than those reared in England & this I believe to be the last & highest compliment which can be paid to a fruit or indeed anything else. — Before going on board I went to Mr Wilson, who interpreted to my friend who had paid me so adroit an attention, that I wanted him & some one other man to accompany me on a short excursion into the mountains.

Captain Fitzroy’s Journal
I was fully occupied in making observations upon the spot where once stood Cook's observatory, a classical, and to us, important place. Upon the situation of this celebrated point, Venus, depend most of the geographical positions of islands in the South Sea; and its locality upon our globe has been deemed well known. Messrs. Wales, Green, and Bayley are particularly entitled to the greatest share of credit for having by their observations attained to so great a degree of accuracy.

While we were engaged with the instruments on shore, a crowd of natives were eagerly displaying their merchandise along side or on board the ship. From the dawn of day, until they were admitted at breakfast time, canoes had been approaching from every direction. Their occupants had heard of the dollars, and every canoe within reach had been loaded. This sort of competition could not last; so I thought it better to give them as much opportunity to dispose of their wares as our small deck allowed; and desired Lieut. Wickham to let the market be held till trade grew dull. Some wanted to build us a house; many asked to be allowed to wash our clothes. There appeared to be no want of will to work, if dollars were to be gained.

On shore it was difficult to make the required observations, among a crowd of curious observers of ourselves and our instruments; for though they readily drew back as far as we wished, it was quite impossible to keep them from running about and shaking the ground. While employed with the dipping needle under a tent, I thought myself fortified: but they besieged the small opening so closely, in their eagerness to see the sight, that the heat caused by a vertical sun was soon increased to that of an oven, from their thus blocking up the only air-hole.

At my return to the ship in the evening, I found that the fair had not lasted above an hour after breakfast. All the natives had behaved well excepting two; one of whom absconded with the top of a brass stanchion. The other tried to carry off an axe; but was detected, and pointed out to the more respectable of his countrymen, who said he should be tried, and that his sentence would probably be a fine of ten hogs.

This evening some of our party were much pleased by hearing the pretty plaintive songs of the children, as they sat in groups upon the shore. Their voices accord in the most perfect manner; and, although the tunes are rather monotonous, they detained us, sitting upon the sandy beach, till we could stop no longer.

16th November 1835

Tahiti
This day is reckoned in the log book as Tuesday 17th instead of Monday 16th, owing to our, so far successful, chase of the sun.

Captain Fitzroy’s Journal
On this day, with us the 16th, but to agree with the reckoning of Otaheite and those who came from the west, changed to the 17th.

15th November 1835

Tahiti
At daylight, Tahiti, an island which must for ever remain as classical to the Voyager in the South Sea, was in view. — At this distance the appearance was not very inviting; the luxuriant vegetation of the lower parts was not discernible & the centre as the clouds rolled past showed the wildest & most precipitous peaks which can be well imagined. — As soon as we got to an anchor in Matavai bay, we were surrounded by canoes. — This was our Sunday but their Monday; if the case had been reversed we should not have received a single visit, for the injunction not to launch a canoe on the Sabbath is rigidly obeyed. After dinner we landed to enjoy all the delights of the first impressions produced by a new country & that country the charming Tahiti. — Crowds of men, women & children were collected on the memorable Point Venus ready to receive us with laughing merry faces. They marshalled us towards the house of Mr Wilson the missionary of the district, who met us on the road and gave us a very friendly reception. After sitting a short time in the house we separated to walk about, but returned in the evening at tea-time.

The only ground cultivated or inhabited in this part of the Island is a stripe or points of low flat Alluvial soil accumulated at the base of the mountains & protected by the reef of coral, which encircles at [a] distance the entire land. The whole of this land is covered by a most beautiful orchard of Tropical plants. in the midst of bananas, orange, cocoa-nut & Bread fruit trees, spots are cleared where Yams, sweet potatoes, sugar cane & pineapples are cultivated. Even the brushwood is a fruit tree, namely the Guava, which from its abundance is noxious as a weed — In Brazil I have often admired the contrast of varied beauty in the banana, palm & orange trees; here we have in addition the Bread-fruit, conspicuous by its large, glossy & deeply digitated leaf. It is admirable to behold groves of a tree sending forth its branches with the force of an old oak in England, loaded with large nutritious fruit. However little generally the utility explains the delight received from any fine prospect, in such cases as this it cannot fail largely to enter as an element in the feelings. — The little winding paths, cool from the surrounding shade, lead to the scattered houses. These have been too often described, for me to say anything about them: they are pleasant, airy abodes, but not quite so clean as I had been led to expect.

