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1765. principal of the Solomon's Islands; but being June, afterwards convinced to the contrary, I called it Monday 24. the DUKE OF YORK'S ISLAND, in honour of his

Duke of

York's Inland.

Saturd, 29.

late Royal Highness, and I am of opinion that we were the first human beings who ever faw it. There is indeed great reafon to believe that there is no good authority for laying down Solomon's Islands in the fituation that is affigned to them by the French: the only perfon who has pretended to have seen them is Quiros, and I doubt whether he left behind him any account of them by which they might be found by future navigators.

We continued our courfe till the 29th, in the track of these islands, and being then ten degrees to the westward of their fituation in the chart, without having feen any thing of them, I hauled to the northward, in order to cross the equinoxial, and afterwards fhape my courfe for the Ladrone Inlands, which, though a long run, I hoped to accomplish before I should be diftreffed for water, notwithstanding it now began to fall short. Our latitude, this day, was 8° 13' S., longitude 176° 20' E. and the variation was 10° 10' E.

On Tuesday the 2d of July, we again faw many Jely. Tuesday 2. birds about the ship, and at four o'clock in the afternoon, difcovered an inland bearing north, and diftant about fix leagues: we ftood for it till funfet, when it was diftant about four leagues, and then kept off and on for the night. In the morning, we found it a low flat iflard, of a most delightful appearance, and full of wood, among which the cocoa-nut tree was very confpicuous:

Wednef. 3.

we

July.

we faw, however, to our great regret, much foul 1765. ground about it, upon which the fea broke with

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a dreadful furf. We fteered along the fouth west Wednef. 3. fide of it, which we judged to be about four leagues in length, and foon perceived not only that it was inhabited, but very populous; for presently after the ship came in fight, we saw at least a thoufand of the natives affembled upon the beach, and in a very short time more than fixty canoes, or rather proas, put off from the fhore, and made towards us. We lay by to receive them, and they were very foon ranged in a circle round us. These veffels were very neatly made, and so clean that they appeared to be quite new: none of them had fewer than three perfons on board, nor any of them more than fix. After these Indians had gazed at us some time, one of them fuddenly jumped out of his proa, fwam to the fhip, and ran up the fide like a cat; as foon as he had stepped over the gunwale, he fat down upon it, and burst into a violent fit of laughter, then started up, and ran all over the ship, attempting to fteal whatever he could lay his hands upon, but without fuccefs, for being stark naked, it was impoffible to conceal his booty for a moment. Our feamen put on him a jacket and trowsers, which produced great merriment, for he had all the gestures of a monkey newly dreffed: we also gave him bread, which he eat with a voracious appetite, and after having played a thousand antic tricks, he leaped overboard, jacket and trowfers and all, and fwam back again to his proa; after this several others swam

1765. July.

to the ship, ran up the fide of the gun-room ports, and having crept in, fnatched up whatever lay in Wednef. 3. their reach, and immediately leaped again into the fea, and fwam away at a great rate, though fome of them, having both hands full, held up their arms quite out of the water, to prevent their plunder from being spoiled. These people are tall, well-proportioned, and clean-limbed their skin is a bright copper colour, their features are extremely good, and there is a mixture of intrepidity and cheerfulness in their countenances that is very ftriking. They have long black hair, which fome of them wore tied up behind in a great bunch, others in three knots: fome of them had long beards, fome only whiskers, and fome nothing more than a small tuft at the point of the chin. They were all of them stark naked, except their ornaments, which confifted of fhells, very prettily difpofed and ftrung together, and were worn round their necks, wrifts, and waifts: all their ears were bored, but they had no ornaments in them when we faw them: fuch ornaments as they wear, when they wear any, are probably very heavy, for their ears hang down almost to their fhoulders, and fome of them were quite fplit through. One of thefe men, who ap peared to be a person of fome confequence, had a ftring of human teeth about his waift, which was probably a trophy of his military prowefs, for he would not part with it in exchange for any thing that I could offer him. Some of them were unarmed, but others had one of the most dangerous weapons I had ever feen: it was a kind of spear,

1765. July

very broad at the end, and stuck full of fhark's teeth, which are as fharp as a lancet, at the fides, for about three feet of its length. We fhewed Wednef. 3. them fome cocoa-nuts, and made figns that we wanted more; but instead of giving any intimation that they could supply us, they endeavoured to take away those we had.

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I fent out the boats to found foon after we brought to off the island, and when they came back, they reported that there was ground at the depth of thirty fathom, within two cables' length of the fhore; but as the bottom was coral rock, and the foundings much too near the breakers for a fhip to lie in fafety, I was obliged again to make fail without procuring any refreshments for the fick. This ifland, to which my officers gave the name of BYRON'S ISLAND, lies in latitude 1° 18' Byron's S., longitude 173° 46′ E.; the variation of the compass here, was one point E.·'

In our courfe from this place, we faw, for feveral days, abundance of fish, but we could take only sharks, which were become a good dish even at my own table. Many of the people now began to fall down with fluxes, which the Surgeon imputed to the exceffive heat, and almost perpetual rains.

Inland.

By the 21st, all our cocoa-nuts being expended, our people began to fall down again with the fcurvy. Sunday 21. The effect of these nuts alone, in checking this difease, is astonishing: many whofe limbs were become as black as ink, who could not move without the affistance of two men, and who, besides total debi

lity,

1765. lity, fuffered excruciating pain, were in a few days, july. by eating these nuts, although at fea, so far recoSunday 21. vered as to do their duty, and could even go aloft as well as they did before the diftemper seized them. For several days about this time, we had only faint breezes, with fmooth water, fo that we made but little way, and as we were now not far from the Ladrone Islands, where we hoped fome refreshments might be procured, we most ardently wished for a fresh gale, especially as the heat was ftill intolerable, the glafs for a long time having never been lower than eighty-one, but often up to eighty-four; and I am of opinion that this is the hottest, the longest, and most dangerous run that ever was made.

Monday 28.

On the 18th, we were in latitude 13° 9′ N., longitude 158° 50′ E., and on the 22d, in latitude 14° 25′ N., longitude 153° 11′ E. during which time we had a northerly current. Being now nearly in the latitude of Tinian, I shaped my course for that island,

CHAP,

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