1767.

July.

the Gunner fent off near thirty hogs, with great plenty of fowls and fruit. We completed our wood and water, and got all ready for fea. More inhabitants came down to the Sunday 26. beach, from the inland country, than we had feen before, and many of them appeared, by the refpect that was paid them, to be of a fuperior rank. About three o'clock in the afternoon, the queen came again down to the beach, very well dreffed, and followed by a great number of people: Having croffed the river with her attendants and our old man, she came once more on board the fhip. She brought with her fome very fine fruit, and renewed her folicitation, that I would stay ten days longer, with great earnestnefs,. intimating that he would go into the country, and bring me plenty of hogs, fowls, and fruit. I endeavoured to exprefs a proper fense of her kindness and bounty, but affured her that I should certainly fail the next morning. This, as ufual, threw her into tears, and after she recovered, she en-quired by figns when I fhould return: I endeavoured to exprefs fifty days, and fhe made signs for thirty: but the fign for fifty being conftantly repcated, the feemed fatisfied. She stayed on board till night, and it was then with the `greatest difficulty that she could be prevailed upon to go on fhore. When she was told that the boat was ready, the threw herself down upon the arm-cheft, and wept a long time with an excefs of paffion that could not be pacified; at laft, however, though with the greatest reluctance, fhe went into the boat, and was followed by her attendants and the old: man. The old man had often intimated that his fon, a lad about fourteen years of age, should go with us, and the boy feemed to be willing: he had, however, now disappeared for two days; I enquired after him when I first miffed him, and the old man gave me to understand that he was gone into the country to fee his friends, and would return time VOL. I. enough

LI

1767. July.

Sunday 26.

Monday 27.

enough to go with us; but I have reafon to think that, when the time drew near, the father's courage failed, and that to keep his child he fecreted him till the fhip was gone, for we never faw him afterwards.

At break of day, on Monday the 27th, we unmoored, and at the fame time I fent the barge and cutter to fill the few water-casks that were now empty. When they came near the shore, they saw, to their great furprise, the whole beach covered with inhabitants, and having some doubt whether it would be prudent to venture themselves among such a multitude, they were about to pull back again for the ship. As foon as this was perceived from the fhore, the queen came forward, and beckoned them; at the fame time guefling the reason of what had happened, fhe made the natives retire to the other fide of the river: the boats then proceeded to the fhore, and filled the cafks, in the mean time she put fome hogs and fruit on board, and when they were putting off would fain have returned with them to the fhip. The officer, however, who had received orders to bring off none of the natives, would not permit her; upon which the presently launched a double canoe, and was rowed off by her own people. Her canoe was immediately followed by fifteen or fixteen more, and all of them came up to the fhip. The queen came on board, but not being able to speak, fhe fat down and gave vent to her paffion by weeping. After she had been on board about an hour, a breeze fpringing up, we weighed anchor and made fail. Finding it now neceffary to return into her canoe, fhe embraced us all in the most affectionate manner, and with many tears; all her attendants alfo expreffed great forrow at our departure. Soon after it fell calm, and I fent the boats a-head to tow, upon which all the canoes returned to the fhip, and that which had the queen on board came up to the gun-room port, where her

1767.

July.

people made it faft. In a few minutes fhe came into the bow of her canoe, where fhe fat weeping with inconfolable forrow. I gave her many things which I thought would be Monday 27. of great use to her, and some for ornament; fhe filently accepted of all, but took little notice of any thing About 10 o'clock we were got without the reef, and a fresh breeze springing up, our Indian friends, and particularly the queen, once more bade us farewel, with fuch tenderness of affection and grief, as filled both my heart and my eyes.

2

At noon, the harbour from which we failed bore S. E. ÷ E. distant about twelve miles. It lies in latitude 17° 30′ S. longitude 150° W. and I gave it the name of Port Royal Har

bour.

L1 2

CHAP.

1767. July.

CHA P. VIII.

A more particular Account of the Inhabitants of Otaheite, and of their domeftic Life, Manners, and Arts.

HA

AVING lain off this island from the 24th of June to the 27th of July, I fhall now give the beft account of its Monday 27. inhabitants, with their manners and arts, that I can; but having been in a very bad ftate of health the whole time, and for great part of it confined to my bed, it will of neceffity be much lefs accurate and particular than I might otherwife have made it.

The inhabitants of this ifland are a ftout, well-made, active, and comely people. The ftature of the men, in general, is from five feet feven to five feet ten inches, though a few individuals are taller, and a few fhorter; that of the women from five feet to five feet fix. The complexion of the men is tawney, but those that go upon the water are much redder than those who live on fhore. Their hair in general is black, but in fome it is brown, in fome red, and in others flaxen, which is remarkable, because the hair of all other natives of Afia, Africa, and America, is black, without a single exception. It is generally tied up, either in one bunch, in the middle of the head, or in two, one on each fide, but fome wear it loose, and it then curls very strongly: in the children of both fexes it is generally flaxen. They have no combs, yet their hair is very neatly dreffed, and those who had combs from us, made good ufe of them. It is a universal custom to anoint the head with cocoa-nut oil, in

which a root has been fcraped that fmells fomething like
rofes. The women are all handfome, and fome of them
extremely beautiful.
beautiful. Chastity does not seem to be con-
fidered as a virtue among them, for they not only readily
and openly trafficked with our people for perfonal favours,
but were brought down by their fathers and brothers for
that purpose: they were, however, confcious of the value of
beauty, and the fize of the nail that was demanded for the
enjoyment of the lady, was always in proportion to her
charms. The men who came down to the fide of the river,
at the fame time that they prefented the girl, fhewed a ftick
of the fize of the nail that was to be her price, and if our
people agreed, fhe was fent over to them, for the men were
not permitted to cross the river. This commerce was car-
ried on a confiderable time before the officers difcovered it,
for while fome ftraggled a little way to receive the lady, the
others kept a look-out. When I was acquainted with it, I
no longer wondered that the fhip was in danger of being
pulled to pieces for the nails and iron that held her together,
which I had before puzzled myself to account for in vain,
the whole fhip's company having daily as much fresh pro-
vifion and fruit as they could eat. Both men and women
are not only decently but gracefully clothed, in a kind of
white cloth, that is made of the bark of a shrub, and very
much refembles coarfe China paper. Their dress confifts of
two pieces of this cloth: one of them, a hole having been
made in the middle to put the head through, hangs down
from the fhoulders to the mid-leg before and behind; an-
other piece, which is between four and five yards long, and
about one yard broad, they wrap round the body in a very
eafy manner. This cloth is not woven, but is made, like
paper, of the macerated fibres of an inner bark, fpread out
and beaten together. Their ornaments are feathers, flowers,

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July.