Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XV.djvu/152

 SOCIETY ISLANDS gfliar'tlichcr Vercin at Gottingen (1750), and >t known are devoted to natural history and geology, especially in Berlin. Switzerland, Austria, Hungary, Russia, Holland, Belgium, and the Scandinavian countries have various learned bodies apart from the academies. They abound also in the United States, especially in regard to investigations of local and national history, nearly every state having a historical society with a library. The " New York His- torical Society" (founded in 1804) and the "New York Geographical Society" (1852) are described under NEW YORK, vol. xii., p. 404. The most important society in the United States is the " American Association for the Advancement of Science," founded in 1847. (See ADVANCEMENT of SCIENCE.) A u Socjal Science Association," organized in Boston in 1865, had in 1874 about 300 members. SOCIETY ISLANDS, a group in the S. Pacific ocean, extending between lat. 16 and 18 S., and Ion. 148 and 155 W. ; area, 666 sq. m. ; pop. about 18,000. The group is formed of two clusters of islands, one of which lies about 70 m. N. W. of the other. They were formerly, and by some geographers still are, distinguished by the separate designations of the Society islands (proper) and the Tahiti or Georgian islands. The latter are under the French pro- tectorate; area, 453 sq. m. ; pop. 13,800, of whom about 970 are emigrants, 400 soldiers, and 600 foreign residents. The former are in- dependent ; area, 213 sq. m. ; pop. about 4,000. Mariners usually speak of one cluster as the windward and the other as the leeward, ap- plying the term Society islands to both com- bined. The Society islands, thus defined, ex- clusive of several islets, are Tahiti or Otaheite, Eimeo, Maiaoiti, Maitia, Tetuaroa, Huahine, Raiatea, Otaha or Tahaa, Borabora, Marua or Maupiti, and Tubai, the first five belonging to the Tahiti group, and the remainder to the So- ciety islands proper. The islands are moun- tainous in the interior, the highest peak, on the island of Tahiti, reaching an elevation of 7,339 ft., and have a border from 1 to 5 m. wide of rich level ground extending from the base of the high lands to the sea. In general appearance they are alike, and lava, basalts, and pumice stone, which are found in several places, indicate that their origin was volcanic. They are surrounded by belts of coral rock, of va- rious width, situated from a few yards to 5 m. from the shore, with openings which permit the passage of canoes, while some of them ad- mit ships to smooth water and good anchorage. There are small lakes and lagoons in some of the islands, and all are watered by numerous streams, upon the banks of which, or along the shores, the inhabitants reside. There is con- siderable variety of soil, the sides of the moun- tains being frequently covered with a thin lay- er of light earth ; the summits of many of the hills have a thick stratum of red ochre or yel- low marl, while the soil of the level tracts along the shores is a rich alluvial deposit, mixed with vegetable mould, and is exceedingly fer- tile. The climate is healthful and very mild, the range of the thermometer throughout the year being inconsiderable. Besides the bread- fruit, these islands produce almost every tropi- cal vegtable and fruit, including some peculiar to the group. A few fruits and vegetables have been introduced from the temperate re- gions. The guava shrub, brought from Nor- folk island, is now common, and bears a pro- fusion of fruit, upon which pigs and cattle feed with avidity. Garden produce is little cultivated, and agriculture is very backward. A botanic garden, established by the French, offers seeds to colonists and natives ; but there is little demand for them, and prizes offered to stimulate production were withdrawn in 1865 as useless. The spontaneous production of fruits seems sufficient for the natives. An Anglo-Portuguese agricultural company, estab- lished in 1861 for the cultivation of cotton and coffee by Chinese coolies, has effected but little. The introduction of limes and oranges has been very successful. Pigs, dogs, and rats were the only quadrupeds found upon the islands at the time of their discovery ; but all our domestic animals have been introduced, and with the exception of the sheep and rabbit have thriven remarkably well. Horned cattle are abundant. There are numbers of aquatic fowl ; the alba- tross, tropic birds, and petrel are found on all the islands; herons and wild ducks frequent the lakes and lagoons ; aAd there are several kinds of birds of prey, woodpeckers, and small paroquets. Domestic fowl are abundant, and were upon the group at the time it was dis- covered. The natives belong evidently to the Malay race, and are generally above the middle stature. Their countenances are open and pre- possessing, though their features are bold and sometimes prominent. Their complexion is olive or reddish brown, but there are great va- rieties of shades. The appearance of the men is vigorous and graceful, and their behavior affable and courteous. Tattooing is not now practised. The native costume has been alto- gether abandoned for dresses resembling those worn by civilized nations. The native manu- factures have been entirely superseded by im- ported goods. The chief intercourse is carried on with Valparaiso, Sydney, and San Fran- cisco, and the domestic exports of the group consist principally of cocoanut oil, arrowroot, sugar, and pearl shells. The annual exports amount to about $1,000,000, and the imports to about $050,000. The principal port, Papiete in Tahiti (pop. about 800), is the residence of several foreign merchants. It is a free port except for arms and spirits, has a dock for repairing vessels, government buildings, and a hospital ; and two newspapers, one in the na- tive language and one in French, are published. The Spaniards lay claim to the discovery of Tahiti in 1606, by Quiros, who called the isl- and Sagittaria. Capt. Wallis, in a British ship sent to make discoveries in the South sea,