* IS * I :\, H SSfi HI UlWfl I m 'St&B I ' Hi w ^m m mmfm Be* * I I 41 SB .'#MVfV. Q IS H H I m o2AL DS H 1930 77ze Three Voyages of Captain James Cook Round the World Volume 5 1821 Has been given to the MBL/WHOI Library by Dr. John Bullard Compliments of the MBL/WHOI LIBRARY ^ ^ ^ ? M 03 fc- 1 W^ <^=> & 1 10 INTRODUCTION TO THE through the Strait of Le Maire, has constructed a chart of the southern extremity of America, from which it will appear, how much former navigators must have been at a loss to guide themselves, and what advantages will now be enjoyed by those who shall hereafter sail round Cape Horn. IV. As the voyages of discovery, undertaken by his Majesty's command, have facilitated the access of ships into the Pacific Ocean, they have also greatly enlarged our knowledge of its contents. Though the immense expanse usually distinguished by this appellation, had been navigated by Europeans for near two centuries and a half*, by far the greater part of it, particularly to the south of the equator, had remained, during all this time, unexplored. The great aim of Magalhaens, and of the Spa- niards in general, its first navigators being merely to arrive, by this passage, at the Moluccas, and the other Asiatic Spice Islands, every intermediate part of the ocean that did not lie contiguous to their western track, which was on the north side of the equator, of course escaped due examination ; and if Mendana and Quiros, and some nameless conductors of voyages before them t, by deviating from this track, and holding a westerly one from Callao, within the southern tropic, were so fortunate as to meet with various islands there, and so sanguine as to con- sider those islands as marks of the existence of a neighbouring southern continent ; in the exploring of which they flattered themselves they should rival the fame of De Gama and Columbus ; these feeble efforts never led to any effectual disclosure of the supposed hidden mine of the New World. On the contrary, their voyages being conducted without a * Magalhaen's Voyage was undertaken in 1519. f See the particulars of their discoveries in Mr. Dalrymple's valuable Collection of Voyages in the South Pacific Ocean. VOYAGE TO THE PACIFIC OCEAN. II judicious plan, and their discoveries being left im- perfect without immediate settlement, or subsequent examination, and scarcely recorded in any well- authenticated or accurate narrations, had been al- most forgot ; or were so obscurely remembered, as only to serve the purpose of producing perplexing debates about their situation and extent ; if not to suggest doubts about their very existence. It seems, indeed, to have become a very early object of policy in the Spanish councils, to discon- tinue and to discourage any farther researches in that quarter. Already masters of a larger empire on the continent of America than they could conve- niently govern, and of richer mines of the precious metals on that continent than they could convert into use, neither avarice nor ambition furnished rea- sons for aiming at a fresh accession of dominions. And thus, though settled all along the shores of this ocean, in a situation so commodious for prosecuting discoveries throughout its wide extent, the Spaniards remained satisfied with a coasting intercourse be- tween their own ports ; never stretching across the vast gulph that separates that part of America from Asia, but in an unvarying line of navigation ; per- haps in a single annual ship, between Acapulco and Manilla. The tracks of other European navigators of the South Pacific Ocean, were, in a great measure, regu- lated by those of the Spaniards ; and consequently limited within the same narrow bounds. With the exception, perhaps, of two instances only, those of Le Maire and lloggewein, no ships of another nation had entered this sea, through the Strait of Magal- haens, or round Cape Horn, but for the purposes of clandestine trade with the Spaniards, or of open hos- tility against them : purposes which could not be an- swered, without precluding any probable chance of adding much to our stock of discovery. For it was obviously incumbent on all such adventurers, to con- 12 INTRODUCTION TO THE fine their cruises within a moderate distance of the Spanish settlements ; in the vicinity of which alone they could hope to exercise their commerce, or to execute their predatory and military operations. Accordingly, soon after emerging from the Strait, or completing the circuit of Tierra del Fuego, they began to hold a northerly course, to the un- inhabited island of Juan Fernandez, their usual spot of rendezvous and refreshment. And, after ranging along the continent of America, from Chili to California, they either reversed their course back to the Atlantic ; or, if they ventured to extend their voyage, by stretching over to Asia, they never thought of trying experiments in the unfrequented and unexplored parts of the ocean ; but chose the beaten path (if the expression may be used), within the limits of which it was likely they might meet with a Philippine galleon, to make their voyage pro- fitable to themselves ; but could have little prospect, if they had been desirous, of making it useful to the world, by gaining any accession of new land to the map of the world. By the natural operation of these causes, it could not but happen, that little progress should be made toward obtaining a full and accurate knowledge of the South Pacific Ocean. Something, however, had been attempted by the industrious and once enter- prising Dutch ; to whom we are indebted for three voyages, undertaken for the purposes of discovery ; and whose researches, in the southern latitudes of this ocean, are much better ascertained than are those of the earlier Spanish navigators above men- tioned. Le Maire and Schouten, in 1616, and Roggewein, in 1722, wisely judging, that nothing new could be gained by adhering to the usual passage on the north side of the line, traversed this ocean from Cape Horn to the East Indies, crossing the South tropic ; a space which had been so seldom, and so ineffectually VOYAGE TO THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 13 visited ; though popular belief, fortified by philoso- phical speculation, expected there to reap the richest harvest of discovery. Tasman, in 1642, in his extensive circuit from Batavia, through the South Indian Ocean, entered the South Pacific, at its greatest distance from the American side, where it never had been examined before. And his range continued from a high Southern latitude, Northward to New Guinea, and the islands to the East of it, near the equator, pro- duced intermediate discoveries, that have rendered his voyage memorable in the annals of navigation. But still, upon the whole, what was effected in these three expeditions, served only to show how large a field was reserved for future and more perse- vering examination. Their results had, indeed, en- abled geographers to diversify the vacant uniformity of former charts of this Ocean, by the insertion of some new islands. But the number, and the extent of these insertions were so inconsiderable, that they may be said to appear, Rari, nantes in gurgite vasto. And if the discoveries were few, those few were made very imperfectly. Some coasts were approached but not landed upon ; and passed without waiting to examine their extent and connection with those that might exist at no great distance. If others were landed upon, the visits were, in general, so transient, that it was scarcely possible to build upon a found- ation so weakly laid, any information that could even gratify idle curiosity ; much less satisfy philo- sophical inquiry, or contribute greatly to the safety, or to the success of future navigation. Let us, however, do justice to these beginnings of discovery. To the Dutch, we must, at least ascribe the merit of being our harbingers, though we after- ward went beyond them in the road they had first ventured to tread. And with what success his Ma- jesty's ships have, in their repeated voyages, pene- li JNTRODrcTION TO THE trated into the obscurest recesses of the South Pacific Ocean, will appear from the following enumeration of their various and very extensive operations, which have drawn up the veil that had hitherto been thrown over the geography of so great a proportion of the globe. 1. The several lands, of which any account had been given, as seen by any of the preceding naviga- tors, Spanish or Dutch, have been carefully looked for; and most of them (at least such as seemed to be of any consequence) found out and visited ; and not visited in a cursory manner, but every means used to correct former mistakes, and to supply former deficiencies, by making accurate inquiries ashore, and taking skilful surveys of their coasts, by sailing round them. Who has not heard, or read, of the boasted Tierra Australia del Espiritu Santo of Quiros? But its bold pretensions to be a part of a southern continent, could not stand Captain Cook's examin- ation, who sailed round it, and assigned it its true position and moderate bounds, in the Archipelago of the New Hebrides.* 2. Besides perfecting many of the discoveries of their predecessors, our late navigators have enriched geographical knowledge with a long catalogue of their own. The Pacific Ocean, within the South tropic, repeatedly traversed, in every direction, was found to swarm with a seemingly endless profusion of habitable spots of land. Islands, scattered through the amazing space of near fourscore degrees of lon- gitude, separated at various distances, or grouped in numerous clusters, have, at their approach, as it were, started into existence ; and such ample ac- counts have been brought home concerning them and their inhabitants, as may serve every useful pur- * Bougainville, in 1768, did no more than discover that the land here was not connected but composed of islands. Caplain Cook, in 1774?, explored the whole group. See vol. iv. p. 88. VOYAGE TO THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 15 pose of inquiry ; and, to use Captain Cook's words, who bore so considerable a share in those discoveries, have left little more to be done in that part,* 3, Byron, Wallis, and Carteret, had each of them contributed toward increasing our knowledge of the islands that exist in the Pacific Ocean, within the limits of the southern tropic ; but how far that ocean reached to the west, what lands bounded it on that side, and the connection of those lands with the dis- coveries of former navigators, was still the reproach of geographers, and remained absolutely unknown, till Captain Cook, during his first voyage in 1770 1, brought back the most satisfactory decision of this important question. With a wonderful perseverance, and consummate skill, amidst an uncommon combin- ation of perplexities and dangers, he traced this coast near two thousand miles from the 38 of South latitude, cross the tropic, to its northern extremity, within 10^- of the equinoctial, where it was found to join the lands already explored by the Dutch, in se- veral voyages from their Asiatic settlements, and to which they have given the name of New Holland. Those discoveries made in the last century, before Tasman's voyage, had traced the north and the west coasts of this land ; and Captain Cook, by his exten- sive operations on its east side, left little to be done toward completing the full circuit of it. Between Cape Hicks, in latitude 88, where his examination of this coast began, and that part of Van Diemen's Land, from whence Tasman took his departure, was not above fifty-five leagues. It was highly probable, therefore, that they were connected ; though Captain Cook cautiously says, that he could not determine whether his New South Wales, that is, the East Coast of New Holland, joins to Van Diemen's Land, orno.t But what was thus left undetermined by the opera- * Vol. iv. p. 219. t See vols. i. and ii. % See vol. ii. p. 69. 