dth from the bottom to the Top. On the middle of the Top stood the
image of a Bird carved in wood, near it lay the broken one of a Fish,
carved in stone. There was no hollow or cavity in the inside, the whole
being filled up with stones. The outside was faced partly with hewn
stones, and partly with others, and these were placed in such a manner as
to look very agreeable to the eye. Some of the hewn stones were 4 feet 7
inches by 2 feet 4 inches, and 15 inches thick, and had been squared and
polished with some sort of an edge tool. On the east side was, enclosed
with a stone wall, a piece of ground in form of a square, 360 feet by
354, in this was growing several cypress trees and plantains. Round about
this Morie were several smaller ones, all going to decay, and on the
Beach, between them and the sea, lay scattered up and down, a great
quantity of human bones. Not far from the Great Morie, was 2 or 3 pretty
large altars, where lay the scull bones of some Hogs and Dogs. This
monument stands on the south side of Opooreanoo, upon a low point of land
about 100 yards from the sea. It appeared to have been built many years
and was in a state of decay, as most of their Mories are. "

They were quite unable to gain information as to the history of these
remains, nor of the religious belief of the islander, though they
appeared to have some vague notions of a future life.

AN EXCURSION INLAND.

When the party returned to Point Venus, they found the refitting nearly
complete, but the anchor stocks all had to be renewed owing to the
ravages of the sea worms, so Banks and Monkhouse made an excursion up the
river on which the camp was situated. In about nine miles the precipitous
banks had completely closed them in, and further advance was blocked by a
cliff, at least 100 feet high, over which the river fell. The natives
with them said they had never been further, so the expedition returned.
Charles Darwin, in 1835, made an attempt to ascend the same river, and
though he penetrated some distance further, he describes the country as
extremely difficult; he saw several places where two or three determined
men could easily hold at bay many times their own number.

Gardens had been laid out during their stay, and European seeds were
planted which were very fairly successful; except some brought out by
Cook in carefully sealed bottles, none of which turned out well.

Some of the sailors were either enticed away, or attempted to dese