Polynesian., 1853-10-01
N O o..
A REPORT
On the agricultural Resources, annals and
Prospects Of Bonabs, or ascension Island.
By l.. III. GuLlcK

N.
To the members of the r. H. Aqr;cukurai S,eisf,.
The island of which | write was first
formally announced to the world by Rear
Admiral Luke, of the Russian Corvette La
Senlavine, as having been discovered by him
on the I'd of January, 1923 He did not an
chor in any of its harbors though he slightly
explored three Of them. He approached the
island from the S. E.; January I'd and Sd, he
ran along its lee shore e;-January 4ih he ex-
Plored its N. w. aspect Jan 5th, he en-
amined the low coralne cluster, called by
him Lie Grouppe Anderna, which is about 10
miles S. w. from the main island; Jan. 9th
he examined the coral group about % miles
to the west, called by him LIE Grouppe Pa
quenema january 9TH he stood away to
the N. W., then bent his course southwark
to the low Valientes Islands, and from there
pursued his course westward through the
Caroline range as far as the Ouluthy Group,
casting more light on these Micronesian seas
than has been furnished by any one expedi-
tion, before or since
All the merits of discovery most emphati-
cally belong to Admiral Lutke, vet it is not
only probable but certain, that the island was
before visited by others. A very high chief
of the Kittie tribe having the title of Levan-
detur, died about twelve years since at very
advanced age; and | am told by Mr.. Cook,
who for twenty years has been a resident of
this island, that this chief had China bowl.
and copper tea pot, which the chief said
had been given him on board ship, when
but young boy, at time when these ma
tives supposed a ship to be an object rising
up out of and sinking again into the sea, and
hon tbo >f IL
of them fled to the mountains, and pounded
ava giving it to their priests to secure the
appartion's proptious departure. James
O'Connell's pretensions, as given by Mr. III.
Hale, Of having arrived here in or before
1923, are probably untrue, for am crediblv
informed that he anded here from the ship
Nelson of Sydney, Oct 1882, under the name
Of James keenan,
Lutke named the high island Pouynepete,
which was his French rendering of the ma
tive name. In different places, different
charts, books and reports, it may be found as
Bonabe, Boungbay, Banobe, Banebe, Pony
nipet and Painupet l should render the
same, with the Polynesian alphabet, Pouna-
be, or perhaps more properly Pounape But
the most usual mode Of pronouncing and
spelling it by the Americans and English visit
ing here is find, Bonabe and perhaps this
is sufficiently correct Yet among whalers
in the Pacific it is far more commonly called
Ascension Island The origin Of the appii-
cation of this name have thus far been en-
tirely unable to ascertain, though it promises
to remain permanently attached
Rono kittie, or the lee harbor, on the S.
W. coast Of the island, is by Capt. Lutke
placed on his chart as in Lat. 6a as ~ and
Long. 1889 lS E. According to Capt.
Cheyne of the Naiad, as reported in the
British Nautical Magazine, it is in Lat gal
~ Long. 1852 "a E. 1t is high island
about 20 miles in circumference.
The Seniavine group, as named by Capt,
z Lutke after Admiral Seniavine, consists Of
L. Bonabe; 3 Ant de Grouppe Andema)3.
Pakin LIE Grouppe Paquenema) and 4. Ma
tik send the Royal Hawaiian Agricultu-
raj Society accompanying this report, map
OF the first three islands, based upon Lutkes
chart of 1923, corrected by my own obser-
vations, and giving native names.
distribute the facts Of Agricultural inter-
est relating to Ascension Island, under the
several heads of Resources, Annals and
Prospects.
l. Those facts bearing on its native Re-
sources may be arranged under the depart
ments of L. Geology, 2. Physical Geography
and g. Climate.
L. The general geological character of the
island is, presume, that which would be
basaltic, with more recent coraline
element | have not the eye Of practised
geologist, and therefore report on these mat
ters with some hestancy; and request that
allowance be made for my practical igno-
rance.
Though have not explored the noun
famous interior, judge from what | can see
and learn, that there are no remains of any
volcanoes of any kind or age. Tho rocks
are of those various characters which | un-
derstand to be grouped under the term Of
&c Trap" l Ihave not seen any thing should
call granite, but there are certainly many
quite granite looking rocks; nor have seen
any specimens of what Judge to be sienite,
though think we certainly have quantities
of Senitic Greensboro. Greensboro take
to be one of the most prevailing types of our
rocks. Trachyte or Trachytic Porphory is
widely diffused. In my ignorance, it is i'm
possible for me todetermine concerning what
more experienced geologists might differ, viz.
we have distinct, specific Basalt, or
all Of this class are to be ranged un-
der Greensboro. Porphyriiic rocks exist in
some variety and abundance. | think We
have Petrosilex, Claystone and Clnkstone
or Phonolete. OF variety of the last IN
the slab form the awa-stones of these islam
ders are perhaps made Amygdaloid stones
are somewhat frequent. Rocks Of columnar
structure, either of Trachyte, or Basalts or
Greensboro, are abundant on the southern
side of the island; and from them the cele-
brated ancient ruins in the Mataianim har-
Dor are built.
This island gem Of never-fading emerald