cured a reprieve for the hog, and fupped upon the fruits of the country. As night now came on, and the place was crowded with many more than the houses and canoes would contain, there being Oberea with her attendants, and many other travellers whom we knew, we began to look out for lodgings. Our party confifted of fix: Mr. Banks thought himself fortunate in being offered a place by Oberea in her canoe, and wishing his friends a good night, took his leave. He went to reft early, according to the cuftom of the country, and taking off his clothes, as was his conftant practice, the nights being hot, Oberea kindly infifted upon taking them into her own custody, for otherwise she said they would certainly be ftoien. Mr. Banks having fuch a safeguard, refigned himself to fleep with all imaginable tranquillity: but awaking about eleven o'clock, and wanting to get up, he fearched for his clothes where he had feen them depofited by Oberea when he lay down to fleep, and foon perceived that they were miffing. He immediately awakened Oberea, who starting up, and hearing his complaint, ordered lights, and prepared in great hafte to recover what he had loft: Tootahah himself slept in the next canoe, and being foon alarmed, he came to them and fet out with Oberea in fearch of the thief: Mr. Banks was not in a condition to go with them, for of his apparel fcarce any thing was left him but his breeches; his coat, and his waistcoat, with his pistols, powder-horn, and many other things that were in the pockets, were gone. In about half an hour his two noble friends returned, but without having obtained any intelligence of his clothes or the thief. At first he began to be alarmed, his mufquet had not indeed. been taken away, but he had neglected to load it; where I and Dr. Solander had disposed of ourselves he did not know; and therefore, whatever might happen, he could not have recourfe to us for affiftance. He thought it beft, however, to exprefs neither fear nor fufpicion of those about him, and giving his mufquet to Tupia, who had been waked in the confufion andftood by him, with a charge not to fuffer it to be stolen, he betook himself again to reft, declaring himfelf perfectly satisfied with the pains that cotahah 1769. May. and 1769. May. and Oberea had taken to recover his things, though they had not been fuccefsful. As it cannot be fuppofed that in fuch a fituation his fleep was very found, he foon after heard mufic, and faw lights at a little distance on fhore: this was a concert or affembly, which they call HEIVA, a common name for every public exhibition; and as it would neceffarily bring many people together, and there was a chance of my being among them with his other friends, he rofe and made the best of his way towards it: he was foon led by the lights and the found to the hut where I lay, with three other gentlemen of our party; and eafily diftinguifhing us from the reft, he made up to us more than half naked, and told us his melancholy ftory. We gave him fuch comfort as the unfortunate generally give to each other, by telling him that we were fellow fufferers: I fhewed him that I was myself without stockings, they having been ftolen from under my head, though I am fure I had never been afleep, and each of my affociates convinced him, by his appearance that he had loft a jacket. We determined, however, to hear out the concert, however deficient we might appear in our drefs; it confifted of three drums, four flutes, and feveral voices: when this entertainment, which lafted about an hour, was over, we retired again to our fleeping places; having agreed, that nothing could be done toward the recovery of our things till the morning. We rofe at day-break, according to the cuftom of the country; the first man that Mr. Banks saw was Tupia, faithfully attending with his musquet; and foon after, Oberea brought him fome of her country cloths, as a fuccedaneum for his own, so that when he came to us he made a most motly appearance, half Indian and half English. Our party foon got together, except Dr. Solander, whofe quarters we did not know, and who had not affisted at the concert: in a short time Tootahah made his appearance, and we preffed him to recover our clothes; but neither he nor Oberea could be perfuaded to take any measure for that purpose; fo that we began to fufpe&t that they had been parties in the theft. About eight o'clock we were joined by Dr. Solander who had fallen into honefter hands, at a houfe a mile diftant, and had loft nothing. Having given up all hopes of recovering our clothes, which indeed were never afterwards heard of, we spent all the morning in foliciting the hogs which we had been promised; but in this we had no better fuccefs: we therefore, in no very good humour, fet out for the boat about twelve o'clock, with only that which we had redeemed from the butcher and cook the night before. As we were returning to the boat, however, we were entertained with a fight that in fome measure compenfated for our fatigue and disappointment. In our way we came to one of the few places where accefs to the ifland is not guarded by a reef, and, consequently, a high furf breaks upon the fhore; a more dreadful one indeed I had feldom feen; it was impoffible for any European boat to have lived in it; and if the beft fwimmer in Europe had, by any accident, been expofed to its fury, I am confident that he would not have been able to preserve himself from drowning, especially as the fhore was covered with pebbles and large ftones; yet, in the midst of these breakers, were ten or twelve Indians fwimming for their amufement: whenever a furf broke near them, they dived under it, and, to all appearance, with infinite