In nothing have I been so much pleased as with the inhabitants. — There is a mildness in the expression of their faces, which at once banishes the idea of a savage, — & an intelligence which shows they are advancing in civilization. — No doubt their dress is incongruous, as yet no settled costume having taken the place of the ancient one. — But even in its present state it is far from being so ridiculous as described by travellers of a few years standing. — Those who can afford it, wear a white shirt & sometimes a jacket, with a wrapper of coloured cotton round their middles, thus making a short petticoat like the Chilipa of the Gaucho. — This appears so general with the chiefs, that probably it will become the settled fashion. They do not, even to the Queen, wear shoes or stockings, & only the chiefs a straw hat on their heads. — The common people when working, have the whole of the upper part of their bodies uncovered; & it is then that a Tahitian is seen to advantage. — In my opinion, they are the finest men I have ever beheld; — very tall, broad-shouldered, athletic, with their limbs well proportioned. It has been remarked that but little habit makes a darker tint of the skin more pleasing & natural to the eye of an Europæan than his own color. — To see a white man bathing along side a Tahitian, was like comparing a plant bleached by the gardeners art, to the same growing in the open fields. — Most of the men are tattooed, the ornaments so gracefully follow the curvature of the body that they really have a very elegant & pleasing effect. One common figure varying only in its detail branches somewhat like palm leaves (the similarity is not closer than between the capital of a Corinthian column & a tuft of Acanthus) from the line of the back bone & embraces each side. The simile is a fanciful one, but I thought the body of a man was thus ornamented like the trunk of a noble tree by a delicate creeper.

Many of the older people have their feet covered with small figures, placed in order so as to resemble a sock. — This fashion is however partly gone by & has been succeeded by others. Here, although each man must for ever abide by the whim which reigned in his early days, yet fashion is far from immutable. An old man has his age for ever stamped on his body & he cannot assume the air of a young dandy. — The women are also tattooed much in the same manner as the men & very commonly on their fingers.— An unbecoming fashion in another respect is now almost universal; it is cutting the hair, or rather shaving it from the upper part of the head in a circular manner so as only to leave an outer ring of hair. — The Missionaries have tried to persuade the people to change this habit, but it is the fashion & that is answer enough at Tahiti as well as Paris.— I was much disappointed in the personal appearance of the women; they are far inferior in every respect to the men. The custom of wearing a flower in the back of the head or through a small hole in each ear is pretty. The flower is generally either white or scarlet & like the Camelia Japonica. — The women also wear a sort of crown of woven cocoa nut leaves, as a shade to their eyes. — They are in greater want of some becoming costume even than the men.

Hospitality is here universal. — I entered many of their houses & everywhere received a merry pleasant welcome. — All the men understand a little English, that is they know the names of common things; with the aid of this & signs a lame sort of conversation could be carried on. — After thus wandering about each his own way we returned to Mr Wilson's. In going afterwards to the boat we were interrupted by a very pretty scene, numbers of children were playing on the beach, & had lighted bonfires which illuminated the placid sea & surrounding trees: others in circles were singing Tahitian verses. — we seated ourselves on the sand & joined the circle. The songs were impromptu & I believe relating to our arrival; one little girl sang a line which the rest took up in parts, forming a very pretty chorus. — the air was singular & their voices melodious. The whole scene made us unequivocally aware that we were seated on the shores of an Island in the South Sea.

Captain Fitzroy’s Journal
Early this morning we saw Otaheite; but clouds hanging over the high land and a haziness about the horizon, at first disappointed our expectations. As the sun rose higher, the clouds shrunk away, vanishing as they rolled along the grandly formed mountains: high, sharp, irregular peaks, and huge masses of rock appeared between the mists, and again were hidden—deep vallies or glens showed darkly, and while the shadows passed, seemed to be denied the light of day. Strikingly different in appearance were the lower hills and dales, and the richly wooded land at the sea-side. There the bright sunshine heightened the vivid and ever-varying tints of a rich verdure. The beautiful alternation of light and shade, each moment changing as the flitting shadows passed over every kind of green; the groves of graceful palm-trees; the dazzling white foam of the breakers on the coral reefs, contrasted by the deep blue of the sea, combined to form a most enchanting view. At a distance in the west, Eimeo (Moorea) showed a picturesque outline, and added to the beauty of a scene which surpassed our ideas, even heightened as they had been by the descriptions of former voyagers.

