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Bounty Logbook Nov 29, 1788

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Remarks in Matavai Bay Saturday 29^th Novem^r 1788

Strong Breezes and fair W^r. with some light showers of Rain. Wind at E^t and SEBE and the Therm^r. from 78° to 81°. PM. received one Launch load of Wood. Employed in the Hold. mending sails and cutting Wood. Found a Cask of Beef N^o 435 Cont^s 80 peices with the Head burst and broke through the middle from fermentation by which means the Meat became rotten and stinking and being unfit for use was thrown overboard. Received more than sufficient supplies of Hogs and fruit. Sick list as yesterday. At Noon the number of Plants shifted amounted to 275. Some others remain in a doubtful State but near 600 are in a very fine way. Out of the number shifted M^r Nelson by my directions has replaced three dozen of them with the following fruits: One dozen of Vees, One dozen of the Oraiah Plantains and one dozen of the apples called Ay,yah.

It is not [to] be wondered at the strong desire the People here have for Axes, as they have acquired a most perfect use of them, and every person that has one belonging to them sets the highest value on it. I had no want of my own People to cut wood, for the Trees were felled and cut up with the greatest ease and readyness by the Natives, who also with much chearfulness carried every billet of it to the Tents at the near half a mile distant.

Tynah with our constant attendant and Freind Moannah dined with me, and after dinner curiosity led us to measure the height of Tynah and found him to be full 6^F..4^In high.* Here are many others as tall as him and the general run of the People are beyond the middle height. Vast corpulency is to be met with among the Cheifs, but it is very rare to see it among the common people. A kind of Circumcision is common among them from an Idea of cleanliness. (To give their own reason for it) but it is not such as among the Jews; for

*[The average height of Englishmen of the period is believed to have been around 5′ 6″.]

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no part is cut off, and only the prepuce slit all the way up on the top of the penis. According to the Age this is done at (for I can find no fixed time) this will hang as a peice of loose flesh, or contract and appear more like a defect, than having been done through design.

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