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Transcription
and assist the officers of the Scientific
Corps generally. Among the men was
Pelkey, my assistant, who devoted his at-
tention to stuffing birds etc when other du-
ties permitted, which, in his opinion at
least, was not often. Mr Wright and
Myself remained on board visiting the
Shore daily for a few hours (10k to 4t) to
make collections.
The creek at Lumai runs for some hun-
dreds of yards through muddy and Sandy
flats which, being nearly level, are dai-
ly laid bare by the tide, which rises
and falls here within five of six feet
perpendicular height. These flats, though
well searched, yielded but few objects of
interest in a Zoological point of view, and
in fact the region in the vicinity of Mafa
generally appears to offer but a poor
field for the researches of the Naturalist.
The flats are very extensive, and are
separated from the sea only by a
narrow strip of rocky reef at low
water. Their higher levels are almost
entirely occupied by the natives who
use them as floors upon which to
spread their Salting-Sand. In hot days very
many of the people may be seen on these
flats thus Making Salt. The sand is spread
on the floors at low waters; the tide then
comes in and wets it, and retiring, leaves
much of the water retained among the
gains in the little heaps of Sand, which, dry
dry leaves the salt. The sand is then
scrapped up, and the salt washed out of it with
salt-water—thereby forming a little brine
fit for boiling.
Our Shore-party occupied a large tent made
of matting which had been used by Com. Perry
for the reception of Coal. Behind this structure
was situated the "foreign burial ground" contain-
ing a dozen or more graves, which were
indicated, after the Lum Choo style, by an
dlong table of cement or chinaware supported
in the interior by its high rectangle of
loose stones. One or two of these graves
dated far back, and were those of French-men & Missionaries who died here pre-
vious to 1820. Two of our men who died
just before an arrival here are also
buried at this spot.
In the Lumai creek I frequently hauled