of the surgeon of the Blonde, consented to submit to the operation of tapping. The chiefs who stood by, were in no little anxiety and doubt. They were alarmed at the very idea. of an operation so formidable in appearance, and seriously ' expected to see his highness's breakfast issue through the aperture.' The determination of the regent was, however, unshaken, and his confidence implicit. My life,' he said, is in your hands; do as you think good.' The old queen supported his head, kissing his forehead repeatedly, and, though not easily melted, shedding tears profusely. The operation was perfectly successful; but he has since relapsed, and a Russian surgeon has again performed it, though with a less beneficial effect. The chief did not suffer his infirmities to interfere with the duties of his office; he presided at the different councils, which were held for the purpose of settling the order of government, and in all transactions, seems to have manifested much wisdom and decision. After every thing had been satisfactorily settled, the Blonde weighed and stood for the island of Owhyhee, or, as more properly given by Mr. Ellis, Hawaii, where she anchored, in Byron Bay, on the 12th of June.

The most important business of our countrymen on this island, concerned the supplies for the homeward voyage; and their most interesting occupation consisted in watching the manners and pastimes of the natives, and in making excursions to the great burning mountain. The crater does not appear to have presented so magnificent an aspect, as when visited by Mr. Ellis. The lake of molten minerals, which heaved in glowing surge at a depth of thirteen hundred feet, had either found an outlet, or sunk to its interior caverns; but enough remained to excite the strongest sensations of admiration and awe. From the brink of the dark, fiery gulf,' Lord Byron and his companions looked down over masses of lava and sulphur, upon a rugged plain,' over which were scattered upwards of fifty cones, of different heights, more than half of which were throwing up jets of flame, smoke, and vapour; ' while floods of liquid fire were slowly winding through ⚫ scoriæ and ashes, here yellow with sulphur, and there black, or grey, or red, as the materials which the flame had wrought on, varied.' The details which we have so lately given from Mr. Ellis's work, render it unnecessary to be more minute in describing this stupendous volcano; and we shall only add, that Lord Byron and his companions contrived to find their way to the bottom of the crater, and to reach one of the cones. They descended 932 feet, to the ledge' or gallery' that breaks the perpendicular of the sides; and from this, with

greater difficulty, they reached the lowest part, 400 feet more. Still they were not satisfied; but, with reckless and unprofitable hardihood, pushed on, over the uncertain surface, as far as one of the cones. This was their hic tandem; for the wind changing, drove the smoke and steam down upon them with such violence as to compel a quick retreat. Nothing in the ⚫ whole scene was more striking than the soft fire-showers that seemed to rain down upon the burning plain.' The party took up their quarters for the night at a hut, built under circumstances which we shall presently relate; but they were not permitted to indulge in unbroken repose. An earthquake roused them at midnight from their sleep, and on hastening to the crater, they perceived a new opening throwing up stones and flame, with tremendous noise. Fresh streams of lava were flowing in all directions, and even the dark portions of the surface heaved with the internal commotion. Not long before this, the same scenes had been visited from motives of a far higherkind than those of scientific curiosity.

• The hut in which we passed the night, had witnessed one of the greatest acts of moral courage, which has, perhaps, been performed; and the actor was a woman, and, as we are pleased to call it, a savage.

Kapiolani, the wife of Nahi, a female chief of the highest rank, had recently embraced Christianity; and desirous of propagating it, and of undeceiving the natives as to their false gods, she resolved to climb the mountain, descend into the crater, and by thus braving the volcanic deities in their very homes, convince the inhabitants of the island, that God is God alone, and that the false subordinate deities existed only in the fancy of their weak adorers. Thus determined,

and accompanied by a missionary, she, with part of her family, and a number of followers, both of her own vassals and those of other chiefs, ascended Peli. At the edge of the first precipice that bounds the sunken plain, many of her followers and companions lost courage and turned back; at the second, the rest earnestly entreated her to desist from her dangerous enterprise, and forbear to tempt the powerful god of the fires. But she proceeded, and, on the very verge of the crater, caused the hut we were now sheltered in to be constructed for herself and people. Here she was again assailed by their entreaties to return home, and their assurances, that if she persisted in violating the houses of the goddess, she would draw on herself and those with her, certain destruction. Her answer was noble :-“ I will descend into the crater," said she, " and if I do not return safe, then continue to worship Peli: but if I come back unhurt, you must learn to adore the God who created Peli." She accordingly went down the steep and difficult side of the crater, accompanied by a missionary, and by some whom love or duty induced to follow her. Arrived at the bottom, she pushed a stick into the liquid lava, and stirred the ashes of the burning lake. The charm of superstition was at that moment broken. Those who had expected to see the goddess, armed

with flame and sulphurous smoke, burst forth and destroy the daring heroine who thus braved her in her very sanctuary, were awe-struck when they saw the fire remain innocuous, and the flames roll harmless as though none were present. They acknowledged the greatness of the God of Kapiolani; and from that time, few indeed have been the offerings, and little the reverence offered to the fires of Peli.'

Until the visit of Lord Byron, the Royal Morai,' where the bones of the ancient kings of the Island are said to be preserved, had been held sacred, with all its apparatus of idols, wooden and wicker; but Karaimoku gave permission to his lordship, not only to examine it, but to carry off as much of its contents as he should think proper. The license was acted upon so effectively that, somewhat to the annoyance of the priest who acted as guardian, nearly the whole furniture of the place was transported to the Blonde. The old man, however, was no bigot. He related an anecdote of his youth that is worth repeating.

