being becalmed for some hours near the mouth, we did not reach the
anchorage till the middle of the day. The country is hilly, with a
smooth outline, and is deeply intersected by numerous arms of the sea
extending from the bay. The surface appears from a distance as if
clothed with coarse pasture, but this in truth is nothing but fern. On
the more distant hills, as well as in parts of the valleys, there is a
good deal of woodland. The general tint of the landscape is not a
bright green; and it resembles the country a short distance to the
south of Concepcion in Chile. In several parts of the bay, little
villages of square tidy looking houses are scattered close down to the
water's edge. Three whaling-ships were lying at anchor, and a canoe
every now and then crossed from shore to shore; with these exceptions,
an air of extreme quietness reigned over the whole district. Only a
single canoe came alongside. This, and the aspect of the whole scene,
afforded a remarkable, and not very pleasing contrast, with our joyful
and boisterous welcome at Tahiti.
In the afternoon we went on shore to one of the larger groups of
houses, which yet hardly deserves the title of a village. Its name is
Pahia: it is the residence of the missionaries; and there are no native
residents except servants and labourers. In the vicinity of the Bay of
Islands, the number of Englishmen, including their families, amounts to
between two and three hundred. All the cottages, many of which are
whitewashed and look very neat, are the property of the English. The
hovels of the natives are so diminutive and paltry, that they can
scarcely be perceived from a distance. At Pahia, it was quite pleasing
to behold the English flowers in the gardens before the houses; there
were roses of several kinds, honeysuckle, jasmine, stocks, and whole
hedges of sweetbrier.
December 22nd.--In the morning I went out walking; but I soon found
that the country was very impracticable. All the hills are thickly
covered with tall fern, together with a low bush which grows like a
cypress; and very little ground has been cleared or cultivated. I then
tried the sea-beach; but proceeding towards either hand, my walk was
soon stopped by salt-water creeks and deep brooks. The communication
between the inhabitants of the different parts of the bay, is (as in
Chiloe) almost entirely kept up by boats. I was surprised to find that
almost every hill which I ascended, had been at some former time more
or less fortified. The summits were cut into steps or successive
393