Passing Point Venus, and avoiding the Dolphin Shoal, we worked up to an anchorage in Matavai Bay. No pilot appeared, but had we waited in the offing, a very good one* would have offered his services. With a fresh breeze, we gained the anchorage so quickly that few natives had time to hasten on board, as is their usual custom: only one long canoe came alongside while we sailed in: it was made of half a tree, hollowed out, with a narrow rough plank laced to each side, and an outrigger, consisting of two crooked branches, secured to the canoe and to a long piece of light wood which floated in the water parallel to it. This out-rigger extended eight or ten feet from the ticklish conveyance, and enabled four men to sit at their ease in the narrow trunk of a tree that had never exceeded a foot in diameter.

The personal appearance of these men was to me most remarkable: tall and athletic, with very well-formed heads and a good expression of countenance, they at once made a favourable impression, which their quiet good-humour and tractable disposition afterwards heightened very much. To my eye they differed from the aborigines of southern South America in the form of their heads; in the width or height of the cheek-bones; in their eye-brows; in their colour; and most essentially in the expression of their countenances. High foreheads; defined and prominent eyebrows; with a rich, bronze colour, give an Asiatic expression to the upper part of their faces; but the flat noses (carefully flattened in infancy), and thick lips, are like those of the South Americans.

By the time the vessel was secured, a number of canoes had assembled, each containing from two to ten persons. A few, indeed, were so small that they could only hold one man each. The outriggers hindered their approach, as much as hoops impeded the motions of our maternal ancestors; but those who could not get near looked equally happy at a distance. All were cheerful, tractable, and patient, though eager to see the 'manuâ' (their corruption of man-of-war), and dispose of their merchandize (shells and fruit) to the new-comers.

The work necessary for securing the ship being completed, permission was given to admit the natives; and on board they swarmed like bees. In a minute, our deck became a crowded and noisy bazaar. 'One dălă' (dollar), and 'my ty' ('maitai,' meaning 'good, fine, agreed,' &c.) sounded in all tones, except those of women, none of whom appeared afloat. The current price of every article was 'one dala': a pig, a shell, a whole basket of shells, a roll of cloth, a heap of fruit, or a single fishhook, of the worst description, were offered as equivalents for the coveted dollar. Old clothes, if of cloth, they would not take, unless as a gift; but linen was acceptable. Every man had a light linen or cotton garment, or the remains of one, of some kind; the more respectable wore shirts, and loose wrappers for trowsers; a few had jackets and trowsers. Many had straw hats; some had a wreath of leaves, some flowers in their hair: only a few of the youngest boys were nearly naked.

Mr. Darwin and I went to Point Venus, and landed among a mob of inquisitive, laughing, and chattering natives, most of whom were women and children. Mr. Wilson, the respected missionary, so long resident at Matavai, met us on the beach; and with him we went, attended by the younger part of the mob, to his house. Ten minutes' walk along level land, every where, except at the sea-side, covered or shaded by thick underwood, tall palms, and the rich foliage of the bread-fruit tree, brought us to the quiet dwelling. The free, cheerful manners of the natives who gathered about the door, and unceremoniously took possession of vacant seats, on chairs, or the floor, showed that they were at home with their benefactors; and that any seclusion or offensive intimation of superiority had not existed in the conduct of Mr. or Mrs. Wilson. Two chiefs, of inferior rank, made acquaintance with us; they walked into the room, shook hands, sat down at their ease, and conversed with Mr. Wilson in exactly the manner of respectable English farmers. They were large, but inactive-looking men, and round-shouldered—suitably clothed, above the knees, in clean white jackets, shirts, and wrapper trowsers, with their closely-cut hair hidden by a large straw-hat—their appearance was very respectable. 'la-orana,' pronounced 'yoronha,' was a salutation we soon learned; but one of my younger shipmates was a little perplexed during his first excursion, "Why does every one call me 'Your honour,'" said he. Most of our officers and many of the men passed the evening on shore, and Mr. Darwin and myself rambled about until darkness summoned all on board.

