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CHA P. II.

A Defeription of Poverty Bay, and the Face of the adjacent Country. The Range from thence to Cape Turnagain, and back to Tolaga; with fome Account of the People and the Country, and feveral Incidents that bap-" pened on that Part of the Coaft.

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HE next morning, at fix o'clock, we weighed, Wednes. 11,

TH and stood away from this unfortunate and inhof

pitable place, to which I gave the name of POVERTYBAY, and which by the natives is called TAONEROA, or Long Sand, as it did not afford us a fingle article that we wanted, except a little wood. It lies in latitude 38° 42′ S. and longitude 181° 36′ W. it is in the form of an horse fhoe, and is known by an ifland lying clofe under the north-east point. The two points which form the entrance are high, with fleep white cliffs, and lie a league and a half or two leagues from each other, N. E. by E. and S. W. by W. the depth of water in the bay is from twelve to five fathom, with a fandy bottom and good anchorage; but the fituation is open to the wind between the south and east; boats can go in and out of the river at any time of the tide in fine weather; but as there is a bar at the entrance, no boat can go either in or out when the sea runs high. The best place to attempt it is on the north-eaft side, and it is there practicable when it is not fo in any other part. The fhore of the bay, a little within its entrance, is a low flat fand, behind which, at a small diftance, the face of the country is finely diverfified by hills and vallies, all clothed with wood and covered with verdure. The country alfo appears to be well inhabited, efpecially in the vallies leading up from the bay, where we daily faw fmoke rifing in clouds one behind another to a great diftance, till the view terminated in mountains of a ftupendous height.

The fouth-west point of the bay I named YOUNG NICK'S HEAD, after Nicholas Young, the boy who first faw the land: at noon it bore N. W. by W. distant about three or four leagues, and we were then about three miles from the fhore. The main land

extended

1769.

extended from N. E. by N. to S. and I proposed to October. follow the direction of the coaft to the fouthward as far as the latitude of 40 or 41, and then, if I met with no encouragement to proceed farther, to return to the northward.

In the afternoon we lay becalmed, which the people on fhore perceiving, feveral canoes put off, and came within lefs than a quarter of a mile of the veffel, but could not be perfuaded to come nearer, though Tupia exerted all the powers of his lungs and his eloquence upon the occation, fhouting, and promifing that they fhould not be hurt, Another canoe was now feen coming from Poverty-Bay, with only four people on board, one of whom we well remembered to have feen in our first interview upon the rock. This canoe, without ftopping, or taking the least notice of the others, came directly along fide of the fhip, and with very little perfuafion we got the Indians on board. Their example was foon followed by the reft, and we had about us feven canoes, and about fifty men. We made them all prefents with a liberal hand, notwithftanding which they were fo defirous to have more of our commodities, that they fold us every thing they had, even the clothes from their backs, and the paddles from their boats. There were but two weapons among them, these were the inftruments of green talc, which were shaped fomewhat like a pointed battledore, with a fhort handle and fharp edges; they were called Patoo-Patoo, and were well contrived for clofe fighting, as they would certainly split the thickeft fcull at a fingle blow.

When these people had recovered from the first impreffions of fear, which notwithstanding their refolution in coming on board, had manifeftly thrown them into fome contufion, we enquired after our poor boys. The man who first came on board immediately anfwered, that they were unhurt and at home; adding, that he had been induced to venture on board, by the account which they had given him of the kindness with which they had been treated, and the wonders that were in the fhip.

While they were on board they fhewed every fign of friendship, and invited us very cordially to go

back

October.

back to our old bay, or to a small cove which they 1769. pointed out, that was not quite fo far off; but I chofe rather to profecute my difcoveries than go back, having reason to hope that I fhould find a better harbour than any I had yet seen.

About an hour before fun-fet, the canoes put off from the ship with the few paddles they had reserved, which were scarcely fufficient to fet them on fhore; but by some means or other three of their people were left behind. As foon as we difcovered it we hailed them, but not one of them would return to take them on board; this greatly furprized us; but we were furprized still more to obferve, that the deserted Indians did not feem at all uneafy at their fituation, but entertained us with dancing and finging after their manner, eat their fuppers, and went quietly to bed.

