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Spirit of Discovery.

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THE ISLAND OF ROTUMA.[10]


"A new Cythera emerges from the bosom of the enchanted wave. An
amphitheatre of verdure rises to our view; tufted groves mingle
their foliage with the brilliant enamel of meadows; an eternal
spring, combining with an eternal autumn, displays the opening
blossoms along with the ripened fruit."--_Maltebrun._


[Illustration: The Island of Rotuma.]


This is one of the beautiful islands of Polynesia, in the South
Pacific Ocean. It was discovered in the year 1791, and has been since
occasionally visited by English and American whalers, and a few other
ships, for the purpose of procuring water and a supply of vegetable
productions, with which it abounds. It is situated in latitude 12° 30'
south, and longitude 177° east, and is distant about 260 miles from the
nearest island of the Fidji group. It is of a moderate height, densely