Sandwich Islands  Contents  Source  Whalesite

A VOYAGE

TO THE

PACIFIC OCEAN.

UNDERTAKEN,

BY THE COMMAND OF HIS MAJESTY,

FOR MAKING

Discoveries in the Northern Hemisphere.

TO DETERMINE

The POSITION and EXTENT of the WEST SIDE of NORTH AMERICA;
its DISTANCE from ASIA; and the PRACTICABILITY of a
NORTHERN PASSAGE to EUROPE.

PERFORMED UNDER THE DIRECTION OF

Captains COOK, CLERKE, and GORE,
In his MAJESTY'S Ships the RESOLUTION and DISCOVERY.
In the Years 1776, 1777, 1778, 1779, and 1780.

IN THREE VOLUMES.
VOL. I. and II. written by Captain JAMES COOK, F.R.S.
VOL. III. by Captain JAMES KING, LL.D. and F.R.S.

Illustrated with MAPS and CHARTS, from the Original Drawings made by Lieut. HENRY ROBERTS,
under the Direction of Captain COOK; and with a great Variety of Portraits of Persons, Views
of Places, and Historical Representations of Remarkable Incidents, drawn by Mr.
WEBBER during the Voyage, and engraved by the molt eminent Artists.

Published by Order of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty.

VOL. II.

CONTENTS

OF THE

SECOND VOLUME.

BOOK III.

BOOK IV.

PLATES.

CHAP. X.

Some Islands discovered.—Account of the Natives of Atooi, who come off to the Ships, and their Behaviour on going on board.—One of them killed.—Precautions used to prevent Intercourse with the Females.—A watering-place found.—Reception upon landing.—Excursion into the Country.—A Morai visited and described.—Graves of the Chiefs, and of the human Sacrifices, there buried.—Another Island, called Oneeheow visited.—Ceremonies performed by the Natives, who go off to the Ships.—Reasons for believing that they are Cannibals.—A Party sent ashore, who remain two Nights.—Account of what passed on landing.—The Ships leave the Islands, and proceed to the North.

      On the 2d of January, at day-break, we weighed anchor, and resumed our course to the North; having fine weather, and a gentle breeze at East, and East South East, till we got into the latitude of 7° 45′ North, and the longitude of 205° East, where we had one calm day. This was succeeded by a North East by East, and East North East wind. At first it blew faint, but freshened as we advanced to the North. We continued to see birds every day, of the sorts last mentioned; sometimes in greater numbers than others; and between the latitude of 10° and 11°, we saw several turtle. All these are looked upon as signs of the vicinity of

land. However, we discovered none till day-break, in the morning of the 18th, when an island made its appearance, bearing North East by East; and, soon after, we saw more land bearing North, and entirely detached from the former. Both had the appearance of being high land. At noon, the first bore North East by East, half East, by estimation about eight or nine leagues distant; and an elevated hill, near the East end of the other, bore North, half West. Our latitude, at this time, was 21° 12′, North; and longitude 200° 41′, East. We had now light airs and calms, by turns; so that, at sunset, we were not less than nine or ten leagues from the nearest land.

      On the 19th, at sun-rise, the island first seen, bore East, several leagues distant. This being directly to windward, which prevented our getting near it, I stood for the other, which we could reach; and, not long after, discovered a third island in the direction of West North West, as far distant as land could be seen. We had now a fine breeze at East by North; and I steered for the East end of the second island; which, at noon, extended from North, half East, to West North West, a quarter West, the nearest part being about two leagues distant. At this time, we were in some doubt whether or no the land before us was inhabited; but this doubt was soon cleared up, by seeing some canoes coming off from the shore, toward the ships. I immediately brought to, to give them time to join us. They had from three to six men each; and, on their approach, we were agreeably surprized to find, that they spoke the language of Otaheite, and of the other islands we had lately visited. It required but very little address, to get them to come along-side; but no intreaties could prevail upon any of them to come on board. I tied some brass medals to a

rope, and gave them to those in one of the canoes, who, in return, tied some small mackerel to the rope, as an equivalent. This was repeated; and some small nails, or bits of iron, which they valued more than any other article, were given them. For these they exchanged more fish, and a sweet potatoe; a sure sign that they had some notion of bartering; or, at least, of returning one present for another. They had nothing else in their canoes, except some large gourd shells, and a kind of fishing-net; but one of them offered for sale the piece of stuff that he wore round his waist, after the manner of the other islands. These people were of a brown colour; and, though of the common size, were stoutly made. There was little difference in the casts of their colour, but a considerable variation in their features; some of their visages not being very unlike those of Europeans. The hair of most of them was cropt pretty short; others had it flowing loose; and, with a few, it was tied in a bunch on the crown of the head. In all, it seemed to be naturally black; but most of them had stained it, as is the practice of the Friendly Islanders, with some stuff which gave it a brown or burnt colour. In general, they wore their beards. They had no ornaments about their persons, nor did we observe that their ears were perforated; but some were punctured on the hands, or near the groin, though in a small degree; and the bits of cloth, which they wore, were curiously stained with red, black, and white colours. They seemed very mild; and had no arms of any kind, if we except some small stones, which they had evidently brought for their own defence; and these they threw overboard when they found that they were not wanted.

      Seeing no signs of an anchoring-place at this Eastern extreme of the island, I bore away to leeward, and ranged

along the South East side, at the distance of half a league from the shore. As soon as we made sail, the canoes left us; but others came off, as we proceeded along the coast, bringing with them roasting-pigs, and some very fine potatoes, which they exchanged, as the others had done, for whatever was offered to them. Several small pigs were purchased for a sixpenny nail; so that we again found ourselves in a land of plenty; and just at the time when the turtle, which we had so fortunately procured at Christmas Island, were nearly expended. We passed several villages; some seated near the sea, and others farther up the country. The inhabitants of all of them crowded to the shore, and collected themselves on the elevated places to view the ships. The land upon this side of the island rises, in a gentle slope, from the sea to the foot of the mountains, which occupy the centre of the country, except at one place near the East end, where they rise directly from the sea, and seemed to be formed of nothing but stone, or rocks lying in horizontal strata. We saw no wood, but what was up in the interior part of the island, except a few trees about the villages; near which, also, we could observe several plantations of plantains and sugar-canes, and spots that seemed cultivated for roots.

      We continued to sound, without striking ground with a line of fifty fathoms, till we came abreast of a low point, which is about the middle of this side of the island, or rather nearer the North West end. Here we met with twelve and fourteen fathoms, over a rocky bottom. Being past this point, from which the coast trended more Northerly, we had twenty, then sixteen, twelve, and, at last, five fathoms over a sandy bottom. The last soundings were about a mile from the shore. Night now put a stop to any farther researches;

and we spent it standing off and on. The next morning, we stood in for the land, and were met with several canoes filled with people; some of whom took courage, and ventured on board.

      In the course of my several voyages, I never before met with the natives of any place so much astonished, as these people were, upon entering a ship. Their eyes were continually flying from object to object; the wildness of their looks and gestures fully expressing their entire ignorance about every thing they saw, and strongly marking to us, that, till now, they had never been visited by Europeans, nor been acquainted with any of our commodities, except iron; which, however, it was plain, they had only heard of, or had known it in some small quantity, brought to them at some distant period. They seemed only to understand, that it was a substance, much better adapted to the purposes of cutting, or of boring of holes, than any thing their own country produced. They asked for it by the name of hamaite, probably referring to some instrument, in the making of which iron could be usefully employed; for they applied that name to the blade of a knife, though we could be certain that they had no idea of that particular instrument; nor could they, at all, handle it properly. For the same reason, they frequently called iron by the name of toe, which, in their language, signifies a hatchet, or rather a kind of adze. On asking them what iron was, they immediately answered, "We do not know; you know what it is, and we only understand it as toe, or hamaite." When we shewed them some beads, they asked first, "What they were; and then, whether they should eat them." But on their being told, that they were to be hung in their ears, they returned them as useless. They were equally indif-

ferent as to a looking-glass, which was offered them, and returned it, for the same reason; but sufficiently expressed their desire for hamaite and toe, which they wished might be very large. Plates of earthen-ware, china-cups, and other such things, were so new to them, that they asked if they were made of wood; but wished to have some, that they might carry them to be looked at on shore. They were, in some respects, naturally well bred; or, at least, fearful of giving offence, asking, where they should sit down, whether they might spit upon the deck, and the like. Some of them repeated a long prayer before they came on board; and others, afterward, sung and made motions with their hands, such as we had been accustomed to see in the dances of the islands we had lately visited. There was another circumstance, in which they also perfectly resembled those other islanders. At first, on their entering the ship, they endeavoured to steal every thing they came near; or rather to take it openly, as what we either should not resent, or not hinder. We soon convinced them of their mistake; and if they, after some time, became less active in appropriating to themselves whatever they took a fancy to, it was because they found that we kept a watchful eye over them.

      At nine o'clock, being pretty near the shore, I sent three armed boats, under the command of Lieutenant Williamson, to look for a landing-place, and for fresh water. I ordered him, that if he should find it necessary to land in search of the latter, not to suffer more than one man to go with him out of the boats. Just as they were putting off from the ship, one of the natives having stolen the butcher's cleaver, leaped overboard, got into his canoe, and hastened to the shore, the boats pursuing him in vain.

      The order not to permit the crews of the boats to go on shore was issued, that I might do every thing in my power to prevent the importation of a fatal disease into this island, which I knew some of our men now laboured under, and which, unfortunately, had been already communicated by us to other islands in these seas. With the same view, I ordered all female visiters to be excluded from the ships. Many of them had come off in the canoes. Their size, colour, and features did not differ much from those of the men; and though their countenances were remarkably open and agreeable, there were few traces of delicacy to be seen, either in their faces, or other proportions. The only difference in their dress, was their having a piece of cloth about the body, reaching from near the middle, to half-way down the thighs, instead of the maro worn by the other sex. They would as readily have favoured us with their company on board as the men; but I wished to prevent all connection, which might, too probably, convey an irreparable injury to themselves, and, through their means, to the whole nation. Another necessary precaution was taken, by strictly enjoining, that no person, known to be capable of propagating the infection, should be sent upon duty out of the ships.

      Whether these regulations, dictated by humanity, had the desired effect, or no, time only can discover. I had been equally attentive to the same object, when I first visited the Friendly Islands; yet I afterward found, with real concern, that I had not succeeded. And I am much afraid, that this will always be the case, in such voyages as ours, whenever it is necessary to have a number of people on shore. The opportunities and inducements to an intercourse between the sexes are then too numerous to be guarded

against; and however confident we may be of the health of our men, we are often undeceived too late. It is even a matter of doubt with me, if it be always in the power of the most skilful of the faculty to pronounce, with any certainty, whether a person who has been under their care, in certain stages of this malady, is so effectually cured, as to leave no possibility of his being still capable of communicating the taint. I think I could mention some instances which justify my presuming to hazard this opinion. It is, likewise, well known, that, amongst a number of men, there are, generally, to be found some so bashful as to endeavour to conceal their labouring under any symptoms of this disorder. And there are others, again, so profligate, as not to care to whom they communicate it. Of this last, we had an instance at Tongataboo, in the gunner of the Discovery, who had been stationed on shore to manage the trade for that ship. After he knew that he had contracted this disease, he continued to have connections with different women, who were supposed not to have already contracted it. His companions expostulated with him without effect, till Captain Clerke, hearing of this dangerous irregularity of conduct, ordered him on board.

      While the boats were occupied in examining the coast, we stood on and off with the ships, waiting for their return. About noon, Mr. Williamson came back, and reported, that he had seen a large pond behind a beach near one of the villages, which the natives told him contained fresh water; and that there was anchoring-ground before it. He also reported, that he had attempted to land in another place, but was prevented by the natives, who, coming down to the boats in great numbers, attempted to take away the oars, muskets, and, in short, every thing that they could

lay hold of; and pressed so thick upon him, that he was obliged to fire, by which one man was killed. But this unhappy circumstance I did not know till after we had left the island; so that all my measures were directed as if nothing of the kind had happened. Mr. Williamson told me, that, after the man fell, his countrymen took him up, carried him off, and then retired from the boat; but still they made signals for our people to land, which he declined. It did not appear to Mr. Williamson, that the natives had any design to kill, or even to hurt, any of his party; but they seemed excited by mere curiosity, to get from them what they had, being, at the same time, ready to give, in return, any thing of their own.

      After the boats were on board, I dispatched one of them to lie in the best anchoring-ground; and as soon as she had got to this station, I bore down with the ships, and anchored in twenty-five fathoms water; the bottom a fine grey sand. The East point of the road, which was the low point before mentioned, bore South 51° East; the West point, North 65° West; and the village, behind which the water was said to be, North East by East, distant one mile. But, little more than a quarter of a mile from us, there were breakers, which I did not see till after the Resolution was placed. The Discovery anchored to the Eastward of us, and farther from the land. The ships being thus stationed, between three and four o'clock, I went ashore with three armed boats, and twelve marines, to examine the water, and to try the disposition of the inhabitants, several hundred of whom were assembled on a sandy beach before the village; behind it was a narrow valley, the bottom of which was occupied by the piece of water.

      The very instant I leaped on shore, the collected body of the natives all fell flat upon their faces, and remained in that very humble posture, till, by expressive signs, I prevailed upon them to rise. They then brought a great many small pigs, which they presented to me, with plantain trees, using much the same ceremonies that we had seen practised, on such occasions, at the Society and other islands; and a long prayer being spoken by a single person, in which others of the assembly sometims joined. I expressed my acceptance of their proffered friendship, by giving them, in return, such presents as I had brought with me from the ship for that purpose. When this introductory business was finished, I stationed a guard upon the beach, and got some of the natives to conduct me to the water, which proved to be very good, and in a proper situation for our purpose. It was so considerable, that it may be called a lake; and it extended farther up the country than we could see. Having satisfied myself about this very essential point, and about the peaceable disposition of the natives, I returned on board; and then gave orders that every thing should be in readiness for landing and filling our water-casks in the morning; when I went ashore with the people employed in that service, having a party of mariners with us for a guard, who were stationed on the beach.

