g, named Riemko; he is a
chief of high rank, and a very intelligent man: he spoke the English
language with much correctness. Being naturally of an inquisitive
disposition, and possessing an exceedingly retentive memory, he had
acquired much information; this he displayed by detailing to us many
facts connected with the history of Napoleon Buonaparte, Wellington,
&c., which had been related to him by various European visiters, and
which he appeared to retain to the most minute particulars. He surprised
us by inquiring if we resided in "Russell-square, London?"

An innate love of roaming seems to exist among these people; they
set sail without any fixed purpose in one of their large canoes:
few ever return, some probably perish, others drift on islands either
uninhabited, or if inhabited, they mingle with the natives, and tend to
produce those varieties of the human race which are so observable in the
Polynesian Archipelago. I frequently asked those of Rotuma what object
they had in leaving their fertile island to risk the perils of the deep?
the reply invariably was, "Rotuma man want to see new land:" they thus
run before the wind until they fall in with some island, or perish in
a storm. Cook and others relate numerous instances of this kind.

As an evidence of the great desire of the natives of both sexes to
leave their native land, I may mention the offers which were made to the
commander of the ship, of baskets of potatoes and hogs, as an inducement
to be carried to the island of Erromanga, where our vessel was next
bound to. Two hundred were taken on board for the purpose of cutting
Sandal wood, but from the unhealthy state in which we found the island
on our arrival, and the numerous deaths that had occurred among native
gangs that had been brought by other vessels for a similar purpose, we
returned to Rotuma and landed them all safely. The perfect apathy with
which they leave parents and connexions, departing with strangers to a
place respecting which they are in total ignorance, is quite surprising,
placing an unbounded confidence in those differing in colour, language,
and customs from themselves: the young, timid females, to whom a ship
was a novelty, those who had never before seen a ship, were all anxious
to visit foreign climes,--even, they said, London.

Much wonder was excited, when I exhibited to the natives of this island
coloured engravings of flowers, birds, butterflies, &c.; they imagined
them to b