Northern Islands.

'I think our work is more likely now to revolve upon a fixed centre--
Sugar Loaf Island in the Banks group--that we shall make the
occupation of the group the first ohject, and do all with reference
to that as the necessary part of the work to be attended to first.
In the choice of scholars, e.g., we have considered whether we should
not limit our selection to such as might pass the next winter with me
at Sugar Loaf Island, and so that the vessel need not run down to
leeward of it. Solomon Islands are the extreme verge. In the East
Island, where there would be merely a question of nothing or
something, we may take very young men who would perhaps not be easy
to keep out of harm at Sugar Loaf, because there will be no
difficulty about returning them to their homes....

'November 11th.--We found in the Santa Cruz group that the news of
Captain Front's and his two men's death in Vanikoro, and (as we
suppose) the news of the "Cordelia" having been at that island to
inquire into the matter, had made the people anxious, uneasy, noisy,
and rather rude. That poor man went to make a station at Vanikoro in
the usual way, taking three poor New Caledonian women with him. The
Vanikoro people killed the three English and took away the women.

'We did not land at Sta. Cruz, but we had a more pleasant intercourse
than heretofore with thirty or forty canoes' crews.

'Timelin Island we ascertained to be identical with Nukapu, an old
familiar place whose latitude we had not ascertained correctly
before. The small reef (Polynesian) islands did not give us so good
a reception as last year, though there was no unfriendliness. The