      As soon as we landed, a trade was set on foot for hogs and potatoes, which the people of the island gave us in exchange for nails and pieces of iron, formed into something like chissels. We met with no obstruction in watering; on the contrary, the natives assisted our men in rolling the casks to and from the pool; and readily performed whatever we required. Every thing thus going on to my satisfaction, and considering my presence on the spot as unne-

cessary, I left the command to Mr. Williamson, who had landed with me, and made an excursion into the country, up the valley, accompanied by Mr. Anderson and Mr. Webber; the former of whom was as well qualified to describe with the pen, as the latter was to represent with his pencil, every thing we might meet with worthy of observation. A numerous train of natives followed us; and one of them, whom I had distinguished for his activity in keeping the rest in order, I made choice of as our guide. This man, from time to time, proclaimed our approach; and every one, whom we met, fell prostrate upon the ground, and remained in that position till we had passed. This, as I afterward understood, is the mode of paying their respect to their own great Chiefs. As we ranged down the coast from the East, in the ships, we had observed at every village one or more elevated white objects, like pyramids or rather obelisks; and one of these, which I guessed to be at least fifty feet high, was very conspicuous from the ship's anchoring station, and seemed to be at no great distance up this valley. To have a nearer inspection of it, was the principal object of my walk. Our guide perfectly understood that we wished to be conducted to it. But it happened to be so placed, that we could not get at it, being separated from us by the pool of water. However, there being another of the same kind within our reach, about half a mile off, upon our side of the valley, we set out to visit that. The moment we got to it, we saw that it stood in a burying-ground, or morai; the resemblance of which, in many respects, to those we were so well acquainted with at other islands in this ocean, and particularly Otaheite, could not but strike us; and we also soon found, that the several parts that compose it, were called by the same names. It was an oblong space, of

considerable extent, surrounded by a wall of stone, about four feet high. The space inclosed was loosely payed with smaller stones; and at one end of it, stood what I call the pyramid, but, in the language of the island, is named henananoo; which appeared evidently to be an exact model of the larger one, observed by us from the ships. It was about four feet square at the base, and about twenty feet high. The four sides were composed of small poles interwoven with twigs and branches, thus forming an indifferent wicker-work, hollow or open within, from bottom to top. It seemed to be rather in a ruinous state; but there were sufficient remaining marks, to shew, that it had originally been covered with a thin, light, grey cloth; which these people, it should seem, consecrate to religious purposes; as we could see a good deal of it hanging in different parts of the morai; and some of it had been forced upon me when I first landed. On each side of the pyramid were long pieces of wicker-work, called hereanee, in the same ruinous condition; with two slender poles, inclining to each other, at one corner, where some plantains were laid upon a board, fixed at the height of five or six feet. This they called herairemy; and informed us, that the fruit was an offering to their God, which makes it agree exactly with the whatta of Otaheite. Before the henananoo were a few pieces of wood, carved into something like human figures, which, with a stone near two feet high, covered with pieces of cloth, called hoho, and consecrated to Tongarooa, who is the God of these people, still more and more reminded us of what we used to meet with in the morais of the islands we had lately left ^*. Adjoining to these, on the outside of the morai, was a small shed, no bigger than a dog-

kennel, which they called hareepahoo; and before it was a grave, where, as we were told, the remains of a woman lay.

      On the farther side of the area of the morai, stood a house or shed, about forty feet long, ten broad in the middle, each end being narrower, and about ten feet high. This, which, though much longer, was lower than their common dwelling-places, we were informed, was called hemanaa. The entrance into it was at the middle of the side, which was in the morai. On the farther side of this house, opposite the entrance, stood two wooden images, cut out of one piece, with pedestals, in all about three feet high; neither very indifferently designed nor executed. These were said to be Eatooa no Veheina, or representations of goddesses. On the head of one of them was a carved helmet, not unlike those worn by the ancient warriors; and on that of the other, a cylindrical cap, resembling the head-dress at Otaheite, called tomou; and both of them had pieces of cloth, tied about the loins, and hanging a considerable way down. At the side of each, was also a piece of carved wood, with bits of the cloth hung on them, in the same manner; and between, or before, the pedestals, lay a quantity of fern, in a heap. It was obvious, that this had been deposited there, piece by piece, and at different times; for there was of it, in all states, from what was quite decayed, to what was still fresh and green.

      In the middle of the house, and before the two images, was an oblong space, inclosed by a low edging of stone, and covered with shreds of the cloth so often mentioned. This, on inquiry, we found, was the grave of seven Chiefs, whose names were enumerated, and the place was called Heneene. We had met already with so many striking instances of re-

semblance, between the burying-place we were now visiting, and those of islands we had lately come from in the South Pacific, that we had little doubt in our minds, that the resemblance existed also, in the ceremonies practised here, and particularly in the horrid one of offering human sacrifices. Our suspicions were too soon confirmed, by direct evidence. For, on coming out of the house, just on one side of the entrance, we saw a small square place, and another still less, near it; and on asking, what these were? Our guide immediately informed us, that in the one was buried a man who had been sacrificed; a Taata (Tanata or Tangata, in this country) taboo (tafoo, as here pronounced); and in the other, a hog, which had also been made an offering to the divinity. At a little distance from these, near the middle of the morai, were three more of these square, inclosed places, with two pieces of carved wood at each, and upon them a heap of fern. These, we were told, were the graves of three Chiefs; and before them, was an oblong, inclosed space, to which our conductor also gave the name of Tangata-taboo; telling us, so explicitly, that we could not mistake his meaning, that three human sacrifices had been buried there; that is, one at the funeral of each Chief. It was with most sincere concern, that I could trace, on such undoubted evidence, the prevalence of these bloody rites, throughout this immense ocean, amongst people disjoined by such a distance, and even ignorant of each other's existence, though so strongly marked as originally of the same nation. It was no small addition to this concern, to reflect, that every appearance led us to believe, that the barbarous practice was very general here. The island seemed to abound with such places of sacrifice as this which we were now visiting, and which appeared to be one of the most inconsiderable of

them; being far less conspicuous than several others which we had seen, as we sailed along the coast, and particularly than that on the opposite side of the water, in this valley; the white henananoo, or pyramid, of which, we were now almost sure, derived its colour only from pieces of the consecrated cloth laid over it. In several parts, within the inclosure of this burying-ground, were planted trees of the cordia sebestina; some of the morinda citrisolia; and several plants of the etee, or jejee, of Tongataboo, with the leaves of which the hemanaa was thatched; and, as I observed, that this plant was not made use of in thatching their dwelling-houses, probably it is reserved entirely for religious purposes.

      Our road to and from the morai, which I have described, lay through the plantations. The greatest part of the ground was quite flat, with ditches full of water intersecting different parts, and roads that seemed artificially raised to some height. The interspaces were, in general, planted with tara, which grows here with great strength, as the fields are sunk below the common level, so as to contain the water necessary to nourish the roots. This water probably comes from the same source, which supplies the large pool from which we filled our casks. On the drier spaces were several spots, where the cloth-mulberry was planted, in regular rows; also growing vigorously, and kept very clean. The cocoa-trees were not in so thriving a state, and were all low; but the plantain-trees made a better appearance; though they were not large. In general, the trees round this village, and which were seen at many of those which we passed before we anchored, are the cordia sebestina; but of a more diminutive size than the product of the Southern isles. The greatest part of the village stands near the beach, and con-

sists of above sixty houses there; but, perhaps, about forty more stand scattered about, farther up the country, toward the burying-place.

      After we had examined, very carefully, every thing that was to be seen about the morai, and Mr. Webber had taken drawings of it, and of the adjoining country, we returned by a different route. I found a great crowd assembled at the beach; and a brisk trade for pigs, fowls, and roots, going on there, with the greatest good order; though I did not observe any particular person, who took the lead amongst the rest of his countrymen. At noon, I went on board to dinner, and then sent Mr. King, to command the party ashore. He was to have gone upon that service in the morning, but was then detained in the ship, to make lunar observations. In the afternoon, I landed again, accompanied by Captain Clerke, with a view to make another excursion up the country. But, before this could be put in execution, the day was too far spent; so that I laid aside my intention for the present; and it so happened, that I had not another opportunity. At sun-set, I brought every body on board; having procured, in the course of the day, nine tons of water; and, by exchanges, chiefly for nails and pieces of iron, about seventy or eighty pigs, a few fowls, a quantity of potatoes, and a few plantains, and taro roots. These people merited our best commendations, in this commercial intercourse, never once attempting to cheat us, either ashore, or along-side the ships. Some of them, indeed, as already mentioned, at first, betrayed a thievish disposition; or rather, they thought, that they had a right to every thing they could lay their hands upon; but they soon laid aside a conduct, which, we convinced them, they could not persevere in with impunity.

      Amongst the articles which they brought to barter, this day, we could not help taking notice of a particular sort of cloak and cap, which, even in countries where dress is more particularly attended to, might be reckoned elegant. The first, are nearly of the size and shape of the short cloaks worn by the women in England, and by the men in Spain, reaching to the middle of the back, and tied loosely before. The ground of them is a net-work, upon which the most beautiful red and yellow feathers are so closely fixed, that the surface might be compared to the thickest and richest velvet, which they resemble, both as to the feel, and the glossy appearance. The manner of varying the mixture is very different; some having triangular spaces of red and yellow, alternately; others, a kind of crescent; and some that were entirely red, had a broad yellow border, which made them appear, at some distance, exactly like a scarlet cloak edged with gold lace. The brilliant colours of the feathers, in those that happened to be new, added not a little to their fine appearance; and we found, that they were in high estimation with their owners; for they would not, at first, part with one of them, for any thing that we offered, asking no less a price than a musquet. However, some were afterward purchased for very large nails. Such of them as were of the best sort, were scarce; and it should seem, that they are only used on the occasion of some particular ceremony, or diversion; for the people who had them, always made some gesticulations, which we had seen used before by those who sung.

      The cap is made almost exactly like a helmet, with the middle part, or crest, sometimes of a hand's breadth; and it sits very close upon the head, having notches to admit the ears. It is a frame of twigs and osiers, covered with a net-

work, into which are wrought feathers, in the same manner as upon the cloaks, though rather closer, and less diversified; the greater part being red, with some black, yellow, or green stripes, on the sides, following the curve direction of the crest. These, probably, complete the dress, with the cloaks; for the natives, sometimes, appeared in both together.

      We were at a loss to guess from whence they could get such a quantity of these beautiful feathers; but were soon informed, as to one sort; for they afterward brought great numbers of skins of small red birds for sale, which were often tied up in bunches of twenty or more, or had a small wooden skewer run through their nostrils. At the first, those that were bought, consisted only of the skin from behind the wings forward; but we, afterward, got many with the hind part, including the tail and feet. The first, however, struck us, at once, with the origin of the fable formerly adopted, of the birds of paradise wanting legs; and sufficiently explained that circumstance. Probably the people of the islands East of the Moluccas, from whence the skins of the birds of paradise are brought, cut off their feet, for the very reason assigned by the people of Atooi, for the like practice; which was, that they hereby can preserve them with greater ease, without losing any part which they reckon valuable. The red-bird of our island, was judged by Mr. Anderson to be a species of merops, about the size of a sparrow; of a beautiful scarlet colour, with a black tail and wings; and an arched bill, twice the length of the head, which, with the feet, was also of a reddish colour. The contents of the heads were taken out, as in the birds of paradise; but it did not appear, that they used any other method to preserve them, than by simple drying; for the

skins, though moist, had neither a taste nor smell that could give room to suspect the use of antiputrescent substances ^*.

      In the night, and all the morning, on the 22d, it rained almost continually. The wind was at South East, South South East, and South; which brought in a short, chopping sea; and as there were breakers little more than two cables length from the stern of our ship, her situation was none of the safest. The surf broke so high against the shore, that we could not land in our boats; but the day was not wholly lost; for the natives ventured in their canoes, to bring off to the ships hogs and roots, which they bartered as before. One of our visiters, on this occasion, who offered some fish-hooks to sale, was observed to have a very small parcel, tied

to the string of one of them, which he separated with great care, and reserved for himself, when he parted with the hook. Being asked, what it was? He pointed to his belly, and spoke something of its being dead; at the same time saying, it was bad; as if he did not wish to answer any more questions about it. On seeing him so anxious to conceal the contents of this parcel, he was requested to open it, which he did with great reluctance, and some difficulty, as it was wrapped up in many folds of cloth. We found, that it contained a thin bit of flesh, about two inches long, which, to appearance, had been dried, but was now wet with salt water. It struck us, that it might be human flesh, and that these people might, perhaps, eat their enemies; as we knew, that this was the practice of some of the natives of the South Sea islands. The question being put to the person who produced it, he answered, that the flesh was part of a man. Another of his countrymen, who stood by him, was then asked, whether it was their custom to eat those killed in battle? and he immediately answered in the affirmative.

      There were some intervals of fair weather in the afternoon; and the wind then inclined to the East and North East; but, in the evening, it veered back again to South South East, and the rain also returned, and continued all night. Very luckily, it was not attended with much wind. We had, however, prepared for the worst, by dropping the small bower anchor; and striking our top-gallant-yards.

      At seven o'clock, the next morning, a breeze of wind springing up at North East, I took up the anchors, with a view of removing the ship farther out. The moment that the last anchor was up, the wind veered to the East, which

made it necessary to set all the sail we could, in order to clear the shore; so that, before we had tolerable sea-room, we were driven some distance to leeward. We made a stretch off, with a view to regain the road; but having very little wind, and a strong current against us, I found, that this was not to be effected. I therefore dispatched Messrs. King and Williamson ashore, with three boats, for water, and to trade for refreshments. At the same time, I sent an order to Captain Clerke, to put to sea after me, if he should see that I could not recover the road. Being in hopes of finding one, or perhaps a harbour, at the West end of the island, I was the less anxious about getting back to my former station. But as I had sent the boats thither, we kept to windward as much as possible; notwithstanding which, at noon, we were three leagues to leeward. As we drew near the West end of the island, we found the coast to round gradually to the North East, without forming a creek, or cove, to shelter a vessel from the force of the swell, which rolled in from the North, and broke upon the shore in a prodigious surf; so that all hopes of finding a harbour here vanished.

      Several canoes came off in the morning, and followed us as we stood out to sea, bartering their roots and other articles. Being very averse to believe these people to be cannibals, notwithstanding the suspicious circumstance which had happened the day before, we took occasion now to make some more inquiries about this. A small wooden instrument, beset with sharks teeth, had been purchased; and from its resemblance to the saw or knife used by the New Zealanders, to dissect the bodies of their enemies, it was suspected to have the same use here. One of the natives being asked about this, immediately gave the name of the instrument, and told us, that it was used to cut out the

fleshy part of the belly, when any person was killed. This explained and confirmed the circumstance above-mentioned, of the person pointing to his belly. The man, however, from whom we now had this information, being asked, if his countrymen eat the part thus cut out? denied it strongly; but, upon the question being repeated, shewed some degree of fear, and swam to his canoe. Just before he reached it, he made signs, as he had done before, expressive of the use of the instrument. And an old man, who sat foremost in the canoe, being then asked, whether they eat the flesh? answered in the affirmative, and laughed, seemingly at the simplicity of such a question. He affirmed the fact, on being asked again; and also said, it was excellent food, or, as he expressed it, "favoury eating."