A light breeze springing up foon after it was dark, we steered along the fhore under an eafy fail till midnight, and then brought to, foon after which it fell calm. We were now fome leagues diftant from the place where the canoes had left us, and at day-break, when the Indians perceived it, they were feized with confternation and terror, and lamented their fituation in loud complaints, with geftures of despair and many tears. Tupia, with great difficulty, pacified them; and about seven o'clock in the morning, a light breeze Thurf. 12. fpringing up, we continued to ftand fouth-weft along the fhore. Fortunately for our poor Indians, two canoes came off about this time, and made towards the fhip; they stopped, however, at a little diftance, and feemed unwilling to truft themselves nearer. Our Indians were greatly agitated in this state of uncertainty, and urged their fellows to come along-fide of the fhip, both by their voice and geftures, with the utmost eagernefs and impatience. Tupia interpreted what they said, and we were much furprized to find, that, among other arguments, they affured the people in the canoe, we did not eat men. We now began seriously to believe, that this horrid cuftom prevailed among them; for what the boys had faid, we confidered as a mere hyperbolical expreffion of their fear. One of the canoes, at length, ventured to come under the fhip's fide; and an old man came on board, who seemed to be a VOL. II. Chief,

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October.

1769. Chief, from the finery of his garment, and the fuperiority of his weapon, which was a Patoo-Patoo made of bone, that, as he faid, had belonged to a whale. He ftayed on board but a fhort time, and when he went away he took with him our guests, very much to the fatisfaction both of them and us.

Portland
Ifland.

At the time when we failed we were a-breast of a point, from which the land trends S. S. W. and which, on account of its figure, I called CAPE TABLE. This point lies feven leagues to the fouthward of PovertyBay, in latitude 39° 7 S. and longitude 181° 36′ W. It is of a confiderable height, makes in a fharp angle, and appears to be quite flat at the top.

In fteering along the fhore to the fouthward of the Cape, at the distance of two or three miles, our foundings were from twenty to thirty fathom, having a chain of rocks between us and the fhore, which appeared at different heights above the water.

At noon, Cape Table bore N. 20 E. diftant about four leagues, and a small ifland, which was the fouthermost land in fight, bore S. 70 W. at the distance of about three miles. This ifland, which the natives call TEAHOWRAY, I named the ISLAND OF PORTLAND, from its very great refemblance to Portland in the Englifh channel; it lies about a mile from a point on the main, but there appears to be a ridge of rocks, extending nearly, if not quite, from one to the other. N. 57 E. two miles from the fouth point of Portland, lies a funken rock, upon which the fea breaks with great violence. We paffed between this rock and the land, having from seventeen to twenty fathom.

In failing along the fhore, we faw the natives affembled in great numbers, as well upon Portland Island as the main. We could alfo distinguish several spots of ground that were cultivated; fome feemed to be fresh turned up, and lay in furrows like ploughed land, and fome had plants upon them in different stages of their growth. We faw also, in two places, high rails upon the ridges of hills, like what we had feen upon the peninfula at the north-east head of Poverty-Bay; as they were ranged in lines only, and not fo as to inclofe an area, we could not guefs at their use, and therefore fuppofed they might be the work of fuperftition.

About

About noon, another canoe appeared, in which were four men; fhe came within about a quarter of a mile of us, where the people on board feemed to perform divers ceremonies. One of them, who was in the bow, sometimes feemed to afk and to offer peace, and fometimes to threaten war, by brandishing a weapon that he held in his hand; fometimes alfo he danced, and fometimes he fung. Tupia talked much to him, but could not perfuade him to come to the ship.

Between one and two o'clock, we discovered land to the weftward of Portland, extending to the fouthward as far as we could fee; and as the hip was hauling round the fouth end of the island, fhe fuddenly fell into fhoal water and broken ground; we had indeed always -feven fathom or more, but the foundings were never twice the fame, jumping at once from seven fathom to eleven; in a short time, however, we got clear of all danger, and had again deep water under us.

At this time the island lay within a mile of us, making in white cliffs, and a long spit of low land running from it towards the main. On the fides of these cliffs fat great numbers of people, looking at us with a fixed attention; and, it is probable, that they perceived fome appearance of hurry and confufion on board, and fome irregularity in the working of the ship, while we were getting clear of the fhallow water and broken ground, from which they might infer that we were alarmed or in diftrefs; we thought that they wished to take advantage of our fituation, for five canoes were put off with the utmost expedition, full of men, and well armed; they came fo near, and fhewed fo hostile a difpofition, by fhouting, brandishing their lances, and ufing threatening geftures, that we were in fome pain for our small boat, which was ftill employed in founding; a musket was theretore fired over them, but finding it did them no harm, they seemed rather to be provoked than intimidated, and I therefore fired a four pounder, charged with grape-fhot, wide of them. This had a better effect. Upon the report of the piece, they all rofe up and fhouted; but instead of continuing the chace, drew all together, and after a fhort confultation went quietly away. Having

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1769. October.

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