16 INTRODUCTION TO THE tions of his first voyage, was, in the course of his second, soon cleared up ; Captain Furneaux, in the Adventure, during his separation from the Resolu- tion (a fortunate separation as it thus turned out) in 1773, having explored Van Diemen's Land, from its southern point, along the east coast, far beyond Tasman's station, and on to the latitude 38, where Captain Cook's examination of it in 1770 had com- menced.* It is no longer, therefore, a doubt, that we have now a full knowledge of the whole circumference of this vast body of land, this fifth part of the world (if I may so speak), which our late voyages have dis- covered to be of so amazing a magnitude, that, to use Captain Cook's words, it is of a larger extent than any other country in the known world, that does not bear the name of a continent. \ 4. Tasman having entered the Pacific Ocean, after leaving Van Diemen's Land, had fallen in with a coast to which he gave the name of New Zealand, The extent of this coast, and its position in any direction but a part of its west side, which he sailed along in his course northward, being left absolutely unknown, it had been a favourite opinion amongst geographers, since his time, that New Zealand was a part of a Southern continent, running north and South, from the 33 to the 64 of South latitude, and its northern coast, stretching cross the South Pacific to an immense distance, where its eastern boundary had been seen by Juan Fernandez, half a century before. Captain Cook's voyage in the Endeavour has totally destroyed this supposition. Though Tas- man must still have the credit of having first seen New Zealand, to Captain Cook solely belongs that of having really explored it. He spent near six months upon its coasts in 1769 and 1770}, circum- * Vol. iii. chap. 7. f Vol. ii. p. 202, J From October 6. 1769, to March 31. 1770. VOYAGE TO THi: PACIFIC OCEAN. 17 navigated it completely, and ascertained its extent and division into two islands.* Repeated visits since that have perfected this important discovery, which, though now known to be no part of a Southern con- tinent, will, probably, in all future charts of the world, be distinguished as the largest islands that exist in that part of the Southern hemisphere. 5. Whether New Holland did or did not join to New Guinea, was a question involved in much doubt and uncertainty, before Captain Cook's sailing be- tween them, through Endeavour Strait, decided it* We will not hesitate to call this an important acqui- sition to geography. For though the great sagacity and extensive reading of Mr. Dalrymple had dis- covered some traces of such a passage having been found before t, yet these traces were so obscure, and so little known in the present age, that they had not generally regulated the construction of our charts; the President De Brasses t, who wrote in 17^6, and was well versed in geographical researches, had not been able to satisfy himself about them ; and Mons. de Bougainville, in I768, who had ventured to fall in with the south coast of New Guinea, near ninety leagues to the westward of its south-east point, chose rather to work those ninety leagues directly to wind- ward, at a time when his people were in such distress for provisions as to eat the seal-skins from off the yards and rigging, than to run the risk of finding a passage, of the existence of which he entertained the strongest doubts, by persevering in his westerly * Its southern extremity nearly in latitude 4-7, and its northern in S5h. See Captain Cook's chart, in Hawkesworth, vol. ii. p. 28U f See the track of Torre, in one of Quiros's ships, in 1606, be- tween New Holland and New Guinea, upon Mr. Dalrymple's Chart of Discoveries in the South Pacific Ocean, before 1764-. J M. de Brosses says of New Guinea: " C'est une longue isle, " ou presqu' isle, si elle touche k la Nouvelle Hollande.' Navi- gations aux Terres Auatrales, torn. i. p. 434. VOL. V. e 18 INTRODUCTION TO THE course.* Captain Cook therefore in this part of his voyage (though he modestly disclaims all merit t), has established, beyond future controversy, a fact of essential service to navigation, by opening, if not a new, at least an unfrequented and forgotten com- munication between the South Pacific and Indian' Oceans. 6. One more discovery, for which we are indebted to Captain Carteret, as similar in some degree to that last mentioned, may properly succeed it in this enumeration. Dampier, in sailing round what was supposed to be part of the coast of New Guinea, dis- covered it to belong to a separate island, to which he gave the name of New Britain. But that the land which he named New Britain, should be sub-divided again into two separate large islands, with many smaller intervening, is a point of geographical in- formation, which, if ever traced by any of the earliest navigators of the South Pacific, had not been handed down to the present age: and its having been ascer- tained by Captain Carteret, deserves to be mentioned as a discovery, in the strictest sense of the word ; a discovery of the utmost importance to navigation. St. George's Channel, through which his ship found a way, between New Britain and New Ireland, from the Pacific into the Indian Ocean, to use the Cap- tain's own wordst, " is a much better and shorter passage, whether from the eastward or westward, than round all the islands and lands of the north- ward." * " Le triste etat ou nous etions reduits, ne nous permettoit de " chercher en faisant route a l'ouest, un passage au sud de la Nou- " velle Guinee, qui nous frayat par le Golfe de la Carpenterie une " route nou velle & courte aux iles Moluques. Rien netoit a la " v trite plus problematique que V existence de ce passage" Voyage autour du Monde, p. 259. f Hawkesworth, vol. iii. p. 660. f Hawkesworth, vol. i. p. 563. , The position of the Solomon Islands, Mendana's celebrated discovery, will no longer remain a matter in debate amongst geo- VOYAGE TO THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 19 V. The voyages of Byron, Wallis, and Carteret, were principally confined to a favourite object of discovery in the South Atlantic ; and though accessions to geography were procured by them in the South Pacific, they could do but little toward giving the world a complete view of the contents of that im- mense expanse of ocean, through which they only held a direct track, on their way homeward, by the East Indies. Cook, indeed, who was appointed to the conduct of the succeeding voyage, had a more accurate examination of the South Pacific intrusted to him. But as the improvement of astronomy went hand in hand, in his instructions, with that of geo- graphy, the Captain's solicitude to arrive at Otaheite time enough to observe the transit of Venus, put it out of his power to deviate from his direct track, in search of unknown lands that might lie to the south- east of that island. By this unavoidable attention to his duty, a very considerable part of the South Pacific, and that part where the richest mine of dis- covery was supposed to exist, remained unvisited and unexplored, during that voyage in the Endea- vour. To remedy this, and to clear up a point which, though many of the learned were confident of, upon principles of speculative reasoning, and many of the unlearned admitted, upon what they thought to be credible testimony, was still held to be very proble- matical, if not absolutely groundless, by others who were less sanguine or more incredulous ; his Majesty, always ready to forward every inquiry that can add to the stock of interesting knowledge in every branch, ordered another expedition to be undertaken. The graphers, Mr.DalrympIe having, on the most satisfactory evidence, proved, that they are the cluster of islands which comprizes what has since been called New Britain, New Ireland, &c. The great light thrown on that cluster by Captain Carteret's discovery, is a strong confirmation of this. See Mr. Dalrymple's Collection of Voyages, vol. i, p. 16 21. C 2 520 INTRODUCTION TO THE- , signal services performed by Captain Cook during his first voyage, of which we have given the outlines, marked him as the fittest person to finish an exami- nation which lie had already so skilfully executed in part. Accordingly, lie was sent out in 1772> with two ships, the Resolution and Adventure, upon the most enlarged plan of discovery known in the annals of navigation ; for he was instructed, not only to circumnavigate the whole globe, but to circumnavi- gate it in high southern latitudes, making such traverses, from time to time, into every corner of the Pacific Ocean not before examined, as might finally and effectually resolve the much agitated question about the existence of a southern continent in anypart of the southern hemisphere accessible by navigation. The ample accessions to geography, by the dis- covery of many islands within the tropic in the Pacific Ocean, in the course of this voyage, which was carried on with singular perseverance between three and four years, have been already stated to the reader. But the general search now made throughout the whole southern hemisphere, as being the principal object in view, hath been reserved for this separate article. Here, indeed, we are not to take notice of lands that have been discovered, but of seas sailed through, where lands had been supposed to exist. In tracing the route of the Resolution and Adventure throughout the South Atlantic, the South Indian, and the South Pacific Oceans that environ the globe, and combining it with the route of the Endeavour, we re- ceive what may be called ocular demonstration, that Captain Cook, in his persevering researches, sailed over many an extensive continent, which, though supposed to have been seen by former navigators, at the approach of his ships, sunk into the bosom of the ocean, and, " like the baseless fabric of a visio7i y left not a wreck behind."