      At seven o'clock in the evening, the boats returned, with two tons of water, a few hogs, a quantity of plantains, and some roots. Mr. King informed me, that a great number of the inhabitants were at the watering or landing place. He supposed, that they had come from all parts of the island. They had brought with them a great many fine fat hogs, to barter; but my people had not commodities with them equal to the purchase. This, however, was no great loss; for we had already got as many on board, as we could well manage for immediate use; and, wanting the materials, we could not have salted them. Mr. King also told me, that a great deal of rain had fallen ashore, whereas, out at sea, we had only a few showers; and that the surf had run so high, that it was with great difficulty our men landed, and got back into the boats.

      We had light airs and calms, by turns, with showers of rain, all night; and at day-break, in the morning of the 24th, we sound, that the currents had carried the ship to

the North West and North; so that the West end of the island, upon which we had been, called Atooi by the natives, bore East, one league distant; another island, called Oreehoua, West by South; and the high land of a third island, called Oneeheow, from South West by West, to West South West. Soon after, a breeze sprung up at North; and, as I expected that this would bring the Discovery to sea, I steered for Oneeheow, in order to take a nearer view of it, and to anchor there, if I should find a convenient place. I continued to steer for it, till past eleven o'clock, at which time we were about two leagues from it. But not seeing the Discovery, and being doubtful whether they could see us, I was fearful lest some ill consequence might attend our separating so far. I, therefore, gave up the design of visiting Oneeheow for the present, and stood back to Atooi, with an intent to anchor again in the road, to complete our water. At two o'clock in the afternoon, the Northerly wind died a way, and was succeeded by variable light airs and calms, that continued till eleven at night, with which we stretched to the South East, till day-break in the morning of the 25th, when we tacked and stood in for Atooi road, which bore about North from us; and, soon after, we were joined by the Discovery.

      We fetched in with the land about two leagues to leeward of the road, which, though so near, we never could recover; for what we gained at one time, we lost at another; so that, by the morning of the 29th, the currents had carried us Westward, within three leagues of Oneeheow. Being tired with plying so unsuccessfully, I gave up all thoughts of getting back to Atooi, and came to the resolution of trying, whether we could not procure what we wanted at the other island, which was within our reach. With this view, I sent

the Master in a boat, to sound the coast; to look out for a landing-place; and, if he should find one, to examine if fresh water could be conveniently got in its neighbourhood. To give him time to execute his commission, we followed, under an easy sail, with the ships. As soon as we were abreast, or to the Westward of the South Point of Oneeheow, we found thirty, twenty-five, and twenty fathoms water, over a bottom of coral sand, a mile from the shore.

      At ten o'clock, the Master returned, and reported, that he had landed in one place, but could find no fresh water; and that there was anchorage all along the coast. Seeing a village a little farther to leeward; and some of the islanders, who had come off to the ships, informing us, that fresh water might be got there, I ran down, and came to an anchor before it, in twenty-six fathoms water, about three quarters of a mile from the shore. The South East point of the island bore South, 65° East, three miles distant; the other extreme of the island bore North by East, about two or three miles distant; a peaked hill, inland, North East, a quarter East; and another island, called Tahoora, which was discovered the preceding evening, bore South, 61° West, distant seven leagues.

      Six or seven canoes had come off to us, before we anchored, bringing some small pigs and potatoes, and a good many yams and mats. The people in them resembled those of Atooi; and seemed to be equally well acquainted with the use of iron, which they asked for also by the names of hamaite and toe; parting readily with all their commodities for pieces of this precious metal. Several more canoes soon reached the ships, after they had anchored; but the natives in these seemed to have no other object, than to pay

us a formal visit. Many of them came readily on board, crouching down upon the deck, and not quitting that humble posture, till they were desired to get up. They had brought several females with them, who remained along side in the canoes, behaving with far less modesty than their countrywomen of Atooi; and, at times, all joining in a song, not remarkable for its melody, though performed in very exact concert, by beating time upon their breasts with their hands. The men who had come on board did not stay long; and before they departed, some of them requested our permission to lay down, on the deck, locks of their hair.

      These visiters furnished us with an opportunity of agitating again, this day, the curious inquiry, whether they were cannibals; and the subject did not take its rise from any questions of ours, but from a circumstance that seemed to remove all ambiguity. One of the islanders, who wanted to get in at the gun-room port, was refused; and, at the same time, asked, whether, if he should come in, we would kill and eat him? accompanying this question with signs so expressive, that there could be no doubt about his meaning. This gave a proper opening to retort the question as to this practice; and a person behind the other, in the canoe, who paid great attention to what was passing, immediately answered, that if we were killed on shore, they would certainly eat us. He spoke with so little emotion, that it appeared plainly to be his meaning, that they would not destroy us for that purpose; but that their eating us would be the consequence of our being at enmity with them. I have availed myself of Mr. Anderson's collections for the decision of this matter; and am sorry to say, that I cannot see the least reason to hesitate in pronouncing it to be cer-

tain, that the horrid banquet of human flesh, is as much relished here, amidst plenty, as it is in New Zealand.

      In the afternoon, I sent Lieutenant Gore, with three armed boats, to look for the most convenient landing-place; and, when on shore, to search for fresh water. In the evening he returned, having landed at the village above mentioned, and acquainted me, that he had been conducted to a well half a mile up the country; but, by his account, the quantity of water it contained was too inconsiderable for our purpose, and the road leading to it exceedingly bad.

      On the 30th, I sent Mr. Gore ashore again, with a guard of mariners, and a party to trade with the natives for refreshments. I intended to have followed soon after, and went from the ship with that design. But the surf had increased so much, by this time, that I was fearful, if I got ashore, I should not be able to get off again. This really happened to our people who had landed with Mr. Gore, the communication between them and the ships, by our own boats, being soon stopped. In the evening, they made a signal for the boats, which were sent accordingly; and, not long after, they returned with a few yams and some salt. A tolerable quantity of both had been procured in the course of the day; but the surf was so great, that the greatest part of both these articles had been lost in conveying them to the boats. The officer and twenty men, deterred by the danger of coming off, were left ashore all night; and, by this unfortunate circumstance, the very thing happened, which, as I have already mentioned, I wished so heartily to prevent, and vainly imagined I had effectually guarded against. The violence of the surf, which our own boats could not act against, did not hinder the natives from coming off to

the ships in their canoes. They brought refreshments with them, which were purchased, in exchange for nails, and pieces of iron hoops; and I distributed a good many pieces of ribbon, and some buttons, as bracelets, amongst the women in the canoes. One of the men had the figure of a lizard punctured upon his breast, and upon those of others were the figures of men badly imitated. These visiters informed us, that there was no Chief, or Hairee, of this island; but that it was subject to Teneooneoo, a Chief of Atooi; which island, they said, was not governed by a single Chief, but that there were many to whom they paid the honour of moe, or prostration; and, amongst others, they named Otaeaio and Terarotoa. Among other things, which these people now brought off, was a small drum, almost like those of Otaheite.

      About ten or eleven o'clock at night, the wind veered to the South, and the sky seemed to forebode a storm. With such appearances, thinking that we were rather too near the shore, I ordered the anchors to be taken up, and, having carried the ships into forty-two fathoms, came to again in that safer station. The precaution, however, proved to be unnecessary; for the wind, soon after, veered to North North East, from which quarter it blew a fresh gale, with squalls, attended with very heavy showers of rain.

      This weather continued all the next day; and the sea ran so high, that we had no manner of communication with our party on shore; and even the natives themselves durst not venture out to the ships in their canoes. In the evening, I sent the master in a boat up to the South East head, or point of the island, to try if he could land under it. He returned with a favourable report; but it was too late, now, to

send for our party till the next morning; and thus they had another night to improve their intercourse with the natives.

      Encouraged by the master's report, I sent a boat to the South East point, as soon as day-light returned, with an order to Mr. Gore, that, if he could not embark his people from the spot where they now were, to march them up to the point. As the boat could not get to the beach, one of the crew swam ashore, and carried the order. On the return of the boat, I went myself with the pinnace and launch up to the point, to bring the party on board; taking with me a ram-goat and two ewes, a boar and sow pig of the English breed; and the seeds of melons, pumpkins, and onions; being very desirous of benefiting these poor people, by furnishing them with some additional articles of food. I landed with the greatest ease, under the West side of the point, and found my party already there, with some of the natives in company. To one of them, whom Mr. Gore had observed assuming some command over the rest, I gave the goats, pigs, and seeds. I should have left these well-intended presents at Atooi, had we not been so unexpectedly driven from it.

      While the people were engaged in filling four water-casks, from a small stream occasioned by the late rain, I walked a little way up the country, attended by the man above-mentioned, and followed by two others carrying the two pigs. As soon as we got upon a rising ground, I stopped to look round me; and observed a woman, on the opposite side of the valley where I landed, calling to her countrymen who attended me. Upon this, the Chief began to mutter something which I supposed was a prayer; and the two men, who carried the pigs, continued to walk round me all the time, making, at least,

a dozen circuits before the other had finished his oraison. This ceremony being performed, we proceeded; and, presently, met people coming from all parts, who, on being called to by my attendants, threw themselves prostrate on their faces, till I was out of sight. The ground, through which I passed, was in a state of nature, very stony, and the soil seemed poor. It was, however, covered with shrubs and plants, some of which perfumed the air, with a more delicious fragrancy than I had met with at any other of the islands visited by us in this ocean. Our people, who had been obliged to remain so long on shore, gave me the same account of those parts of the island which they had traversed. They met with several salt ponds, some of which had a little water remaining, but others had none; and the falt that was left in them was so thin, that no great quantity could have been procured. There was no appearance of any running stream; and though they found some small wells, in which the fresh water was tolerably good, it seemed scarce. The habitations of the natives were thinly scattered about; and it was supposed, that there could not be more than five hundred people upon the island, as the greatest part were seen at the marketing-place of our party, and few found about the houses by those who walked up the country. They had an opportunity of observing the method of living amongst the natives, and it appeared to be decent and cleanly. They did not, however, see any instance of the men and women eating together; and the latter seemed generally associated in companies by themselves. It was found, that they burnt here the oily nuts of the dooe dooe for lights in the night, as at Otaheite; and that they baked their hogs in ovens; but, contrary to the practice of the Society and Friendly Islands, split the careases through their

whole length. They met with a positive proof of the existence of the taboo (or as they pronounce it the tafoo), for one woman fed another who was under that interdiction. They also observed some other mysterious ceremonies; one of which was performed by a woman, who took a small pig, and threw it into the surf, till it was drowned, and then tied up a bundle of wood, which she also disposed of in the same manner. The same woman, at another time, beat with a stick upon a man's shoulders, who fat down for that purpose. A particular veneration seemed to be paid here to owls, which they have very tame; and it was observed to be a pretty general practice, amongst them, to pull out one of their teeth ^*; for which odd custom, when asked the reason, the only answer that could be got was, that it was teeha, which was also the reason assigned for another of their practices, the giving a lock of their hair.

      After the water-casks had been filled and conveyed into the boat, and we had purchased from the natives a few roots, a little salt, and some salted fish, I returned on board with all the people, intending to visit the island the next day. But, about seven o'clock in the evening, the anchor of the Resolution started, and she drove off the bank. As we had a whole cable out, it was some time before the anchor was at the bows; and then we had the launch to hoist up along-side, before we could make sail. By this unlucky accident, we found ourselves, at day-break next morning, three leagues to the leeward of our last station; and foreseeing that it would require more time to recover

it than I chose to spend, I made the signal for the Discovery to weigh and join us. This was done about noon; and we immediately stood away to the Northward, in prosecution of our voyage. Thus, after spending more time about these islands, than was necessary to have answered all our purposes, we were obliged to leave them before we had completed our water, and got from them such a quantity of refreshments as their inhabitants were both able and willing to have supplied us with. But, as it was, our ship procured from them provisions, sufficient for three weeks at least; and Captain Clerke, more fortunate than us, got, of their vegetable productions, a supply that lasted his people upward of two months. The observations I was enabled to make, combined with those of Mr. Anderson, who was a very useful assistant on all such occasions, will furnish materials for the next chapter.

CHAP. XI.

The Situation of the Islands now discovered.—Their Names.—Called the Sandwich Islands.—Atooi described.—The Soil.—Climate.—Vegetable Productions.—Birds.—Fish.—Domestic Animals.—Persons of the Inhabitants.—Their Disposition.—Dress.—Ornaments.—Habitations.—Food.—Cookery.—Amusements.—Manufactures.—Working-tools.—Knowledge of Iron accounted for.—Canoes.—Agriculture.—Account of one of their Chiefs.—Weapons.—Customs agreeing with those of Tongataboo and Otaheite.—Their Language the same.—Extent of this Nation throughout the Pacific Ocean.—Reflections on the useful Situation of the Sandwich Islands.

      It is worthy of observation, that the islands in the Pacific Ocean, which our late voyages have added to the geography of the globe, have been generally found lying in groups or clusters; the single intermediate islands, as yet discovered, being few in proportion to the others; though, probably, there are many more of them still unknown, which serve as steps between the several clusters. Of what number this newly-discovered Archipelago consists, must be left for future investigation. We saw five of them, whose names, as given to us by the natives, are Woahoo, Atooi, Oneeheow, Oreehoua, and Tahoora. The last is a small elevated island, lying four or five leagues from the South East point of Onee-

heow, in the direction of South, 69° West. We were told, that it abounds with birds, which are its only inhabitants. We also got some information of the existence of a low uninhabited island in the neighbourhood, whose name is Tammata pappa. Besides these six, which we can distinguish by their names, it appeared, that the inhabitants of those with whom we had intercourse, were acquainted with some other islands both to the Eastward and Westward. I named the whole group the Sandwich Islands, in honour of the Earl of Sandwich. Those that I saw, are situated between the latitude of 21° 30′, and 22° 15′ North, and between the longitude of 199° 20′, and 201° 30′ East.

      Of Woahoo, the most Easterly of these islands, seen by us, which lies in the latitude of 21° 36′, we could get no other intelligence, but that it is high land, and is inhabited.

