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climb. At noon, the rolling-way being made, the cutter returned laden with water, but it was with great difficulty got off the beach, as it is all rock, and the furf that breaks upon it, is often very great. At four, I received another boat-load of water, and a fresh fupply of cocoa-nuts, palm-nuts, and fcurvy-grafs; the Surgeon alfo returned with the fick men, who received much benefit from their walk. The next morning, as foon as it was light, I difpatched orders to the mate, to fend all the water that was filled on board, and to be ready to come off with his people when the boats fhould return again, bringing with them as many cocoa nuts, and as much fcurvy-grafs as they could procure. About eight o'clock, all the boats and people came on board, with the water and refreshments, but the cutter, in coming off, fhipped a fea, which almoft filled her with water; the barge was happily near enough to affift her, by taking great part of her crew on board, while the reft freed her, without any other damage than the lofs of the cocoa-nuts and greens that were on board. At noon, I hoifted the boats in, and there being a great fea, with a dreadful furf rolling in upon the thore, and no anchorage, I thought it prudent to leave this place, with fuch refreshments, as we had got. The people who had refided on thore, faw no appearance of metal of any kind, but feveral tools, which were made of thells and ftones, fharpened and fitted into handles, like adzes, chiffels, and awls. They faw feveral canoes building, which are formed of planks, fewed together, and fastened to feveral fmall timbers, that pafs tranfverfely along the bottom and up the fides. They faw feveral repofitories of the dead, in which the body was left to putrefy under a canopy, and not put into the ground.

When we failed, we left a union jack flying upon the island, with the fhips name, the time of being here, and an account of our taking poffeffion of this place, and Whitfun Island, in the name of his Britannic Majefty, cut on a piece of wood, and in the bark of feveral trees. We also left fome hatchets, nails, glafs-bottles, beads, fhillings, fixpences, and halfpence, as prefents to the natives, and an atonement

for

1767.

June.

1767. for the disturbance we had given them. Queen CharJune. lotte's Ifland is about fix miles long, and one mile wide, lies in latitude 19° 18 S. longitude, by obfervation, 1380 4' W. and we found the variation here to be 4o 46' E.

We made fail with a fine breeze, and about one o'clock, faw an ifland W. by S. Queen Charlotte's Ifland, at this time bearing E. by N. diftant 15 miles. At half an hour after three, we were within about three quarters of a mile of the east end of the island, and ran clofe along the fhore, but had no foundings. The east and weft ends are joined to each other by a reef of rocks, over which the sea breaks into a lagoon, in the middle of the island, which therefore, had the appearance of two islands, and feemed to be about fix miles long, and four broad. The whole of it is low land, full of trees, but we faw not a single cocoa-nut, nor any huts we found, however, at the westermost end, all the canoes and people who had fled, at our approach, from Queen Charlotte's Ifland, and fome more. We counted eight double canoes, and about fourfcore people, men, women, and children. canoes were drawn up upon the beach, the women and children were placed near them, and the men advanced with their pikes and firebrands, making a great noise and dancing in a strange manner. We observed that this island was fandy, and that under the trees there was no verdure. As the fhore was every where rocky, as there was no anchorage, and as we had no profpect of obtaining any refreshment here, I fet fail, at fix o'clock in the evening, from this island, to which I Egmont gave the name of EGMONT ISLAND, in honour of the earl of Egmont, who was then first Lord of the Admiralty. It lies in latitude 19° 20' S. longitude, by obfervation, 138° 30′ W.

Ifland.

Thurf. 11.

The

At one o'clock, on the 11th, we faw an ifland, in the W. S. W. and flood for it. At four in the afternoon, we were within a quarter of a mile of the shore, and ran along it, founding continually, but could get no ground. It is furrounded on every fide by rocks, on which the fea breaks very high. It is full of trees, but not one cocoa-nut, and has much the fame appearance with Egmont Ifland, but is much narrower. Among the

rocks,

1767.

