Those from Tissot Island and the mainland usually arrive in the forenoon, and, after an hour's stay, leave us for the northern village on the nearest Brumer Island, where they spend the night and return the next morning with a fair wind.

The noise and scrambling alongside when bartering is going on baffles all description--besides the usual talking and shouting, they have a singular habit of directing attention to their wares by a loud, sharp ss, ss, a kind of hissing sound, equivalent to look at this.
MODE OF BARTERING.
In their bargaining the natives have generally been very honest, far more so than our own people whom I have frequently seen cheating them by passing off scraps of worthless iron, and even tin and copper, for pieces of hoop, the imposition not being found out until the property has changed hands.

As at the Louisiade iron hoop is the article most prized by the natives, and is valued according to its width and thickness as a substitute for the stone-heads of their axes.

They also showed great eagerness to obtain our hatchets and fish-hooks, but attached little value to calico, although a gaudy pattern, or bright colour, especially red, was sure to arrest attention; but in such matters they are very capricious.

Even glass bottles were prized, probably as a substitute for obsidian or volcanic glass, portions of which I saw among them, used in shaving, as was explained to me, and probably also for carving in wood.
NATIVE LADIES ON BOARD.
August 25th.
Yesterday and today, in addition to upwards of a hundred natives alongside bartering, we were honoured with visits from several parties of the Tassai ladies, in whose favour the prohibition to come on board was repealed for the time.