      We had opportunities of knowing some particulars about Oneeheow, which have been mentioned already. It lies seven leagues to the Westward of our anchoring-place at Atooi; and is not above fifteen leagues in circuit. Its chief vegetable produce is yams; if we may judge from what was brought to us by the natives. They have salt, which they call patai; and is produced in salt ponds. With it they cure both fish and pork; and some salt fish, which we got from them, kept very well, and were found to be very good. This island is mostly low land, except the part facing Atooi, which rises directly from the sea to a good height; as does also the South East point of it, which terminates in a round hill. It was on the West side of this point where our ships anchored.

      Of Oreehoua we know nothing more than that it is a small elevated island, lying close to the North side of Oneeheow.

      Atooi, which is the largest, being the principal scene of our operations, I shall now proceed to lay before my readers what information I was able to collect about it, either from actual observation, while on shore, or from conversation with its inhabitants, who were perpetually on board the ships while we lay at anchor; and who, in general, could be tolerably well understood, by those of us who had acquired an acquaintance with the dialects of the South Pacific Islands. It is, however, to be regretted, that we should have been obliged, so soon, to leave a place, which, as far as our opportunities of knowing reached, seemed to be highly worthy of a more accurate examination.

      Atooi, from what we saw of it, is, at least, ten leagues in length from East to West; from whence its circuit may nearly be guessed, though it appears to be much broader at the East than at the West point, if we may judge from the double range of hills which appeared there. The road, or anchoring-place, which we occupied, is on the South West side of the island, about six miles from the West end, before a village which has the name of Wymoa. As far as we sounded, we found, that the bank has a fine grey sand at the bottom, and is free from rocks; except a little to the Eastward of the village, where there spits out a shoal, on which are some rocks and breakers; but they are not far from the shore. This road would be entirely sheltered from the trade wind, if the height of the land, over which it blows, did not alter its direction, and make it follow that of the coast; so that it blows at North East, on one side of the island, and at East South East, or South East, on the other, falling obliquely upon the shore. Thus the road, though situated on the lee side of the island, is a little exposed to the trade wind; but, notwithstanding this defect, is far from

being a bad station, and much superior to those which necessity obliges ships daily to use, in regions where the winds are both more variable and more boisterous; as at Teneriffe, Madeira, the Azores, and elsewhere. The landing too is more easy than at most of those places; and, unless in very bad weather, always practicable. The water to be got in the neighbourhood is excellent, and easy to be conveyed to the boats. But no wood can be cut at any distance, convenient enough to bring it from, unless the natives could be prevailed upon to part with the few etooa trees (for so they call the cordia sebastina), that grow about their villages, or a sort called dooe dooe, that grow farther up the country.

      The land, as to its general appearance, does not, in the least, resemble any of the islands we have hitherto visited within the tropic, on the south side of the equator; if we except its hills near the centre, which are high, but slope gently to the sea, or lower lands. Though it be destitute of the delightful borders of Otaheite, and of the luxuriant plains of Tongataboo, covered with trees, which at once afford a friendly shelter from the scorching sun, and an enchanting prospect to the eye, and food for the natives, which may be truly said to drop from the trees into their mouths, without the laborious task of rearing; though, I say, Atooi be destitute of these advantages, its possessing a greater quantity of gently-rising land, renders it, in some measure, superior to the above favourite islands, as being more capable of improvement.

      The height of the land within, the quantity of clouds which we saw, during the whole time we staid, hanging over it, and frequently on the other parts, seems to put it beyond all doubt, that there is a sufficient supply of water; and

that there are some running streams which we did not see, especially in the deep valleys, at the entrance of which the villages commonly stand. From the wooded part to the sea, the ground is covered with an excellent sort of grass, about two feet high, which grows sometimes in tufts, and, though not very thick at the place where we were, seemed capable of being converted into plentiful crops of fine hay. But not even a shrub grows naturally on this extensive space.

      In the break, or narrow valley, through which we had our road to the morai, the soil is of a brownish black colour, somewhat loose; but as we advanced upon the high ground, it changed to a reddish brown, more stiff and clayey, though, at this time, brittle from its dryness. It is most probably the same all over the cultivated parts; for what adhered to most of the potatoes, bought by us, which, no doubt, came from very different spots, was of this sort. Its quality, however, may be better understood from its products, than from its appearance. For the vale, or moist ground, produces taro, of a much larger size than any we had ever seen; and the higher ground furnishes sweet potatoes, that often weigh ten, and sometimes twelve or fourteen pounds; very few being under two or three.

      The temperature of the climate may be easily guessed from the situation of the island. Were we to judge of it from our experience, it might be said to be very variable; for, according to the generally received opinion, it was now the season of the year, when the weather is supposed to be most settled, the sun being at his greatest annual distance. The heat was, at this time, very moderate; and few of those inconveniences, which many tropical countries are subject to, either from heat or moisture, seem to be

experienced here, as the habitations of the natives are quite close; and they salt both fish and pork, which keep well, contrary to what has usually been observed to be the case, when this operation is attempted in hot countries. Neither did we find any dews of consequence, which may, in some measure, be accounted for, by the lower part of the country being destitute of trees.

      The rock that forms the sides of the valley, and which seems to be the same with that seen by us at different parts of the coast, is a greyish black, ponderous stone; but honey-combed, with some very minute shining particles, and some spots of a rusty colour interspersed. The last gives it often a reddish cast, when at a distance. It is of an immense depth, but seems divided into strata, though nothing is interposed. For the large pieces always broke off to a determinate thickness, without appearing to have adhered to those below them. Other stones are probably much more various, than in the Southern islands. For, during our short stay, besides the lapis lydius, which seems common all over the South Sea, we found a species of cream-coloured whetstone, sometimes variegated with blacker or whiter veins, as marble; or in pieces, as brecciæ; and common writing slate, as well as a coarser sort; but we saw none of them in their natural state; and the natives brought some pieces of a coarse whitish pumice-stone. We got also a brown sort of hæmatites, which, from being strongly attracted by the magnet, discovered the quantity of metal that it contained, and seems to belong to the second species of Cronstedt, though Linnæus has placed it amongst his intractabilia. But its variety could not be discovered; for what we saw of it, as well as the slates and whetstones, was cut artificially.

      Besides the vegetable articles, bought by us as refreshments, amongst which were, at least, five or six varieties of plantains, the island produces bread-fruit; though it seems to be scarce, as we saw only one tree, which was large, and had some fruit upon it. There are also a few cocoa-palms; yams, as we were told, for we saw none; the kappe of the Friendly Islands, or Virginian arum; the etooa tree, and sweet smelling gardenia, or cape jasmine. We saw several trees of the dooe dooe, so useful at Otaheite, as bearing the oily nuts, which are stuck upon a kind of skewer, and burnt as candles. Our people saw them used, in the same manner, at Oneeheow. We were not on shore at Atooi but in the day time, and then we saw the natives wearing these nuts, hung on strings, round the neck. There is a species of sida, or Indian mallow, somewhat altered, by the climate, from what we saw at Christmas Island; the morinda citrifolia, which is called none; a species of convolvulus; the ava, or intoxicating pepper; and great numbers of gourds. These last grow to a very large size, and are of a vast variety of shapes, which probably is effected by art. Upon the dry sand, about the village, grew a plant, that we had never seen in these seas, of the size of a common thistle, and prickly, like that; but bearing a fine flower, almost resembling a white poppy. This, with another small one, were the only uncommon plants, which our short excursion gave us an opportunity of observing.

      The scarlet birds, already described, which were brought for sale, were never met with alive; but we saw a single small one, about the size of a canary-bird, of a deep crimson colour; a large owl; two large brown hawks, or kites; and a wild duck. The natives mentioned the names of several order birds; amongst which we knew the otoo, or blueish :

and the torata, a sort of whimbrel, which are known by the same names at Otaheite; and it is probable, that there are a great many sorts, judging by the quantity of fine yellow, green, and very small, velvet-like, black feathers used upon the cloaks, and other ornaments, worn by the inhabitants.

      Fish, and other marine productions were, to appearance, not various; as, besides the small mackerel, we only saw common mullets; a sort of a dead white, or chalky colour; a small, brownish rock-fish, spotted with blue; a turtle, which was penned up in a pond; and three or four sorts of fish salted. The few shell-fish, that we saw, were chiefly converted into ornaments, though they neither had beauty nor novelty to recommend them.

      The hogs, dogs, and fowls, which were the only tame or domestic animals that we found here, were all of the same kind that we met with at the South Pacific islands. There were also small lizards; and some rats, resembling those seen at every island at which we had, as yet, touched.

      The inhabitants are of a middling stature, firmly made, with some exceptions, neither remarkable for a beautiful shape, nor for striking features, which rather express an openness and good-nature, than a keen, intelligent disposition. Their visage, especially amongst the women, is sometimes round; but others have it long; nor can we say, that they are distinguished, as a nation, by any general cast of countenance. Their colour is nearly of a nut brown; and it may be difficult to make a nearer comparison, if we take in all the different hues of that colour; but some individuals are darker. The women have been already mentioned, as being little more delicate than the men, in their formation;

and I may say, that, with a very few exceptions, they have little claim to those peculiarities that distinguish the sex, in other countries. There is, indeed, a more remarkable equality in the size, colour, and figure of both sexes, than in most places I have visited. However, upon the whole, they are far from being ugly, and appear to have few natural deformities of any kind. Their skin is not very soft, nor shining; perhaps for want of oiling, which is practised at the Southern islands; but their eyes and teeth are, in general, very tolerable. The hair, for the greatest part, is straight, though, in some, frizzling; and though its natural colour be, commonly, black, it is stained, as at the Friendly and other islands. We saw but few instances of corpulence; and these oftener amongst the women than the men; but it was chiefly amongst the latter that personal defects were observed, though, if any of them can claim a share of beauty, it was most conspicuous amongst the young men.

      They are vigorous, active, and most expert swimmers; leaving their canoes upon the most trifling occasion; diving under them; and swimming to others though at a great distance. It was very common to see women, with infants at the breast, when the surf was so high, that they could not land in the canoes, leap overboard, and without endangering their little ones, swim to the shore, through a sea that looked dreadful.

      They seem to be blest with a frank, cheerful disposition; and were I to draw any comparisons, should say, that they are equally free from the sickle levity which distinguishes the natives of Otaheite, and the sedate cast observable amongst many of those of Tongataboo. They seem to live very sociably in their intercourse with one another; and,

except the propensity to thieving, which seems innate in most of the people we have visited in this ocean, they were exceedingly friendly to us. And it does their sensibility no little credit, without flattering ourselves, that when they saw the various articles of our European manufacture, they could not help expressing their surprize, by a mixture of joy and concern, that seemed to apply the case, as a lesson of humility to themselves; and, on all occasions, they appeared deeply impressed with a consciousness of their own inferiority; a behaviour which equally exempts their national character from the preposterous pride of the more polished Japanese, and of the ruder Greenlander. It was a pleasure to observe with how much affection the women managed their infants, and how readily the men lent their assistance to such a tender office; thus sufficiently distinguishing themselves from those savages, who esteem a wife and child as things rather necessary, than desirable, or worthy of their notice.

      From the numbers which we saw collected at every village, as we sailed past, it may be supposed, that the inhabitants of this island are pretty numerous. Any computation, that we make, can be only conjectural. But, that some notion may be formed, which shall not greatly err on either side, I would suppose, that, including the straggling houses, there might be, upon the whole island, sixty such villages, as that before which we anchored; and that, allowing five persons to each house, there would be, in every village, five hundred; or thirty thousand upon the island. This number is, certainly, not exaggerated; for we had sometimes three thousand persons, at least, upon the beach; when it could not be supposed, that above a tenth part of the inhabitants were present.

      The common dress, both of the women and of the men, has been already described. The first have often much larger pieces of cloth wrapped round them, reaching from just below the breasts to the hams, or lower; and several were seen with pieces thrown loosely about the shoulders, which covered the greatest part of the body; but the children, when very young, are quite naked. They wear nothing upon the head; but the hair, in both sexes, is cut in different forms; and the general fashion, especially among the women, is, to have it long before, and short behind. The men often had it cut, or shaved, on each side, in such a manner, that the remaining part, in some measure, resembles the creft of their caps or helmets, formerly described. Both sexes, however, seem very careless about their hair, and have nothing like combs to dress it with. Instances of wearing it, in a singular manner, were sometimes met with among the men, who twist it into a number of separate parcels, like the tails of a wig, each about the thickness of a finger; though the greatest part of these, which are so long that they reach far down the back, we observed, were artificially fixed upon the head, over their own hair ^*.

      It is remarkable, that, contrary to the general practice of the islands we had hitherto discovered in the Pacific Ocean, the people of the Sandwich Islands have not their ears perforated; nor have they the least idea of wearing ornaments in them. Both sexes, nevertheless, adorn themselves with necklaces made of bunches of small black cord, like our

hat-string, often above a hundred-fold; exactly like those of Wateeoo; only, that, instead of the two little balls, on the middle before, they fix a small bit of wood, stone, or shell, about two inches long, with a broad hook, turning forward at its lower part, well polished. They have, likewise, necklaces of many strings of very small shells, or of the dried flowers of the Indian mallow. And, sometimes, a small human image of bone, about three inches long, neatly polished, is hung round the neck. The women also wear bracelets of a single shell, pieces of black wood, with bits of ivory interspersed, and well polished, fixed by a string drawn very closely through them; or others of hogs teeth, laid parallel to each other, with the concave part outward, and the points cut off, fastened together as the former; some of which, made only of large boars' tusks, are very elegant ^*. The men, sometimes, wear plumes of the tropic birds feathers, stuck in their heads; or those of cocks, fastened round neat polished sticks, two feet long, commonly decorated, at the lower part, with oora; and, for the same purpose, the skin of a white dog's tail is sewed over a stick, with its tuft at the end. They also, frequently, wear on the head a kind of ornament, of a finger's thickness, or more, covered with red and yellow feathers, curiously varied, and tied behind; and on the arm, above the elbow, a a kind of broad shell-work, grounded upon net-work.

      The men are frequently punctured, though not in any particular part, as the Otaheiteans, and those of Tongataboo. Sometimes there are a few marks upon their hands, or arms, and near the groin; but frequently we could observe none at all; though a few individuals had more of this sort

of ornament, than we had usually seen at other places, and ingeniously executed in a great variety of lines and figures, on the arms and fore-part of the body; on which latter, some of them had the figure of the taame, or breast-plate, of Otaheite, though we did not meet with the thing itself amongst them. Contrary to the custom of the Society and Friendly Islands, they do not slit, or cut off, part of the prepuce; but have it, universally, drawn over the glans, and tied with a string, as practised by some of the natives of New Zealand.