* It has been urged, that theex- * It must be observed, however, that Monsieur le Monier, in the Memoirs of the French Academy of Sciences for 1776, pleads for VOYAGE TO THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 21 istence of a southern continent is necessary to pre- serve an equilibrium between tiie two hemispheres, the existence of Cape Circumcision, seen by Bouvet in 1738, which our English navigator sought for in vain, and supposes to have been only an island of ice. Mr. Wales, in a paper read be- fore the Royal Society, very forcibly replied to M. le Monier's objections ; and the attack having been repeated, he has drawn up a more extended defence of this part of Captain Cook's Journal, which he hath very obligingly communicated, and is here insertedi Arguments, tending to prove that Captain Cook sought for Cape Circumcision under the proper Meridian ; and that the objections "which have been made to his conduct, in this respect, are not well founded. In the Memoirs of the Royal Academy of Sciences at Paris for 1776, printed in 1779, M. Le Monier has made some remarks with a design to show that Captain Cook sought the land, usually called Cape Circumcision, in a wrong place ; and that, instead of looking for it under the meridian of 9^ or 10" of east longitude, he ought to have looked for it under a meridian which is only 3, or 3^ to the eastward of the meridian of Greenwich ; and consequently that this land may exist, notwithstanding all that has yet been done to find it. M. Le Monier has also two additional Memoirs on the same subject, in the volume for 1779, occasioned, as it appears, by some objections which have been made to his former Memoir before the Academy. For some reason or other, the Academy lias not thought proper to print the objections which have been made to M. Le Monier 's hypothesis ; nor has he been particular enough in his two Memoirs which reply to them, to enable me to say of what importance the objections are. I can only gather, that they contain some exceptions to the quantity by which M. Le Monier asserts the variation alters in 10 of longitude, under the parallel of 54 south ; and which, 1 conceive, has little to do ia the dispute. Whether the land, usually called Cape Circumcision, exists or not, is a point of small importance to geography ; as the most strenuous asserters of its existence must allow it to be a very incon- siderable island, and of no use. This, therefore, is not in itself a matter worthy of dispute ; but in asserting this, M. Le Monier has, and I am sorry to observe it, with some asperity too, par- ticularly in his second Memoir, endeavoured to censure the judg- ment and conduct of Captain Cook, whose memory I have every reason to revere, as well as the judgment of those who were with him; and, on this account, I cannot help feeling myself called on to explain the motives which induced Captain Cook to place no dependence on the arguments now adduced by M. Le Monier in support of his supposition; and which, M. Le Monier must know, c 3 %Z INTRODUCTION TO THE But however plausible this theory may seem at first sight, experience has abundantly detected its fallacy. were not unattended to at that time, from what the Captain has said, p. 236. Vol. II. of his account of the voyage. And it may be proper to observe here, that what fell from Captain Cook on this subject, was to show that this circumstance was then attended to, and not to throw blame on M. Bouvet, for whose memory and abilities Captain Cook entertained great respect : nor is it incompatible with the utmost respect, for a man to have a favourable opinion of his own labours ; or to endeavour to show why he thinks the disagreement between them and those of another person, when there is one, does not arise from an error committed by himself. There could, therefore, be no occasion for M. Le Monier to express himself as he has done in several parts of his second Memoir. The substance of M. Le Monier 's argument is this. In 1739, when M. Bouvefs, discovery is supposed to have been made, the methods for determining the longitude of a ship at sea were very defective ; and, of course, the longitude of any land which hap- pened accidentally to be seen by one, was equally uncertain. On a presumption that this was the case with respect to Cape Circum- cision, M. Le Monier enquires into the quantity of the variation of the magnetic needle, observed by M. Bouvet at that place, and also into observations of the same kind, made at other places in the neighbourhood of it, about the same time, as well as both before and since. And by comparing these observations together, he concludes, that at the time when Captain Cook was in these seas, the variation of the needle at Cape Circumcision must have been 10 westerly : whereas, in the most westerly point of Captain Cook's track, where he was sufficiently near the parallel of 54 south, to have seen land situated in it, the variation was 13 westerly. This difference of 3, in the variation, answers to about 7 of longitude, in this part of the parallel of 54 south : and by so much did Captain Cook fall in with this parallel to the east- ward of what he ought to have done to see the land in question. " Hence (M. Le Monier infers), that it is not surprising the British " navigator snould not find Cape Circumcision under a meridian " which is 28 to the eastward of Ferro, when it is really situated ** under a meridian which is but 21 to the eastward of it." In replying to these allegations, I shall first show, that, grant- ing the dependence which M. Le Monier supposes may be placed on observations of the variation made at sea, he has stated the quantity of the variation observed on board the Resolution, very erroneously. Secondly, I shall prove, beyond contradiction, that observations of the variation, made at sea, cannot be depended on for the pur- poses to which M. Le Monier has applied them. And, lastly, that no material error had crept into M. Bouvefs 4, VOYAGE TO THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 23 In consequence of Captain Cook's voyage, now under consideration, we have a thorough knowledge reckoning; but that if any error did exist, it must have been of a contrary nature to that which M. Le Monier supposes. That M. Le Monier has not given altogether a true represent- ation of the matter, will appear from hence. On the 16th of February, at noon*, the Resolution was in latitude 54? 31' south, which is sufficiently near the parallel of 54 south, to see high land, the northern extremity ot^ which lies to the southward of that parallel; and at that time we were in 6 east of Greenwich, or 23f east of the island of Ferro : that is, 4f less than is assigned for our situation by M. Le Monier. On the evening of the same day, the ship being in latitude 54? 24', and longitude 6 30', or 24 east of Ferro, the variation was no more than 12 7' west, which also is near a degree and a half less then M. Le Monier says it was, when we first arrived in a proper parallel for seeing Cape Circumcision. It is true, the next morning, in latitude 54 21 y south, longitude 8 6' east, we had 13 42' west variation; but this was after we had run more than two degrees within sight of the parallel of 54 south. It is, moreover, highly probable, that both these variations were too great ; for, on the 17th, in the evening, latitude 54 25' south, and longitude 9 20' east ; that is, 1 more to the eastward, and after we had run 34- on the parallel we were then on, the variation was no more than 13 16' west. It is also worthy of remark, that on the 14th, in the even- ing, latitude 56 14' south, and longitude 4 50' east, which is but 1 10' to the westward of the point, where the Resolution came first into a proper situation to see land, situated in the parallel of 54 south, the variation observed was no more than 6 50' west. And we may further add, that on the 1st of March, 1774, the Adventure had no more than 12f west variation, though she was then considerably both to the northward and eastward of our situation on the 17th of February in the morning, on both which accounts the variation ought to have been greater, instead of a whole degree less. From all these circumstances, there can be little doubt but that the two variations, observed by us on the 16th and 17th of February, were too great ; or that the variation, at the point where the Resolution first came sufficiently near the parallel of 54 south, to see land, the northern extremity of which is situated in that parallel, could not be more than 11 west, in- stead of 13, as AT. le Monier has represented it. Under this head of enquiry, I may also observe, that, although the Resolution was too much to the southward of the parallel of * I here go by the dates in " The Original Astronomical Observations," printed by order of the Board of Longitude; which, after the 14th of February. 1775, differ one day from Captain Cook's date. c 4* 24 INTRODUCTION TO THE of the state of the southern hemisphere, and can pronounce with certainty, that the equilibrium of 54" south, when she crossed the meridian which is 21 to the eastward of Ferro, that is, 3f east of Greenwich, the longitude which M. Le Monier assigns for Cape Circumcision, to see if it had been in that situation, yet her consort, the Adventure, was for several degrees on each side of that meridian ; and especially when she had 10^ of west variation, full as near to the parallel of 54? south as M. Bouvet was to the land when he saw it*; and on the day that she actually passed that meridian, had fine clear weather, f Hence, therefore, granting M. Le Monier his own arguments, which, however, I have proved to be erroneous, and that observations made at sea, for the variation of the compass, may be depended on for the purpose of finding the longitude, it is utterly impossible that both the Resolution and Adventure could have passed Cape Circumcision without seeing it. But J shall now show, that these observations are liable to a much greater error than the whole quantity, so vigorously insisted on by this gentleman. I will not here run the risk of incurring M. Le Monier's dis- pleasure, by calling the accuracy of M. Bouvet's observations in question; but will admit every thing that he himself can think due to the instruments and observations of that deserving naviga- tor. It is enough for my argument, and it is but too evident from the observations themselves, that ours were by no means capable of determining the variation to so small a quantity as that which M. Le Monier rests his whole cause upon ; and if so, his argu- ments, which depend wholly on a supposition, that not only they, but M. Bouvefs also, were capable of determining it with the utmost exactness, must fall to the ground. 1st, It appears, from various instances, that the variations ob- served by the same compass would differ 3 to 5, 6, and sometimes even 10, from no other cause whatever, but putting the ship's head a contrary way. X 2d, That the same compass, in the same situation in every respect, within a few miles, but at two different times of the same day, would give variations differing from one another, 3, 4, 5, 6, and even 7$. See The Original Astronomical Observations, p. 185., and Bouvet's Voyage, published by Mr. Dalrymple, p. 4. and 11. f See the Observations, p. 218. X See the Original Astronomical Observations, made in the second voyage, March 11. 1775, p. 572., January 24. 1774, p. 375.. and July 28. p. 578. Observations in the second voyage, February 2. 1775, p. 571., and January J 9. 1775, p. 382. Also observations in last voyage, July 17- 1776, p. 179 August 50. }. 1 SI., January 21. 1777, p. 192., and September 15. 1778 p. 205. VOYAGE TO THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 5 the globe is effectually preserved, though the pro- portion of sea actually sailed through, leaves no 3d, That the same compass, on the same day, and in the hands of the same observer, will give variations differing from one another by 5, on board the same ship, when under sail, and when at anchor in a road-stead. * 4th, Compasses made by the same artists at the same time and place, but on board different ships, differed 3, 4, and even 5 in the variation, -f- 5th, The same compasses, on board the same ship, and within a few miles of the same situation, but at different times of our being there, gave variations differing by 4 and 5, or upwards, t 6th, Different compasses, at the same time, on -board the same ship, and in every respect under the same circumstances, will gi\e variations differing from one another, 3, 4, 5, and 6. These differences, several of which happened very near the place in question, are all of them at least equal to, most of them much greater, and some of them double that which M. Le Monier founds his argument on, even according to his own account of it, which I have already shown is by no means admissible, and, there- fore, totally invalidate it. To allege that the instruments made use of in Captain Cook's two voyages were bad, or that the ob- servers were not expert in the use of them, will answer no pur- pose : they are the instruments and observers which M. Le Mo- nier's argument must rest on ; and, therefore, let those of the French, or any other navigator, have been ever so much better than they were (which few will be hardy enough to assert, and fewer still found weak enough to believe), it will avail nothing to the point in dispute, which must evidently fall to the ground, if the observations made for finding the variation in Captain Cook's voyage are not sufficient to support it. What then must become of it, if M. Bouvefs observations, of this kind, were liable to an * Astronomical Observations of second voyage, July 14. 