1759. July. Huaheine. On the 16th, we had a gentle breeze; and in the morning about eight o'clock, being close in Sunday 16, with the north weft part of the island Huaheine, we founded, but had no bottom with 80 fathom. Some canoes very foon came off, but the people feemed afraid, and kept at a distance till they discovered Tupia, and then they ventured nearer. In one of the canoes that came up to the ship's fide, was the King of the island and his wife. Upon affurances of friendship, frequently and earnestly repeated, their Majesties and fome others came on board. At first they were ftruck with astonishment, and wondered at every thing that was fhewn them; yet they made no inquiries, and feeming to be fatisfied with what was offered to their notice, they made no fearch after other objects of curiosity, with which it was natural to fuppofe a building of fuch novelty and magnitude as the ship muft abound. After fome time, they became more familiar. I was given to understand, that the name of the king was OREE, and he proposed, as a mark of amity, that we should exchange names. To this I readily confented; and he was Cookee, for fo he pronounced my name, and I was Oree, for the rest of the time we were together. We found these people to be very nearly the fame with those of Otaheite, in perfon, dress, language, and every other circumstance, except, except, if Tupia might be believed, that they 1769. would not steal. July. Soon after dinner, we came to an anchor, in a Sunday 16, fmall but excellent harbour on the weft fide of the island, which the Natives call OwHARRE, in eighteen fathom water, clear ground, and fecure from all winds. I went immediately afhore, accompanied by Mr. Banks, Dr. Solander, Mr. Monkhouse, Tupia, King Cookee, and some other of the natives who had been on board ever fince the morning. The moment we landed, Tupia ftripped himself as low as the waift, and defired Mr. Monkhouse to do the fame: he then fat down before a great number of the natives, who were collected together in a large houfe or fhed; for here, as well as at Otaheite, a house consists only of a roof fupported upon poles; the rest of us, by his desire, standing behind. He then began a fpeech or prayer, which lafted about a quarter of an hour, the King who stood over against him every now and then anfwering in what appeared to be fet refponfes. In the course of this barangue he delivered at different times two handkerchiefs, a black filk neckcloth, fome beads, two fmall bunches of feathers, and fome plantains, as prefents to their Eatua, or God. In return for thefe, he received for our Eatua, a hog, fome young plantains, and two fmall bunches of feathers, 1769. July. Sunday 16. Monday 17. Tuesday 18. feathers, which he ordered to be carried on board the ship. After these ceremonies, which we supposed to be the ratification of a treaty between us, every one was dismissed to go whither he pleased; and Tupia immediately repaired to offer his oblations at one of the Morais. The next morning, we went on shore again, and walked up the hills, where the productions were exactly the fame as thofe of Otaheite, except that the rocks and clay appeared to be more burnt. The houses were neat, and the boat-houses remarkably large; one that we measured was fifty paces long, ten broad, and twenty-four feet high, the whole formed a pointed arch, like those of our old cathedrals, which was fupported on one fide by twenty-fix, and on the other by thirty pillars, or rather posts, about two feet high, and one thick, upon most of which were rudely carved the heads of men, and several fanciful devices, not altogether unlike those which we fometimes fee printed from wooden blocks, at the beginning and end of old books. The plains, or flat part of the country, abounded in bread-fruit, and cocoa-nut trees; in fome places, however, there were falt swamps and lagoons, which would produce neither. We went again a-fhore on the 18th, and would have taken the advantage of Tupia's company, in our perambulation; but he was too much engaged with his friends: we took, how 1769. July. ever, his boy, whofe name was TAYETO, and Mr. Banks went to take a farther view of what had much engaged his attention before; it was Tuesday 18. a kind of cheft or ark, the lid of which was nicely fewed on, and thatched very neatly with palm-nut leaves: it was fixed upon two poles, and supported on little arches of wood, very neatly carved; the use of the poles feemed to be to remove it from place to place, in the manner of our fedan chairs: in one end of it was a fquare hole, in the middle of which was a ring touching the fides, and leaving the angles open, fo as to form a round hole within a fquare one. The first time Mr. Banks faw this coffer, the aperture at the end was stopped with a piece of cloth, which, left he fhould give offence, he left untouched; probably there was then fomething within, but now the cloth was taken away, and, upon looking into it, it was found empty, The general resemblance between this repofitory and the Ark of the Lord among the Jews is remarkable; but it is ftill more remarkable, that upon inquiring of the boy what it was called, he faid, Ewbarre no Eatua, the house of the God: he could however give no account of its signifi. cation or use. We had commenced a kind of trade with the natives, but it went on flowly; for when any thing was offered, not one of them would take it upon his own judgment, but collected the opinions of twenty or thirty people, 1769. which could not be done without great loss of July. time. We got, however, eleven pigs, and deTuesday 18. termined to try for more the next day. Wednef, 19. The next day, therefore, we brought out fome hatchets, for which we hoped we should have had no occafion, upon an island which no European had ever visited before. These procured us three very large hogs; and as we proposed to fail in the afternoon, King Oree and several others came on board to take their leave. To the King I gave a fmall plate of pewter, on which was stamped this infcription, " His Bri"tannic Majesty's fhip, Endeavour, Lieutenant "Cook Commander, 16th July, 1769, Hua"heine." I gave him alfo fome medals or counters, resembling the coin of England, struck in the year 1761, with fome other presents; and he promised that with none of these, particularly the plate, he would ever part. I thought it as lafting a teftimony of our having first difcovered this island, as any we could leave behind † and having difmiffed our visitors well fatisfied, and in great good-humour, we fet fail, about half an hour after two in the afternoon. The island of Huaheine, or Huahene, is fituated in the latitude of 16° 43′ S. and longitude 150° 52′ W. from Greenwich: it is diftant from Otaheite about thirty-one leagues, in the direc tion of N. 58 W. and is about feven leagues in compafs. Its furface is hilly and uneven, and it |