One morning, his father had placed the usual offering of fish and poi before the Nui Akua, or Great Spirit. The son, having spent a long day in an unsuccessful fishing expedition, returned, and, tempted by hunger, devoured the food of the gods. But first he placed his hands on the eyes of the idol, and found they saw not; and then his hand into his mouth, but it did not bite; and then he threw his mantle over the image, and ate; and, replacing the bowl, removed the mantle, and went his way. Being reproved by his father, he said— "Father, I spoke to him, and he heard not; I put my hand into his mouth, and he felt not; I placed tapa over his eyes, and he saw not; 1 therefore laughed and ate." "Son," said the old priest," thou hast done unwisely: 'tis true, the wood neither sees nor hears, but the Spirit above observes all our actions."

On the 18th of July, the frigate sailed for England, leaving a consul to watch over the interests of Great Britain, and to promote, as far as feasible, the advance of civilization and good government among the islanders. Strange things are intimated respecting Mr. Bingham and his fellow missionaries ;-we wish, most sincerely, that Mr. Ellis were on the spot. His intelligence and moderation might prevent much mischief. He would have a difficult task, but we are persuaded that he is quite equal to cope with all the irritabilities and selfishnesses, which might encounter him in its performance.

On the 8th of August, in 20°. 8'. S. lat. and 157°. 20'. W. long., the Blonde came in sight of an island not laid down in any of the charts. Some of the officers landed, and found this solitary islet inhabited, and by Christians. Two finelooking men' came on board, and presented their credentials as teachers appointed by the missionaries at Otaheite. When

the party landed from the frigate, they were met by the natives in the most friendly manner, and led through a thick, shady wood, continually improving in beauty, until they came to a bright green lawn, on which stood the missionaries' dwellings, two of the prettiest white-washed cottages imaginable.' The interior answered to the outside appearances: boarded floors, sofa and chairs, windows with Venetian shutters, white curtained beds, and varnished floor-cloths, were among the conveniences and decorations of these villas of Mauti. A church stood near, of oval form, with carved pulpit and reading-desk, and with seats for the accommodation of two hundred people. The island belongs to the king of Atui, who, having been induced to destroy his idols, visited this spot in company with two English missionaries, destroyed the morais, committed the wooden gods to the flames, and left the two native teachers for the instruction of the people.

'On our return to the beach, one of the missionaries attended us. As we retraced our steps through the wood, the warbling of the birds, whose plumage was as rich as it was new to us, the various-tinted butterflies that fluttered across our path-the delicious climate-the magnificent forest trees-and, above all, the perfect union and harmony existing among the natives,-presented a succession of agreeable pictures which could not fail to delight us.'

Their next point was Valparaiso, where their stay was short; and, in company with other English frigates, they sailed for Conception, where they had an opportunity of making acquaintance with the Araucanian chiefs, and of witnessing the evolutions of their cavalry. A grand review had been appointed, with the consent of the local authorities, for the marines of the British squadron, 300 in number; and the chieftains had promised to exhibit at the same time the manœuvres of the native troops. Men and horses were alike savage in their appearance. The whole scene, which furnished a holiday to the inhabitants for many miles round, is well described.

At the command of Venancio, they went through their exercise. On a given signal they galloped off at once, brandishing their spears, and uttering the most discordant cries; then stopped suddenly and drew up in a body, round which the chiefs galloped repeatedly; then they dismounted and advanced as if to charge on foot, beating time with their lances, and working themselves up by shouts and howlings almost to frenzy. After this exhibition, our marines performed their evolutions, to the great delight both of the savage and the civilized spectators; and, indeed, the whole scene was very interesting. The surrounding country was very beautiful; our station, on a lawn on the promontory of Talcahuana, peculiarly so groves and detached groupes of trees surrounded us, between which, on one hand, was the

The

vale of the majestic Bio Bio, whose broad waters were winding past the city, through rich woods and fields, at the foot of lofty mountains. On the other side lay the bay, in which the British ships, quietly at anchor, were dressed with flags in honour of the day. The fore-ground was filled with three very different races of men. wild, unconquered Araucanian Indians, the original possessors of the soil; the native Chilians, sprung from the Indian owner, and the Spanish usurper of the country; and ourselves, whose presence here, a century ago, would have boded war in both hemispheres, but who are now the protectors of the peace, nay the very existence of the country. Nor were the external differences of appearance less striking than the moral distinction of the three races. We were dressed in the modern European naval costume; the Chilians in their broad hats, and handsome striped ponchos; and the Indians with little clothing beyond what decency requires: so that there wanted nothing to complete the picturesque in all the various groupes that we formed.'

On the homeward passage, after leaving St. Helena, the Blonde fell in with a wreck, water-logged, but prevented from sinking by the lading, which was of timber. Her masts were shattered; her rigging and canvass were in shreds. The sea had swept the decks; but, when the frigate neared her, six human figures made their appearance in the last stage of famine and misery. They had been thirty-two days without any food but the flesh of their dead companions; they had seen other vessels, which had been unable or unwilling to aid them; and they were all that remained of seventeen. One ship, an American, staid near them two days, hailed them, and proposed to them to make a raft and come on board; but they had neither tools nor materials, nor, if these had been at hand, strength to use them. The sea ran high, and the American captain durst not risk his boat. He reluctantly bore up, and left them to their fate. It is singular, that not only the remainder of the crew were saved, but that the wreck itself should afterwards have been navigated into port. Lord Napier, in the Diamond frigate, fell in with it in the following summer; and, as the nature of his service did not allow him time enough to tow it into port, he put on board a sufficient number of hands, volunteers, to pilot the ship into the Azores, where she was so far refitted as to reach England in safety with the greater part of the cargo.

The Blonde anchored at Spithead, March 15th, 1826.

The plates are pleasing, but, assuredly, do not exhibit the most interesting or characteristic scenery of the Sandwich Islands. They are merely aquatinted. The view of the great crater, Kairauea, is a decided failure, although the drawing has evidently been made by a practised hand. It conveys no