1769. February.

ging much damaged; neither of which inconveniencies we had now fuffered. But fuppofing it more eligible to go round the Cape, than through the Streight of Magellan; it may still be queftioned, whether it is better to go through the Streight of Le Maire, or ftand to the eastward, and go round Staten Land. The advice given in the Account of Lord Anfon's voyage is, "That all ships bound to the South "Seas, instead of paffing through the Streight of Le Maire, fhould conftantly pass to the eastward of Staten Land, and "fhould be invariably bent on running to the fouthward as "far as the latitude of 61 or 62 degrees, before they endea vour to stand to the weftward." But, in my opinion, different circumftances may at one time render it eligible to pafs through the Streight, and to keep to the castward of Staten Land at another. If the land is fallen in with to the weftward of the Streight, and the wind is favourable for going through, I think it would be very injudicious to lose time by going round Staten Land, as I am confident that, by attending to the directions which I have given, the Streight may be paffed with the utmost safety and convenience: but if, on the contrary, the land is fallen in with to the eastward of the Streight, and the wind fhould prove tempestuous or unfavourable, I think it would be beft to go round Staten Land. But I cannot in any cafe concur in recommending the running into the latitude of 61 or 62, before any endeavour is made to ftand to the weftward. We found neither the current nor the ftorms which the running fo far to the fouthward is fuppofed neceffary to avoid; and indeed, as the winds almost conftantly blow from that quarter, it is fcarcely poffible to pursue the advice. The navigator has no choice but to ftand to the fouthward, close upon a wind, and by keeping upon that tack, he will not only make fouthing, but wefting; and, if the wind varies towards the north of

the

the weft, his wefting will be confiderable. It will, indeed, be highly proper to maké fure of a wefting fufficient to double all the lands, before an attempt is made to ftand to the northward, and to this every man's own prudence will of neceffity direct him.

We now began to have strong gales and heavy feas, with irregular intervals of calm and fine weather.

CHAP. VII.

The Sequel of the Passage from Cape Horn to the newly difcovered Islands in the South Seas, with a Defcription of their Figure and Appearance; fome Account of the Inhabitants, and feveral Incidents that happened during the Courfe, and at the Ship's Arrival among them.

N the ift of March, we were in latitude 38° 44′ S. and longitude 110° 33′ W. both by observation and by the log. This agreement, after a run of 660 leagues, was thought to be very extraordinary; and is a demonstration, that after we left the land of Cape Horn we had no current that affected the fhip. It renders it also highly probable, that we had been near no land of any confiderable extent; for currents are always found when land is not remote, and fometimes, particularly on the eaft fide of the continent in the North Sea, when land has been diftant 100 leagues.

Many birds, as usual, were conftantly about the ship, so that Mr. Banks killed no lefs than 62 in one day; and what is more remarkable, he caught two foreft flies, both of them of the same species, but different from any that have hither

March. Wednef. 1.

1769. March.

Wednef. 8,

Friday 24.

Saturday 25.

to been described; these probably belonged to the birds, and came with them from the land, which we judged to be at a great distance. Mr. Banks alfo, about this time, found a large cuttle-fifh, which had just been killed by the birds, floating in a mangled condition upon the water; it was very different from the cuttle-fishes that are found in the European feas; for its arms, inftead of fuckers, were furnished with a double row of very harp talons, which refembled those of a cat, and, like them, were retractable into a fheath of fkin, from which they might be thruft at pleasure. Of this cuttle-fifh we made one of the best foups we had ever tafted.

The albatroffes now began to leave us, and after the 8th there was not one to be feen. We continued our course without any memorable event till the 24th, when some of the people who were upon the watch in the night, reported that they faw a log of wood pafs by the ship; and that the fea, which was rather rough, became fuddenly as fmooth as a mill-pond. It was a general opinion, that there was land to windward; but I did not think myself at liberty to fearch for what I was not fure to find; though I judged we were not far from the islands that were difcovered by Quiros in 1606. Our latitude was 22° 11 S. and longitude 127° 55′ W.

On the 25th, about noon, one of the marines, a young fellow about twenty, was placed as centry at the cabbin door; while he was upon this duty, one of my fervants was at the fame place preparing to cut a piece of feal-fkin into tobacco pouches : he had promised one to several of the men, but had refufed one to this young fellow, though he had asked him several times; upon which he jocularly threatened to steal one, if it should be in his power. It happened that the fervant being called haftily away, gave the skin in charge to

the

the centinel, without regarding what had passed between them. The centinel immediately fecured a piece of the skin, which the other miffing at his return, grew angry; but after fome altercation, contented himself with taking it away, declaring, that, for fo trifling an affair, he would not complain of him to the officers. But it happened that one of his fellow foldiers, over-hearing the difpute, came to the knowlege of what had happened, and told it to the reft; who, taking it into their heads to ftand up for the honour of their corps, reproached the offender with great bitterness, and reviled him in the most opprobrious terms; they exaggerated his offence into a crime of the deepeft die; they faid it was a theft by a centry when he was upon duty, and of a thing. that had been committed to his truft; they declared it a difgrace to affociate with him; and the Serjeant, in particular, said that, if the perfon from whom the skin had been stolen would not complain, he would complain himself; for that his honour would fuffer if the offender was not punished. From the scoffs and reproaches of these men of honour, the poor young fellow retired to his hammock in an agony of confufion and fhame. The Serjeant foon after went to him, and ordered him to follow him to the deck: he obeyed without reply; but it being in the dusk of the evening, he flipped from the Serjeant and went forward: he was feen by fome of the people, who thought he was gone to the head; but a fearch being made for him afterwards, it was found that he had thrown himself overboard; and I was then firft made acquainted with the theft and its circumstances.

The lofs of this man was the more regretted as he was remarkably quiet and industrious, and as the very action that put an end to his life was a proof of an ingenuous mind; for to fuch only disgrace is infupportable.

1769.

March.

Saturday 25,

On

1769. April. Tuesday 4. Lagoon Ifland.

On Tuesday the 4th of April, about ten o'clock in the morning, Mr. Banks's fervant, Peter Brifcoe, difcovered land, bearing fouth, at the distance of about three or four leagues. I immediately hauled up for it, and found it to be an island of an oval form, with a lagoon in the middle, which occupied much the larger part of it; the border of land which circumfcribes the lagoon is in many places very low and narrow, particularly on the fouth fide, where it confifts principally of a beach or reef of rocks: it has the fame appearance also in three places on the north fide; fo that, the firm land being disjoined, the whole looks like many islands covered with wood. On the weft end of the island is a large tree, or clump of trees, that in appearance resembles a tower; and about the middle are two cocoa-nut trees, which rife above all the reft, and, as we came near to the island, appeared like a flag. We approached it on the north fide, and though we came within a mile, we found no bottom with 130 fathom of line, nor did there appear to be any anchorage about it. The whole is covered with trees of different verdure, but we could distinguish none, even with our glaffes, except cocoa-nuts and palm-nuts. We faw feveral of the natives upon the shore, and counted four and twenty. They appeared to be tall, and to have heads remarkably large; perhaps they had fomething wound round them which we could not distinguish; they were of a copper colour, and had long black hair. Eleven of them walked along the beach abreast of the ship, with poles or pikes in their hands which reached twice as high as themfelves: while they walked on the beach they seemed to be naked; but foon after they retired, which they did as soon as the fhip had paffed the ifland, they covered themselves with fomething that made them appear of a light colour. Their habitations were under fome clumps of palm-nut trees,