Often as the native houses have been described, I found them different from the idea I had formed. Perhaps they are now rather slighter, and not constructed exactly like those of other times. Upon slight posts, placed in the ground in a long ellipse, a very light and elegant frame-work of 'purau'* is supported. This frame-work forms the low, but extensive roof; and upon it a thatch of pandanus leaves,—simply doubled upon twigs or reeds placed crosswise on the purau-wood rafters, which have their ends outwards,—forms a light covering, impervious to water, regular, indeed pretty to the eye, impenetrable by heat, and easily replaced once in eight or ten years. The middle of the roof forms an obtuse angle, as a common low roof does elsewhere; but the ends are rounded. The purau rafters are placed at equal distances around the circumference, converging as radii to the centres and central line of the ellipse. All of them are of equal length and size, and their ends are generally ornamented with a neat matting, made of a mosaic†pattern. Each line of twigs, holding the leaves, is straight and equi-distant from the next; and as, in the house, only about three inches of the smooth surface of each leaf is seen between the lines of twigs, the flat under surface, of an uniform appearance and light straw colour, aids the smooth, round purau in agreeably surprising the eye of a stranger by a new kind of architecture, as admirable as it is simple. Around the house, instead of a wall, are strong canes, regularly placed between the supporting posts, at distances (one or two inches) equal to the diameter of the canes; they are driven into the ground, and secured to the roof; one opening only is left for a door. Within are some screens of native cloth, or framed bed-places, or simply mats spread upon dry grass. There are a few low stools, some baskets, joints of bamboo holding cocoa-nut oil, and calabashes with water, besides a variety of smaller things, which I had not time to examine. What house in a tropical climate could be more agreeable than one of these elegant wicker-work cottages, shaded round by large trees, and profiting by the fresh air of every breeze?

Pretty shades for the face (they cannot be called hats, as they encircle and project from, without covering the head) are made with the palm-leaves. When fresh, adorned by white, or deep red flowers, and tastefully placed, this head-dress is unique and pleasing.

Perhaps my eyes were prejudiced in favour of features and complexion; for the shambling gait and flat noses of the native women had no charms for me. I saw no beauty among them; and either they are not as handsome as they were said to be, or my ideas are fastidious. The men, on the other hand, exceed every idea formed from the old descriptions.

13th November 1835

The Low Islands
By the evening of this day we succeeded in passing through the whole of the Archipelago, sometimes called the Dangerous or that of the Low Islands. At daylight & Noon we partially ascertained the figure & position of two Islands which are not placed in the charts. — These & others have a very uninteresting appearance; a long brilliantly white beach is capped by a low bright line of green vegetation. This stripe on both hands rapidly appears to narrow in the distance & sinks beneath the horizon. — The width of dry land is very trifling: from the Mast-head it was possible to see at Noon Island across the smooth lagoon to the opposite side. This great lake of water was about 10 miles wide.

Captain Fitzroy’s Journal
After having passed some anxious nights in very squally weather, we were gratified by seeing an islet whose existence we had not suspected. Tairo is the name by which it is known to the islanders of the archipelago. A few hours afterwards we ranged along the shore of another and much larger island, or rather group of islets, till then not laid down in any chart, the native name of which is Cavahi. We saw a number of islets covered with cocoa-nut trees, surrounding a lagoon; but could not delay to examine the south side, because we had been so unexpectedly detained by contrary winds, and I was very anxious about the chronometer measurement, the interval being already considerable.

Hastening on, therefore, we passed between the Elizabeth and Wittgenstein (or Faarava) groups, which are similar to Cavahi in appearance, and carried a press of sail to reach the Society Islands. It was singular that directly we were clear of the Low Islands, we got into a steady trade-wind, such as we had enjoyed before seeing Honden Island; and were no more troubled by westerly wind, or squalls, till long after we had left Otaheite and were approaching near New Zealand.

9th November 1835

This day we saw the first Island which can be truly said to belong to Polynesia. It is called Dog or Doubtful lsd. — The latter name expressing all which was known about it. — As may be seen in the Charts, it is an outlier on the East side of the large group of the Low Isds. This in its structure however is not truly one of the Low Islands. — Its surface is raised considerably more than the average height from three to four ft. — otherwise in its level green surface, its apparently circular outline, in the detached rocks, or rather those which from the lowness of the sand beaches seem detached, there is a peculiar character, which may be understood by a drawing in Capt. Beecheys work. The insignificant patch of land bears no proportion & seems an intruder on the domain of the wide all-powerful ocean. — The proximity of this land was shown by the great & increased numbers of sea-birds, especially two species of Terns — To our great grief, the rainy season appears to have commenced; during the last four days, the sky has been very gloomy, with thunder, lightning, squalls of wind & heavy rain. From the extreme humidity of the Atmosphere the heat is rather oppressive. — The Thermometer in the Poop cabin remains constantly from 80°-83 degrees. — The air being thick & misty & the night dark, for the first time it has not been thought prudent to run on. So that we are now hove to, wasting the precious time till daylight comes & shows us the dangers of our course.