      Though they seem to have adopted the mode of living in villages, there is no appearance of defence, or fortification, near any of them; and the houses are scattered about, without any order, either with respect to their distances from each other, or their position in any particular direction. Neither is there any proportion as to their size; some being large and commodious, from forty to fifty feet long, and twenty or thirty broad, while others of them are mere hovels. Their figure is not unlike oblong corn, or hay-stacks; or, perhaps, a better idea may be conceived of them, if we suppose the roof of a barn placed on the ground, in such a manner, as to form a high, acute ridge, with two very low sides, hardly discernible at a distance. The gable, at each end, corresponding to the sides, makes these habitations perfectly close all round; and they are well thatched with long grass, which is laid on slender poles, disposed with some regularity. The entrance is made indifferently in the end or side, and is an oblong hole, so low, that one must rather creep than walk in; and is often shut up by a board of planks, fastened together, which serves as a door, but having no hinges, must be removed occasionally. No light enters the house, but by this opening; and though such

close habitations may afford a comfortable retreat in bad weather, they seem but ill-adapted to the warmth of the climate. They are, however, kept remarkably clean; and their floors are covered with a large quantity of dried grass, over which they spread mats to fit and sleep upon. At one end stands a kind of bench, about three feet high, on which their household utensils are placed. The catalogue is not long. It consists of gourd-shells, which they convert into vessels that serve as bottles to hold water, and as baskets to contain their victuals, and other things, with covers of the same; and of a few wooden bowls and trenchers, of different sizes. Judging from what we saw growing, and from what was brought to market, there can be no doubt, that the greatest part of their vegetable food consists of sweet potatoes, taro, and plantains; and that bread-fruit and yams are rather to be esteemed rarities. Of animal food, they can be in no want; as they have abundance of hogs, which run, without restraint, about the houses; and if they eat dogs, which is not improbable, their stock of these seemed to be very considerable. The great number of fishing-hooks found amongst them, shewed, that they derive no inconsiderable supply of animal food from the sea. But it should seem, from their practice of salting fish, that the openness of their coast often interrupts the business of catching them; as it may be naturally supposed, that no set of people would ever think of preserving quantities of food artificially, if they could depend upon a daily, regular supply of it, in its fresh state. This sort of reasoning, however, will not account for their custom of salting their pork, as well as their fish, which are preserved in gourd-shells. The salt, of which they use a great quantity for this purpose, is of a red colour, not very coarse, and seems to be much the same with what our stragglers found

at Christmas Island. It has its colour, doubtless, from a mixture of the mud, at the bottom of the part where it is formed; for some of it, that had adhered in lumps, was of a sufficient whiteness and purity.

      They bake their vegetable food with heated stones, as at the Southern Islands; and, from the vast quantity which we saw dressed at one time, we suspected, that the whole village, or, at least, a considerable number of people, joined in the use of a common oven. We did not see them dress any animal food at this island; but Mr. Gore's party, as already mentioned, had an opportunity of satisfying themselves, that it was dressed in Oneeheow in the same sort of ovens; which leaves no doubt of this being also the practice in Atooi; especially as we met with no utensil there, that could be applied to the purpose of stewing or boiling. The only artificial dish we met with, was a taro pudding; which, though a disagreeable mess from its sourness, was greedily devoured by the natives. They eat off a kind of wooden plates, or trenchers; and the women, as far as we could judge from one instance, if restrained from feeding at the same dish with the men, as at Otaheite, are, at least, permitted to eat in the same place near them.

      Their amusements seem pretty various; for, during our short stay, several were discovered. The dances, at which they use the feathered cloaks and caps, were not seen; but from the motions which they made with their hands, on other occasions, when they sung, we could form some judgment that they are, in some degree at least, similar to those we had met with at the Southern Islands, though not executed so skilfully. Neither had they, amongst them, either slutes or reeds; and the only two musical instruments

which we observed, were of an exceedingly rude kind. One of them does not produce a melody exceeding that of a child's rattle. It consists of what may be called a conic cap inverted, but scarcely hollowed at the base above a foot high, made of a coarse, sedge-like plant; the upper part of which, and the edges, are ornamented with beautiful red feathers; and to the point, or lower part, is fixed a gourd-shell, larger than the fist. Into this is put something to rattle; which is done by holding the instrument by the small part, and shaking, or rather moving it, from place to place briskly, either to different sides, or backward and forward, just before the face, striking the breast with the other hand at the same time ^*. The other musical instrument (if either of them deserve that name) was a hollow vessel of wood, like a platter, combined with the use of two sticks, on which one of our gentlemen saw a man performing. He held one of the sticks, about two feet long, as we do a fiddle, with one hand, and struck it with the other, which was smaller, and resembled a drum-stick, in a quicker or slower measure; at the same time beating with his foot upon the hollow vessel, that lay inverted upon the ground, and thus producing a tune, that was by no means disagreeable. This music was accompanied by the vocal performance of some women, whose song had a pleasing and tender effect.

      We observed great numbers of small polished rods, about four or five feet long, somewhat thicker than the rammer of a musquet, with a tuft of long, white dog's hair fixed on the small end. These are, probably, used in their diversions. We saw a person take one of them in his hand, and,

holding it up, give a smart stroke, till he brought it into an horizontal position, striking with the foot, on the same side, upon the ground, and, with his other hand, beating his breast at the same time. They play at bowls, with pieces of the whetstone mentioned before, of about a pound weight, shaped somewhat like a small cheese, but rounded at the sides and edges, which are very nicely polished; and they have other bowls of the same sort, made of a heavy, reddish brown clay, neatly glazed over with a composition of the same colour, or of a coarse, dark grey slate. They also use, in the manner that we throw quoits, small, flat, rounded pieces of the writing flate, of the diameter of the bowls, but scarcely a quarter of an inch thick, also well polished. From these circumstances, one would be induced to think, that their games are rather trials of skill than of strength.

      In every thing manufactured by these people, there appears to be an uncommon degree of neatness and ingenuity. Their cloth, which is the principal manufacture, is made from the morus papyrifera; and, doubtless, in the same manner as at Otaheite and Tongataboo; for we bought some of the grooved sticks, with which it is beaten. Its texture, however, though thicker, is rather inferior to that of the cloth of either of the other places; but, in colouring or staining it, the people of Atooi display a superiority of taste, by the endless variation of figures which they execute. One would suppose, on seeing a number of their pieces, that they had borrowed their patterns from some mercer's shop, in which the most elegant productions of China and Europe are collected; besides some original patterns of their own. Their colours, indeed, except the red, are not very bright; but the regularity of the figures and stripes is truly suprizing; for, as far as we knew, they have nothing like stamps or prints, to

make the impressions. In what manner they produce their colours, we had not opportunities of learning; but besides the party-coloured sorts, they have some pieces of plain white cloth, and others of a single colour, particularly dark brown and light blue. In general, the pieces which they brought to us, were about two feet broad, and four or five yards long, being the form and quantity that they use for their common dress, or maro; and even these we sometimes found were composed of pieces sewed together; an art which we did not find to the Southward, but is strongly, though not very neatly, performed here. There is also a particular sort that is thin, much resembling oil-cloth; and which is actually either oiled or soaked in some kind of varnish, and seems to resist the action of water pretty well.

      They fabricate a great many white mats, which are strong, with many red stripes, rhombuses, and other figures interwoven on one side; and often pretty large. These, probably, make a part of their dress occasionally; for they put them on their backs when they offered them to sale. But they make others coarser, plain and strong, which they spread over their floors to sleep upon.

      They stain their gourd-shells prettily with undulated lines, triangles, and other figures of a black colour; instances of which we saw practised at New Zealand. And they seem to possess the art of varnishing; for some of these stained gourd-shells are covered with a kind of lacker; and on other occasions, they use a strong size, or gluey substance, to fasten their things together. Their wooden dishes and bowls, out of which they drink their ava, are of the etooa- tree, or cordia, as neat, as if made in our turning-lathe, and

perhaps better polished. And amongst then articles of handifcraft, may be reckoned small square fans of mat or wicker-work, with handles tapering from them of the same, or of wood; which are neatly wrought with small cords of hair, and fibres of the cocoa-nut coir, intermixed. The great variety of fishing-hooks are ingeniously made; some of bone, others of wood pointed with bone, and many of pearl shell. Of the last, some are like a sort that we saw at Tongataboo; and others simply curved, as the common sort at Otaheite, as well as the wooden ones. The bones are mostly small, and composed of two pieces; and all the different sorts have a barb, either on the inside, like ours, or on the outside, opposite the same part; but others have both, the outer one being farthest from the point. Of this last sort, one was procured, nine inches long, of a single piece of bone, which, doubtless, belonged to some large fish. The elegant form and polish of this could not, certainly, be outdone by any European artist, even if he should add all his knowledge in design, to the number and convenience of his tools. They polish their stones, by constant friction, with pumice-stone in water; and such of their working instruments, or tools, as I saw, resembled those of the Southern Islands. Their hatchets, or rather adzes, were exactly of the same pattern, and either made of the same sort of blackish stone, or of a clay-coloured one. They have also little instruments made of a single shark's tooth, some of which are fixed to the forepart of a dog's jaw-bone, and others to a thin wooden handle of the same shape; and at the other end there is a bit of string fastened through a small perforation. These serve as knives occasionally, and are, perhaps, used in carving.

The only iron tools, or rather bits of iron, seen amongst them, and which they had before our arrival, were a piece of iron hoop, about two inches long, fitted into a wooden handle ^*; and another edge-tool, which our people guessed to be made of the point of a broad-sword. Their having the actual possession of these, and their so generally knowing the use of this metal, inclined some on board to think, that we had not been the first European visiters of these islands. But, it seems to me, that the very great surprize expressed by them, on seeing our ships, and their total ignorance of the use of fire-arms, cannot be reconciled with such a notion. There are many ways, by which such people may get pieces of iron, or acquire the knowledge of the existence of such a metal, without having ever had an immediate connection with nations that use it. It can hardly be doubted, that it was unknown to all the inhabitants of this sea, before Magellan led the way into it; for no discoverer, immediately after his voyage, ever found any of this metal in their possession; though, in the course of our late voyages, it has been observed, that the use of it was known at several islands, to which no former European ships had ever, as far as we know, found their way. At all the places where Mendana touched, in his two voyages, it must have been seen and left; and this would extend the knowledge of it, no doubt, to all the various islands with which those, whom he had visited, had any immediate intercourse. It might even be carried farther; and where specimens of this favourite article could not be procured, descriptions might, in some measure, serve to make it known, when afterward seen. The next voyage to the Southward of the line, in

which any intercourse was had with the natives of this ocean, was that of Quiros, who landed at Sagittaria, the Island of Handsome People, and at Tierra del Espiritu Santo; at all which places, and at those with whom they had any communication, it must, of consequence, have been made known. To him succeeded, in this navigation, Le Maire and Schouten, whose connections with the natives commenced much farther to the Eastward, and ended at Cocos and Horn Islands. It was not surprising, that, when I visited Tongataboo in 1773, I should find a bit of iron there, as we knew that Tasman had visited it before me; but, let us suppose, that he had never discovered the Friendly Islands, our finding iron amongst them would have occasioned much speculation; though we have mentioned before ^*, the method by which they had gained a renewal of their knowledge of this metal, which confirms my hypothesis. For Neeootaboo taboo, or Boscawen's Island, where Captain Wallis's ships left it, and from whence Poulaho received it, lies some degrees to the North West of Tongataboo. It is well known, that Roggewein lost one of his ships on the Pernicious Islands; which, from their situation, are, probably, not unknown to, though not frequently visited by, the inhabitants of Otaheite and the Society Islands. It is equally certain, that these last people had a knowledge of iron, and purchased it with the greatest avidity, when Captain Wallis discovered Otaheite; and this knowledge could only have been acquired, through the mediation of those neighbouring islands where it had been originally left. Indeed they acknowledge, that this was actually the case; and they have told us since, that they held it in such

estimation, before Captain Wallis's arrival, that a Chief of Otaheite, who had got two nails into his possession, received no small emolument, by letting out the use of these to his neighbours, for the purpose of boring holes, when their own methods failed, or were thought too tedious ^*. The men of the Society Islands, whom we found at Wateeoo, had been driven thither, long after the knowledge and use of iron had thus been introduced amongst their countrymen; and though, probably, they had no specimen of it with them, they would naturally, and with ease, communicate at that island their knowledge of this valuable material, by description. From the people of Wateeoo again, those of Hervey's Island might derive that desire to possess some of it, of which we had proofs during our short intercourse with them.

      The consideration of these facts sufficiently explains how the knowledge of iron has been conveyed throughout this ocean, to islands which never have had an immediate intercourse with Europeans; and it may easily be conceived, that wherever the history of it only has been reported, or a very small quantity of it has been left, the greater eagerness will be shewn by the natives to get copious supplies of it. The application of these particulars, to the instance now under consideration, is obvious. The people of Atooi and Oneeheow, without having ever been visited by Europeans before us, might have received it from intermediate islands,

lying between them and the Ladrones, which have been frequented by the Spaniards, almost ever since the date of Magellan's voyage. Or, if the distant Western situation of the Ladrones should render this solution less probable, is there not the extensive continent of America to windward, where the Spaniards have been settled for more than two hundred years; during which long period of time, shipwrecks must have frequently happened on its coasts? It cannot be thought at all extraordinary, that part of such wrecks, containing iron, should, by the Easterly trade wind, be, from time to time, cast upon islands scattered about this vast ocean. The distance of Atooi from America, is no argument against this supposition. But even if it were, it would not destroy it. This ocean is traversed every year by Spanish ships; and it is obvious, that, besides the accident of losing a mast, and its appendages, casks with iron hoops, and many other things containing iron, may be thrown, or may fall overboard, during so long a passage, and thus find their way to land. But these are not mere conjectures and possibilities; for one of my people actually did see some wood in one of the houses at Wymoa, which he judged to be fir. It was worm-eaten, and the natives gave him to understand, that it had been driven ashore by the waves of the sea; and we had their own express testimony, that they had got the inconsiderable specimens of iron found amongst them, from some place to the Eastward.

