and curled, like a mop or a poodle’s coat.  Leonard Harper and I returned in this boat, Tahitian steering, Samoan, Futuman, and Anaiteans making one motley crew.  The brisk trade soon carried us to the beach in front of Mr. Inglis’s house, and arrived at the reef I rode out pick-a-back on the Samoan, Leonard following on a half-naked Anaitean.  We soon found ourselves in the midst of a number of men, women and children, standing round Mr. Inglis at the entrance of his garden.  I explained to him the reason of the Bishop’s being unable to land, that he alone knew the harbour on the other side of island, and so could not leave the vessel.

’Then, having delivered the boxes and letters we had brought for him from Auckland, we went into his house, gazing with delight at cocoanut trees, bananas, breadfruit trees, citrons, lemons, taro, &c., with bright tropical colouring thrown over all, lighting up the broad leaves and thick foliage of the trees around us.

’The house itself is built, after the fashion of these islands, of wattle plastered with coral lime, the roof thatched with the leaves of the cocoa-nut and pandana; the fences of the garden were made of cane, prettily worked together in a cross pattern; the path neatly kept, and everything looking clean and tidy.  We sat down in a small, well-furnished room, and looked out upon the garden, verandah, and groups of men and women standing outside.  Presently Mrs. Inglis came into the room, and after some discussion I was persuaded to stay all night, since the schooner could not reach her anchorage before dark, and the next day the water-casks were to be filled.

’An excellent dinner was provided:  roast fowl with taro, a nutritious root somewhat like potato, rice and jam, bananas and delicious fruit, bread and Scotch cheese, with glasses of cocoa-nut milk.

’Afterwards he showed us the arrangements for boarding young men and women—­twelve of the former, and fourteen of the latter.  Nothing could well exceed the cleanliness and order of their houses, sleeping rooms, and cooking rooms.  The houses, wattled and plastered, had floors covered with native mats, beds laid upon a raised platform running round the inner room, mats and blankets for covering, and bamboo cane for a pillow.  The boys were, some writing, some making twine, some summing, when we went in; the girls just putting on their bonnets, of their own manufacture, for school.

’They learn all household work—­cooking, hemming, sewing, &c.; the boys tend the poultry, cows, cultivate taro, make arrowroot, &c.  All of them could read fluently, and all looked happy, clean, and healthy.  The girls wear their native petticoats of cocoa-nut leaves, with a calico body.  Boys wear trousers, and some had shirts, some waistcoats, and a few jackets.

’We walked about a small wood adjoining the house, through which a small fresh-water stream runs.  In the wood we saw specimens of the various trees and shrubs, and flowers of the island, including those already noticed in Mr. Inglis’s garden, and the breadfruit tree and sugar-cane, and a beautiful bright flower of scarlet colour, a convolvulus, larger than any I had ever seen elsewhere; also a tree bearing a very beautiful yellow flower.