ashes; unless it blew very strong indeed from the opposite direction.  Notwithstanding the natives seemed well enough satisfied with the few expeditions we had made in the neighbourhood, they were unwilling we should extend them farther.  As a proof of this, some undertook to guide the gentlemen when they were in the country, to a place where they might see the mouth of the volcano.  They very readily embraced the offer; and were conducted down to the harbour, before they perceived the cheat.[6]

The 13th, wind at N.E., gloomy weather.  The only thing worthy of note this day was, that Paowang being at dinner with us on board, I took the opportunity to shew him several parts of the ship, and various articles, in hopes of finding out something which they might value, and be induced to take from us in exchange for refreshments; for what we got of this kind was trifling.  But he looked on every thing that was shewn him with the utmost indifference; nor did he take notice of any one thing, except a wooden sand-box, which he seemed to admire, and turned it two or three times over in his hand.

Next morning after breakfast, a party of us set out for the country, to try if we could not get a nearer and better view of the volcano.  We went by the way of one of those hot smoking places before mentioned, and dug a hole in the hottest part, into which a thermometer of Fahrenheit’s construction was put; and the mercury presently rose to 100 deg..  It remained in the hole two minutes and a half without either rising or falling.  The earth about this place was a kind of white clay, had a sulphureous smell, and was soft and wet, the surface only excepted, over which was spread a thin dry crust, that had upon it some sulphur, and a vitriolic substance, tasting like alum.  The place affected by the heat was not above eight or ten yards square; and near it were some fig-trees, which spread their branches over part of it, and seemed to like their situation.  We thought that this extraordinary heat was caused by the steam of boiling water, strongly impregnated with sulphur.  I was told that some of the other places were larger than this; though we did not go out of the road to look at them, but proceeded up the hill through a country so covered with trees, shrubs, and plants, that the bread-fruit and cocoa-nut trees, which, seem to have been planted here by nature, were, in a manner, choaked up.  Here and there we met with a house, some few people, and plantations.  These latter we found in different states, some of long standing, others lately cleared, and some only clearing, and before any thing had been planted.  The clearing of a piece of ground for plantation, seemed to be a work of much labour, considering the tools they had to work with, which, though much inferior to those at the Society Isles, are of the same kind.  Their method is, however, judicious, and as expeditious as it can well be.  They lop off the small branches of the large trees, dig under the roots, and there