25th May 1898

Wednesday
During the afternoon we annexed annexed an Island all by itself, this being a Volcanic mountain standing out from the Sea about 5000ft high called Hinakula, we steamed close alongside there being plenty of water, it was then burning and sending forth a large column of White Smoke, it looked as if some time during its eruption it had blown part of its side away, as there was a great vent in

it from the water, out of which molten Lava was running out of and down the sides like great streams of treacle, occasionally great lumps of Rock was hurled down into the Sea which caused a great hissing noise so that you could hardly your self speak, our Captain landed in the Whaler and buried the procla-mation in a Bottle no flag being hoisted as the place was uninhabited, at Night time it was a very grand sight indeed large tongues of flame wouldshoot up and light up the Heavens for miles knocking Brocks display of fire works at the Crystal Palace in a Tin Hat, when the captain returned on board we proceeded and annexed another island  Inevanion off Santa Cruz firing a salute of 21 Guns we them steamed on to Rosia Granville landed Mr Harvest our interpreter, two of our officers going ashore with him to stay a few days, we then went on to Carlilse Bay a rather pretty opening in Santa Cruz behind a great Coral reef there being a natural opening in it just wide enough for a ship to passthrough, here we moored and made ourselves contented to stay for a time on purpose to give our Engines a good overhauling and general clean up of the boilers we had now finished annexing all the Islands of any importance belonging to the Santa Cruz Reef and Swallow Groups. on shore at this place was erected a monument consisting of a great iron cross in memory of Commander Goodenough who was murdered with two seamen belonging to H.M.S Pearl in August 1875, the Commander had landed with an armed party to settle a dispute amongst the Natives, everything went on all right and was settled favourably, the armed part then embarked on their respective boats and got ready for pulling off to the ship, the Commander staying behind with his boats crew to present suge and that to the chiefs, after thi9s was over they made there way down to the boat and was just shoving off when a number of Savages jump from out of the bush, and let go a flight of arrows making a dash for the boat, the Commander & two Seamen was struck with arrows, three other being slightly wounded by blow from the clubs but they managed to get clear of the shore the natives when they found they could not capture the boat returned at once to the bush, it was all done in a moment, In a couple of days the Commander and the two Seamen had died from the effects of the poisoned arrows, H.M.S Pearl landed a large armed force which finished the natives and burnt their Villages down.