Section 169. Tahiti[1]. I.
Reading edition
Section 169. Tahiti[1]. I.
At[2] daylight Tahiti, an island which must for ever remain[3] classical to the voyager in the South Sea, was in view. At a distance the appearance[4] was not attractive. The[5] luxuriant vegetation of the lower[6] part could not yet be seen; and as the clouds rolled[7] past, only the wildest[8] and most precipitous peaks showed themselves[9] towards[10] the centre of the island. As soon as we anchored in[11] Matavai Bay we[12] were surrounded by canoes. After dinner we landed and enjoyed the delights[13] always[14] produced by the first impressions of a fine country. A crowd of men, women, and children was collected on the shore, ready to (S. 19, N. 7) receive us with laughing, merry faces. They[15] marshalled us towards the house of (S. 10, N. 2) Mr. Wilson, the[16] missionary of the district, who met[17] us on the road, and gave[18] us a very fine reception. After sitting[19] a short time in his house, we separated from our host to[20] walk about, and[21] returned in the evening.
The[22] land capable of cultivation is[23] scarcely in any part more than a fringe of low alluvial soil, accumulated round[24] the base of the mountains, and[25] protected from the waves of the sea by a coral reef, which encircles the entire line of coast. Within the reef there[26] is an expanse of smooth water, like that of a lake, where[27] the canoes of the natives can ply with safety, and where[28] ships anchor. The low land, which[29] comes down to the beach of coral sand, is covered[30] by the most beautiful productions of[31] the intertropical regions. In the midst of bananas[32], orange, cocoa-nut, and bread-fruit trees, spots[33] are cleared where yams[34], potatoes, the sugar-cane, and pine-apples are cultivated[35].