1775, p. 385. + Compare the Astronomical Observations, made in the second voyaize, August 3. and 9. and September 4. 1772, p. 181., with those of the same dates, p. 369. Those of January 11. and 14. and February 7. 1773, p. 182., with those of the same dates, p. 371. Also Astronomical Observations, tiiade in the last voyage, of December 27. 1776, p. 191, February 22. 1778, p. 201., May 5. and 8. p. 102, July 9. and 24. 1779, p. 209-, and January 15. 1780, p. 212., with those of the same dates, p. 29L, 293., 294., 2!) 7 , and 298. Observations made in the second Voyage, February 2. 1773. p. 1 8. p. 372. , and January 24. 1 774, p. 575. See also Observations made last Voyage, August 18. 1776, p. 180. October 7. and 14. p. 189, and 190. December 12. p. ibid. January 24. 1777, p. 192. March 10. p. 195. July 9. and 17. 1779, p. 209. January 16. 17S0, p. 212. March 21. p. 213. and May 19. p. 214. 26 INTRODUCTION TO THE sufficient space for the corresponding mass of land, equal, or a greater error ? which, without any reasonable cause for offence, we might suppose they were. It is not necessary to account for these differences in the ob- served variations in this place, nor yet to point out the reasons why such anomalies have not been noticed in observations of this kind before. I shall, however, remark, that I have hinted at some of the causes in my introduction to the observations which were made in Captain Cook's second voyage; and many others will readily offer themselves to persons who have had much practice in making these observations, and who have attentively considered the principles on which the instruments are constructed, and the manner in which they are fabricated. Nor is it at all surprising, that the errors to which the instruments and observations of this kind are liable, should not have been discovered before, since no navigators before us ever gave the same opportunity, by mul- tiplying their observations, and making them under such a variety of circumstances as we did. Having now fully shown, that the circumstances, brought for- ward by M. Le Monier> in support of his argument, are neither such as can be depended on, nor yet fairly represented, I shall next attempt to demonstrate, that it is utterly improbable M.Bouvet could be out, in his account of longitude, so much as is here sup- posed, in the short run which had been made from the island of St. Catherine, the place they took their departure from : on the contrary, that there is sufficient reason to believe the error, of whatever magnitude it might be, was of a different nature from that contended for, and that the two ships, instead of being to the westward of their account of longitude, were actually to the eastward of it. For according to their journals, extracted from the archives of the French East-India Company, by M. D'Apres, printed under his inspection, and published by Mr. Dalrymple, F. R'. S. amongst other voyages made for the purpose of examin- ing the southern parts of the Atlantic Ocean, the longitude, ac- cording to the Eagle's run from St. Catherine's, was, 26 27', and according to the Mary's, 26 20' east of Teneriff ; that is, 9 57', and 9 50' east of Greenwich, or 27 43', and 27 36' east of Ferro. But the Mary, which went to the Cape of Good Hope, made 7 13' east longitude from the land in question, to that place. Consequently the Cape of Good Hope being in longitude 18 23' east of Greenwich, Cape Circumcision will be in 11 10' east of Greenwich, or 1 20' more to the eastward than the run by the same ship from the island of St. Catherine's makes it. Again the Eagle made the difference of longitude between Cape Circumcision and the island of Rodrigues 49 44' ; and by the observations of M. Pingre, this island is in 62 50' of east lon- gitude from Greenwich : Cape Circumcision is therefore in 13 6' east of Greenwich, or 2 9' more to the eastward than by the * VOYAGE TO THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 27 which, on speculative arguments, had been main- tained to be necessary.* If former navigators have added more land to the known globe than Captain Cook, to him, at least, was reserved the honour of being foremost in dis- closing to us the extent of sea that covers its surface. His own summary view of the transactions of this voyage, will be a proper conclusion to these remarks: " 1 had now made the circuit of the Southern Ocean " in a high latitude, and traversed it in such a man- " ner as to leave not the least room for there being a " continent, unless near the pole, and out of the " reach of navigation. By twice visiting the Tro- " pical Sea, I had not only settled the situation of " some old discoveries, but made there many new Eagle's run from St. Catherine's. Hence, therefore, as the lon- gitude of this land resulting from a comparison of that shown by each of the ships, on their making land at places where the lon- gitude is exceedingly well determined, is greater than that which results from their run from St. Catherine's, the longitude of which is not known with certainty within several degrees, we may infer, with great safety, that whatever the quantity of M. Bouvet's error might be, when he is supposed to have seen Cape Cir- cumcision, it must have been in defect, and not in excess, as M. Le Monier supposes it. Christ's Hospital, 1 w WALES. April 20. 1784. J * The judgment of the ingenious Author of Recherches sur les Amfricains, on this question, seems to be very deserving of a place here : " Qu'on calcule, comme on voudra, on sera toujours con- " traint d'avouer, qu'il y a une plus grande portion de continent " situ^e dans la latitude septentrionale, que dans la latitude " australe. " C'est fort mal a-propos, qu'on a soutenu que cette repartition ' in^gale ne sauroit exister, sous pretexte que le globe perdroit son ' equilibre, faute d'un contrepoids suffisant au pole meridionale. " II est vrai qu'un pied cube d'eau sal^e ne pese pas autant " qu'un pied cube de terre ; mais on auroit du reflechir, qu'il peut " y avoir sous l'ocean des lits & des couches de matieres, dont la " pesanteur specifique varie a l'infini, & que le peu de profondeur " d'une mer, versee sur une grande surface, contrebalance les en- " droits ou il y a moins de mer, mais ou elle est plus profonde." Recherches Philvsophiques, torn. ii. p. 375. 28 INTRODUCTION TO THE ones, and left, I conceive, very little to be done, even in that part. Thus I flatter myself, that the 4 intention of the voyage has, in every respect, been fully answered ; the southern hemisphere suf- ficiently explored ; and a final end put to the " searching after a southern continent, which has, at " times, engrossed the attention of some of the Mari- time Powers for near two centuries past, and been a favourite theory amongst the geographers of all a << " ages." Thus far, therefore, the voyages to disclose new tracks of navigation, and to reform old defects in geography, appear to have been prosecuted with a satisfactory share of success. A perusal of the fore- going summary of what had been done, will enable every one to judge what was still wanting to com- plete the great plan of discovery. The southern hemisphere had, indeed, been repeatedly visited, and its utmost accessible extremities been surveyed. But much uncertainty, and, of course, great variety of opinion, subsisted, as to the navigable extremities of our own hemisphere ; particularly, as to the ex- istence, or, at least, as to the practicability of a nor- thern passage between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, either by sailing eastward, round Asia, or westward, round North America. It was obvious, that if such a passage could be ef- fected, voyages to Japan and China, and, indeed, to the East Indies in general, would be much shortened ; and consequently become more profitable, than by making the tedious circuit of the Cape of Good Hope. Accordingly, it became a favourite object of the English to effectuate this above two centuries ago ; and (to say nothing of Cabot's original attempt, in 1497> which ended in the discovery of Newfound- land, and the Labradore coast) from Frobisher's first voyage to find a western passage, in 1576, to those * See Vol. IV. p. 219. . VOYAGE TO THE PACIFIC OCEAN. #9 of James and of Fox, in 1631, repeated trials had been made by our enterprising adventurers. But though farther knowledge of the northern extent of America was obtained in the course of these voyages by the discovery of Hudson's and Baffin's Bays, the wished- for passage, on that side, into the Pacific Ocean, was still unattained. Our countrymen, and the Dutch, were equally unsuccessful, in various. attempts, to find this passage in an eastern direction. Wood's failure, in 1676, seems to have closed the long list of unfortunate northern expeditions in that century ; and the discovery, if not absolutely despaired of, by having been so often missed, ceased, for many years, to be sought for. Mr. Dobbs, a warm advocate for the probability of a north-west passage through Hudson's Bay, in our own time, once more recalled the attention of this country to that undertaking ; and, by his active zeal and persevering solicitation, renewed the spirit of discovery. But it was renewed in vain. For Cap- tain Middleton, sent out by Government in 1741, and Captains Smith and Moore, by a private society, in 1746, though encouraged by an act of parliament passed in the preceding year, that annexed a reward of twenty thousand pounds to the discovery of a pas- sage, returned from Hudson's Bay with reports of their proceedings that left the accomplishment of this favourite object at as great a distance as ever. When researches of this kind, no longer left to the solicitations of an individual, or to the subscriptions of private adventurers, became cherished by the Royal attention, in the present reign, and warmly promoted by the Minister at the head of the naval department, it was impossible, while so much was done toward exploring the remotest corners of the southern hemisphere, that the northern passage should not be attempted. Accordingly, while Cap- tain Cook was prosecuting his voyage toward the south pole, in 1773, Lord Mulgrave sailed with two SO INTRODUCTION TO THE ships, to determine how far navigation was practicable toward tlie north pole. And though his Lordship met with the same insuperable bar to his progress, which former navigators had experienced*, the hopes of opening a communication between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, by a northerly course, were not abandoned ; and a voyage for that purpose was or- dered to be undertaken. The operations proposed to be pursued were so new, so extensive, and so various, that the skill and experience of Captain Cook, it was thought, would be requisite to conduct them. Without being liable to any charge of want of zeal for the public service, he might have passed the rest of his days in the com- mand to which he had been appointed in Greenwich Hospital, there to enjoy the fame he had dearly earned in two circumnavigations of the world. But he cheerfully relinquished this honourable station at home \ and, happy that the Earl of Sandwich had not cast his eye upon any other commander, engaged in the conduct of the expedition, the history of which is presented to the public in these volumes ; an expedition that would expose him to the toils and perils of a third circumnavigation, by a track hi- therto unattempted. Every former navigator round the globe had made his passage home to Europe by the Cape of Good Hope ; the arduous task was now assigned to Captain Cook, of attempting it, by reaching the high