Captain Fitzroy’s Journal
On the 9th we saw Honden Island (Dog Island, ed.), one of the low coral formations, only a few feet above water, yet thickly covered with cocoa-nut trees. Our observations corroborated the position assigned to it by Admiral Krusenstern, in his excellent chart and memoir, the only documents of any use to us while traversing the archipelago of the Low Islands. This archipelago is indeed extremely deserving of its appellation, 'Dangerous;' for numerous coral islets, all low, and some extensive, obstruct the navigation, while unknown currents and strong squalls, and a total want of soundings, add to the risk of sailing there at night. Singular interruptions to the trade-wind are caused by these low lagoon islands; not only does the easterly wind often fail among them, but heavy squalls come from the opposite direction, and more frequently by night than by day. This is especially the case from November to March.

I have before remarked, that extensive shallows, such as the Abrolhos and Bermudas, are liable to heavy squalls; and so far as I have heard or observed, it is usually the case that on land, a wide tract of flat country, without hills, or at sea, a considerable space of partly-covered ground, nowhere rising much above high-water, is subject to more frequent and violent blasts of wind than mountainous or even hilly regions, whether continental or island.

Clouds are certainly attracted, even if their formation be not hastened, by land; especially when it is covered by trees: and as low islands (such as those of the Dangerous Archipelago, between 14° and 20° south) have no hill or height of any kind, about which clouds attracted by the archipelago (taken together) can gather and discharge a portion of their contents, electrical as well as fluid, it may, I think, be inferred, that the want of such a conductor as would be furnished by a mountain five or six thousand feet high, is the reason why clouds in various electrical conditions unite or oppose one another, as the case may be; and, in consequence, cause rapid changes in the atmosphere around them; of which the effects are seen in squalls (sometimes with heavy rain, sometimes without), and even in whirlwinds. Where high land acts as a conductor between the earth and certain portions of our atmosphere, there may be a continual, though unperceived, electrical action. In connection with this subject I would, if I were able, consider the effects of rapidly varying temperature over land, and comparatively uniform temperature over ocean during twenty-four hours; which latter fact I might suspect to be one reason why the great Humboldt could not discover any particular electrical action, as indicated by his electrometers, while sailing from Europe to Brazil: although those same instruments were far from inactive after he landed. But I feel myself out of my depth, and will leave such speculations to those who are qualified to indulge in them.

3rd November 1835

Captain Fitzroy’s Journal
After sailing before the wind twelve days, our approach to land was indicated by a black tern which flew past the ship. Tropic birds were seen on the previous day, but they roam farther than tern.

1st November 1835

We are now travelling steadily onwards at the rate of 150 or 160 miles a day. The trade wind night & day incessantly blows. With studding sails set on each side we pleasantly cross the blue ocean. Having now left the gloomy region which extends far from the coast of S. America, daily the sun shines brightly in the cloudless sky.

31st October 1835

Captain Fitzroy’s Journal
Reflections following the visit to the Galapagos (6)
The currents about these islands are very remarkable, for in addition to their velocity, which is from two to five miles an hour, and usually towards the north-west, there is such a surprising difference in the temperature of bodies of water moving within a few miles of each other, that this subject must be reserved for further discussion. On one side of an island (Albemarle Island) we found the temperature of the sea, a foot below the surface, 80°. Faht.; but at the other side it was less than 60°. In brief, those striking differences may be owing to the cool current which comes from the southward along the coasts of Peru and Chile, and at the Galapagos encounters a far warmer body of water moving from the bay of Panama, a sort of 'gulf stream.' The retentive manner in which such ocean rivers preserve their temperature has been frequently remarked: and must have a great effect upon the climates of countries near whose shores they flow.

