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April.

1769. fage, we judged that they had refolved to come no farther; after waiting, therefore, some little time longer, we stood off; but when we were got about two or three miles from the fhore, we perceived fome of the natives following us in a canoe with a fail; we did not, however, think it worth while to wait for her, and though the had paffed the reef, she soon after gave over the chace.

According to the best judgment that we could form of the people when we were nearest the fhore, they were about our size, and well made. They were of a brown complexion, and appeared to be naked; their hair, which was black, was confined by a fillet that went round the head, and stuck out behind like a bush. The greater part of them carried in their hands two weapons; one of them was a flender pole, from ten to fourteen feet long, on one end of which was a small knob, not unlike the point of a spear; the other was about four feet long, and shaped like a paddle, and possibly might be fo, for fome of their canoes were very fmall; those which we saw them launch seemed not intended to carry more than the three men that got into them: we faw others that had on board fix or feven men, and one of them hoifted a fail which did not seem to reach more than fix feet above the gunwale of the boat, and which, upon the falling of a flight fhower, was taken down and converted into an awning or tilt. The canoe which followed us to fea hoifted a fail not unlike an English lug-fail, and almost as lofty as an English boat of the fame fize would have carried.

The people, who kept a-breast of the ship on the beach, made many signals; but whether they were intended to frighten us away, or invite us on fhore, it is not eafy to determine: we returned them by waving our hats and fhouting, and they replied by fhouting again. We did not put their difpofition to the teft, by attempting to land; becaufe, as the ifland was inconfiderable, and as we wanted nothing that it could afford, we though it imprudent as well as cruel to risk a conteft, in which the natives must have fuffered by our fuperiority, merely to gratify an idle curiofity; efpecially as we expected foon to fall in with the ifland where we had been directed to make our aftronomical obfervation, the inhabitants of which would probably admit

us

us without oppofition, as they were already acquainted with our ftrength, and might alfo procure us a ready and peaceable reception among the neighbouring people, if we should defire it.

To these islands we gave the name of THE GROUPS.

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On the 7th, about half an hour after fix in the Friday 7. morning, being just at day-break, we discovered ano- Bird Ísland. ther ifland to the northward, which we judged to be about four miles in circumference. The land lay very low, and there was a piece of water in the middle of it; there seemed to be fome wood upon it, and it looked green and pleasant; but we saw neither cocoa trees nor inhabitants: it abounded, however, with birds, and we therefore gave it the name of BIRD-ISLAND.

It lies in latitude 17° 48′ S. and longitude 143° 35' W. at the diftance of ten leagues, in the direction W. N. from the weft end of the Groups. The variation here was 6° 32′ E.

Ifland.

On the 8th, about two o'clock in the afternoon, we Saturd. 8. faw land to the northward, and about fun-fet came Chain a-breast of it, at about the distance of two leagues. It appeared to be a double range of low woody iflands joined together by reefs, fo as to form one ifland, in the form of an ellipfis or oval, with a lake in the middle of it. The fmall islands and reefs that circumfcribe the lake have the appearance of a chain, and we therefore gave it the name of CHAIN ISLAND. Its length seemed to be about five leagues, in the direction of N. W. and S. E. and its breadth about five miles. The trees upon it appeared to be large, and we faw fmoke rifing in different parts of it from among them, a certain fign that it was inhabited. The middle of it

lies in latitude 17° 23′ S. and longitude 145° 54′ W. and is distant from Bird-Island forty-five leagues in the direction of W. by N. The variation here was, by several azimuths, found to be 4° 54′ E.

On the 10th, having had a tempeftuous night with Monday 10. thunder and rain, the weather was hazy till about nine o'clock in the morning, when it cleared up, and we faw the island to which Captain Wallis, who firft difcovered it, gave the name of Ofnaburgh Island, called by the natives Maitea, bearing N. W. by W. diftant

about

1769. April.

Monday 10.

about five leagues. It is a high round island, not above a league in circuit; in fome parts it is covered with trees, and in others a naked rock. In this direction it looked like a high crown'd hat; but when it bears north, the top of it has more the appearance of the roof of a house. We made its latitude to be 17° 48′S. its longitude 148° 10' W. and its diftance from Chain lfland 44 leagues, in the direction of W. by S.

CHA P. VIII.

The Arrival of the Endeavour at Otaheite, called by Captain Wallis King George the IIId's Ifland. Rules eftablifhed for Traffic with the Natives, and an Account of feveral Incidents which happened in a Vifit to Tootahab and Toubourai Tamaida, two Chiefs.