      From this digresssion (if it can be called so), I return to the observations made during our stay at Atooi; and some account must now be given of their canoes. These, in general, are about twenty-four feet long, and have the bottom, for the most part, formed of a single piece or log of wood, hollowed out to the thickness of an inch, or an inch and an

half, and brought to a point at each end. The sides consist of three boards, each about an inch thick, and neatly fitted and lashed to the bottom part. The extremities, both at head and stern, are a little raised, and both are made sharp, somewhat like a wedge; but they flatten more abruptly; so that the two side-boards join each other, side by side, for more than a foot. But Mr. Webber's drawing will explain their construction more accurately than my description in words. As they are not more than fifteen or eighteen inches broad, those that go single (for they sometimes join them as at the other islands), have out-riggers, which are shaped and fitted with more judgment than any I had before seen. They are rowed by paddles, such as we had generally met with; and some of them have a light triangular sail, like those of the Friendly Islands, extended to a mast and boom. The ropes used for their boats, and the smaller cords for their fishing-tackle, are strong and well made.

      What we saw of their agriculture, furnished sufficient proofs that they are not novices in that art. The vale ground has already been mentioned as one continued plantation of taro, and a few other things, which have all the appearance of being well attended to. The potatoe fields, and spots of sugar-cane, or plantains, on the higher grounds, are planted with the same regularity; and always in some determinate figure; generally as a square or oblong; but neither these, nor the others, are inclosed with any kind of fence, unless we reckon the ditches in the low grounds such; which, it is more probable, are intended to convey water to the taro. The great quantity and goodness of these articles may also, perhaps, be as much attributed to skilful culture, as to natural fertility of soil, which seems better

adapted to them than to bread-fruit and cocoa-nut trees; the few which we saw of these latter not being in a thriving state, which will sufficiently account for the preference given to the culture of the other articles, though more labour be required to produce them. But notwithstanding this skill in agriculture, the general appearance of the island shewed, that it was capable of much more extensive improvement, and of maintaining, at least, three times the number of the inhabitants that are at present upon it; for the far greater part of it, that now lies quite waste, seemed to be as good a soil as those parts of it that are in cultivation. We must therefore conclude, that these people, from some cause, which we were not long enough amongst them to be able to trace, do not increase in that proportion which would make it necessary to avail themselves of the extent of their island, toward raising a greater quantity of its vegetable productions for their subsistence.

      Though I did not see a Chief of any note, there were, however, several, as the natives informed us, who reside upon Atooi, and to whom they prostrate themselves as a mark of submission; which seems equivalent to the moe, moea, paid to the Chiefs of the Friendly Islands, and is called here hamoea or moe. Whether they were, at first, afraid to shew themselves, or happened to be absent, I cannot say; but after I had left the island, one of these great men made his appearance, and paid a visit to Captain Clerke on board the Discovery. He came off in a double canoe; and, like the king of the Friendly Islands, paid no regard to the small canoes that happened to lie in his way, but ran against, or over them, without endeavouring, in the least, to avoid them. And it was not possible for these poor people to avoid him, for they could not manage their canoes; it being a necessary

mark of their submission, that they should lie down till he had passed. His attendants helped him into the ship, and placed him on the gang-way. Their care of him did not cease then; for they stood round him, holding each other by the hands; nor would they suffer any one to come near him but Captain Clerke himself. He was a young man, clothed from head to foot; and accompanied by a young woman, supposed to be his wife. His name was said to be Tamahano. Captain Clerke made him some suitable presents; and received from him, in return, a large bowl, supported by two figures of men, the carving of which, both as to the design and the execution, shewed some degree of skill. This bowl, as our people were told, used to be filled with the kava, or ava (as it is called at Otaheite), which liquor they prepare and drink here, as at the other islands in this ocean. Captain Clerke could not prevail upon this great man to go below, nor to move from the place where his attendants had first fixed him. After staying some time in the ship, he was carried again into his canoe, and returned to the island, receiving the same honours from all the natives, as when he came on board. The next day, several messages were sent to Captain Clerke, inviting him to return the visit ashore, and acquainting him, that the Chief had prepared a large present on that occasion. But being anxious to get to sea, and join the Resolution, the Captain did not think it adviseable to accept of the invitation.

      The very short and imperfect intercourse which we had with the natives, put it out of our power to form any accurate judgment of the mode of government established amongst them; but, from the general resemblance of customs, and particularly from what we observed of the honours paid to their Chiefs, it seems reasonable to believe,

that it is of the same nature with that which prevails throughout all the islands we had hitherto visited; and, probably, their wars amongst themselves are equally frequent. This, indeed, might be inferred from the number of weapons which we found them possessed of, and from the excellent order these were kept in. But we had direct proof of the fact from their own confession; and, as we understood, these wars are between the different districts of their own island, as well as between it and their neighbours of Oneeheow and Orrehoua. We need scarcely assign any other cause besides this, to account for the appearance, already mentioned, of their population bearing no proportion to the extent of their ground capable of cultivation.

      Besides their spears or lances, made of a fine chesnut-coloured wood, beautifully polished, some of which are barbed at one end, and flattened to a point at the other, they have a sort of weapon which we had never seen before, and not mentioned by any navigator, as used by the natives of the South Sea. It is somewhat like a dagger; in general, about a foot and a half long, sharpened at one or both ends, and secured to the hand by a string. Its use is to stab in close fight; and it seems well adapted to the purpose. Some of these may be called double daggers, having a handle in the middle, with which they are better enabled to strike different ways. They have also bows and arrows; but, both from their apparent scarcity, and their slender make, it may almost be presumed that they never use them in battle. The knife or faw, formerly mentioned, with which they dissect the dead bodies, may also be ranked amongst their weapons, as they both strike and cut with it, when closely engaged. It is a small flat wooden instrument, of an oblong shape, about a foot long, rounded at the

corners, with a handle, almost like one sort of the patoos of New Zealand; but its edges are entirely surrounded with sharks' teeth strongly fixed to it, and pointing outward; having commonly a hole in the handle, through which passes a long string, which is wrapped several times round the wrist. We also suspected that they use slings on some occasions; for we got some pieces of the hæmatites, or blood-stone, artificially made of an oval shape, divided longitudinally, with a narrow groove in the middle of the convex part. To this the person, who had one of them, applied a cord of no great thickness, but would not part with it, though he had no objection to part with the stone, which must prove fatal when thrown with any force, as it weighed a pound. We likewise saw some oval pieces of whetstone well polished, but somewhat pointed toward each end, nearly resembling in shape some stones which we had seen at New Caledonia in 1774, and used there in their slings.

      What we could learn of their religious institutions, and the manner of disposing of their dead, which may, properly, be considered as closely connected, has been already mentioned. And as nothing more strongly points out the affinity between the manners of these people and of the Friendly and Society Islands, I must just mention some other circumstances to place this in a strong point of view; and, at the same time, to shew how a few of the infinite modifications of which a few leading principles are capable, may distinguish any particular nation. The people of Tongataboo inter their dead in a very decent manner, and they also inter their human sacrifices; but they do not offer, or expose any other animal, or even vegetable, to their Gods, as far as we know. Those of Otaheite do not inter their dead, but expose them to waste by time and putrefaction,

though the bones are afterward buried; and, as this is the case, it is very remarkable, that they should inter the entire bodies of their human sacrifices. They also offer other animals, and vegetables, to their gods; but are, by no means, attentive to the state of the sacred places, where those solemn rites are performed; most of their Morais being in a ruinous condition, and bearing evident marks of neglect. The people of Atooi, again, inter both their common dead, and human sacrifices, as at Tongataboo; but they resemble those of Otaheite, in the slovenly state of their religious places, and in offering vegetables and animals to their gods.

      The taboo also prevails in Atooi, in its full extent, and seemingly with much more rigour than even at Tongataboo. For the people here always asked, with great eagerness and signs of fear to offend, whether any particular thing, which they desired to see, or we were unwilling to shew, was taboo, or, as they pronounced the word, tafoo? The maia, raä, or forbidden articles at the Society Islands, though, doubtless, the same thing, did not seem to be so strictly observed by them, except with respect to the dead, about whom we thought them more superstitious than any of the others were. But these are circumstances with which we are not, as yet, sufficiently acquainted, to be decisive about; and I shall only just observe, to shew the similitude in other matters, connected with religion, that the priests, or tahounas, here, are as numerous as at the other islands; if we may judge, from our being able, during our short stay, to distinguish several, saying their poore, or prayer.

      But whatever resemblance we might discover, in the general manners of the people of Atooi, to those of Otaheite, these,

of course, were less striking than the coincidence of language. Indeed, the languages of both places may be said to be almost, word for word, the same. It is true, that we sometimes remarked particular words to be pronounced exactly as we had found at New Zealand, and the Friendly Islands; but though all the four dialects are indisputably the same, these people, in general, have neither the strong guttural pronunciation of the former, nor a less degree of it, which also distinguishes the latter; and they have not only adopted the soft mode of the Otaheiteans, in avoiding harsh sounds, but the whole idiom of their language; using not only the same affixes and suffixes to their words, but the same measure and cadence in their songs; though in a manner somewhat less agreeable. There seems, indeed, at first hearing, some disagreement, to the ear of a stranger; but it ought be considered, that the people of Otaheite, from their frequent connections with the English, had learnt, in some measure, to adapt themselves to our scanty knowledge of their language, by using not only the most common, but even corrupted expressions, in conversation with us; whereas, when they conversed among themselves, and used the several parts necessary to propriety of speech, they were scarcely at all understood by those amongst us, who had made the greatest proficiency in their vocabulary. A catalogue of words was collected at Atooi, by Mr. Anderson, who lost no opportunity of making our voyage useful to those, who amuse themselves in tracing the migrations of the various tribes, or families, that have peopled the globe, by the most convincing of all arguments, that drawn from affinity of language.

      How shall we account for this nation's having spread itself, in so many detached islands, so widely disjoined from

each other, in every quarter of the Pacific Ocean! We find it, from New Zealand, in the South, as far as the Sandwich Islands, to the North! And, in another direction, from Easter Island, to the Hebrides! That is, over an extent of sixty degrees of latitude, or twelve hundred leagues, North and South! And eighty-three degrees of longitude, or sixteen hundred and sixty leagues, East and West! How much farther, in either direction, its colonies reach, is not known; but what we know already, in consequence of this and our former voyage, warrants our pronouncing it to be, though perhaps not the most numerous, certainly, by far, the most extensive nation upon earth ^*.

      Had the Sandwich Islands been discovered at an early period, by the Spaniards, there is little doubt that they would have taken advantage of so excellent a situation, and have made use of Atooi, or some other of the islands, as a refreshing place to the ships, that sail annually from Acapulco for Manilla. They lie almost midway between the first place and Guam one of the Ladrones, which is at present their only port in traversing this vast ocean; and it would not have been a week's sail out of their common route, to have touched at them; which could have been done, without running the least hazard of losing the passage, as they are sufficiently within the verge of the Easterly trade-wind. An acquaintance with the Sandwich Islands would have been equally favourable to our Buccaneers; who used sometimes to pass from the coast of America to the Ladrones, with a stock of food and water scarcely sufficient to preserve life. Here they might always have found plenty, and have been within a month's sure sail of the very part of California, which the

Manilla ship is obliged to make, or else have returned to the coast of America, thoroughly refitted, after an absence of two months. How happy would Lord Anson have been, and what hardships would he have avoided, if he had known that there was a group of islands, half way between America and Tinian, where all his wants could have been effectually supplied; and in describing which, the elegant historian of that voyage, would have presented his reader with a more agreeable picture, than I have been able to draw in this chapter?

CHAP. XII.

Departure from Oonalashka, and future Views.—The Island Amoghta.—Situation of a remarkable Rock.—The Strait between Oonalashka and Oonella repassed.—Progress to the South.—Melancholy Accident on board the Discovery.—Mowee, one of the Sandwich Islands, discovered.—Intercourse with the Natives.—Visit from Terreeoboo.—Another Island, called Owhyhee, discovered.—The Ships ply to Windward to get round it.—An Eclipse of the Moon observed.—The Crew refuse to drink Sugarcane Beer.—Cordage deficient in Strength.—Commendation of the Natives of Owhyhee.—The Resolution gets to Windward of the Island.—Her Progress down the South East Coast.—Views of the Country, and Visits from the Natives.—The Discovery joins.—Slow Progress Westward.—Karakakooa Bay examined by Mr. Bligh.—Vast Concourse of the Natives.—The Ships anchor in the Bay.

      In the morning of Monday the 26th, we put to sea from Samganoodha Harbour; and, as the wind was Southerly, stood away to the Westward.

      My intention was now to proceed to Sandwich Islands, there to spend a few of the winter months, in case we should meet with the necessary refreshments, and then to direct our course to Kamtschatka, so as to endeavour to be

there by the middle of May, the ensuing summer. In consequence of this resolution, I gave Captain Clerke orders how to proceed, in case of separation; appointing Sandwich Islands for the first place of rendezvous, and the harbour of Petropaulowska, in Kamtschatka, for the second.

      Soon after we were out of the harbour, the wind veered to the South East and East South East, which, by the evening, carried us as far as the Western part of Oonalashka, where we got the wind at South. With this we stretched to the Westward, till seven o'clock the next morning, when we wore, and stood to the East. The wind, by this time, had increased in such a manner as to reduce us to our three courses. It blew in very heavy squalls, attended with rain, hail, and snow.

      At nine o'clock in the morning of the 28th, the island of Oonalashka bore South East, four leagues distant. We then wore and stood to the Westward. The strength of the gale was now over, and toward evening, the little wind that blew insensibly veered round to the East, where it continued but a short time before it got to North East, and increased to a very hard gale with rain. I steered first to the Southward; and as the wind inclined to the North and North West, I steered more Westerly.

      On the 29th, at half past six in the morning, we saw land extending from East by South to South by West, supposed to be the island Amoghta. At eight, finding that we could not weather the island, as the wind had now veered to the Westward, I gave over plying, and bore away for Oonalashka, with a view of going to the Northward and Eastward of that island, not daring to attempt a passage to the South East of it, in so hard a gale of wind. At the time

we bore away, the land extended from East by South half South to South South West, four leagues distant. The longitude by the time-keeper was 191° 17′, and the latitude 53° 38′. This will give a very different situation to this island from that assigned to it upon the Russian map. But it must be remembered, that this is one of the islands which Mr. Ismyloff said was wrong placed. Indeed it is a doubt if this be Amoghta ^*; for after Ismyloff had made the correction, no land appeared upon the map in this latitude; but as I have observed before, we must not look for accuracy in this chart.

