fmalleft that came against us; it was very rudely made out of one tree, but had an outrigger. We found in it fix fine fifh, and a turtle, fome yams, one cocoa nut, and a bag full of a small kind of apple or plum, of a sweetish taste and farinaceous substance; it had a flattish kernel, and was wholly different from every thing we have seen either before or fince; it was eatable raw, but much better boiled, or roasted in the embers: we found alfo two large earthen pots, shaped fomewhat like a jug, with a wide mouth, but without handles, and a confiderable quantity of matting, which these people use both for fails and awning, spreading it over bent fticks, much in the fame manner as the tilts of the London wherries. From the contents of this veffel we judged that it had been fishing, and we observed that the people had a fire on board, with one of their pots on it, in which they were boiling their provifion. When we had fatisfied our curiofity by examining it, we cut it up for fire-wood. These Indians were the fame kind of people that we had feen before on the coaft of New Ireland, and at Egmont Ifland: they were of a very dark copper colour, nearly black, with woolly heads. They chew beetle-nut, and go quite naked, except the rude ornaments of shells ftrung together, which they wear round their legs and arms: they were alfo powdered like Our 1767. September. Tuesday 15. 1767. September. our last visitors, and had, befides, their faces painted with white ftreaks; but I did not ob Tuesday 15. ferve that they had any beards. Their lances were pointed with a kind of bluish Alint. Admiralty inlands. Having difengaged ourselves from this fierce and unfriendly people, we pursued our courfe along the other illands, which are between twenty and thirty in number, and of confiderable extent; one in particular would alone make a large kingdom. I called them the ADMIRALTY ISLANDS, and should have been glad to have examined them, if my fhip had been in a better condition, and I had been provided with fuch articles as are proper for an Indian trade, especially as their appearance is very inviting: they are clothed with the most beautiful verdure; the woods are lofty and luxuriant, interspersed with spots that have been cleared. for plantations, groves of cocoa-nut trees, and houses of the natives, who seem to be very numerous. Nothing would be more easy than to establish an amicable intercourse with them, as they would foon be fenfible that our superiority would render conteft vain, and traffic advan tageous. I judge the middle of the largest to lie in latitude 2° 18′ S., longitude 146° 44′ E. and at the distance of five and thirty leagues from Queen Charlotte's Foreland in New Hanover, in the direction of W. N. On the fouth fide of this island, there is a fmall one, 2 which rifes conically in a high peak. The la 1767. September. titude of this peak is 2° 27' S., and it lies five degrees and an half weftward of Cape Saint Tuesday 15. George in New Ireland. As we fan along the fouth fide of the large ifland, we found it to be eighteen leagues long, in the direction of eaft and weft; how far it runs to the northward, I do not know, but by its appearance there is reafon to fuppofe a very confiderable diftance. think it probable, in the highest degree, that thefe islands produce many valuable articles of trade, particularly spices, especially as they lie in the fame climate and latitude as the Malaccas, and as I found the nutmeg tree in a foil comparatively rocky and barren upon the coaft of New Ireland. I Having paffed thefe islands, we continued our courfe W. by N. with a fine eastern breeze, and fmooth water.. On the 16th in the morn Wednef, 16. ing, we found the variation, by a medium of feveral azimuths, to be 6o 30' E., our latitude being 2° 19' S., and our longitude 145° 40′ E. by observation. I was surprised to find the variation on this fide the land of New Britain and New Ireland fo much, as we had found it gradually decreasing during our progrefs to the N. W., but I recollected that about two years before I had found nearly the fame variation in this meridian, about the island of Tinian. VOL. II. I On וי 1767. September. Saturd. 19. Durdur's Maty's On Saturday evening the 19th, we discovered two small islands, both low land, level, and green: one of them we faw only from the maintop-gallant-maft head; this I called DUROUR'S ISLAND. Its latitude is about 1° 14′ or 16′ S., its longitude 143° 21' E. The other island, which I called MATY'S ISLAND, we coafted during the night, and saw the inhabitants, in great numbers, run along the beach, a-breast of the fhip, with lights: the fide along which we failed feemed to be about fix miles in length, E. by N. and W. by S. As it was dark we could fee no more of it, and having a fine breeze, which we could not afford to lofe, we kept on. Its latitude is about 1° 45′ S., and its longitude about 143° 2' E.: the variation here was 4° 40′ E. and we found a strong northwefterly current. We had now fresh gales and fqualls, with rain, the wind blowing very unTuesday 22. fteadily from E. S. E. to E. N. E. till the 22d, Thurfd. 24. when it became variable. then 53′ S., longitude 140° Our latitude was 5' E.; the varia On the 24th, we saw two fmall islands to the fouth-west, but it being calm, with light airs, and a strong wefterly current, we could not get nearer to them than four or five leagues: they had a green, pleasant appearance, and were well covered with trees; but whether they are inhabited 3 bited I do not know. They run about N., W. 1767. September. by W. S. E. by E. One is about three miles long, and the other about fix: the paffage be. Thurd, 14. tween them appeared to be about two miles broad. They lie in latitude 22′ S., longitude 138° 39′ E. and I gave them the name of STE PHENS'S ISLANDS. We kept fteering N. W. by W. with a light variable wind, and a strong north-weft current. On the 25th, we faw land a-head, which Friday 25: proved to be three small islands; and before it was dark, we got pretty near them. Several canoes foon came off, filled with the natives, who, after making figns of peace, came on board without the least appearance of fear or distrust: they had nothing with them but a few cocoanuts, which they fold with great joy for a few pieces of an iron hoop: we foon found that they were not unacquainted with that metal, which they called Parram, and they made us underftand, by figns, that a fhip like ours fometimes touched at their islands for refreshment. I gave one of them three pieces of an old iron hoop, each about four inches long, which threw him into an extafy little fhort of distraction: I could not but sympathize in his joy, nor observe, without great pleasure, the changes of countenance, and extravagance of gefture, by which it was expreffed. All these people indeed appeared to be more fond of iron than any we had seen be fore, I 2 |