from which another path led up to a still higher site among the hills, where, upon a piece of table-land, stood several other uninhabited houses, surrounded with various fruit-trees and cultivated fields, giving evidence that a colony had been planted there. On these fertile fields sheep and cattle were grazing in perfect freedom. Everything that we saw proved that this island, with a little pains in cultivating it, might easily become a perfect Eldorado. We found that, in 1833, a colony had been established there from Equador; but, as many convicts had been transported thither, it had not become a peaceable settlement, but rather a refuge for pirates, such as we had seen at Guayaquil. I passed a night in one of the deserted huts. Without, it was raining in torrents, and blowing a tempest; but I reposed in perfect comfort upon my bed of Galapagos leaves and flowers, thinking only of the charming view I should have in the morning from the top of the hill close by. Some of the people from our frigate were less fortunate; they had wandered on in the hope of catching a few of the unowned, half-wild animals, who were straying about; but having chased them farther then they ought to have done, night surprised them amidst the inhospitable regions of lava, and they had to spend their hours of darkness and storm without any shelter whatsoever.

When we arrived at the island Indefatigable, we saw, close to the seashore, under some overhanging rocks, one or two poor-looking houses, from which some men issued in great haste, and made the best of their way up the hills. On landing, we only found a woman in one of the little dwellings, but as none of our party could speak Spanish, we could hold little or no communication with her. We heard afterwards, at Chatham, that there was in this island (Indefatigable) a set of men who were governed by a woman, or rather, who were entirely her minions, and the sudden flight of the males in a great measure corroborated the statement. Not finding anything to interest us in this island, either in the animal or the vegetable creation, we left it, after the stay of a few hours, for Albemarle, which we could descry in the far distance, traced, as it were, on the horizon, with its mountains of 4700 feet in elevation. The surf was breaking furiously on the rocky shore where we cast anchor, and all around seemed wild beyond conception. Ranges of enormous blocks of lava, thrown together in the utmost disorder, intermingled here and there with almost leafless trees and bushes, obstructed far and wide the road, so that I was nearly fainting from fatigue when I gained the top of one of the hills, and much provoked I was to find that there was so little to reward me for my trouble. Albemarle is allowed to be the most desolate of these islands. It has hardly any vegetation, and is full of salt lakes.

James's Island, or St. Jago, which we visited the last, has a very different character. The shores were guarded, as it were, by hills, with broken craters, and, although there were evident signs that vegetation had formerly existed on a gigantic scale, all was obscured by the stiffened streams of dark-brown lava. Even with the axe in my hand it was impossible for me to penetrate to any depth the petrified thickets, and my exertions, to my regret, were not crowned with much success.

The geological formation of these islands imparts to the living things

that inhabit them something exceedingly peculiar; and I shall mention one or two facts that I think may be somewhat interesting.

The only mammiferous animals which appeared in any quantity were seals. At Albemarle, a number of these creatures collected in a miniature bay just before our tent; they raised their bodies half out of the water at a very short distance from us, and, evincing much curiosity about the unusual intruders on their quiet shores, they welcomed us with a kind of joyous snort, and were not frightened even when one or two of them paid with their lives for their foolhardiness.

This absence of fear was even more striking among the birds, which we could easily catch with our hands as they came fluttering around us, and hopping on any twigs that were near us-nay, even upon the scientific instruments which some of our party were using. We remarked the same curiosity and boldness in the sea-birds, who gathered in crowds on the beach. The pelicans, which we could never manage to approach before, might have been killed by throwing stones at them, or were caught by our hands. Penguins, generally so shy, were caught in the same manner, and they created great amusement on board with the absurd-looking stateliness of their walk.

We found the amphibious animals extremely interesting at the Galapagos. The islands themselves derive their name from the turtles, which are found in such quantities upon them-galapago being the Spanish for turtle. Many of these creatures attain such a size, that, incredible though it may seem, it took from six to eight men to lift them up from the ground. One which we captured, and which was of a moderate size, served to make soup and other dishes for twenty people. The turtle which inhabit the heights feed on grass and berries, those who live closer to the shore, on a juicy cactus, which springs up in masses amidst the blocks of lava, and bears a red berry that tastes like the gooseberry. Turtles have the power of imbibing a great quantity of water at one time, and can then dispense with drinking for a long period.