BOUT one o'clock, on Monday the 10th of April, fome of the people who were looking out for the island to which we were bound, faid they faw land a-head, in that part of the horizon where it was expected to appear; but it was fo faint that, whether there was land in fight or not, remained a Tuesday 11. matter of difpute till fun-fet. The next morning, however, at fix o'clock, we were convinced that those who faid they had discovered land, were not mistaken; it appeared to be very high and mountainous, extending from W. by S. S. to W. by N. N. and we knew it to be the fame that Captain Wallis had called King George the IIId's Ifland. We were delayed in our approach to it by light airs and calms, fo that in the Wełn. 12. morning of the 12th we were but little nearer than we had been the night before; but about seven a breeze fprung up, and before eleven feveral canoes were feen making towards the fhip: there were but few of them, however, that would come near; and the people in thofe that did, could not be perfuaded to come on board. In every canoe there were young plantains, and branches of a tree which the Indians call E' Midho; thefe, as we afterwards learnt, were brought as tokens of peace and amity, and the people in one of the canoes handed them up the fhip's fide, making fignals at the fame time with great earneftnefs, which we did not

immediately

immediately understand; at length we gueffed that they wifhed these symbols fhould be placed in fome confpicuous part of the ship; we, therefore, immediately ftuck them among the rigging, at which they expreffed the greatest fatisfaction. We then purchased their cargoes, confifting of cocoa-nuts, and various kinds of fruit, which after our long voyage were very acceptable.

1769.

April.

We flood on with an eafy fail all night, with foundings from 22 fathoms to 12, and about seven o'clock in the morning we came to anchor in 13 fathoms, in Thursd. 13. Port-royal bay, called by the natives Matavai. We were immediately surrounded by the natives in their canoes, who gave us cocoa-nuts, fruit resembling apples, bread-fruit, and fome fmall fishes, in exchange for beads and other trifles. They had with them a pig, which they would not part with for any thing but a hatchet, and therefore we refused to purchase it; becaufe, if we gave them a hatchet for a pig now, we knew they would never afterwards fell one for less, and we could not afford to buy as many as it was probable we should want at that price. The bread-fruit grows on a tree that is about the size of a middling oak: its leaves are frequently a foot and an half long, of an oblong shape, deeply finuated like those of the fig-tree, which they resemble in confiftence and colour, and in the exuding of a white milky juice upon being broken. The fruit is about the size and shape of a child's head, and the furface is reticulated not much unlike a truffle : it is covered with a thin fkin, and has a core about as big as the handle of a small knife; the eatable part lies between the skin and the core; it is as white as fnow, and fomewhat of the consistence of new bread : it must be roafted before it is eaten, being first divided into three or four parts: its tafte is infipid, with a flight sweetness fomewhat resembling that of the crumb of wheaten-bread mixed with a Jerusalem artichoke.

Among others who came off to the fhip was an elderly man, whose name, as we learnt afterwards, was OWHAW, and who was immediately known to Mr. Gore, and feveral others who had been here with Captain Wallis; as I was informed that he had been very ufeful to them, I took him on board the fhip with

fome

1769.

April.

fome others, and was particularly attentive to gratify him, as I hoped he might also be useful to us.

As our stay here was not likely to be very short, and as it was neceffary that the merchandise which we had brought for traffic with the natives fhould not diminish in its value, which it would certainly have done, if every perfon had been left at liberty to give what he pleafed for fuch things as he fhould purchase; at the fame time that confufion and quarrels must neceffarily have arifen from there being no standard at market : I drew up the following rules, and ordered that they fhould be punctually observed.

Rules to be obferved by every perfon in or belonging to his Majefty's Bark the Endeavour, for the better establishing a regular and uniform trade for provifion, &c. with the inhabitants of George's Ifland.

"I. To endeavour, by every fair means, to culti"vate a friendship with the natives; and to treat them "with all imaginable humanity.

" II. A proper perfon, or perfons, will be appoint"ed to trade with the natives for all manner of provi"fions, fruit, and other productions of the earth; "and no officer or feaman, or other perfon belonging "to the fhip, excepting fuch as are fo appointed, "fhall trade or offer to trade for any fort of provision, "fruit, or other productions of the earth, unless they have leave fo to do...

III. Every perfon employed on fhore, on any "duty whatsoever, is ftrictly to attend to the fame ; and if by any neglect he loseth any of his arms, cc or working tools, or fuffers them to be ftolen, the "full value thereof will be charged against his pay, "according to the cuftom of the navy in fuch cafes, and he fhall receive fuch farther punishment as the "nature of the offence may deferve.

« IV. The fame penalty will be inflicted on every "perfon who is found to embezzle, trade, or offer to trade, with any part of the fhip's ftores of what "nature foever.

"V. No fort of iron, or any thing that is made of iron, or any fort of cloth, or other ufeful or neceffary

"articles,

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