facility, rofe again on the other fide. This diverfion was greatly improved by the ftern of an old canoe, which they happened to find upon the fpot; they took this before them, and fwam out with it as far as the outermoft breach, then two or three of them getting into it, and turning the fquare end to the breaking wave, were driven in towards the fhore with incredible rapidity, fometimes almost to the beach ; but generally the wave broke over them before they got half way, in which cafe they dived, and rofe on the other fide with the canoe in their hands: they then fwam out with it again, and were again driven back, just as our holiday youth climb the hill at Greenwich-park for the pleasure of rolling down it. At this wonderful fcene we stood gazing for more than half an hour, during which time none of the swimmers attempted to come on fhore, but seemed to enjoy their fport in the highest degree; we then proceeded on our journey, and, late in the evening, got back to the fort. Upon this occafion it may be observed, that human nature is endued with powers which are only accidentally exerted 1769. May. 1769. May. exerted to the utmost; and that all men are capable of what no man attains, except he is stimulated to the effort by fome uncommon circumstances or fituation. These Indians effected what to us appeared to be fupernatural, merely by the application of fuch powers as they poffeffed in common with us, and all other men who have no particular infirmity or defect. The truth of the obfervation is also manifest from more familiar inftances. The rope-dancer and balance-mafter owe their art, not to any peculiar liberality of Nature, but to an accidental improvement of her common gifts; and though equal diligence and application would not always produce equal excellence in these, any more than in other arts: yet there is no doubt but that a certain degree of proficiency in them might be univerfally attained. Another proof of the existence of abilities in mankind, that are almost universally dormant, is furnished by the attainments of blind men. It cannot be supposed that the lofs of one fenfe, like the amputation of a branch from a tree, gives new vigour to those that remain, Every man's hearing and touch, therefore, are capable of the nice diftinctions which aftonish us in those that have loft their fight, and if they do not give the same intelligence to the mind, it is merely because the fame intelligence is not required of them: he that can fee may do from choice what the blind do by neceffity, and by the fame diligent attention to the other fenfes, may receive the fame notices from them ; let it therefore be remembered, as an encouragement to perfevering di ligence, and a principle of general ufe to mankind, that he who does all he can, will ever effect much more than is generally thought to be poffible. Among other Indians that had visited us, there were fome from a neighbouring ifland which they called EIMEO OF IMAO, the fame to which Captain Wallis had given the name of the Duke of York's island; and they gave us an account of no less than two and twenty islands that lay in the neighbourhood of Otaheite. As the day of obfervation now approached, I determined, in confequence of fome hints which had been given me by Lord Morton, to fend out two parties to obferve the tranfit from other fituations; hoping, that if we should fail at Otaheite, they might have better fuccefs. fuccess. We were, therefore, now bufily employed in preparing our inftruments, and instructing fuch gentlemen in the use of them as I intended to send out. On Thursday the 1ft of June, the Saturday following being the day of the Tranfit, I dispatched Mr. Gore in the long-boat to Imao, with Mr. Monkhouse and Mr. Sporing, a gentleman belonging to Mr. Banks, Mr. Green having furnished them with proper inftruments. Mr. Banks himself thought fit to go upon this expedition, and several natives, particularly Tubourai 'Tamaide and Tomio, were alfo of the party. Very early on the Friday morning," I fent Mr. Hicks, with Mr. Clerk and Mr. Peterfgill, the Master's Mates, and Mr. Saunders, one of the Midshipmen, in the pinnace to the eastward, with orders to fix on fome convenient fpot, at a distance from our principal obfervatory, where they alfo might employ the inftruments with. which they had been furnished for the fame purpose. 1769. May. June. Thurf. 1. The long-boat not having been got ready till Thurfday in the afternoon, though all poffible expedition was used to fit her out, the people on board, after having rowed moft part of the night, brought her to a grappling juft under the land of Imao. Soon after daybreak, they faw an Indian canoe, which they hailed, Friday 2. and the people on board shewed them an inlet through the reef into which they pulled, and foon fixed upon a coral rock, which rofe out of the water about one hundred and fifty yards from the fhore, as a proper fituation for their obfervatory: it was about eighty yards long and twenty broad, and in the middle of it was a bed of white fand, large enough for the tents to fland upon. Mr. Gore and his affiftants immediately began to fet them up, and make other necessary preparations for the important bufinefs of the next day. While this was doing, Mr. Banks, with the Indians of Otaheite, and the people whom they had met in the canoe, went a fhore upon the main island, to buy provifions; of which he procured a fufficient fupply before night. When he returned to the rock, he found. the obfervatory in order, and the telescopes all fixed and tried. The evening was very fine, yet their folicitude did not permit them to take much reft in the night one or other of them was up every half hour, who |