Two species of lizards are found in these islands, and are peculiar to them. The one is an aquatic lizard, with a small head and a comb on its back, and which moves slowly and laboriously along. These are generally to be seen lying on the rocks of lava basking in the bright sunshine, and they look astonished and perplexed when any one comes near them and tries to catch them, but they neither bite nor make any great resistance. Sometimes they are to be seen swimming in the sea, which they are enabled to do by the construction of their throats, their toes, and their tails. They live upon the marine plants, which they fetch up from the bottom of the sea. The other is a land lizard, and they abound in such enormous numbers—at Albemarle especially that great bulky pieces of pumice-stone are often entirely bored through by them. Pumice-stone is found in large quantities at Albemarle Island. These lizards are of an orange or reddish-brown colour, and are thicker, more clumsy, and more disgusting in appearance than their black brethren of the coast. They are much more ill-tempered than the others; when they are angry they nod their heads impatiently, and if a stick be held out to them they will bite it till they leave the marks of their teeth pretty deep in it. Two of these lizards, which we took on board, began to fight Feb.-VOL. CIX. NO. CCCCXXXIV.

with each other, apparently in play at first, but they both became so furious that the combat ended in their killing each other.

We saw numerous sharks all around these islands, but we did not find many other fish; once, however, we had a rich haul at a place where the bottom was of coral. There were also wonderfully few insects, but there was no want of birds. Pieces or fragments of coral lay on the shores of all the islands, but there was no appearance of those coral reefs which surround so many islands in the Pacific Ocean. Among the plants are to be found an aromatic balsam, which is useful in dressing wounds or cuts, and another which is a very good substitute for tea. One peculiarity I must mention relative to the plants in these islands, that I do not remember to have seen more than two plants with blue flowers ; yellow is the all-prevailing colour.

We had a fresh wind when first we left this archipelago, but soon after it increased to a perfect storm, such as we had not expected to encounter in the "Pacific" Ocean. It lasted for some time, and was followed by rain so heavy that the water seemed to fall in torrents from the skies. After this ceased, the heavens became beautifully clear, and the sea was as smooth as glass. No one who has not seen it can imagine the splendour of a sunset at sea after such an uproar in nature. The golden globe of light casts its effulgent beams over the wide canopy of heaven, where the purest azure blends with a purple tint, and the clouds assume the most wonderful forms. Suddenly it sinks beneath the indigo-blue waves; the horizon flames in crimson and gold; and the ocean reflects on its sparkling surface the ever-varying masses of light. Now, but a parting glimpse of the glorious sun is to be caught; and now, it has sunk beneath the line of sea, and the whole vault of heaven seems, as it were, for a few moments on fire. When one gazes at this magnificent spectacle, the work of the Almighty, one can hardly be astonished that the worship of the sun was a religion in the earlier days of the world, among a portion of the ignorant of mankind. And when night casts its pall of darkness over the earth, and thousands of stars glitter in the firmament abovewhen ocean wraps itself in its gloomy veil, while phosphorescent sparks dance around the ship that is gliding over its expanse-one beholds a scene so grand, so beautiful, that one is lost in wondering admiration, and feels impelled to exclaim, How great are thy works, O Jehovah!

It had been arranged that we should go direct from the Galapagos Islands to San Francisco; but for various reasons our plans were altered, and our course was directed towards the Sandwich Islands.

After about a month's voyage we saw land, and the next day, the 21st of June, we anchored off Honululu, in Oahu. Those who imagine that all the beauty of tropical scenery will burst upon the eye of the weary voyager when he casts his first glance upon this island, are much mistaken. When beheld from the sea at a certain distance, the island looks merely a gigantic rock, with its bare, grey head defined against the bright blue sky, but the view softens and improves as one approaches

nearer.

Around the coast lay several worn-out volcanoes, with their conicalshaped craters, and their sides furrowed by streams of lava. Between the ridges of the hills which stretched inland, and were clad in green almost to their summits, we could perceive deep valleys and fertile mea

dows, studded here and there with buildings and plantations, evidences of labour and comfort among the inhabitants. Near the shore stood the white houses of Honululu, not at all European in style or beauty, but nevertheless pretty and picturesque in their own fashion. Above the town rose the extinct volcano "PUNCHBOWL HILL," entirely devoid of all vegetation, but its grey stony mass contrasting well with the wooded hills around. To the right of the volcano, close upon the beach, the eye was attracted by a grove of tall, noble cocoa-nut trees, with their crowns of waving, fan-like branches; farther off, to the west, were to be seen large salt lakes, on which the salt was lying like a crust of ice. In their neighbourhood is the well-known pearl fishery.