      At eleven o'clock, as we were steering to the North East, we discovered an elevated rock, like a tower, bearing North North East half East, four leagues distant. It lies in the latitude of 53° 57′, and in the longitude of 191° 2′, and hath no place in the Russian map†. We must have passed very near it in the night. We could judge of its steepness from this circumstance, that the sea, which now run very high, broke no where but against it. At three in the afternoon, after getting a sight of Oonalashka, we shortened sail, and hauled the wind, not having time to get through the passage before night. At day-break the next morning, we bore away under courses, and close-reefed topsails, having a very hard gale at West North West, with heavy squalls, attended with snow. At noon, we were in the middle of the strait, be-

tween Oonalashka, and Oonella, the harbour of Samganoodha bearing South South East, one league distant. At three in the afternoon, being through the strait, and clear of the isles, Cape Providence bearing West South West, two or three leagues distant, we steered to the Southward, under double reefed top-sails and courses, with the wind at West North West, a strong gale, and fair weather.

      On Monday, the 2d of November, the wind veered to the Southward; and, before night, blew a violent storm, which obliged us to bring to. The Discovery fired several guns, which we answered; but without knowing on what occasion they were fired. At eight o'clock, we lost sight of her, and did not see her again till eight the next morning. At ten, she joined us; and, as the height of the gale was now over, and the wind had veered back to West North West, we made sail, and resumed our course to the Southward.

      The 6th, in the evening, being in the latitude of 42° 12′, and in the longitude of 201° 26′, the variation was 17° 15′ East. The next morning, our latitude being 41° 20′, and our longitude 202°, a shag, or cormorant, flew several times round the ship. As these birds are seldom, if ever, known to fly far out of sight of land, I judged that some was not far distant. However, we could see none. In the afternoon, there being but little wind, Captain Clerke came on board, and informed me of a melancholy accident that happened on board his ship, the second night after we left Samganoodha. The main tack gave way, killed one man, and wounded the boatswain, and two or three more. In addition to this misfortune, I now learned, that, on the evening of the 3d, his sails and rigging received considerable da-

mage; and that the guns which he fired were the signal to bring to.

      On the 8th, the wind was at North; a gentle breeze, with clear weather. On the 9th, in the latitude of 39½°, we had eight hours calm. This was succeeded by the wind from the South, attended with fair weather. Availing ourselves of this, as many of our people as could handle a needle, were set to work to repair the sails; and the carpenters were employed to put the boats in order.

      On the 12th at noon, being then in the latitude of 38° 14′, and in the longitude of 206° 17′, the wind returned back to the Northward; and, on the 15th, in the latitude of 33° 30′, it veered to the East. At this time, we saw a tropic bird, and a dolphin; the first that we had observed during the passage. On the 17th, the wind veered to the Southward, where it continued till the afternoon of the 19th, when a squall of wind and rain brought it at once round by the West to the North. This was in the latitude of 32° 26′, and in the longitude of 207° 30′.

      The wind presently increased to a very strong gale, attended with rain, so as to bring us under double-reefed top-sails. In lowering down the main top-sail to reef it, the wind tore it quite out of the foot rope; and it was split in several other parts. This sail had only been brought to the yard the day before, after having had a repair. The next morning, we got another top-sail to the yard. This gale proved to be the forerunner of the trade-wind, which in latitude 25° veered to East, and East South East.

      I continued to steer to the Southward, till day-light in the morning of the 25th, at which time we were in the latitude

of 20° 55′. I now spread the ships, and steered to the West. In the evening, we joined; and at midnight brought to. At day-break, next morning, land was seen extending from South South East to West. We made sail, and stood for it. At eight, it extended from South East half South, to West; the nearest part two leagues distant. It was supposed that we saw the extent of the land to the East, but not to the West. We were now satisfied, that the group of the Sandwich Islands had been only imperfectly discovered; as those of them which we had visited in our progress Northward, all lie to the leeward of our present station.

      In the country was an elevated saddle hill, whose summit appeared above the clouds. From this hill, the land fell in a gentle slope, and terminated in a steep rocky coast, against which the sea broke in a dreadful surf. Finding that we could not weather the island, I bore up, and ranged along the coast to the Westward. It was not long before we saw people on several parts of the shore, and some houses and plantations. The country seemed to be both well wooded and watered; and running streams were seen falling into the sea in various places.

      As it was of the last importance to procure a supply of provisions at these islands; and experience having taught me that I could have no chance to succeed in this, if a free trade with the natives were to be allowed; that is, if it were left to every man's discretion to trade for what he pleased, and in the manner he pleased; for this substantial reason, I now published an order, prohibiting all persons from trading, except such as should be appointed by me and Captain Clerke; and even these were enjoined to trade only for provisions and refreshments. Women were also forbidden to be

admitted into the ships, except under certain restrictions. But the evil I meant to prevent, by this regulation, I soon found, had already got amongst them.

      At noon, the coast extended from South 81° East, to North 56° West; a low flat, like an isthmus, bore South 42° West; the nearest shore three or four miles distant; the latitude was 20° 59′; and the longitude 203° 50′. Seeing some canoes coming off to us, I brought to. As soon as they got along side, many of the people, who conducted them, came into the ship, without the least hesitation. We found them to be of the same nation with the inhabitants of the islands more to leeward, which we had already visited; and, if we did not mistake them, they knew of our having been there. Indeed, it rather appeared too evident; for these people had got amongst them the venereal distemper; and, as yet, I knew of no other way of its reaching them, but by an intercourse with their neighbours since our leaving them.

      We got from our visiters a quantity of cuttle-fish, for nails and pieces of iron. They brought very little fruit and roots; but told us that they had plenty of them on their island, as also hogs and fowls. In the evening, the horizon being clear to the Westward, we judged the Westernmost land in sight to be an island, separated from that off which we now were. Having no doubt that the people would return to the ships next day, with the produce of their country, I kept plying off all night, and in the morning stood close in shore. At first, only a few of the natives visited us; but, toward noon, we had the company of a good many, who brought with them bread-fruit, potatoes, tarro, or eddy roots, a few plantains, and small pigs; all of which they exchanged for nails and iron tools. Indeed, we had nothing else to give

them. We continued trading with them till four o'clock in the afternoon, when, having disposed of all their cargoes, and not seeming inclined to fetch more, we made sail, and stood off shore.

      While we were lying to, though the wind blew fresh, I observed that the ships drifted to the East. Consequently, there must have been a current setting in that direction. This encouraged me to ply to windward, with a view to get round the East end of the island, and so have the whole lee-side before us. In the afternoon of the 30th, being off the North East end of the island, several canoes came off to the ships. Most of these belonged to a Chief named Terreeoboo, who came in one of them. He made me a present of two or three small pigs; and we got, by barter, from the other people, a little fruit. After a stay of about two hours, they all left us, except six or eight of their company, who chose to remain on board. A double sailing canoe came, soon after, to attend upon them; which we towed astern all night. In the evening, we discovered another island to windward, which the natives call Owhyhee. The name of that, off which we had been sor some days, we were also told, is Mowee.

      On the 1st of December, at eight in the morning, Owhyhee extended from South 22° East, to South 12° West; and Mowee from North 41° to North 83° West. Finding that we could fetch Owhyhee, I stood for it; and our visiters from Mowee not choosing to accompany us, embarked in their canoe, and went ashore. At seven in the evening, we were close up with the North side of Owhyhee; where we spent the night, standing off and on.

      In the morning of the 2d, we were surprized to see the summits of the mountains on Owhyhee covered with snow. They did not appear to be of any extraordinary height; and yet, in some places, the snow seemed to be of a considerable depth, and to have lain there some time. As we drew near the shore, some of the natives came off to us. They were a little shy at first; but we soon enticed some of them on board; and at last prevailed upon them to return to the island, and bring off what we wanted. Soon after these reached the shore, we had company enough; and few coming empty-handed, we got a tolerable supply of small pigs, fruit, and roots. We continued trading with them till six in the evening; when we made sail, and stood off, with a view of plying to windward round the island.

      In the evening of the 4th, we observed an eclipse of the moon. Mr. King made use of a night-telescope, a circular aperture being placed at the object end, about one-third of the size of the common aperture. I observed with the telescope of one of Ramsden's sextants; which, I think, answers this purpose as well as any other. The following times are the means, as observed by us both.

      The penumbra was visible, at least ten minutes before the beginning, and after the end of the eclipse. I measured the uneclipsed part of the moon, with one of Ramsden's sextants, several times before, at, and after the middle of the eclipse; but did not get the time of the middle so near as might have been effected by this method. Indeed these observations

were made only as an experiment, without aiming at much nicety. I also measured mostly one way; whereas I ought to have brought alternately the reflected and direct images to contrary sides, with respect to each other; reading the numbers off the quadrant, in one case, to the left of the beginning of the divisions; and, in the other case, to the right hand of the same. It is evident, that half the sum of these two numbers must be the true measurement, independent of the error of the quadrant; and this is the method that I would recommend.

      But I am well assured, that it might have been observed much nearer; and that this method may be useful when neither the beginning nor end of an eclipse can be observed, which may often happen.

      Immediately after the eclipse was over, we observed the distance of each limb of the moon from Pollux and Arietis; the one being to the East, and the other to the West. An opportunity to observe, under all these circumstances, seldom happens; but when it does, it ought not to be omitted; as, in this case, the local errors to which these observations are liable, destroy each other; which, in all other cases, would require the observations of a whole moon. The following are the results of these observations:

      The current which I have mentioned, as setting to the Eastward, had now ceased; for we gained but little by plying. On the 6th, in the evening, being about five leagues farther up the coast, and near the shore, we had some traffic with the natives. But, as it had furnished only a trifling supply, I stood in again the next morning, when we had a considerable number of visiters; and we lay to, trading with them till two in the afternoon. By that time, we had procured pork, fruit, and roots, sufficient for four or five days. We then made sail, and continued to ply to windward.

      Having procured a quantity of sugar cane; and having, upon a trial, made but a few days before, found that a strong decoction of it produced a very palatable beer, I ordered some more to be brewed, for our general use. But when the cask was now broached, not one of my crew would even so much as taste it. As I had no motive in preparing this beverage, but to save our spirit for a colder climate, I gave myself no trouble, either by exerting authority, or by having recourse to persuasion, to prevail upon them to drink it; knowing that there was no danger of the scurvy, so long as we could get a plentiful supply of other vegetables. But, that I might not be disappointed in my views, I gave orders that no grog should be served in either ship. I myself, and the officers, continued to make use of this sugar-cane beer, whenever we could get materials for brewing it. A few hops, of which we had some on board, improved it much. It has the taste of new malt beer; and I believe no one will doubt of its being very wholesome. And yet my inconsiderate crew alleged that it was injurious to their health.

      They had no better reason to support a resolution, which they took on our first arrival in King George's Sound, not to drink the spruce-beer made there. But, whether from a consideration that it was not the first time of their being required to use that liquor, or from some other reason, they did not attempt to carry their purpose into actual execution; and I had never heard of it till now, when they renewed their ignorant opposition to my best endeavours to serve them. Every innovation whatever, on board a ship, though ever so much to the advantage of seamen, is sure to meet with their highest disapprobation. Both portable soup, and four krout were, at first, condemned as stuff unfit for human beings. Few commanders have introduced into their ships more novelties, as useful varieties of food and drink, than I have done. Indeed few commanders have had the same opportunities of trying such experiments, or been driven to the same necessity of trying them. It has, however, been, in a great measure, owing to various little deviations from established practice, that I have been able to preserve my people, generally speaking, from that dreadful distemper, the scurvy, which has perhaps destroyed more of our sailors, in their peaceful voyages, than have fallen by the enemy in military expeditions.

      I kept at some distance from the coast, till the 13th, when I stood in again, six leagues farther to windward than we had as yet reached; and, after having some trade with the natives who visited us, returned to sea. I should have got near the shore again on the 15th, for a supply of fruit or roots, but the wind happening to be at South East by South, and South South East, I thought this a good time to stretch to the Eastward, in order to get round, or, at least, to get a sight of the South East end of the island. The wind conti-

nued at South East by South, most part of the 16th. It was variable between South and East on the 17th; and on the 18th, it was continually veering from one quarter to another; blowing, sometimes, in hard squalls; and, at other times, calm, with thunder, lightning, and rain. In the afternoon, we had the wind Westerly for a few hours; but in the evening it shifted to East by South, and we stood to the Southward, close hauled, under an easy sail, as the Discovery was at some distance astern. At this time the South East point of the island bore South West by South, about five leagues distant; and I made no doubt that I should be able to weather it. But at one o'clock, next morning, it fell calm, and we were left to the mercy of a North Easterly swell, which impelled us fast toward the land; so that, long before day-break, we saw lights upon the shore, which was not more than a league distant. The night was dark, with thunder, lightning, and rain.

      At three o'clock, the calm was succeeded by a breeze from the South East by East, blowing in squalls, with rain. We stood to the North East, thinking it the best tack to clear the coast; but, if it had been day-light, we should have chosen the other. At day-break, the coast was seen extending from North by West, to South West by West; a dreadful surf breaking upon the shore, which was not more than half a league distant. It was evident, that we had been in the most imminent danger. Nor were we yet in safety, the wind veering more Easterly; so that, for some time, we did but just keep our distance from the coast. What made our situation more alarming, was the leach-rope of the main top-sail giving way; which was the occasion of the sail's being rent in two; and the two top-gallant sails gave way in the same manner, though not half worn out. By taking a fa-

vourable opportunity, we soon got others to the yards; and then we left the land astern. The Discovery, by being at some distance to the North, was never near the land; nor did we see her till eight o'clock.

      On this occasion, I cannot help observing, that I have always found, that the bolt-ropes to our sails have not been of sufficient strength or substance. This, at different times, has been the source of insinite trouble and vexation; and of much expence of canvas, ruined by their giving way. I wish also, that I did not think there is room for remarking, that the cordage and canvas, and indeed all the other stores made use of in the navy, are not of equal goodness with those, in general, used in the merchant service.

      It seems to be a very prevalent opinion, amongst naval officers of all ranks, that the king's stores are better than any others, and that no ships are so well fitted out as those of the navy. Undoubtedly they are in the right, as to the quantity, but, I fear, not as to the quality of the stores. This, indeed, is seldom tried; for things are generally condemned, or converted to some other use, by such time as they are half worn out. It is only on such voyages as ours, that we have an opportunity of making the trial; as our situation makes it necessary to wear every thing to the very utmost ^*.

      As soon as day-light appeared, the natives ashore displayed a white flag, which we conceived to be a signal of peace and friendship. Some of them ventured out after us; but the wind freshening, and it not being safe to wait, they were soon left astern.

