wooded, and abounding in cocoa-nut trees, and is about from thirty
to thirty-five miles in circumference. Its general appearance is
beautifully picturesque, verdant hills gradually rising from the sandy
beach, giving it a highly fertile appearance. It is surrounded by
extensive reefs, on which at low water the natives may be seen busily
engaged in procuring shell and other fish, which are abundantly produced
on them, and constitute one of their articles of daily food. At night,
they fish by torch-light, lighting fires on the beach, by which the fish
are attracted to the reefs. The torches are formed of the dried spathe
or fronds of the cocoa-nut tree, and enable them to see the fish, which
they take with hand-nets. It is by these lights that the fish are
attracted, but not so in the opinion of the natives, who say, "they
come to the reef at night to eat, then sleep, and leave again in the
morning."

[Mr. George Bennett, in his account of his recent visit, says:--]

We made this island on the 21st of February, 1830: it bore west by
south-half-south, about twenty-five miles distant; at 11 A.M. when close
in, standing for the anchorage, we were boarded by several natives, who
came off in their canoes, and surprised us by their acquaintance with
the English language; this it seems they had acquired from their
occasional intercourse with shipping, but principally from the European
seamen, who had deserted from their ships and were residing on the
island in savage luxury and indolence. When at anchor, the extremes of
the land bore from east by north to west by compass. An island rather
high, quoin shaped, and inhabited, situated at a short distance from the
main land, (between which there is a passage for a large ship,) was at
some distance from our present anchorage, and bore west-half-north by
compass; it was named Ouer by the natives. Close to us were two rather