one of the Sandwich islands, situated in E. Long. 200. 20. N. Lat. 21. 57. Towards the north-east and north-west, the face of the country is ragged and broken; but to the southward it is more even. The hills rise from the sea-side with a gentle acclivity, and at a little distance back are covered with wood. Its produce is the same with that of the other islands of this cluster; but its inhabitants greatly excel the people of all the neighbouring islands in the management of their plantations. In the low grounds, contiguous to the bay wherein our navigators anchor- ed; these plantations were regularly divided by deep ditches; the fences were formed with neatness approaching to elegance, and the roads through them were finished in such a manner as would have reflected credit even on an European engineer.

The island is about 300 miles in circumference. The road, or anchoring-place, which our vessels occupied, is on the south-west side of the island, about two leagues from the west end, before a village named Wynoa. As far as was founded, the bank was free from rocks; except to the eastward of the village, where there projects a shoal on which are some rocks and breakers. This road is somewhat exposed to the trade-wind; notwithstanding which defect, it is far from being a bad station, and greatly superior to those which necessity continually obliges ships to use, in countries where the winds are not only more variable but more boisterous; as at Madeira, Teneriffe, the Azores, &c. The landing too is not so difficult as at most of those places; and, unless in very bad weather, is always practicable. The water in the neighbourhood is excellent, and may be conveyed with ease to the boats. But no wood can be cut at any convenient distance, unless the islanders could be prevailed upon to part with the few etooa trees (cordia foehifina) that grow about their villages, or a species called dood dood, which grows farther up the country. The ground, from the wooded part to the sea, is covered with an excellent kind of grass, about two feet in height, which sometimes grows in tufts, and appeared capable of being converted into abundant crops of fine hay. But on this extensive space not even a shrub grows naturally.

Besides taro, the sweet potato, and other similar vegetables used by our crews as refreshments, among which were at least five or six varieties of plantains, the island produces bread fruit; which, however, seems to be scarce. There are also a few cocoa palms; some yams; the kappe of the Friendly islands, or Virginian arum; the etooa tree, and odoriferous gardenia or cape jasmine. Our people also met with several trees of the dood dood, that bear the oily nuts, which are fluck upon a kind of skewer and made use of as candles. There is a species of fida, or Indian mallow; also the norinda citifolia, which is here called none; a species of convolvulus; the ava or intoxicating pepper, besides great quantities of gourds. These last grow to a very large size, and are of a remarkable variety of shapes, which are perhaps the effect of art.

The scarlet birds, which were brought for sale, were never met with alive; but one small one was seen, about the size of a canary bird, of a deep crimson colour; also a large owl, two brown hawks or kites, and a wild duck. Other birds were mentioned by the natives; among which were the otoo, or bluish heron, and the torata, a sort of whimbrel. It is probable that the species of birds are numerous, if we may judge by the quantity of fine yellow, green, and small, velvet-like, blackish feathers used upon the cloaks and other ornaments worn by these people. Fish, and other productions of the sea, were to appearance not various. The only tame or domestic animals found here were hogs, dogs, and fowls, which were all of the same kind that had been met with at the islands of the South Pacific. There were also small lizards, and some rats.

The inhabitants of Atooii are of the middle size, and in general stoutly made. They are neither remarkable for a beautiful shape nor for striking features. Their visage, particularly that of the women, is sometimes round, but others have it long; nor can it justly be said, that they are distinguished as a nation by any general cast of countenance. Their complexion is nearly of a nut brown; but some individuals are of a darker hue. They are far from being ugly, and have, to all appearance, few natural deformities of any kind. Their skin is not very soft nor shining; but their eyes and teeth are, for the most part, pretty good. Their hair in general is straight; and though its natural colour is usually black, they stain it, as at the Friendly and other islands. They are active, vigorous, and most expert swimmers; leaving their canoes upon the most frivolous occasion, diving under them, and swimming to others, though at a considerable distance. Women with infants at the breast, when the surf was so high as to prevent their landing in the canoes, frequently leapt overboard, and swam to the shore, without endangering their little ones. They appeared to be of a frank, cheerful disposition; and are equally free from the fickle levity which characterizes the inhabitants of Tahiti, and the sedate calm which is observable among many of those of Tongatabu. They seem to cultivate a sociable intercourse with each other; and, except the propensity to thieving, which is as it were innate in most of the people in those seas, they appeared extremely friendly. It was pleasing to observe with what affection the women managed their infants, and with what alacrity the men contributed their assistance in such a tender office; thus distinguishing themselves from those savages who consider a wife and child as things rather unnecessary than desirable or worthy of their regard and esteem. From the numbers that were seen assembled at every village in coasting along, it was conjectured that the inhabitants of this island are pretty numerous. Including the straggling houses, it was computed there might perhaps be, in the whole island, sixty such villages as that near which our ships anchored; and allowing five persons to each house, there would be in every village five hundred, or thirty thousand upon the island. This number is by no means exaggerated; for there were sometimes three thousand people at least collected upon the beach, when it could not be supposed that above a tenth part of the natives were present.

**A IRA BILIS, BLACK BILE, OR MELANCHOLY.**

According to the ancients it hath a twofold origin:

1st, From the grosser parts of the blood, and this they called the melancholy humour.

2d, From yellow bile being highly concocted. Dr Percival, in his Essays Med. and Exp. suggests, that it is the gall rendered acrid by stagnation in the gall-bladder, and rendered viscid by the absorption of its fluid parts. Bile in this state discharged into the duodenum, occasions universal disturbance and disorder until it is evacuated; it occasions violent vomiting, or purging, or both; and previous to this the pulse is quick, the head aches, a delirium comes on, a hiccup, intense thirst, inward heat, and a fetid breath. Some describe this kind of bile as being acid, harsh, corroding, and, when poured on the ground, bubbling up and raising the earth after the manner of a ferment. Dr Percival says, that by