n the girth, and from twenty to
forty to the branches, with very little diminution in the size. Our
carpenter said, that in other respects it was not a good wood for the
purpose, being very light. The small canoes are nothing more than the
hollow trunk of the bread-fruit tree, which is still more light and
spongy. The trunk of the bread-fruit tree is six feet in girth, and
about twenty feet to the branches.

Their principal weapons are stones, thrown either with the hand or
sling, and bludgeons; for though they have bows and arrows, the arrows
are only fit to knock down a bird, none of them being pointed, but
headed only with a round stone.

I did not see one turtle all the while I lay off this island; but, upon
shewing some small ones which I brought from Queen Charlotte's Island,
to the inhabitants, they made signs that they had them of a much larger
size. I very much regretted my having lost our he-goat, which died soon
after we left St Iago, and that neither of our she-goats, of which we
had two, were with kid. If the he-goat had lived, I would have put them
all on shore at this place, and I would have left a she-goat here if
either of them had been with kid; and I doubt not, but that in a few
years they would have stocked the island.

The climate here appears to be very good, and the island to be one of
the most healthy as well as delightful spots in the world. We saw no
appearance of disease among the inhabitants. The hills are covered with
wood, and the vallies with herbage; and the air in general is so pure,
that, notwithstanding the heat, our flesh meat kept very well two days,
and our fish one. We met with no frog, toad, scorpion, centipied, or
serpent of any kind: And the only troublesome insects that we saw were
ants, of which there were but few.

The south-east part of the island seems to be better cultivated and
inhabited than where we lay, for we saw every day boats come round from
thence laden with plantains and other fruit, and we always found greater
plenty, and a lower price, soon after their arrival, than before.

The tide rises and falls very little, and, being governed by the winds,
is very uncertain; though they generally blow from the E. to the S.E.,
and for the most part a pleasant breeze.

The benefit that we received while we lay off this island, with respect
to the health of the ship's company, was beyond our most sanguine
expectations, for we had not now an invalid on board, except the