hout her free consent; and, that his presence might be no
restraint, left her to walk with her husband on the outside of the
boundary line, attended by a sailor armed with a musket. They had not
walked many paces, before five natives started from the bush and
attempted to carry her off by force, when she immediately ran towards
the sailor, and putting her hand on his musket, intimated her wish that
he would fire at them. He did so, and they all immediately scampered
away as fast as they could, leaving her to return with the sailor to his
hut. Foiled in this attempt, the husband soon after came again and
induced her to permit him to stay the night with her, and to take away
the child in the morning, under the promise of bringing it back next
day; a promise which he failed to perform, and which rendered the lady
so indignant, that, although he afterwards came to visit her himself,
bringing some fowls and palm-wine as a peace-offering, she persisted in
rejecting all compromise. This produced a violent quarrel, which ended
in their parting in high wrath, the husband threatening to return in the
night and inflict some dreadful vengeance upon her for it, but he did
not dare to carry his threats into execution.

I regret that my circumstances do not permit me to investigate the
general aspect and natural history of this island, as it abounds with
many interesting subjects which would well repay the trouble of inquiry.
It is to be hoped that Government will ere long send out some
intelligent naturalist for the purpose. The general appearance of the
island is rocky and volcanic; on the north-eastern extremity, where our
settlement is situated, one mountain, named Clarence Peak, rises to the
elevation of 10,655 feet above the level of the sea, the easiest ascent
to which is from its eastern side, being only interrupted by a few
valleys of no great depth, while the western side exhibits a series of
chasms and precipices, the sides of which from the sea appear almost
perpendicular. The southern part of the island, although the least
populous, is very picturesquely mountainous, being broken into several
peaks, each supposed to be from one to three thousand feet in elevation,
with numerous streams and beautiful cataracts descending in various
parts and directions. In consequence of the hilly nature of the country
admitting of no lodgment of water, we have reason to believe that few
marshes exist throughout the island, a circumstance w