northern latitudes between Asia and America. So that the usual plan of discovery was reversed ; and, instead of a passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific, one from the latter into the former was to be tried. For it was wisely foreseen, that whatever openings or inlets there might be on the east side of America, which lie in a direction * See the history of former attempts to sail toward the north pole, in the introduction to Lord Mulgrave's Journal. Mr. Bar- rington has collected several instances of ships advancing to very high latitudes. See his Miscellanies, p. 1124% VOYAGE TO THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 31 which could give any hopes of a passage, the ulti- mate success of it would still depend upon there being an open sea between the west side of that continent, and the extremities of Asia. Captain Cook, therefore, was ordered to proceed into the Pacific Ocean, through the chain of his new islands in the southern tropic, and having crossed the equator into its northern parts, then to hold such a course as might probably fix many interesting points in geography, and produce intermediate disoveries, in his progress northward to the principal scene of his operations. But the plan of the voyage, and the various objects it embraced, will best appear from the instructions under which Captain Cook sailed ; and the insertion of them here will convey such authentic information, as may enable the reader to judge with precision how far thev have been carried into execution. " By the Commissioners for executing the Office of Lord u High Admiral of Great Britain and Ireland, &c. " Secret Instructions for Captain James Cook, Commander " of his Majesty's sloop the Resolution. " Whereas, the Earl of Sandwich has signified to us his " Majesty's pleasure that an attempt should be made to find " out a northern passage by sea from the Pacific to the " Atlantic Ocean ; and whereas we have, in pursuance " thereof, caused his Majesty's sloops Resolution and Dis- " covery to be fitted, in all respects, proper to proceed upon " a voyage for the purpose above-mentioned, and, from the " experience we have had of your abilities and good conduct " in your late voyages, have thought fit to intrust you with tc the conduct of the present intended voyage, and with that " view appointed you to command the first-mentioned sloop. i u ii 32 INTRODUCTION TO THE " and directed Captain Clerke, who commands the other, to Captain Christopher sailed from Fort Churchill, in the sloop Churchill; and his voyage was not quite fruitless : for he sailed up Chesterfield's Inlet, through 'which a passage had, by Mr. Ellis's account of it, been so generally ex- pected. But when the water turned brackish, which marked that he was not in a strait, but in a river, he returned. To leave no room for a variety of opinion, how- ever, lie was ordered to repeat the voyage the en- suing: summer, in the same sloop, and Mr. Norton, in a cutter, was appointed to attend him. By the favour of the Governor and Committee of the Company, the Journals of Captain Christopher, and of Mr. Norton, and Captain Christopher's chart of the Inlet, have been readily communicated. From these authentic documents, it appears that the search and examin- ation of Chesterfield's Inlet was now completed. It was found to end in a fresh water lake, at the dis- tance of about one hundred and seventy miles from the sea. This lake was found also to be about twenty-one leagues long, and from five to ten broad, and to be completely closed up on every side, 7 46 INTRODUCTION TO THE except to the west, where there was a little rivulet ; to survey the state of which, Mr. Norton and the crew of the cutter having landed, and marched up the country, saw that it soon terminated in three falls, one above another, and not water for a small boat over them ; and ridges, mostly dry from side to side, for five or six miles higher. Thus ends Chesterfield's Inlet, and all Mr. Ellis's expectations of a passage through it to the Western Ocean. The other part of the coast, from latitude 62, to the South Point of Main, within which limits hopes were also entertained of finding a passage, have, of late years, been thoroughly explored. It is here that Pistol Bay is situated ; which the author who has writ last in this country, on the probability of a north-west passage*, speaks of as the only re- maining part of Hudson's Bay where this western communication may exist. But this has been also examined ; and, on the authority of Captain Chris- topher, we can assure the reader, that there is no inlet of any consequence in all that part of the coast. Nay, he has, in an open boat, sailed round the bottom of what is called Pistol Bay, and, instead of a pas- sage to a western sea, found it does not run above three or four miles inland. Besides these voyages by sea, which satisfy us that we must not look for a passage to the South of 67 of latitude ; we are indebted to the Hudson's Bay Company for a journey by land which has thrown much additional light on this matter, by affording what may be called demonstration, how much farther north, at least in some part of their voyage, ships must hold their course, before they can pass from one side of America to the other. The Northern Indians, who come down to the Company's forts for trade, had brought to the knowledge of our people, the exist- * Printed for Jeffreys, in 1768. His words are, " There re- " mains then to be searched for the discovery of a passage, the " opening called Pistol Bay, in Hudson's Bay." P. 122. VOYAGE TO THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 47 ence of a river; which, from copper abounding near it, had got the name of the Copper-mine River. We read much about this river in Mr. Dobbs's publica- tions, and he considers the Indian accounts of it as favourable to his system. The Company being de- sirous of examining the matter with precision, ordered their Governor of Prince of Wales's Fort, to send a proper person to travel by land, under the escort of some trusty Northern Indians, with orders to pro- ceed to this famous river, to take an accurate survey of its course, and to trace it to the sea, into which it empties itself. Mr. Hearne, a young gentleman in their service, who, having been an officer in the navy, was well qualified to make observations for fix- ing the longitude and latitude, and make drawings of the country he shall pass through, and of the river which he was to examine, was appointed for this service. Accordingly, he set out from Fort Prince of Wales, on Churchill River, in latitude 58 50', on the 7th of December, 17?0 ; and the whole of his proceed- ings, from time to time, are faithfully preserved in his written Journal. The publication of this would not be an unacceptable present to the world, as it draws a plain artless picture of the savage modes of life, the scanty means of subsistence, and indeed of the singular wretchedness, in every respect, of the various tribes, who, without fixed habitations, pass their miserable lives, roving throughout the dreary deserts, and over the frozen lakes of the immense track of continent through which Mr. Hearne passed, and which he may be said to have added to the geo- graphy of the globe. His general course was to the north-west. In the month of June, 1771, being then at a place called Conge catha wha Chaga, he. had, to use his own words, two good observations, both by meridian and double altitude s, the mean of which de- termines this place to be in latitude 68 46' north, and. 48 INTRODUCTION TO THE by account^ in longitude 24 2' west of Churchill River. On the 13th of July (having left Conge catha wha Chaga by the 2d, and travelling still to the west of north) he reached the Copper-mine River : and was not a little surprized to find it differ so much from the descriptions given of it by the natives at the fort ; for, instead of being likely to be navigable for a ship, it is, at this part, scarcely navigable for an Indian canoe ; three falls being in sight, at one view, and being choked up with shoals and stony ridges. Here Mr. Hearne began his survey of the river. This he continued till he arrived at its mouth, near which his Northern Indians massacred twenty-one Esquimaux, whom they surprized in their tents. We shall give Mr. Hearne's account of his arrival at the sea, in his own words. " After the Indians had " plundered the tents of the Esquimaux of all the " copper, &c. they were then again ready to assist " me in making an end to the survey ; the sea then " in sight from the north-west by west to the north- " east, distant about eight miles. It was then about " five in the morning of the 17th, when I again pro- " ceeded to survey the river to the mouth, still found, " in every respect, no ways likely, or a possibility of " being made navigable, being full of shoals and " falls : and, at the entrance, the river emptying " itself over a dry flat of the shore. For the tide was " then out, and seemed, by the edges of the ice, to " flow about twelve or fourteen feet, which will only " reach a little within the river's mouth. That being " the case, the water in the river had not the least " brackish taste. But I am sure of its being the sea, " or some part thereof, by the quantity of whale-bone " and seal-skins the Esquimaux had at their tents ; as " also the number of seals which I saw upon the ice. " The sea, at the river's mouth, was full of islands " and shoals, as far as I could see, by the assistance " of a pocket telescope ; and the ice was not yet VOYAGE TO THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 49 f5 broken up, only thawed away about three quarters " of a mile from the shore, and a little way round the " islands and shoals. " By the time I had completed this survey it was " about one in the morning of the 18th ; but in these " high latitudes, and this time of the year, the sun " is always a good height above the horizon. It then " came on a thick drizzling rain, with a thick fog ; " and, as finding the river and sea, in every respect, " not likely to be of any utility, I did not think it " worth while to wait for fair weather, to determine " the latitude exactly by an observation. But, by <; the extraordinary care I took in observing the " courses and distances, walked from Congecathaxv- " hachaaga, where I had two good observations, the " latitude may be depended on, within tw r enty miles " at farthest." From the 'map which Mr. Hearne constructed of the country through which he passed, in this singular journey, and which we have been permitted to copy upon our general chart, it appears that the mouth of the Copper-mine river lies in the latitude 7^\ and above 25 West longitude from the fort, from whence he took his departure. * The consequences resulting from this extensive discovery are obvious. We now see that the conti- nent of North America stretches from Hudson's Bay so far to the north-west that Mr. Hearne had travelled near thirteen hundred miles before he ar- rived at the sea. His most western distance from the coast of Hudson's Bay w 7 as near six hundred * Mr. Hearne's Journey, back from the Copper-mine river, to Fort Prince of Wales, lasted till June 30. 1772. From his first setting out till his return, he had employed near a year and seven months. The unparalleled hardships he suffered, and the essential service he performed, met with a suitable reward from his masters, and he is now T the Governor of Fort Prince of Wales, where he was taken prisoner by the French in 1782; and last summer re- turned to his station. VOL, V. E 50 INTRODUCTION TO THE miles # ; and that his Indian guides were well apprized of a vast tract of continent stretching farther on in that direction is certain from many circumstances mentioned in his journal ; one of which, as besides establishing this fact, it presents us with a very strik- ing picture of savage life, has been transcribed in the following note.t * The Hudson's Bay Company have a trading post called Hud- son s House, above five hundred miles up the country, in lat. 53 0' 32", and in long. 106 27' 30". f This day, Jan. 11. 