1769. April.

to his mouth, blew into it with one noftril, while he stopped the other with his thumb: to these instruments four other Saturday 22. perfons fung, and kept very good time; but only one tune was played during the whole concert.

Several of the natives brought us axes, which they had received from on board the Dolphin, to grind and repair; but among others there was one which became the fubject of much speculation, as it appeared to be French: after much enquiry, we learnt that a ship had been here between our arrival and the departure of the Dolphin, which we then conjectured to have been a Spaniard, but now know to have been the Boudeufe, commanded by M. Bougainville.

CHA P. X.

An Excurfion to the Eastward, an Account of feveral Incidents that happened both on board and on shore, and of the first Interview with Oberea, the Perfon who, when the Dolphin was here, was supposed to be Queen of the Ifland, with a Defcription of the Fort.

ON

1769. April.

N the 24th, Mr. Banks and Dr. Solander examined the country for several miles along the fhore to the eafward: for about two miles it was flat and fertile; after that Monday 24. the hills stretched quite to the water's edge, and a little farther ran out into the sea, so that they were obliged to climb over them. These hills, which were barren, continued for about three miles more, and then terminated in a large plain, which was full of good houses, and people who appeared to live in great affluence. In this place there was a river, much more confiderable than that at our fort, which issued from a deep and beautiful valley, and, where our travellers crossed it, though at fome distance from the fea, was near one hundred yards wide. About a mile beyond this river the country became again barren, the rocks every where projecting into the fea, for which reason they refolved to return. Juft as they had formed this refolution, one of the natives offered them refreshment, which they accepted. They found this man to be of a kind that has been defcribed by various authors, as mixed with many nations, but diftinct from them all. His skin was of a dead white, without the leaft appearance of what is called complexion, though fome parts of his body

VOL. II.

1~69. - pril.

~

Monday 24.

body were in a small degree lefs white than others: his hair, eye-brows, and beard, were as white as his fkin; his eyes appeared as if they were bloodshot, and he seemed to be very fhort-fighted.

At their return they were met by Tubourai Tamaide, and his women, who, at feeing them, felt a joy which not being able to exprefs, they burst into tears, and wept some time before their passion could be restrained.

This evening Dr. Solander lent his knife to one of these Tuesday 25. women, who neglected to return it, and the next morning Mr. Banks's also was miffing; upon this occafion I must bear my teftimony, that the people of this country, of all ranks, men and women, are the erranteft thieves upon the face of the earth: the very day after we arrived here, when they came on board us, the Chiefs were employed in ftealing what they could in the cabbin, and their dependants were no lefs industrious in other parts of the fhip; they fnatched up every thing that it was poffible for them to fecrete till they got on fhore, even to the glafs ports, two of which they carried off undetected. Tubourai Tamaide was the only one except Tootahah who had not been found guilty, and the prefumption, arifing from this circumstance, that he was exempt from a vice, of which the whole nation befides were guilty, cannot be fuppofed to outweigh ftrong appearances to the contrary. Mr. Banks therefore, though not without fome reluctance, accused him of having ftolen his knife: he folemnly and fteadily denied that he knew any thing of it; upon which Mr. Banks made him understand, that whoever had taken it, he was determined to have it returned: upon this refolute declaration, one of the natives who was prefent produced a rag in which three knives were very carefully tied up. One was that which Dr. Solander

had

1769.

April.

had lent to the woman, another was a table knife belonging to me, and the owner of the third was not known. With these the chief immediately fet out, in order to make refti- Tuesday 25. tution of them to their owners at the tents. Mr. Banks remained with the women, who expreffed great apprehensions that fome mischief was defigned against their lord. When he came to the tents he restored one of the knives to Dr. Solander and another to me, the third not being owned, and then began to fearch for Mr. Banks's in all the places where he had ever feen it. After fome time, one of Mr. Banks's fervants, understanding what he was about, immediately fetched his master's knife, which it seems he had laid by the day before, and till now knew nothing of its having been miffed. Tubourai Tamaide, upon this demonftration of his innocence, expreffed the ftrongeft emotions of mind, both in his looks and geftures; the tears ftarted from his eyes, and he made figns, with the knife, that, if he was ever guilty of fuch an action as had been imputed to him, he would fubmit to have his throat cut. He then rushed out of the lines, and returned haftily to Mr. Banks, with a countenance that feverely reproached him with his fufpicions. Mr. Banks foon understood that the knife had been received from his servant, and was scarcely less affected at what had happened than the Chief; he felt himself to be the guilty person, and was very defirous to atone for his fault. The poor Indian, however violent his paffions, was a stranger to fullen refentment; and upon Mr. Banks's spending a little time familiarly with him, and making him a few trifling presents, he forgot the wrong that had been done him, and was perfectly reconciled.

Upon this occasion it may be observed, that these people have a knowlege of right and wrong from the mere dictates of natural confcience; and involuntarily condemn themfelves

O 2

1769. April.

felves when they do that to others, which they would condemn others for doing to them. That Tubourai Tamaide Tuesday 25 felt the force of moral obligation, is certain; for the imputation of an action which he confidered as indifferent, would not, when it appeared to be groundlefs, have moved him with fuch excefs of paffion. We must indeed eftimate the virtue of these people, by the only standard of morality, the conformity of their conduct to what in their opinion is right;. but we must not haftily conclude that theft is a testimony of the fame depravity in them that it is in us, in the inftances in which our people were sufferers by their dishonesty; for their temptation was fuch, as to furmount would be confidered as a proof of uncommon integrity among those who have more knowlege, better principles, and stronger motives to refift the temptations of illicit advantage: an Indian among penny knives, and beads, or even nails and broken glass, is in the same state of trial with the meanest servant. in Europe among unlocked coffers of jewels and gold.

Wednef. 26.

Thursday 27.

On the 26th, I mounted fix fwivel guns upon the fort, which I was forry to fee ftruck the natives with dread: fome fishermen who lived upon the point removed farther off, and Owhaw told us, by figns, that in four days we should fire great guns.

On the 27th, Tubourai Tamaide, with a friend, who eat with a voracity that I never faw before, and the three women that usually attended him, whose names were TERAPO, TIRAO, and OMIE, dined at the fort: in the evening they took their leave, and set out for the house which Tubourai Tamaide had fer up in the skirts of the wood; but in less than a quarter of an hour he returned in great emotion, and haftily feizing Mr. Banks's arm, made figns that he fhould follow him. Mr. Banks immediately complied, and

they