We cast anchor near a coral reef, and close to an American frigate, the St. Lawrence, an old acquaintance from Stockholm, where it had been three years before. The next morning a pilot came to take us into an inner harbour, in which we were to remain until we had taken in water and other necessaries. Here we were speedily surrounded by canoes crowded with the Kanaks, or native inhabitants of the group of islands, who, shouting and screaming, came off to offer us fruit, &c., for sale.

Here then we were, for the first time during our voyage, in a country where we might hope to catch a glimpse of that which is fast passing away—unsophisticated nature. Travellers, even though they should circumnavigate the globe, are not, in our days, likely to meet with the extraordinary people, habits, and scenes which used to astonish the travellers of former times. They must now expect to see but little that is new, and little that is worth relating. The earth does not turn upon its axis more quickly than it used to do, but all else goes, like steam, with giddy speed. Time and distance disappear. Uniformity has spread everywhere, and under the burning sun of the equator, and amidst the ice of the poles, will one soon behold the same pursuits, the same life. Original characteristics are wearing away, and with them much of what was interesting.

Nevertheless, those who take pleasure in inquiring minutely into the history of the different races of mankind, will find something to occupy them in tracing the people of these islands through their period of darkness in the past, through their struggles between paganism and civilisation, between their old state and their new, up to their present, we will hope, improved condition.

On first landing at Honululu, one has some difficulty in determining whether one is in a European or a "Kanak" town. The streets, which are regular and of a good width, have frequently foot pavements, though not causeways; they are like roads, and are often bordered with alleys of acacia, and other trees. They all bear English names, such as Fort-street, King-street, &c. &c. They are not lighted at night, except here and there by a solitary lamp belonging to some house whose owner chooses to proclaim in this manner his superior position, or, in some few cases, who takes compassion on those who must be out at night. There is great variety in the style of the buildings. A small number of the houses are built of stone mingled with blocks of lava; but the greater proportion are of wood. The houses are not erected close to each other, but have enclosed within low walls-spaces between them which are sometimes laid out as greens, for they can hardly be called gardens, flowers not ap

pearing to be much in fashion. Some of the houses have a sort of balcony, or look-out place on the roof, with stairs up to it; others, which look like large haystacks, are composed of rushes, and are triangular in shape, with roofs sloping almost to the ground, and a low opening which serves also as a door. Only the principal houses have four walls, and beyond these the roofs also project, so as to form a shade, and afford a space sheltered from the sun immediately around the house. Amidst the variety of dwellings, there are some merely consisting of a few upright poles and a mat stretched over them.

Cisterns, and large reservoirs of water, in which often a great number of fish are kept, seem very general. There is no want of shops of all sorts, but those kept by the Chinese are the most elegant. There is a wooden landing-place, and near it stands the custom-house-a neat building, in which are to be found for sale bread, meat, fruit, and other things; there is also a public eating-room attached to it, where the tables groan under a number of not very appetising dishes. Attracted by the dainties, crowds of people assemble here, and the noise and confusion are often very great. It is a good place to study the natives, whose practices would not appear to be always over honest.

The houses of the Europeans here are furnished very much in the style of our habitations at home, and those which belong to the leading people among the islanders have also their comforts and luxuries. They are divided into different chambers by curtains, or thin walls made of rushes, and have at least beds, tables, chairs, and other useful articles. But in the more common dwellings of the natives there are not even to be found what we would call absolute necessaries. There is generally but one room ; before the sleeping-place in a corner sometimes there hangs a curtain, sometimes none. The family recline, or sit on the ground, which is often, but not always, covered by a mat of reeds. They use calabashes instead of cups, glasses, dishes, basins, and for many other domestic purposes. On entering their huts, one generally finds them sitting with their knees drawn up to their throats, or lying down doing nothing; and they are so slothful that it is a wonder if they take the trouble to lift their heads to bid a stranger welcome.

There is no want of hotels at Honululu, some of them extremely comfortable, and provided with every convenience. One is served, in the European style, with all that a hungry or thirsty visitor can desire; the waiters speak French and English, and one does not feel oneself at all on a foreign shore, until the landlord presents his pleasant bill.

There are but few public buildings. Close to the sea lie the house of representatives and the government offices-both built of coral blocks. The gate of the latter is surmounted by a golden crown. The king's palace lies to the east of the town, in a sort of park, surrounded by thick walls. It is a large building of one story, with a gallery on the roof, from which there must be a fine view. His majesty makes use of this palace only on great occasions, and is then surrounded with much pomp. private, he lives in a simple Kanak manner, in a small house which lies behind the palace, and where he can enjoy his natural tastes and inherited customs. There is also a botanical garden, which is at present in its infancy, but promises to be a very good one. I observed three churches.

In