Polynesian., 1860-11-24
Ghf polprlesian.
ON MGR
REV. l.. III. GULICK, vi. ID.
LECTURE Ill,
PONAPI AND THE pONAPIAN.

tire of the island is in lat So N and long 15S 25 E.
Ii may have been first by Quirosa in 1885, his
voyage to the Philippines from Santa Cruz after the
abandonment of the unfortunate attempt settle there
NJ. de Freycnet supposes the island have been
Hogoen but the description given seems to be that of
one large island with circumference of thirty leagues
which much better corresponds to Ponapi than to HO
gOen, to which NJ. Duperrey inclines
Subsequently to Quirosa, the island was no doubt
casOnay seen, but not reported. There is native
tradition of boats company having landed on the
south side of the island who had such peculiar skins
they could only be killed by piercing their eyes, They
were probably Spaniards clothed in mail Several
counts speak of ships having been seen, when they
were supposed to be islands rising up of and subsd
ing into the Such phenomena much feared,
and while they were in view people fed from the shores
and the priests drank for the spirits interpOsi-
ton until the dreaded objects disappeared Twenty
years ago there in the Metalanm tribe figure
head much resembling that of junk, and the natives
told the whites who that it belonged a vessel
wrecked here which first brought fowls to the island,
and this day they give the names of the for
eigners who landed from the vessel One old chief of
the Xiii tribe, notong since deceased, when but young
man, with more than usual bodness, went on board
passing vessel and received China bowl and copper
tea pot, which have been seen by an Engishman still
resident the island. few Spanish silver coins and
silver crucfx years since discovered in the
vaults OF the celebrated ruins at Metalanm. pair
of silver divders found in the ruin Of old
house at Xiii, and inland from there brass cannon
time since discovered and taken from the is
land Yet Ponapi eonnot be said to have been discov
cred till Lutke, of the Russian corvette La SeaUine
first it, Jan. I'd, 1923.
The POnapi group consists of several islands sur
rounded by reef seventy eighty miles in crcumfer
The large island named Ponapi is about sixty
miles in circuit and engrosses nearly the whole of the
enclosed area, while twelve basaltic points,
slightly detached form many lesser islands, and up
the coral reef itself more than fifteen coral sets
in every respect similar to those of the purely corane
groups.
The geological character of Ponap is well expressed
by the term basaltic while there is about it import
ant but more recent coraline element. The island
must once have been dreary waste of rock, but the
processes Of decomposition have meOwed large por-
tons ohe surface and thus changes have been wrought
full of scientific interest and poetic beauty. Short,
rapid streams active in forming aluvial deposits
round the shores of the whole island, where the coral
reef, like silver plate containing the emerald gem,
most conservatively preserves the precious debris,
rich of vegetable wealth. Openings in the out
reef frequent, by which several excellent harbors
are formed.
Except on its northern aspects where the scattered
islands and the bold hills delightfully."- picturesque
there is nothing marked about the landscape yet all is
warm with beauty most serene. The mainland shore
steps freely gracefully, down to where ocean ebbs and
flows. Between the evergreen shore and the outer
reef many patch of coral whens near the surface,
though not prorudng, at lowest tide and attracts
the eye tracing the winding channels and spreading
fOaming line of white shows where hoary ocean casts
up tributes of love- many deep gem, and where
he is surgng out his admiration of Nature and his
anthem to Natures God.
Ponapi is clothed with vegetation from its highest
peaks quite into the ocean, where extensive mangroye
swampS flourish i'll perfection. So dense is the vegea-
ton that passing vessel can scarcely discern house
of the hundreds that scattered along its entire cir
cumerence and but for the smoke of domestic fires,
anu the canoes gliding with paddle and magic sail with
I'M hoo miph be
uninhabted The whole surface of the island is cover
ed by uninterrupted forest, with the exception of
few spots on the leward slopes covered with short
grass whose green of quite yellow est, and
Contrasts strongly with the intensely deep almost black
green of the surrounding thickets
This luxury of vegetation gives peculiar sOftness
to the scenery. The absolute uniformity of the
broken sulry green detracts perhaps from Its pctur
esque romance to widely travelled eye; though to
one with purely Mcronesian eye and heart it is the
highest type of island beauty. Nor does the unorm-
ity pertain only to color the circumstances of
varying height and form are apparently denied 10 the
different tribes of trees, completely does the mantng
canopy of vines bind tree to tree, bridge every slight
hiatus and blend every popularity in gently undu
lang food With the exception of two three vari-
etes of palm that occasionally skirt the Shore like the
cocoanut stand in princey distincness, like the sa
go, nothing in form altitude relieves the luxurious
scene.
Though envelOped in the same deep green with Ku-
sae Ponapi is strkingy different from it. Its highest
point by Lutke given 2S5o feet but its area Is so
much greaer-nelry dOuble-that its height IS one OF
the less noticeable of its features. As seen from the
east and south slopes with much regularity from the
central hills to the sOre presenting of those Jag
ged lines and fewer of those pinnacle rocks proIn
nent in sister. Along the abrupt north
ern shores beautiful sisterhood of eight ten basat
c isles sport among the coral reefs, unlike anything
on Kusae, save the solitary islet Of Leta.
Unlike that of Kusae, the magic line of the encir-
cling reef through which the gods themselves dare
pass, surrounds the Ponapian tabeau at an aver
age distance of perhaps two miles. Po'dpi is grace
full mother queen, resting in state on her ample coral
throne while close about her cluster family of modest
maiden isles The islet hills of T, to the West scat
tered widely within their immense rambling reef
beauteous youthful group, bere of father and of mother
Kusae, with her deeply serratei and comparatively un
meowed hills, and with her silver zone close about
her, is solitary beauty-a romantic, unweided, un-
Few of the island races have pleasing physi-
ognomy than the Ponapian. There IS a something IN
the sprghtly eve and in the refined features Of many
of them that differs much from the gross, unmarked
anmalty of large number Of the Inhabitants OF
Oceanca The men dressed in their skirt of the leaf
let's of the eocoanut neatly bleached and attached to
string tied about the hips exhibit their whole body, Of
which they are in general Justly proud The human
frame is seldom seen to better advantage than when
Ponapian stands firmly erect the quyering prov of
his slight canoe fearless and proud captain his
quarter deck his eye peerng the waters ahead, and
cry muscle tense readiness to launch long. spear
like stick held in one hand and poised on the opposite
forearm at some nhabitant of the deep. Nor the
attractions of the females at oil inferior Not that all
are Beauties but many of high order of grace
their former order of dress consisted Of only piece of
cloth about the hips.
There is, as many have remarked great variety Of
countenance One is often reminded of familiar
face in the distant homeland Of the white The
high forehead, large in the regions Of causaty the
delicate eyebrow the piercing black eye the long sen
der aquine nose the thin expressive lip, and gently
rounded chin, are not uncommon particularly among
the younger and more delicatey raised The complex
ion Of many especially among the females, is frequent
ly of light olive COLOR scarcely deeper than that Of