1767. July. 40 to the branches, with very little diminution in the fize. Our carpenter faid, that in other respects it was not a good wood for the purpose, being very light. The fmall canoes are nothing more than the hollow trunk of the bread-fruit tree, which is ftill more light and spongy. The trunk of the bread-fruit tree is fix feet in girth, and about 20 feet to the branches. Their principal weapons are stones, thrown either with the hand or fling, and bludgeons; for though they have bows and arrows, the arrows are only fit to knock down a bird, none of them being pointed, but headed only with a round stone. I did not fee one turtle all the while I lay off this island, but upon fhewing fome fmall ones which I brought from Queen Charlotte's Inland, to the inhabitants, they made figns that they had them of a much larger fize. I very much regret ted my having loft our he-goat, which died foon after we left St. Iago, and that neither of our fhe. goats, of which we had two, were with kid. If the he-goat had lived, I would have put them all on fhore at this place, and I would have left a fhegoat here if either of them had been with kid; and I doubt not, but that in a few years they would have ftocked the island. The climate here appears to be very good, and the island to be one of the most healthy as well as delightful fpots in the world. We saw no appearance of difeafe among the inhabitants. The hills are covered with wood, and the vallies with herbage; and the air in general is fo pure, that, notwithstanding withstanding the heat, our flesh meat kept very well two days, and our fish one. We met with no frog, toad, fcorpion, centipied, or ferpent of any kind: and the only troublesome infects that we faw were ants, of which there were but few. The fouth-east part of the island feems to be better cultivated and inhabited than where we lay, for we faw every day boats come round from thence laden with plantains and other fruit, and we always found greater plenty, and a lower price foon after their arrival, than before. The tide rifes and falls very little, and being governed by the winds, is very uncertain; though they generally blow from the E. to the S. E., and for the most part a pleasant breeze. The benefit that we received while we lay off this ifland, with respect to the health of the ship's company, was beyond our moft fanguine expectations, for we had not now an invalid on board, except the two lieutenants and myself, and we were recovering, though ftill in a very feeble condition. It is certain that none of our people contracted the venereal disease here, and therefore, as they had free commerce with great numbers of the women, there is the greatest probability that it was not then known in the country. It was, however, found here by Captain Cook, in the Endeavour, and as no European veffel is known to have vifited this inland before Captain Cook's arrival, but the Dolphin, and the Boudeuse and Etoil, commanded by M. Bougainville, the reproach of having contaminated with that dreadful peft, a race of happy people, X 2 1767. July. July. 1767 people, to whom its miseries had till then been unknown, must be due either to him or to me, to England or to France; and I think myself happy to be able to exculpate myself and my country beyond the poffibility of doubt. It is well known that the furgeon on board his Majesty's fhips keeps a lift of the persons who are fick on board, specifying their diseases, and the times when they came under his care, and when they were discharged. It happened that I was once at the pay-table on board a ship, when feveral failors objected to the payment of the furgeon, alleging, that although he had discharged them from the lift, and reported them to be cured, yet their cure was incomplete. From this time, it has been my conftant practice when the furgeon reported a man to be cured, who had been upon the fick lift, to call the man before me, and ask him whether the report was true: if he alleged that any symptoms of his complaint remained, I continued him upon the lift; if not, I required him, as a confirmation of the furgeon's report, to fign the book, which was always done in my prefence. A copy of the fick lift on board the Dolphin, during this voyage, figned by every man in my prefence, when he was difcharged well, in confirmation of the furgeon's report, written in my own hand, and confirmed by my affidavit, I have deposited in the Admiralty; by which it appears, that the laft man on board the fhip, in her voyage outward, who was upon the fick lift for the venereal difeafe, except one who was fent to England I १ f July. England in the Store-fhip, was discharged cured, 1767. and figned the book on the 27th of December 1766, near fix months before our arrival at Otaheite, which was on the 19th of June 1767; and that the first man who was upon the lift for that disease, in our return home, was entered on the 26th of February 1768, fix months after we left the island, which was on the 26th of July 1767; fo that the fhip's company was entirely free fourteen months within one day, the very middle of which time we spent at Otaheite; and the man who was first entered as a venereal patient, on our return home, was known to have contracted the disease at the Cape of Good Hope, where we then lay. 1767. July. CHA P. IX. Paffage from Otaheite to Tinian, with fome H AVING made fail from King George the Third's Inland, we proceeded along the Monday 27. fhore of the Duke of York's Ifland, at the distance of about two miles. There appeared to be good bays in every part of it, and in the middle a fine harbour; but I did not think it worth while to go on fhore. The middle and weft end is very mountainous, the east end is lower, and the coast just within the beach is covered with cocoa-nut, breadfruit, apple, and plantain trees. Tuesday 28, At day-light, the next morning, we faw land, for which we made fail, and ran along the lee-fide of it. On the weather-fide there were very great breakers, and the lee-fide was rocky, but in many places there appeared to be good anchorage. We faw but few inhabitants, and they appeared to live in a manner very different from those of King George's Island, their habitations being only small huts. We faw many cocoa nut and other trees upon the fhore; but all of them had their heads blown away, probably in a hurricane. This island is about fix miles long, and has a mountain of confiderable height in the middle, which feems to be fertile. It lies in latitude 17° 28′ S., and longitude, 2 |