June.

rocks, at the weft end, we saw about fixteen of the
natives, but no canoes: they carried long pikes or
poles in their hands, and feemed to be, in every respect
the fame kind of people that we had seen before. As
nothing was to be had here, and it blew very hard, I
made fail till eight in the evening, and then brought to.
To this island, which is about fix miles long, and
from one mile to one quarter of a mile broad, I gave
the name of GLOUCESTER ISLAND, in honour of Gloucester
his Royal Highness the Duke. It lies in latitude Island.
19° 11 S. and longitude, by obfervation, 140°
4' W.

At five o'clock in the morning, we made fail, and Friday 12.
foon after faw another island. At 10 o'clock, the
weather being tempeftuous, with much rain, we saw
a long reef, with breakers on each fide of the island,
and therefore brought the ship to, with her head off
the shore. To this Ifland, which lies in latitude 19°
18'S. longitude, by observation, 140° 36′ W. I gave
the name of CUMBERLAND ISLAND, in honour of Cumber-
his Royal Highnefs the Duke. It lies low, and is land's Island
about the fame fize as Queen Charlotte's Ifland. We
found the variation of the needle here to be 7o 10′ E.
As I had no hope of finding any refreshment here, I
ftood on to the weftward.

At day-break, on Saturday the 13th, we faw ano- Saturd. 13. ther small low ifland, in the N. N. W. right to windward. It had the appearance of small flat keys. This place I called PRINCE WILLIAM HENRY'S ISLAND, Prince in honour of his Majefty's third fon. It lies in latitude William Henry's 19° S. longitude, by obfervation, 141o 6' W. I made Ifland. no stay here, hoping, that to the weftward I should find higher land, where the ship might come to an anchor, and fuch refreshments as we wanted be procured.

Soon after day-light, on the 17th, we faw land bear- Wednef. 17. ing W. by N. and making in a fmall round hummock. At noon, when it bore N. 64 W. diftant about five leagues, its appearance greatly refembled the Mewstone in Plymouth Sound, but it seemed to be much larger. We found the fhip this day, 20 miles to the northward of her reckoning, which I imputed to a great S. W. fwell.

At

A

1767. June.

Thurfd. 18.

At five in the evening, this ifland bore N. W. diftant about eight miles. I then hauled the wind, and stood on and off all night. At ten, we faw a light upon the fhore, which, though the island was fmall, proved that it was inhabited, and gave us hopes that we should find anchorage near it. We obferved with great plea fure, that the land was very high, and covered with cocoa-trees; a fure fign that there was water.

The next morning, I fent Lieutenant Furneaux to the shore, with the boats manned and armed, and all kinds of trinkets, to establish a traffick with the natives, for fuch refreshment as the place would afford. I gave him orders alfo to find, if poffible, an anchoring place for the fhip. While we were getting out the boats, feveral canoes put off from the island, but as foon as the people on board faw them make towards the hore, they put back. At noon the boats returned, and brought with them a pig and a cock, with a few plaintains and cocoa-nuts. Mr. Furneaux reported, that he had seen at least an hundred of the inhabitants, and believed there were many more upon the ifland; but that having been all round it, he could find no anchorage, nor scarcely a landing-place for the boat. When he reached the fhore, he came to a grappling and threw a warp to the Indians upon the beach, who caught it and held it fast. He then began to converse with them by figns, and obferved that they had no weapon among them, but that some of them had white fticks, which feemed to be enfigns of authority, as the people who bore them kept the rest of the natives back. In return for the pig and cock he gave them fome beads, a looking-glafs, a few combs, with feveral other trinkets, and a hatchet. The women, who had been kept at a distance, as soon as they faw the trinkets, ran down in a croud to the beach, with great eagerness, but were foon driven away by the men, at which they expreffed much difappointment and vexation. While this traffic was carrying on, a man came fecretly round a rock, and diving down, took up the boats grappling, and at the fame time, the people on fhore who held the warp, made an effort to draw her into the furf. As soon as this was perceived by the people on board they fired a mufket over the man's head who had taken up the grappling,

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