I remarked with astonishment that the authority of their chiefs had always appeared very inconsiderable in our various dealings with the savages; but I was not less surprised to find that they exercised great power when their own private interest was at stake, for they generally seized upon such articles as their subjects had received from us.
While we were in New Caledonia we enjoyed a pretty serene sky.
The winds varied from the north-east to the south, and the strongest were the east and the south-east.
Our moorings were in lat. 20° 17′ 29″ south, and 162° 16′ 28″ east longitude.
The variation of the needle was 9° 30′ towards the east.
The mercury in the barometer never rose above 28 inches 2 lines and 2-10ths, and never fell below 28 inches 1 line and 4-10ths.
Notwithstanding the excessive heat which we felt on the coast, the thermometer never exceeded 25°, and on board never rose above 21°.
The tides were not observable above once a day, when we lay at anchor. The flood took place at half past six, and the waters rose in perpendicular height four feet seven inches.
We could not gather the least intelligenceduring
