June.

177. be more numerous than the island could support, and for this reafon, especially as he faw fome large Thurid. 18. double canoes upon the beach, he imagined there

were islands of larger extent, not far diftant, where refreshments in greater plenty might be procured, and hoped that they might be lefs difficult of accefs. As I thought this a reasonable conjecture, I hoisted in the boats, and determined to run farther to the weftward. To this place, which is nearly circular, and about two miles over, I gave Ofnaburgh the name of OSNABURGH ISLAND, in honour of Prince Frederick, who is bishop of that fee. It lies in latitude 17° 51′ S., and longitude 147° 30' W.; the variation here was 7° 10' E.

lfland.

CHAP.

CHA P. V.

An Account of the Discovery of King George the Third's Ifland, or Otaheite, and of feveral Incidents which happened both on board the Ship, and on Shore.

A

1767.

June.

T two o'clock, the fame day, we bore away, and in about half an hour, discovered very high land in the W. S. W. At seven in the even- Thursd. 18. ing, Ofnaburgh Island bore E. N. E. and the new discovered land, from W. N. W. to W. by S. As the weather was thick and fqually, we brought to for the night, or at leaft till the fog should break away. At two in the morning, it being very clear, Friday 19. we made fail again; at day-break we saw the land, at about five leagues distance, and steered directly for it; but at eight o'clock, when we were clofe under it, the fog obliged us again to lie to, and when it cleared away, we were much surprised to find ourselves furrounded by fome hundreds of canoes. They were of different fizes, and had on board different numbers, from one to ten, fo that in all of them together, there could not be lefs than eight hundred people. When they came within piftol shot of the fhip, they lay by, gazing at us with great astonishment, and by turns conferring with each other. In the mean time we fhewed them trinkets of various kinds, and invited them on board. Soon after, they drew together,

and

1767. and held a kind of council, to determine what

June. fhould be done: then they all paddled round the Friday 19. ship, making fiigns of friendship, and one of them

holding up a branch of the plantain tree, made a
speech that lafted near a quarter of an hour, and
then threw it into the fea. Soon after, as we con-
tinued to make figns of invitation, a fine, stout,
lively young man ventured on board: he came up
by the mizen chains, and jumped out of the
fhrouds upon the top of the awning. We made
figns to him to come down upon the quarter-deck,
and handed up fome trinkets to him: he looked
pleased, but would accept of nothing till some of
the Indians came along-fide, and after much talk,
threw a few branches of plantain tree on board the
fhip, he then accepted our prefents, and several
others very foon came on board, at different parts
of the ship, not knowing the proper entrance. As
one of these Indians was ftanding near the gang.
way, on the larboard fide of the quarter-deck, one
of our goats butted him upon the haunches: be-
ing furprised at the blow, he turned haftily about,
and faw the
goat raised
upon his hind-legs, ready to
repeat the blow. The appearance of this animal,
fo different from any he had ever feen, ftruck him
with fuch terror, that he inftantly leaped over-board;
and all the reft, upon feeing what had happened,
followed his example with the utmoft precipita-
tion they recovered, however, in a fhort time,
from their fright, and returned on board. After
having a little reconciled them to our goats and
sheep, I fhewed them our hogs and poultry, and

they

June.

they immediately made figns that they had fuch 1767. animals as thefe. I then diftributed trinkets and nails among them, and made figns that they should Friday 19. go on shore and bring us fome of their hogs, fowls and fruit, but they did not feem to understand my meaning: they were, in the mean time, watching an opportunity to steal fome of the things that happened to lie in their way, but we generally detected them in the attempt. At laft, however, one of the midshipmen happened to come where they were standing, with a new laced hat upon his head, and began to talk to one of them by figns: while he was thus engaged, another of them came behind him, and suddenly snatching off the hat, leaped over the taffarel into the fea, and fwam away with it.

As we had no anchorage here, we stood along the fhore, fending the boats at the fame time to found at a lefs diftance. As none of these canoes had fails, they could not keep up with us, and therefore foon paddled back towards the shore. The country has the moft delightful and romantic appearance that can be imagined: towards the fea it is level, and is covered with fruit trees of various kinds, particularly the cocoa-nut. Among these are the houses of the inhabitants, confifting only of a roof, and at a distance having greatly the appearance of a long barn. The country within, at about the distance of three miles, rifes into lofty hills, that are crowned with wood, and terminate in peaks, from which large rivers are precipitated into the fea. We faw no fhoals, but found the island fkirted

VOL. I

S

1767. fkirted by a reef of rocks, through which there are June. feveral openings into deep water. About three Friday 19. o'clock in the afternoon, we brought to, a-breaft

of a large bay, where there was an appearance of anchorage. The boats were immediately sent to found it, and while they were thus employed, I observed a great number of canoes gather round them. I fufpected that the Indians had a design to attack them, and as I was very defirous to prevent mischief, I made the fignal for the boats to come on board, and at the fame time, to intimi date the Indians, I fired a nine pounder over their heads. As foon as the cutter began to ftand towards the fhip, the Indians in their canoes, though they had been ftartled by the thunder of our nine pounder, endeavoured to cut her off. The boat, however, failing fafter than the canoes could paddle, foon got clear of those that were about her; but fome others, that were full of men, waylaid her in her courfe, and threw feveral stones into her, which wounded fome of the people. Upon this, the officer on board fired a mufquet, loaded with buck-fhot, at the man who threw the first stone, and wounded him in the fhoulder. The reft of the people in the canoe, as foon as they perceived their companion wounded, leapt into the fea, and the other canoes paddled away in great terror and confufion. As foon as the boats reached the fhip, they were hoifted on board, and just as she was about to ftand on, we observed a large canoe, under fail, making after us. As I thought he might have fome Chief on board, or