1772, as the Indians were hunting, some of them saw a strange snow-shoe track, which they followed, and at a considerable distance came to a little hut, where they found a young woman sitting alone. They brought her to the tents ; and, on examining her, found that she was one of the western Dog- ribbed Indians, and had been taken prisoner by the Arathapescow Indians in the summer 1770; and, when the Indians who took her prisoner, were near this part in the summer 1771, she eloped from them, with an intent to return to her own country ; but it being so Jar off> and, after being taken prisoner, having come the whole way in canoes, with the winding of rivers and lakes, she had forgot the way ; and had been in this little hut ever since the first setting in of the fall. Ify her account of the moons past since her elope- ment, it appears to be the middle of last July when she left the Arathapescow Indians, and had not seen a human face ever since. She supported herself very well by snaring of rabbits, partridges, and squirrels, and was now in good health and flesh ; and, I think, as fine a woman of a real Indian, as I have seen in any part of North America. She had nothing to make snares of but the sinews of rabbits' legs and feet, which she twisted together for that pur- pose ; and of the rabbits' skins had made herself a neat and warm winter's clothing. The stock of materials she took with her when she eloped, consisted of about five inches of an iron hoop for a knife ; a stone steel, and other hard stones as flints, together with other fire-tackle, as tinder, &c. ; about an inch and half of the shank of the shoeing of an arrow of iron, of which she made an awl. She had not been long at the tents, when half a score of men wrestled to see who should have her for their wife. She says, when the Arathapescow Indians took her prisoner, that they stole on the tents in the night, when the inhabitants were all asleep, and killed every soul except herself and three other young women. Her father, mother, and husband were in the same tent with her, and they were all killed. Her child, of about five months old, she took with her, wrapped in a bundle of her clothing, undiscovered, in the night. But, when arrived at the place where the Arathapes- VOYAGE TO THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 51 What is now for the first time authentically laid before the public, with regard to the discoveries made by the Hudson's Bay Company, was well known to the noble lord who presided at the Board of Ad- miralty, when this voyage was undertaken ; and the intimate connection of those discoveries with the plan of the voyage, of course regulated the instruc- tions given to Captain Cook. And now, may we not take it upon us to appeal to every candid and capable inquirer, whether that part of the instructions which directed the captain not to lose time, in exploring rivers or inlets, or upon any other account, till he got into the latitude of 6\5, was not framed judiciously: as there were such indubit- able proofs that no passage existed so far to the south as any part of Hudson's Bay, and that if a passage could be effected at all, part of it at least must be traversed by the ships as far to the northward as the latitude 72, where Mr. Hearne arrived at the sea? We may add as a farther consideration, in support of this article of the instructions, that Beering's Asiatic discoveries, in 1728, having traced that con- tinent to the latitude of 67 , Captain Cook's approach toward that latitude was to be wished for, that he cows had left their wives, which was not far off, it being then day- break, these Indian women immediately began to examine her bundle ; and having there found the child, took it from her and killed it immediately. The relation of this shocking scene only served the savages of my gang for laughter. Her country is so far to the Westward, that she says she never saw any iron, or other kind of metal, till taken prisoner; those of her tribe making their hatchets and chisels of deers' horns, and knives of stone and bone ; their arrows are shod with a kind of slate, bones, and deers' horns ; and their instruments, to make their wood work, are nothing but beavers' teeth. They have frequently heard of the useful materials the nations to the east of them are supplied with from the English ; but, instead of drawing nearer to be in the way of trading for iron work, &c. are obliged to retreat farther back, to avoid the Aratha- pescow Indians, as they make surprising slaughter amongst them every year, both winter and summer. Hearne's MS. Journal. E 2 .52 INTRODUCTION TO THE might be enabled to bring back more authentic in- formation than the world had hitherto obtained, about the relative situation and vicinity of the two conti- nents, which was absolutely necessary to be known, before the practicability of sailing between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, in any northern direction, could be ascertained. After all that search in a lower latitude which they who give credit (if any such there now be) to the pretended discoveries of de Fonte, affect to wish had been recommended to Captain Cook, has (if that will cure them of their credulity,) been satisfactorily made. The Spaniards, roused from their lethargy by our voyages, and having caught a spark of enter- prize from our repeated visits to the Pacific Ocean, have followed us more than once into the line of our discoveries within the Southern tropic ; and have also fitted out expeditions to explore the American continent to the north of California. It is to be lamented, that there should be any reasons why the transactions of those Spanish voyages have not been fully disclosed, with the same liberal spirit of inform- ation which other nations have adopted. But, for- tunately, this excessive caution of the court of Spain has been defeated, at least in one instance, by the publication of an authentic Journal of their last voyage of discovery upon the coast of America, in 177^; for which the world is indebted to the Honour- able Mr. Daines Barrington. This publication, which conveys some information of real consequence to geography, and has therefore been referred to more than once in the following work, is particularly valuable in this respect, that some parts of the coast which Captain Cook, in his progress northward, was prevented by unfavourable winds from approaching, were seen and examined by the Spanish ships who preceded him ; and the perusal of the following ex- tract from their Journal, may be recommended to those (if any such there be) who would represent it VOYAGE TO THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 53 as an imperfection in Captain Cook's voyage, that he had not an opportunity of examining the coast of America, in the latitude assigned to the discoveries of Admiral Fonte. " We now attempted to find out " the Straits of Admiral Fonte, though, as yet, we " had not discovered the Archipelago of St. Lazarus, " through which he is said to have sailed. With " this intent, we searched every bay and recess of the " coast, and sailed round every headland, lying to in " the night, that we might not lose sight of this en- " trance. After these pains taken, and being favoured " by a ?iorth-west wind, it may be pronounced that " no such straits are to be found.*" In this Journal, the Spaniards boast of " having " reached so high a latitude as 58, beyond what " any other navigators had been able to effect in " those seas."t Without diminishing the merit of their performance, we may be permitted to say that it will appear very inconsiderable, indeed, in com- parison of what Captain Cook effected, in the voyage of which an account is given in these volumes. Be- sides exploring the land in the South Indian Ocean, of which Kerguelen, in two voyages, had been able to obtain but a very imperfect knowledge ; adding also many considerable accessions to the geography of the Friendly Islands, and discovering the noble group, now called Sandwich Islands, in the Northern part of the Pacific Ocean, of which not the faintest trace can be met with in the account of any former voyage ; besides these preliminary discoveries, the reader of the following work will find, that in one summer, our English navigator discovered a much larger proportion of the north-west coast of Ame- * Journal of a Voyage in 1775 by Don Francisco Antonio Maurelle, in Mr. Barrington's Miscellanies, p. 508. f Ibid. p. 507. We learn from Maurelle's Journal that another voyage had been some time before performed upon the coast of America; but the utmost northern progress of it was to latitude 55. B 3 54< INTRODUCTION TO THE rica than the Spaniards, though settled in the neigh- bourhood, had, in all their attempts for above two hundred years, been able to do ; that he has put it beyond all doubt that Beering and Tscherikoff had really discovered the continent of America in 1741, and has also established the prolongation of that continent westward opposite Kamtschatka, which speculative writers, wedded to favourite systems, had affected so much to disbelieve*, and which, though admitted by Muller, had, since he wTote, been con- sidered as disproved by later Russian discoveries t ; that, besides ascertaining the true position of the western coasts of America, with some inconsiderable interruptions, from latitude 44 up to beyond the latitude 70, he has also ascertained the position of the north-eastern extremity of Asia, by confirming Beering's discoveries in 17^8, and adding extensive accessions of his own ; that he has given us more authentic information concerning the islands lying between the two continents, than the Kamtschatka traders, ever since Beering first taught them to ven- ture on this sea, had been able to procured; that, * Dr. Campbell, speaking of Beering's voyage in 1741, says, " Nothing can be plainer than this truth, that his discovery does " not warrant any such supposition, as that the country he touched " at was a great continent making part of North America." f See Coxe's Russian Discoveries, pp. 26, 27, &c. The fic- tions of speculative geographers in the Southern hemisphere, have been continents ; in the northern hemisphere, they have been seas. It may be observed, therefore, that if Captain Cook in his first voyages annihilated imaginary southern lands, he has made amends for the havock in his third voyage, by annihilating imaginary nor- thern seas, and filling up the vast space, which had been allotted to them, with the solid continents of his new discoveries of Ame- rican land farther west and north than had hitherto been traced. The Russians seem to owe much to England in matters of this sort. It is singular enough that one of our countrj^men, Dr. Campbell [See his edition of Harris's voyages, vol. ii. p. 1021. has preserved many valuable particulars of Beering's first voyage, of which Muller himself, the historian of their earlier discoveries, makes no mention; that it should be another of our countrymen, Mr. Coxe, who first published a satisfactory account of their later u VOYAGE TO THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 55 by fixing the relative situation of Asia and America, and discovering the narrow bounds of the strait that divides them, he has thrown a blaze of light upon this important part of the geography of the globe, and solved the puzzling problem about the peopling of America, by tribes destitute of the necessary means to attempt