      In the afternoon, after making another attempt to weather the Eastern extreme, which failed, I gave it up, and run down to the Discovery. Indeed, it was of no consequence to get round the island; for we had seen its extent to the South East, which was the thing I aimed at; and, according to the information which we had got from the natives, there is no other island to the windward of this. However, as we were so near the South East end of it, and as the least shift of wind, in our favour, would serve to carry us round, I did not wholly give up the idea of weathering it; and therefore continued to ply.

      On the 20th, at noon, this South East point bore South, three leagues distant; the snowy hills West North West; and we were about four miles from the nearest shore. In the afternoon, some of the natives came off in their canoes, bringing with them a few pigs and plantains. The latter were very acceptable, having had no vegetables for some days; but the supply we now received was so inconsiderable, being barely sufficient for one day, that I stood in again the next morning, till within three or four miles of the land, where we were met by a number of canoes, laden with provisions. We brought to, and continued trading with the people in them, till four in the afternoon; when, having got a pretty good supply, we made sail, and stretched off to the Northward.

      I had never met with a behaviour so free from reserve and suspicion, in my intercourse with any tribes of savages, as we experienced in the people of this island. It was very common for them to send up into the ship the several articles they brought off for barter; afterward, they would come in themselves, and make their bargains on the quarter-deck. The people of Otaheite, even after our repeated visits, do not care to put so much confidence in us. I infer from this, that those of Owhyhee must be more faithful in their dealings with one another, than the inhabitants of Otaheite are. For if little faith were observed amongst themselves, they would not be so ready to trust strangers. It is also to be observed, to their honour, that they had never once attempted to cheat us in exchanges, nor to commit a theft. They understand trading as well as most people; and seemed to comprehend clearly the reason of our plying upon the coast. For, though they brought off provisions in great plenty, particularly pigs, yet they kept up their price; and, rather than dispose of them for less than they thought they were worth, would take them ashore again.

      On the 22d, at eight in the morning, we tacked to the Southward with a fresh breeze at East by North. At noon, the latitude was 20° 28′ 30″; and the snowy peak bore South West half South. We had a good view of it the preceding day, and the quantity of snow seemed to have increased, and to extend lower down the hill. I stood to the South East till midnight, then tacked to the North till four in the morning, when we returned to the South East tack; and, as the wind was at North East by East, we had hopes of weathering the island. We should have succeeded, if the wind

had not died away, and left us to the mercy of a great swell, which carried us fast toward the land, which was not two leagues distant. At length, we got our head off, and some light puffs of wind, which came with showers of rain, put us out of danger. While we lay, as it were, becalmed, several of the islanders came off with hogs, fowls, fruit, and roots. Out of one canoe we got a goose; which was about the size of a Muscovy duck. Its plumage was dark grey, and the bill and legs black.

      At four in the afternoon, after purchasing every thing that the natives had brought off, which was full as much as we had occasion for, we made sail, and stretched to the North, with the wind at East North East. At midnight, we tacked, and stood to the South East. Upon a supposition that the Discovery would see us tack, the signal was omitted; but she did not see us, as we afterward found, and continued standing to the North; for, at day-light next morning, she was not in sight. At this time, the weather being hazy, we could not see far; so that it was possible the Discovery might be following us; and, being past the North East part of the island, I was tempted to stand on, till, by the wind veering to North East, we could not weather the land upon the other tack. Consequently we could not stand to the North, to join, or look for, the Discovery. At noon, we were, by observation, in the latitude of 19° 55′, and in the longitude of 205° 3′; the South East point of the island bore South by East a quarter East, six leagues distant; the other extreme bore North, 60° West; and we were two leagues from the nearest shore. At six in the evening, the Southernmost extreme of the island bore South West, the nearest shore seven or eight miles distant; so that we had

now succeeded in getting to the windward of the island, which we had aimed at with so much perseverance.

      The Discovery, however, was not yet to be seen. But the wind, as we had it, being very favourable for her to follow us, I concluded, that it would not be long before she joined us. I therefore kept cruizing off this South East point of the island, which lies in the latitude of 19° 34′, and in the longitude of 205° 6′, till I was satisfied that Captain Clerke could not join me here. I now conjectured, that he had not been able to weather the North East part of the island, and had gone to leeward in order to meet me that way.

      As I generally kept from five to ten leagues from the land, no canoes, except one, came off to us till the 28th; when we were visited by a dozen or fourteen. The people who conducted them, brought, as usual, the produce of the island. I was very sorry that they had taken the trouble to come so far. For we could not trade with them, our old stock not being, as yet, consumed; and we had found, by late experience, that the hogs could not be kept alive, nor the roots preserved from putrefaction, many days. However, I intended not to leave this part of the island before I got a supply; as it would not be easy to return to it again, in case it should be found necessary.

      We began to be in want on the 30th; and I would have stood in near the shore, but was prevented by a calm; but a breeze springing up, at midnight, from South and South West, we were enabled to stand in for the land at day-break. At ten o'clock in the morning, we were met by the islanders with fruit and roots; but, in all the canoes, were only

three small pigs. Our not having bought those which had been lately brought off, may be supposed to be the reason of this very scanty supply. We brought to, for the purposes of trade; but, soon after, our marketing was interrupted by a very hard rain; and, besides, we were rather too far from the shore. Nor durst I go nearer; for I could not depend upon the wind's remaining where it was for a moment; the swell also being high, and setting obliquely upon the shore, against which it broke in a frightful surf. In the evening the weather mended; the night was clear, and it was spent in making short boards.

      Before day-break, the atmosphere was again loaded with heavy clouds; and the new year was ushered in with very hard rain, which continued, at intervals, till past ten o'clock. The wind was Southerly; a light breeze, with some calms. When the rain ceased the sky cleared, and the breeze freshened. Being, at this time, about five miles from the land, several canoes arrived with fruit and roots; and, at last, some hogs were brought off. We lay to, trading with them till three o'clock in the afternoon; when, having a tolerable supply, we made sail, with a view of proceeding to the North West, or lee-side of the island, to look for the Discovery. It was necessary, however, the wind being at South, to stretch first to the Eastward, till midnight, when the wind came more favourable, and we went upon the other tack. For several days past, both wind and weather had been exceedingly unsettled; and there fell a great deal of rain.

      The three following days were spent in running down the South East side of the island. For, during the nights we stood off and on; and part of each day, was employed in lying-

to, in order to furnish an opportunity to the natives, of trading with us. They sometimes came on board, while we were five leagues from the shore. But, whether from a fear of losing their goods in the sea, or from the uncertainty of a market, they never brought much with them. The principal article procured was salt, which was extremely good.

      On the 5th in the morning, we passed the South point of the island, which lies in the latitude of 18° 54′; and beyond it we found the coast to trend North, 60° West. On this point stands a pretty large village, the inhabitants of which thronged off to the ship with hogs and women. It was not possible to keep the latter from coming on board; and no women, I ever met with, were less reserved. Indeed, it appeared to me, that they visited us with no other view, than to make a surrender of their persons. As I had now got a quantity of salt, I purchased no hogs but such as were fit for salting; refusing all that were under size. However, we could seldom get any above fifty or sixty pounds weight. It was happy for us, that we had still some vegetables on board; for we now received few such productions. Indeed, this part of the country, from its appearance, did not seem capable of affording them. Marks of its having been laid waste by the explosion of a volcano, every where presented themselves; and though we had, as yet, seen nothing like one upon the island, the devastation that it had made, in this neighbourhood, was visible to the naked eye.

      This part of the coast is sheltered from the reigning winds; but we could find no bottom to anchor upon; a line of an hundred and sixty fathoms not reaching it, within the distance of half a mile from the shore. The islanders having

all left us, toward the evening, we ran a few miles down the coast; and then spent the night standing off and on.

      The next morning, the natives visited us again, bringing with them the same articles of commerce as before. Being now near the shore, I sent Mr. Bligh, the Master, in a boat, to sound the coast, with orders to land, and to look for fresh water. Upon his return, he reported, that, at two cables lengths from the shore, he had found no soundings with a line of one hundred and sixty fathoms; that, when he landed, he found no stream or spring, but only rain-water, deposited in holes upon the rocks; and even that was brackish, from the spray of the sea; and that the surface of the country was entirely composed of slags and ashes, with a few plants here and there interspersed. Between ten and eleven, we saw with pleasure the Discovery coming round the South point of the island; and, at one in the afternoon, she joined us. Captain Clerke then coming on board, informed me, that he had cruised four or five days where we were separated, and then plied round the East side of the island; but that, meeting with unfavourable winds, he had been carried to some distance from the coast. He had one of the islanders on board, all this time; who had remained there from choice, and had refused to quit the ship, though opportunities had offered.

      Having spent the night standing off and on, we stood in again the next morning, and when we were about a league from the shore, many of the natives visited us. At noon, the observed latitude was 19° 1′, and the longitude, by the time-keeper, was 203° 26′; the island extending from South, 74° East, to North, 13° West; the nearest part two leagues distant.

      At day-break on the 8th, we found, that the currents, during the night, which we spent in plying, had carried us back considerably to windward; so that we were now off the South West point of the island. There we brought to, in order to give the natives an opportunity of trading with us. At noon, our observed latitude was 19° 1′, and our longitude, by the time-keeper, was 203° 13′; the South West point of the island bearing North, 30° East; two miles distant.

      We spent the night as usual, standing off and on. It happened, that four men and ten women who had come on board the preceding day, still remained with us. As I did not like the company of the latter, I stood in shore toward noon, principally with a view to get them out of the ship; and some canoes coming off, I took that opportunity of sending away our guests.

      We had light airs from North West and South West, and calms, till eleven in the morning of the 10th, when the wind freshened at West North West, which, with a strong current setting to the South East, so much retarded us, that, in the evening, between seven and eight o'clock, the South point of the island bore North, 10½° West, four leagues distant. The South snowy hill now bore North, 1½° East.

      At four in the morning of the 11th, the wind having fixed at West, I stood in for the land, in order to get some refreshments. As we drew near the shore, the natives began to come off. We lay to, or stood on and off, trading with them all the day; but got a very scanty supply at last. Many canoes visited us, whose people had not a single thing to barter; which convinced us, that this part of the island must be very poor, and that we had already got all

that they could spare. We spent the 12th, plying off and on, with a fresh gale at West. A mile from the shore, and to the North East of the South point of the island, having tried soundings, we found ground at fifty-five fathoms depth; the bottom a fine sand. At five in the evening, we stood to the South West, with the wind at West North West; and soon after midnight we had a calm.

      At eight o'clock next morning, having got a small breeze at South South East, we steered to the North North West, in for the land. Soon after, a few canoes came along-side with some hogs, but without any vegetables, which articles we most wanted. We had now made some progress; for at noon the South point of the island bore South, 86½° East; the South West point North, 13° West; the nearest shore two leagues distant; latitude, by observation, 18° 56′, and our longitude, by the time-keeper, 203° 40′. We had got the length of the South West point of the island in the evening; but the wind now veering to the Westward and Northward, during the night we lost all that we had gained. Next morning, being still off the South West point of the island, some canoes came off; but they brought nothing that we were in want of. We had now neither fruit nor roots, and were under a necessity of making use of some of our sea-provisions. At length, some canoes from the Northward brought us a small supply of hogs and roots.

      We had variable light airs next to a calm, the following day, till five in the afternoon, when a small breeze at East North East springing up, we were at last enabled to steer along shore to the Northward. The weather being fine, we had plenty of company this day, and abundance of every thing. Many of of our visiters remained with us on board all night, and we towed their canoes astern.

      At day-break on the 16th, seeing the appearance of a bay, I sent Mr. Bligh, with a boat from each ship, to examine it, being at this time three leagues off. Canoes now began to arrive from all parts; so that before ten o'clock, there were not fewer than a thousand about the two ships, most of them crowded with people, and well laden with hogs and other productions of the island. We had the most satisfying proof of their friendly intentions; for we did not see a single person who had with him a weapon of any sort. Trade and curiosity alone had brought them off. Among such numbers as we had, at times, on board, it is no wonder that some should betray a thievish disposition. One of our visiters took out of the ship a boat's rudder. He was discovered; but too late to recover it. I thought this a good opportunity to shew these people the use of fire-arms; and two or three musquets, and as many four-pounders, were fired over the canoe, which carried off the rudder. As it was not intended that any of the shot should take effect, the surrounding multitude of natives seemed rather more surprized than frightened.

      In the evening, Mr. Bligh returned, and reported, that he had found a bay in which was good anchorage, and fresh water, in a situation tolerably easy to be come at. Into this bay, I resolved to carry the ships, there to refit, and supply ourselves with every refreshment that the place could afford. As night approached, the greater part of our visiters retired to the shore; but numbers of them requested our permission to sleep on board. Curiosity was not the only motive, at least with some; for, the next morning, several things were missing, which determined me not to entertain so many another night.

      At eleven o'clock in the forenoon, we anchored in the bay (which is called by the natives Karakakoo), in thirteen fathoms water, over a sandy bottom, and about a quarter of a mile from the North East shore. In this situation, the South point of the bay bore South by West; and the North point West half North. We moored with the stream-anchor and cable, to the Northward, unbent the sails, and struck yards and top-masts. The ships continued to be much crowded with natives, and were surrounded by a multitude of canoes. I had no where, in the course of my voyages, seen so numerous a body of people assembled at one place. For, besides those who had come off to us in canoes, all the shore of the bay was covered with spectators, and many hundreds were swimming round the ships like shoals of fish. We could not but be struck with the singularity of this scene; and perhaps there were few on board who now lamented our having failed in our endeavours to find a Northern passage homeward, last summer. To this disappointment we owed our having it in our power to revisit the Sandwich Islands, and to enrich our voyage with a discovery which, though the last, seemed, in many respects, to be the most important that had hitherto been made by Europeans, throughout the extent of the Pacific Ocean.

Source

Cook, James, 1728-1779.
King, James, 1750-1784.
      A voyage to the Pacific Ocean. Undertaken, by the command of His Majesty, for making discoveries in the Northern hemisphere, to determine the position and extent of the west side of North America; its distance from Asia; and the practicability of a northern passage to Europe. Performed under the direction of Captain Cook, Clerke, and Gore, in His Majesty's ships the Resolution and Discovery, in the years 1776, 1777, 1778, 1779, and 1780.
    London, Printed by W. and A. Strahan, for G. Nicol, & T. Cadell, 1784.
Vol. 2.

      This extract is taken from the publication available in PDF format from Biodiversity Heritage Library.

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