28th October 1835

Captain Fitzroy’s Journal
Reflections following the visit to the Galapagos (5)
It is rather curious, and a striking instance of the short-sightedness of some men, who think themselves keener in discrimination than most others, that these tortoises should have excited such remarks as—"well, these reptiles never could have migrated far, that is quite clear," when, in simple truth, there is no other animal in the whole creation so easily caught, so portable, requiring so little food for a long period, and at the same time so likely to have been carried, for food, by the aborigines who probably visited the Galapagos Islands on their balsas, or in large double canoes, long before Columbus saw that twinkling light, which, to his mind, was as the keystone to an arch. Honest Dampier immediately reverted to the tortoises of the West Indies, and of Madagascar, when he saw those of the Galapagos. He had observed too many varieties caused by climate, soil, food, and habits, to entertain a doubt of their being other than a variety of the tortoise kind. As to the 'guanoes' they were, to his eye, familiar objects.

27th October 1835

Captain Fitzroy’s Journal
Reflections following the visit to the Galapagos (4)
Mr. Stokes made some notes about the tortoises (terrapin), while with me, and as he and I are satisfied as to the facts, I will add them. Fresh water was first discovered on Charles and on James Islands, by following the terrapin paths. These animals visit the low, warm ground to seek for food and deposit their eggs; but it must be a toilsome journey indeed for them to ascend and descend the rugged heights. Some that Mr. Stokes saw in wet, muddy places, on high ground, seemed to enjoy themselves very much, snuffling and waddling about in the soft clayey soil near a spring. Their manner of drinking is not unlike that of a fowl: and so fond do they appear to be of water, that it is strange they can exist for a length of time without it; yet people living at the Galapagos say that these animals can go more than six months without drinking. A very small one lived upwards of two months on board the Beagle without either eating or drinking: and whale-ships have often had them on board alive for a much longer period. Some few of the terrapin are so large as to weigh between two and three hundred weight; and, when standing up on their four elephantine legs, are able to reach the breast of a middle sized man with their snake-like head. The settlers at Charles Island do not know any way of ascertaining the age of a terrapin, all they say is, that the male has a longer neck than the female. On board the Beagle a small one grew three-eighths of an inch, in length, in three months; and another grew two inches in length in one year. Several were brought alive to England. The largest we killed was three feet in length from one end of the shell to the other: but the large ones are not so good to eat as those of about fifty pounds weight—which are excellent, and extremely wholesome food. From a large one upwards of a gallon of very fine oil may be extracted.

25th October 1835

Captain Fitzroy’s Journal
Reflections following the visit to the Galapagos (3)
All the small birds that live on these lava-covered islands have short beaks, very thick at the base, like that of a bullfinch. This appears to be one of those admirable provisions of Infinite Wisdom by which each created thing is adapted to the place for which it was intended. In picking up insects, or seeds which lie on hard iron-like lava, the superiority of such beaks over delicate ones, cannot, I think, be doubted; but there is, perhaps, another object in their being so strong and wide. Colnett says, p. 59, "they observed an old bird in the act of supplying three young ones with drink, by squeezing the berry of a tree into their mouths. It was about the size of a pea, and contained a watery juice, of an acid, but not unpleasant taste." "The leaves of these trees absorb the copious dews which fall during the night; the birds then pierce them with their bills for the moisture they retain, and which, I believe, they also procure from the various plants and evergreens.' "The torch thistle contains a liquid in its heart, which the birds drank, when it was cut down. They sometimes even extracted it from the young trees by piercing the trunks with their bills." For thus squeezing berries, and piercing woody fibre, or even only stout leaves, a slight thin beak would be scarcely available. Colnett observes, that some of the birds which he saw resembled a few that he had seen at New Zealand, but as he also remarks that all the dead shells which he found upon the beach were familiar to him, I think one may suspect the accuracy of his eye, if not his memory, in those instances.

24th October 1835

Captain Fitzroy’s Journal
Reflections following the visit to the Galapagos (2)
Striking instances of the manner in which high land deprives air of its moisture may be seen at the Galapagos. Situated in a wind nearly perennial, those sides only which are exposed to it (the southern) are covered with verdure, and have water: all else is dry and barren, excepting such high ground as the passing clouds hang upon indolently as they move northward. In a similar manner may we not conclude that western Peru is deprived of rain—since the easterly trade wind which carries moisture, and consequent fertility, to eastern Peru, is drained, or dried, as it crosses the Andes? And may we not extend this reasoning to other countries similarly situated, such as Patagonia, perhaps Arabia, and even Africa, upon whose arid deserts no moist wind blows? Currents of air, moving from ocean to land, convey vapour; but as these currents pass over high land, or even a considerable extent of low country, much if not the whole of their aqueous contents is discharged, and until such a body of air has again acquired moisture, it is found to be dry, parching, and unfavourable to vegetation.