long navigations ; and, lastly, that, though the principal object of the voyage failed, the world will be greatly benefited even by the failure, as it has brought us to the knowledge of the ex- istence of the impediments which future navigators may expect to meet with in attempting to go to the East Indies through Beering's Strait. The extended review we have taken of the pre- ceding voyages, and the general outline we have sketched out, of the transactions of the last, which are recorded at full length in these volumes, will not, it is hoped, be considered as a prolix or unnecessary detail. It will serve to give a just notion of the whole plan of discovery executed by his Majesty's commands. And it appearing that much was aimed at, and much accomplished, in the unknown parts of the globe, in both hemispheres, there needs no other consideration, to give full satisfaction to those who possess an enlarged way of thinking, that a variety of useful purposes must have been effected by these researches. But there are others, no doubt, who, too diffident of their own abilities, or too indolent to exert them, would wish to have their reflections as- sisted, by pointing out what those useful purposes discoveries; and that the King of Great Britain's ships should traverse the globe in 1778, to confirm to the Russian empire the possession of near thirty degrees, or above six hundred miles of continent, which Mr. Engel, in his zeal for the practicability of a north-east passage, would prune away from the length of Asia to the eastward. See his Memoires Geographiques, &c. Lausanne, 1765; which, however, contains much real information ; and many parts of which are confirmed by Captain Cook's American dis- coveries. E 4 56 INTRODUCTION TO THE are. For the use of such, the following enumeration of particulars is entered upon. And if there should be any, who affect to undervalue the plan, or the ex- ecution of our voyages, what shall now be offered, if it do not convince them, may, at least, check the influence of their unfavourable decision. 1. It may be fairly considered, as one great ad- vantage accruing to the world from our late surveys of the globe, that they have confuted fanciful theories, too likely to give birth to impracticable undertakings. After Captain Cook's persevering and fruitless traverses through every corner of the southern he- misphere, who, for the future, will pay any attention to the ingenious reveries of Campbell, de Brosses, and de Buffon ? or hope to establish an intercourse with such a continent as Maupertuis's fruitful ima- gination had pictured ? A continent equal, at least, in extent, to all the civilized countries in the known northern hemisphere, where new men, new animals, new productions of every kind, might be brought for- ward to our view, and discoveries be made, which would open inexhaustible treasures of commerce.* We can now boldly take it upon us to discourage all expeditions, formed on such reasonings of speculative philosophers, into a quarter of the globe where our persevering English navigator, instead of this pro- mised fairy land, found nothing but barren rocks, scarcely affording shelter to penguins and seals; and dreary seas, and mountains of ice, occupying the immense space allotted to imaginary paradises, and the only treasures there to be discovered, to reward * See Maupertuis's Letter to the King of Prussia. The au- thor of the Preliminary Discourse to Bougainville's Voyage aux Isles Malouines, computes that the southern continent (for the existence of which, he owns, we must depend more on the con- jectures of philosophers, than on the testimony of voyagers) con- tains eight or ten millions of square leagues. VOYAGE TO THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 57 the toil, and to compensate the dangers of the una- vailing search. Or, if we carry our reflections into the northern hemisphere, could Mr. Dobbs have made a single convert, much less could he have been the successful solicitor of two different expeditions, and have met with encouragement from the legislature, with regard to his favourite passage through Hudson's Bay, if Captain Christopher had previously explored its coasts, and if Mr. Hearne had walked over the im- mense continent behind it ? Whether, after Captain Cook's and Captain Clerke's discoveries on the west side of America, and their report of the state of Beering's Strait, there can be sufficient encourage- ment to make future attempts to penetrate into the Pacific Ocean in any northern direction, is a ques- tion, for the decision of which the public will be in- debted to this work. c 2. But our voyages will benefit the world, not only by discouraging future unprofitable searches, but also by lessening the dangers and distresses formerly ex- perienced in those seas, which are within the line of commerce and navigation, now actually subsisting. In how many instances have the mistakes of former navigators, in fixing the true situations of important places, been rectified?- What accession to the vari- ation chart ? How many nautical observations have been collected, and are now ready to be consulted, in directing a ship's course, along rocky shores, through narrow straits, amidst perplexing currents, and dan- gerous shoals ? But, above all, what numbers of new bays, and harbours, and anchoring-places, are now, for the first time, brought forward, where ships may be sheltered and their crews find tolerable re- freshments ? To enumerate all these would Jbe to transcribe great part of the journals of our several commanders, whose labours will endear them to every navigator whom trade or war may carry into their tracks. Every nation that sends a ship to sea 3 58 INTRODUCTION TO THE will partake of the benefit ; but Great Britain herself, whose commerce is boundless, must take the lead in reaping the full advantage of her own discoveries. In consequence of all these various improvements lessening the apprehensions of engaging in long voyages, may we not reasonably indulge the pleasing hope that fresh branches of commerce may, even in our time, be attempted, and successively carried on? Our hardy adventurers in the whale-fishery have already found their way, within these few years, into the South Atlantic ; and who knows what fresh sources of commerce may still be opened, if the pros- pect of gain can be added, to keep alive the spirit of enterprise ? If the situation of Great Britain be too remote, other trading nations will assuredly avail themselves of our discoveries. We may soon expect to hear that the Russians, now instructed by us where to find the American continent, have extended their voyages from the Fox Islands to Cook's River, and Prince William's Sound. And if Spain itself should not be tempted to trade from its most nor- thern Mexican ports, by the fresh mine of wealth discovered in the furs of King George's Sound, which they may transport in their Manilla ships, as a favourite commodity for the Chinese market, that market may probably be supplied by a direct trade to America, from Canton itself, with those valuable articles which the inhabitants of China have hitherto received only by the tedious and expensive circuit of Kamtschatka and Kiachta. These and many other commercial improvements may reasonably be expected to result from the British discoveries, even in our own times. But if we look forward to future ages, and to future changes in the history of commerce, by recollecting its various past revolutions and migrations, we may be allowed to please ourselves with the idea of its finding its way, at last, throughout the extent of the regions with which our voyages have opened an intercourse; and VOYAGE TO THE PACIFIC OCEAN. oQ there will be abundant reason to subscribe to Captain Cook's observation with regard to New Zealand, which may be applied to other tracks of land explored by him, that " although they be far remote from the " present trading world, we can, by no means, tell " what use future ages may make of the discoveries "made by the present."* In this point of view, surely, the utility of the late voyages must stand confessed ; and we may be permitted to say, that the history of their operations, which will be completed in these volumes, has the justest pretensions to be called xT%,a he as), as it will convey to latest posterity a treasure of interesting information. 3. Admitting, however, that we may have ex- pressed too sanguine expectations of commercial ad- vantages, either within our own reach, or gradually to be unfolded at some future period, as the result of our voyages of discovery, we may still be allowed to consider them as a laudable effort to add to the stock of human knowledge, with regard to an object which cannot but deserve the attention of enlightened man. To exert our faculties in devising ingenious modes of satisfying ourselves about the magnitude and distance of the sun; to extend our acquaintance with the system to which that luminary is the common centre, by tracing the revolutions of a new planet, or the appearance of a new comet ; to carry our bold researches through all the immensity of space, where world beyond world rises to the view of the aston- ished observer ; these are employments which none but those incapable of pursuing them can depreciate, and which every one capable of pursuing them must delight in, as a dignified exercise of the powers of the human mind. But while we direct our studies " to distant worlds, which, after all our exertions, we must content ourselves with having barely discovered to exist, it would be a strange neglect, indeed, and Sec VoL III. p. 107. 60 INTRODUCTION TO THE would argue a most culpable want of rational curiosity, if we did not use our best endeavours to arrive at a full acquaintance with the contents of our own planet ; of that little spot in the immense universe, on which we have been placed, and the utmost limits of which, at least its habitable parts, we possess the means of ascertaining, and describing, by actual exam- ination. So naturally doth this reflection present itself, that to know something of the terraqueous globe is a favourite object with every one who can taste the lowest rudiments of learning. Let us not, therefore, think so meanly of the times in which we live, as to suppose it possible, that full justice will not be done to the noble plan of discovery so steadily and so successfully carried on since the accession of his Majesty; which cannot fail to be considered, in every succeeding age, as a splendid period in the history of our country, and to add to our national glory, by distinguishing Great Britain as taking the lead in the most arduous undertakings for the common be- nefit of the human race. Before these voyages took place, nearly half the surface of the globe we inhabit was hid in obscurity and confusion. What is still wanting to complete our geography, may justlv be termed the rmnutice of that science. 