1769. June.

Thursday 1.

Friday 2.

fit to go upon this expedition, and several natives, particularly Tubourai Tamaide and Tomio, were also of the party. Very early on the Friday morning, I fent Mr. Hicks, with Mr. Clerk and Mr. Peterfgill, the Mafter'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 also might employ the inftruments with which they had been furnished for the fame purpose.

The long-boat not having been got ready till Thursday in the afternoon, though all poffible expedition was used to fit her out; the people on board, after having rowed most part of the night, brought her to a grappling juft under the land of Imao. Soon after day-break, they faw an Indian canoe, which they hailed, and the people on board fhewed 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 shore, 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 ftand upon. Mr. Gore and his affiftants immediately began to fet them up, and make other neceffary preparations for the important business 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 afhore upon the main island, to buy, provifions; of which he procured a fufficient supply 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 fatisfied the impatience of the reft by reporting

the

the changes of the fky; now encouraging their hope by telling them that it was clear, and now alarming their fears by an account that it was hazey.

1769.

June.

At day-break they got up, and had the fatisfaction to fee Saturday 3. the fun rife, without a cloud. Mr. Banks then, wishing the obfervers, Mr. Gore and Mr. Monkhoufe, fuccefs, repaired again to the island, that he might examine its produce, and get a fresh supply of provifions: he began by trading with the natives, for which purpose he took his station under a tree; and to keep them from preffing upon him in a crowd, he drew a circle round him, which he suffered none of them

to enter.

About eight o'clock, he faw two canoes coming towards the place, and was given to understand by the people about him, that they belonged to TARRAO, the King of the island, who was coming to make him a vifit. As foon as the canoes came near the shore, the people made a lane from the beach to the trading-place, and his Majefty landed, with his fifter, whose name was NUNA; as they advanced towards the tree where Mr. Banks flood, he went out to meet them, and, with great formality, introduced them into the circle from which the other natives had been excluded. As it is the cuftom of these people to fit during all their conferences, Mr. Banks unwrapped a kind of Turban of Indian cloth, which he wore upon his head instead of a hat, and fpreading it upon the ground, they all fat down upon it together. The royal prefent was then brought, which consisted of a hog and a dog, fome bread-fruit, cocoa-nuts, and other articles of the like kind. Mr. Banks then dispatched a canoe to the obfervatory for his prefent, and the messengers foon returned with an adze, a shirt, and fome beads, which were prefented to his Majefty, and received with great fatisfaction.

VOL. II.

T

By

1769. June.

Saturday 3.

Sunday 4.

By this time, Tubourai Tamaide and Tomio joined them, from the obfervatory. Tomio faid, that fhe was related to Tarrao, and brought him a prefent of a long nail, at the fame time complimenting Nuna with a fhirt.

The first internal contact of the planet with the fun being over, Mr. Banks returned to the obfervatory, taking Tarrao, Nuna, and fome of their principal attendants, among whom were three very handfome young women, with him: he showed them the planet upon the fun, and endeavoured to make them understand that he and his companions had come from their own country on purpofe to fee it. Soon after, Mr. Banks returned with them to the island, where he fpent the rest of the day in examining its produce, which he found to be much the fame with that of Otaheite. The people whom he saw there also exactly refembled the inhabitants of that island, and many of them were perfons whom he had feen upon it; fo that all thofe whom he had dealt with, knew of what his trading articles confifted, and the value they bore.

The next morning, having ftruck the tents, they fet out on their return, and arrived at the fort before night.

The obfervation was made with equal fuccefs by the perfons whom I had fent to the eastward, and at the fort, there not being a cloud in the sky from the rising to the setting of the fun, the whole paffage of the planet Venus over the fun's disk was obferved with great advantage by Mr. Green, Dr. Solander, and myself: Mr. Green's telescope and mine were of the fame magnifying power, but that of Dr. Solander was greater. We all faw an atmosphere or dufky cloud round the body of the planet, which very much disturbed the times of contact, efpecially of the internal ones; and we differed from each other in our accounts of the times of the

contacts

contacts much more than might have been expected. Ac

cording to Mr. Green,

Hours. Min. Sec.

The first external contact, or first appearance of Venus on the Sun, was

·9 25 42

The firft internal contact, or total immerfion, was The fecond internal contact, or beginning of the emerfion,

The fecond external contact, or total emerfion

Morning.

Afternoon,

The latitude of the obfervatory was found to be 17° 29′ 15′′; and the longitude 149° 32′ 30′′ W. of Greenwich. A more particular account will appear by the tables, for which the reader is referred to the Tranfactions of the Royal Society, vol. lxi. part 2. page 397 & feq. where they are illustrated by

á cut.

But if we had reafon to congratulate ourselves upon the fuccefs of our obfervation, we had scarce lefs caufe to regret the diligence with which that time had been improved by fome of our people to another purpose. While the attention of the officers was engroffed by the Tranfit of Venus, some of the fhip's company broke into one of the store-rooms, and stole a quantity of spike nails, amounting to no less than one hundred weight: this was a matter of public and serious concern; for these nails, if circulated by the people among the Indians, would do us irreparable injury, by reducing the value of iron, our ftaple commodity. One of the thieves was detected, but only seven nails were found in his custody. He was punished with two dozen lashes, but would impeach none of his accomplices.

1769.

June.

1769.

June.

Monday 5.

CHA P. XIV.

The Ceremonies of an Indian Funeral particularly defcribed: General Obfervations on the Subject: A Character found among the Indians to which the Ancients paid great Veneration: A Robbery at the Fort, and its Confequences; with a Specimen of Indian Cookery, and various Incidents.

N the 5th, we kept his Majesty's birth-day; for though it is we

On the the 4th, we were unwilling to celebrate it during

ON

the absence of the two parties who had been fent out to obferve the Tranfit. We had feveral of the Indian Chiefs at our entertainment, who drank his Majefty's health by the name of Kihiargo, which was the nearest imitation they could produce of King George.

About this time died an old woman of fome rank, who was related to Tomio, which gave us an opportunity to fee how they difpofed of the body, and confirmed us in our opinion that these people, contrary to the prefent custom of all other nations now known, never bury their dead. In the middle of a small square, neatly railed in with bamboo, the awning of a canoe was raifed upon two posts, and under this the body was depofited upon fuch a frame as has before been defcribed: it was covered with fine cloth, and near it was placed bread-fruit, fish, and other provisions: we fuppofed that the food was placed there for the spirit of the deceased, and confequently, that these Indians had fome confused notion of a separate state; but upon our applying for

further