1769. july. Monday 3. of a continent, which some have supposed to be neceffary in this part of the globe, to preserve an equilibrium of its parts, which were left behind when the rest sunk by the mining of a fubterraneous fire, fo as to give a paffage to the sea over it; or were torn from rocks, which, from the creation of the world, had been the bed of the sea, and thrown up in heaps, to a height which the waters never reach. One or other of these fuppofitions will perhaps be thought the more probable, as the water does not gradually grow fhallow as the fhore is approached, and the islands are almost every where furrounded by reefs, which appear to be rude and broken, as fome violent concuffion would naturally leave the folid fubftance of the earth. It may also be remarked upon this occafion, that the most probable cause of earthquakes seems. to be the fudden rushing in of water upon some vast mass of fubterraneous fire, by the inftantaneous rarefaction of which into vapour, the mine is sprung, and various substances, in all stages of vitrification, with fhells, and other marine productions, that are now found foffil, and the ftrata that covered the furnace, are thrown up; while thofe parts of the land which were fupported upon the broken shell give way, and fink into the gulph.. With this theory the phænomena of all earthquakes feem to agree; pools of water are frequently left where land has fubfided, and various fubftances, which manifeftly appear to have fuffered by the action of fire, are thrown up. It is indeed true, that fire cannot fubfift without air; but this cannot be urged against there being fire below that part of the earth which forms the bed of the fea; because there may be innumerable fiffures by which a communication between those parts and the external air may be kept up, even upon the highest mountains, and at the greatest distance from the fea-fshore. On the 4th, Mr. Banks employed himself in planting a great quantity of the feeds of water-melons, oranges, lemons, limes, and other plants and trees which he had collected at Rio de Janeiro. For these he prepared ground on each fide of the fort, with as many varieties of foil as he could chufe; and there is little doubt but that they will fucceed. He also gave liberally of these feeds to the Indians, and planted many of them in the woods: fome of the melon feeds having been planted foon after our arrival, the natives fhewed him feveral of the plants which appeared to be in the most flourishing condition, and were continually asking him for more. We now began to prepare for our departure, by bending the fails and performing other neceffary operations on board the ship, our water being already on board, and the provifions examined. In the mean time we had another visit from Oamo, Oberea, and their son and daughter; the Indians expreffing their respect by uncovering the upper parts of their body as they had done before. The daughter, whose name we understood to be TOIMATA, was very defirous to fee the fort, but her father would by no means fuffer her to come in. Tearee, the son of Waheatua, the fovereign of Tiarrabou,, the fouth eaft peninsula, was also with us at this time; and we received intelligence of the landing of another gueft, whose company was neither expected nor defired: this was no other than the ingenious gentleman who contrived to steal our quadrant. We were told, that he intended to try his fortune again in the night; but the Indians all offered very zealously to affist us against him, defiring that, for this purpose, they might be permitted to lie in the fort. This had fo good! an effect, that the thief relinquished his enterprize in defpair. On 1769 July. Friday 7. Saturday 8. On the 7th, the carpenters were employed in taking down the gates and pallifadoes of our little fortification, for firewood on board the fhip; and one of the Indians had dexterity enough to fteal the staple and hook upon which the gate turned: he was immediately pursued, and after a chace of fix miles, he appeared to have been paffed, having concealed himself among fome rufhes in the brook; the rushes were searched, and though the thief had escaped, a scraper was found which had been ftolen from the ship sometime before and foon after our old friend Tubourai Tamaide brought us the flaple. On the 8th and 9th, we continued to dismantle our fort, and our friends ftill flocked about us; fome, I believe, forry at the approach of our departure, and others defirous to make as much as they could of us while we staid. We were in hopes that we fhould now leave the island, without giving or receiving any other offence; but it unfortunately happened otherwife. Two foreign seamen having been out with my permiffion, one of them was robbed of his knife, and endeavouring to recover it, probably with circumstances of great provocation, the Indians attacked him and dangerously wounded him with a stone; they wounded his companion alfo flightly in the head, and then fled into the mountains. As I fhould have been forry to take any farther notice of the affair, I was not displeased that the offenders had escaped; but I was immediately involved in a quarrel which I very much regretted, and which yet it was not poffible to avoid. In the middle of the night between the 8th and 9th, Clement Webb and Samuel Gibfon, two of the marines, both. young men, went privately from the fort, and in the morning were not to be found. As publick notice had been given, that that all hands were to go on board on the next day, and that the ship would fail on the morrow of that day or the day following, I began to fear that the absentees intended to stay behind. I knew that I could take no effectual steps to recover them, without endangering the harmony and goodwill which at prefent fubfifted among us; and, therefore, determined to wait a day for the chance of their return. 1769. July. Sunday 9. On Monday morning the 10th, the marines, to my great Monday 10. concern, not being returned, an enquiry was made after them of the Indians, who frankly told us, that they did not intend to return, and had taken refuge in the mountains, where it was impoffible for our people to find them. They were then requested to affift in the search, and after some deliberation, two of them undertook to conduct fuch perfons as I should think proper to fend after them to the place of their retreat. As they were known to be without arms, I thought two would be fufficient, and accordingly dispatched a petty officer, and the corporal of the marines, with the Indian guides, to fetch them back. As the recovery of these men was a matter of great importance, as I had no time to lofe, and as the Indians fpoke doubtfully of their return, telling us, that they had each of them taken a wife, and were become inhabitants of the country, it was intimated to feveral of the Chiefs who were in the fort with their women, among whom were Tubourai Tamaide, Tomio, and Oberea, that they would not be permitted to leave it till our deferters were brought back. This precaution I thought the more neceffary, as, by concealing them a few days, they might compel me to go without them; and I had the pleasure to obferve, that they received the intimation with very little signs either of fear or discontent; afsuring me that my people should be fecured and sent back as foon as poffible. While this was doing at the fort, I fent Mr. Hicks in the pinnace to fetch 1769. July. fetch Tootahah on board the hip, which he did, without alarming either him or his people. If the Indian guides Monday 10. proved faithful and in earnest, I had reafon to expect the return of my people with the deferters before evening. Being disappointed, my fufpicions increafed; and night coming on, I thought it was not fafe to let the people whom I had detained as hoftages continue at the fort, and I therefore ordered Tubourai Tamaide, Oberea, and fome others, to be taken on board the fhip. This spread a general alarm, and several of them, especially the women, expreffed their apprehenfions with great emotion and many tears when they were put into the boat. I went on board with them, and Mr. Banks remained on fhore, with fome others whom I thought it of less consequence to secure. About nine o'clock, Webb was brought back by fome of the natives, who declared, that Gibson, and the petty officer and corporal, would be detained till Tootahah should be set at liberty. The tables were now turned upon me; but I had proceeded too far to retreat. I immediately dispatched Mr. Hicks in the long-boat, with a strong party of men, to rescue the prisoners, and told Tootahah that it behoved him to fend fome of his people with them, with orders to afford them effectual affistance, and to demand the release of my men in his name, for that I fhould expect him to anfwer for the contrary. He readily complied; this party recovered my men without the least oppofition; and about Tuesday 11. feven o'clock in the morning, returned with them to the ship, though they had not been able to recover the arms which had been taken from them when they were feized: thefe, however, were brought on board in less than half an hour, and the Chiefs were immediately fet at liberty. When I questioned the petty officer concerning what had happened on shore, he told me, that neither the natives who went |