Bora bora [Society Islands], from a ruined native fort above the chief village on the East side of the island, Septr 5th 1849

Mounted in album with PAI4605-PAI4625, PAI4627-PAI4670.; No.21. 14. No. 21 in Fanshawe's Pacific album, 1849-1852. Captioned by the artist on the album page below the image, as title. Fanshawe's view appears to be looking east across Vairou Bay towards the wooded outer reef of Bora Bora, from high ground below a peak (? Mount Otemanu) on the right. The 'chief village' mentioned is Vairou on the bay below. Fanshawe and others had set out at 5.30 a.m. in the morning to sail round the island in his gig. Having encountered the chief from Vairou in a canoe at sea, they called there prior to making this climb: 'We procured a guide, and after a steep pull for a mile and a half through a forest of guava, hibiscus and "Tahitian chestnut'" we reached the pah [fort], a ruin partly stone, partly stockade, and overgrown with guava. We had a good view of the different shades and colours of the sea inside and outside the reefs' (Fanshawe [1904] p.212). See also PAI4626 for details of the island. This is one of a group of eleven Fanshawe drawings of the Society Islands, PAI4616 - PAI427, made while he commanded the 'Daphne' in the Pacific: three are of Bora Bora (PAI4625 - PAI4627).
Edward Gennys Fanshawe

Original size: 190 mm x 320 mm