17.9. November. morning he had behaved with great propriety and good fenfe, lying in a small canoe, always near the ship, and treating thofe on board as if Sunday 5. he neither intended a fraud nor suspected an injury: with fome perfuafion this man and another came on board, and ventured into the cabbin, where I prefented each of them with a piece of English cloth and some spike nails. They told us that the Indians were now very much afraid of us, and on our part we promised friendship if they would behave peaceably, defiring only to purchase what they had to fell upon their own terms. After the natives had left us, I went with the pinnace and long boat into the river with a defign to haul the feine, and fent the Mafter in the yawl to found the bay and dredge for fifh. The Indians who were on one fide of the river, expreffed their friendship by all the figns they could devife, beckoning us to land among them; but we chofe to go afhore on the other fide, as the fituation was more convenient for hauling the feine and shooting birds, of which we faw great numbers of yarious kinds: the Indians, with much persuasion, about noon, ventured over to us. With the feine we had very little fuccefs, catching only a few mullets, neither did we get any thing by the trawl or the dredge, except a few fhells; but we fhot feveral birds, moft of them refembling fea-pies, 1769. November. Sunday 5. Monday 6. except that they had black plumage, and red bills and feet. While we were abfent with our guns, the people who ftaid by the boats faw two of the Indians quarrel and fight: they began the battle with their lances, but fome old men interpofed and took them away, leaving them to decide the difference, like Englishmen, with their fifts they boxed with great vigour and obftinacy for fome time, but by degrees all retired behind a little hill, fo that our people could not fee the event of the combat. In the morning the long-boat was fent again to traul in the bay, and an officer, with the ma-. rines, and a party of men, to cut wood and haul the feine. The Indians on fhore appeared very peaceable and fubmiffive, and we had reafon to believe that their habitations were at a confiderable distance, for we saw no houses, and found that they flept under the bushes: the bay is probably a place to which they frequently re-, fort in parties to gather fhell-fish, of which it affords incredible plenty, for wherever we went, whether upon the hills or in the vallies, the woods or the plains, we faw vaft heaps of shells, often many waggon loads together, fome appearing to be very old, and others recent. We faw no cultivation in this place, which had a defolate and barren appearance; the tops of the hills were green, but nothing grew there except a large kind of fern, the roots of which the na tives had got together in large quantities, in order to carry away with them. In the evening 1769. November. Mr. Banks walked up the river, which at the Monday 6. mouth looked fine and broad, but at the distance of about two miles was not deep enough to cover the foot; and the country inland was ftill more barren than at the fea fide. The feine and dredge were not more fuccessful to-day than yesterday, but the Indians in fome measure compenfated for the disappointment by bringing us several baskets of fish, fome dry, and fome fresh dreffed; it was not indeed of the beft, but I ordered it all to be bought for the encouragement of trade.. On the 7th, the weather was so bad that none Tuesday 7. of us left the fhip, nor did any of the Indians come on board. On the 8th, fent a party of men on fhore to wood Wednes. 8. and water; and in the mean time many canoes came off, in one of which was our friend Toiava; foon after he was alongside of the fhip, he faw two canoes coming from the oppofite fide of the bay, upon which he hafted back again to the fhore with all his canoes, telling us that he was afraid of the people who were coming this was a farther proof that the people of this country were perpetually committing hoftilities against each other. In a fhort time, however, he returned, having discovered that the people who had alarmed him were not the fame that he had fuppofed. The November. 1769. The natives that came to the fhip this morning fold us, for a few pieces of cloth, as much fish Wednes. 8. of the mackrel kind as ferved the whole fhip's company, and they were as good as ever were eaten. At noon, this day, I obferved the fun's meridional zenith distance by an aftronomical quadrant, which gave the latitude 36° 47′ 43′′ within the fouth entrance of the bay. Mr. Banks and Dr. Solander went on fhore and collected a great variety of plants, altogether unknown, and not returning till the evening, had an opportunity of obferving in what manner the Indians difpofed themselves to pass the night. They had no fhelter but a few fhrubs: the women and the children were ranged innermoft, or fartheft from the fea; the men lay in a kind of half circle round them, and their arms were fet up against the trees clofe by them, in a manner which showed that they were afraid of an attack by fome enemy not far diftant. It was also discovered that they acknowledged neither Teratu, nor any other person as their king as in this particular they differed from all the people that we had feen upon other parts of the coaft, we thought it poffible that they might be a fet of outlaws, in a state of rebellion against Teratu, and in that cafe they might have no fettled habitations, or cultivated land in any part of the country. On 1769. November. On the 9th, at day-break, a great number of canoes came on board, loaded with mackrel of two forts, one exactly the fame with those Thurid. 9. caught in England, and the other fomewhat dif ferent we imagined the people had taken a large fhoal, and brought us an overplus which they could not confume; for they fold them at a very low rate. They were, however, very welcome to us; at eight o'clock, the ship had more fish on board than all her people could eat in three days; and before night, the quantity was fo much increased, that every man who could get falt, cured as many as would laft him a month. After an early breakfast, I went ashore, with Mr. Green and proper inftruments, to observe the tranfit of Mercury, Mr. Banks and Dr. Solander being of the party; the weather had for fome time been very thick, with much rain, but this day was so favourable that not a cloud intervened during the whole tranfit. The obfervation of the ingrefs was made by Mr. Green alone, while I was employed in taking the fun's altitude to afcertain the time. It came on at 7° 20′ 58′′ apparent time: according to Mr. Green's obfervation, the internal contact was at 12" 8′ 58', the external at 12 9 55" P. M. And according to mine, the internal contact was at 12" 8' 54", and the external 12" 9′ 48′′; the latitude of the place of obfervation was 30° 48′ 51⁄2 The |
