A few days before the close of our visit to Tahiti, I received, through the kindness of Monsieur Parrayon, captain of the French man-of-war Dayot, a large coral of the Fungia group, which had just been removed from the bottom of his ship as the copper was being cleaned by native divers. The occurrence is interesting as illustrating the rapidity of the growth of coral in these waters. There was the following history:—The Dayot had entered the tropical waters of the South Pacific about seven months previously, having come directly from the coast of Chili. She visited some of the islands, but made no long stay in harbour until she reached Manga Reva (Gambier Islands), where she remained for two months in the still waters of a coral basin. On entering this basin, she touched the reef slightly, and without sustaining any damage. From Manga Reva she sailed to Tahiti, where she arrived about the same time as the Alert.
Several specimens of living coral were found attached to the copper sheathing, that which I received being the largest. It was discoidal in shape, with its upper and under surfaces respectively convex and concave, and near the centre of the under surface there was a scar, where the pedicle by which it was attached to the copper sheathing appeared to have been broken through. The disc measured nine inches in diameter, and the weight of the specimen, when half dry, was two pounds fourteen ounces. On examining the under surface, another disc, three and three-quarter inches in diameter, was visible, partly imbedded in the more recent coral growth. Of this old disc about one-sixth part was dead and uncovered by new coral, and was stained of a deep blue colour from contact with the copper, while the outline of the rest of this old disc was plainly discernible, although partially covered in by plates of new coral.
It is probable that on touching the reef at Manga Reva nine weeks previously, a young Fungia was jammed against the copper, became attached, and subsequently grew until it attained its present dimensions.
About midday of the 27th August we arrived off Nassau Island, in latitude 11° 31′ S., longitude 165° 25′ W. It is of coral formation, about half a mile long by a quarter of a mile broad, and somewhat elliptical in general outline. It was thickly wooded with tall screw pines, rising from a scrub of matted brushwood, and at the northern end of the island some cocoa-nuts were seen. It was discovered in the year 1835 by an American whale-ship, the Nassau, from which circumstance it derives its name. There were then no inhabitants on the island.
When about three miles off we lay to and sounded, getting bottom at 1,000 fathoms, on coral sand. At the same time a party of us started off in a whale boat to land, but this we soon found to be no easy matter, for the island was encircled by a broad fringing reef, on the sharp outer edge of which the surf everywhere broke heavily. Over our heads were flying and screaming great numbers of sea-birds, among which I noticed a dusky brown tern with a white forehead patch, and a large brown gannet, of both of which I obtained specimens.
While we were vainly looking out for a landing-place, a white man, accompanied by two Polynesians, launched a small outrigger canoe from the reef edge, and paddled out to us. From the white man we learned that the island belonged to a Mr. Halicott, an American gentleman, for whom he had been acting as care-taker for the previous five years, and that he and his native assistants were engaged in planting cocoa-nuts, and hoped in time to do a remunerative trade in copra. There were, he said, only three or four trees bearing nuts, and the bread-fruit did not grow on the island. The present population amounted to six, viz.—the white man and his wife, and two natives from Danger Islands, with their wives. As for live stock, they had only two dogs and two pigs, and regarding the latter our informant remarked, with much concern, that they were not in a condition to multiply. For supplies of food, excepting fish, which was of course abundant, he depended on a sailing vessel, which visited the island once a year, bringing rice and meal. Water, fortunately, was plentiful.
Continuing on our course, on the following morning (August 28th), we sighted the Tema Reef, in latitude 10° 7′ S., longitude 165° 32.5′ W., and steaming up to and around it, we made a series of soundings, which occupied our surveyors for half the day. The reef, a submerged one, is indicated by a circular patch of breakers about a quarter of a mile in circumference, from one part of which a long tapering line of surf extends in a north-east direction, making the entire affair have some resemblance in outline to a tadpole. A cloud of white spray overhung this great mass of seething water, and the frightful tumble and confusion of the crests of the breakers as they uprose in pyramids twenty feet in height, made one shudder to think of the consequences to an ill-fated vessel striking on this reef. Its position is given correctly on the old charts.
On the same evening we passed about four miles to the northward of the Danger Islands, a low coral group, which is found to be about six miles to the eastward of the position assigned to it on the charts on the authority of the Tuscarora (U. S.) Expedition.
In the forenoon of the 3rd September we sighted Fakaata, or Bowditch Island, and some hours later Nukunono, which lies in latitude 9° 24′ S., longitude 171° 27′ W. These two islands, with Oatáfu, which lies further to the westward, constitute the Union Group. They are all low lagoon-islands. At 3.30 p.m., when abreast of Nukunono, we altered course and stood in towards the land, and when about three miles off observed an outrigger canoe with three men in it, paddling towards us. The crew consisted of one white man and two Polynesian natives. The former came on board, and proved to be a Portuguese, in a very attenuated condition, and sadly in want of provisions. He told us in broken English that he had lived on the island for sixteen years, that he was the only white man there, and that the native population amounted to eighty. A conspicuous white building which we had noticed on the island was, he informed us, a church, presided over by a native missionary teacher, there being at present no clergyman on the island. He besought us to give some biscuit, salt meat, and nails, for which he tendered payment in dollars, which was of course refused; but his heart was gladdened by a free gift of the stores he required, as well as other useful articles. He said that he very rarely saw any vessels—not more than once in ten months—and that no "labour ships" visited the island. The latter are small vessels whose owners make a living by conveying Polynesian natives to the Australian colonies, where they are employed as labourers, under—usually—a three years' contract.
The only native production was "copra," which was taken away by trading vessels that made visits at long intervals.