4. Let us now carry our thoughts somewhat far- ther. It is fortunate for the interests of knowledge; that acquisitions in any one branch generally, and indeed unavoidably, lead to acquisitions in other branches, perhaps of still greater consequence; and that we cannot even gratify mere curiosity, without being rewarded with valuable instruction. This ob- servation applies to the subject before us. Voyages, in which new oceans have been traversed, and in which new countries have been visited, can scarcely ever be performed, without bringing forward to our view fresh objects of science. Even when we are to take our report of what was discovered, from the VOYAGE TO THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 61 mere sailor, whose knowledge scarcely goes beyond the narrow limits of his own profession, and whose inquiries are not directed by philosophical discern- ment, it will be unfortunate indeed, if something hath not been remarked, by which the scholar may profit, and useful accessions be made to our old stock of information. And if this be the case in general, how much more must be gained by the particular voyages now under consideration ? Besides naval officers equally skilled to examine the coasts they might approach, as to delineate them accurately upon their charts, artists* were engaged, who, by their drawings, might illustrate what could only be imperfectly described ; mathematicianst who might treasure up an extensive series of scientific observ- ations ; and persons versed in the various departments of the history of nature, who might collect, or re- cord, all that they should find new and valuable, throughout the wide extent of their researches. But while most of these associates of our naval dis- coverers were liberally rewarded by the public, there was one gentleman, who thinking it the noblest re- ward he could receive, to have an opportunity of making the ample fortune he inherited from his an- cestors subservient to the improvement of science, stepped forward of his own accord, and, submitting to the hardships and dangers of a circumnavigation of the globe, accompanied Captain Cook in the Endeavour. The learned world, I may also say the * Messrs. Hodges and Webber. j- Mr. Green, in the Endeavour ; Messrs. Wales and Bayly, in the Resolution and Adventure; Mr. Bayly, a second time, jointly with Captains Cook and King in this voyage ; and Mr. Lyons, who accompanied Lord Mulgrave. The observations of Messrs. Wales and Bayly during Captain Cook's second voyage are al- ready in the hands of the public, by the favour of the Board of Longitude; and those of Captains Cook and King, and Mr. Bayly, during this last, will appear immediately after our pub- lication, [First Edit.] (J2 INTRODUCTION TO THE unlearned, will never forget the obligations which it owes to Sir Joseph Banks. What real acquisitions have been gained, by this munificent attention to science, cannot be better ex- pressed than in the words of Mr. Wales, who en- gaged in one of these voyages himself, and contri- buted largely to the benefits derived from them. " That branch of natural knowledge which may " be called nautical astronomy, was undoubtedly in " its infancy, when these voyages were first under- " taken. Both instruments and observers, which " deserved the name, were very rare ; and so late as " the year 1770, it was found necessary, in the ap- " pendix to Meyer's Tables, published by the Board " of Longitude, to state facts, in contradiction to " the assertions of so celebrated an astronomer as " the Abbe de la Caille, that the altitude of the sun " at noon, the easiest and most simple of all observ- " ations, could not be taken with certainty to a less " quantity than five, six, seven, or even eight mi- " mites. * But those who will give themselves the " trouble to look into the astronomical observations * The Abbe's words are, " Si ceux qui promettent une si " grande precision dans ces sortes de methodes, avoient navigue* quelque terns, ils auroient vu souvent, que dans l'observation la plus simple de toutes, qui est celle de la hauteur du soleil a midi, deux observations, munis de bons quartiers de reflexion, bien rectifies, different entr'eux, lorsqu'ils observent chacun a " part, de 5', 6', 7', & 8'." Ephemer. 1755 1765- Introduction, p. 32. It must be however mentioned, in justice to M. de la Caille, that he attempted to introduce the lunar method of discovering the longitude, and proposed a plan of calculations of the moon's distance from the sun and fixed stars; but, through the imperfection of his instruments, his success was much less than that method was capable of affording. The bringing it into general use was re- served for Dr. Maskelyne, our astronomer royal. See the preface to the Tables for correcting the Effects of Refraction and Parallax, published by the Board of Longitude, under the direction of Dr. Shepherd, Flumian Professor of Astronomy and Experimental Philosophy at Cambridge, in 1772. a it ti it VOYAGE TO THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 63 " made in Captain Cook's last voyage, will find, that " there were few, even of the petty officers, who " could not observe the distance of the moon from " the sun, or a star, the most delicate of all observ- " ations, with sufficient accuracy. It may be ad- " ded, that the method of making and computing " observations for finding the variation of the com- pass, is better known, and more frequently prac- tised by those who have been on these voyages, " than by most others. Nor is there, perhaps, a " person who ranks as an officer, and has been con- " cerned in them, who would not, whatever his real " skill may be, feel ashamed to have it thought that " he did not know how to observe for, and compute " the time at sea; though, but a short while before " these voyages were set on foot, such a thing was " scarcely ever heard of amongst seamen; and even " first-rate astronomers doubted the possibility of " doing it with sufficient exactness.* * In addition to Mr. Wales's Remark, it may be observed, that the proficiency of our naval officers in taking observations at sea, must ultimately be attributed to the great attention paid to this important object by the Board of Longitude at home ; liberal rewards having been given to mathematicians for perfecting the lunar tables, and facilitating calculations ; to artists for con- structing more accurate instruments for observing, and watches better adapted to keeping time at sea. It appears, therefore, that the voyages of discovery, and the operations of the Board of Lon- gitude^wem hand in hand ; and they must be combined in order to form a just estimate of the extent of the plan carried into exe- cution since his Majesty's accession, for improving astronomy and navigation. But, besides the establishment of the Board of Lon- gitude on its present footing, which has had such important con- sequences, it must also be ever acknowledged, that his present Majesty has extended his royal patronage to every branch of the liberal arts and useful science. The munificent present to the Royal Society for defraying the ex pence of observing the transit of Venus; the institution of the Academy of Painting and Sculp- ture; the magnificent apartments allotted to the Royal and Antiquary Societies, and to the Royal Academy, at Somerset Place; the support of the Garden of Exotics at Kew, to im- prove which, Mr. Mason was sent to the extremities of Africa ; the substantial encouragement afforded to learned men and learned G4 INTRODUCTION TO THE " The number of places, at which the rise and times of flowing of tides have been observed, in these voyages, is very great ; and hence an im- portant article of useful knowledge is afforded. In these observations, some very curious and even unexpected circumstances have offered themselves to our consideration. It will be sufficient to in- stance the exceedingly small height to which the tide rises in the middle of the great Pacific Ocean; where it falls short, two-thirds at least, of what might have been expected from theory and calculation. " The direction and force of currents at sea make also an important object. These voyages will be found to contain much useful information on this head ; as well relating to seas nearer home, and which, in consequence, are navigated every day, as to those which are more remote, but where, notwithstanding, the knowledge of these things may be of great service to those who are destined to navigate them hereafter. To this head also we may refer the great number of experiments which have been made for enquiring into the depth of the sea, its temperature, and saltness at different depths, and in a variety of places and climates. " An extensive foundation has also been laid for improvements in magnetism, for discovering the cause and nature of the polarity of the needle, and a theory of its variations, by the number and variety of the observations and experiments which have been made, both on the variation and dip, in almost all parts of the world. Experiments also have been made, in consequence of the late voyages, on the effects of gravity, in different and very dis- works, in various departments ; and particularly that afforded to Mr. Herschell, which has enabled him to devote himself entirely to the improvement of astronomy ; these and many other instances which might be enumerated, would have greatly distinguished his Majesty's reign, even if he had not been the patron of those success- ful attempts to perfect geography and navigation by so many voyages of discovery. VOYAGE TO THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 65 " tant places, which may serve to increase our stock " of natural knowledge. From the same source of " information we have learned that the phenomenon, " usually called the aurora borealis is not peculiar " to high northern latitudes, but belongs equally to " all cold climates, whether they be north or south. " But perhaps no part of knowledge has been so " great a gainer by the late voyages, as that of "botany. We are told # that, at least twelve huu- " dred new plants have been added to the known " system ; and that very considerable additions have " been made to every other branch of natural history, " by the great skill and industry of Sir Joseph Banks, " and the other gentlemen t who have accompanied " Captain Cook for that purpose." To our naval officers in general, or to their learned associates in the expeditions, all the foregoing im- provements of knowledge may be traced ; but there is one very singular improvement indeed, still behind, for which, as we are solely indebted to Captain Cook, let us state it in his own words : " Whatever may be " the public judgment about other matters, it is with " real satisfaction, and without claiming any merit " but that of attention to my duty, that I can con- " elude this account with an observation, which facts " enable me to make, that our having discovered the " possibility of preserving health amongst a numer- " ous ship's company, for such a length of time, " in such varieties of climate, and amidst such con- " tinued hardships and fatigues, will make this * See Dr. Shepherd's Preface, as above. f Dr. Solander, Dr. Foster and his son, and Dr. Sparman. Dr. Foster has given us a specimen of the botanical discoveries of his voyage in the Characteres Generitm Plantarum, &c. ; and much curious philosophical matter is contained in his Observations made on a Voyage round the World. Dr. Sparman also, on his return to Sweden, favoured us with a publication, in which he expatiates on the advantages accruing to natural history, to as- tronomy, geography, general physic, and navigation, from our South-Sea voyages. VOL. V. F 66 INTRODUCTION TO THE " voyage remarkable, in the opinion of every bene- " volent person, when the disputes about a southern <; continent shall have ceased to engage the attention, " and to divide the judgment of philosophers."* 5. But while our late voyages have opened so many channels to an increase of knowledge in the several articles already enumerated ; while they have extended our acquaintance with the contents of the globe ; while they have facilitated old tracks, and have opened new ones for commerce ; while they have been the means of improving the skill of the navigator, and the science of the astronomer ; while they have procured to us so valuable accessions in the several departments of natural history, and fur- nished such opportunities of teaching us how to pre- serve the healths and lives of seamen, let us not forget another very important object of study, for which they have afforded to the speculative philosopher ample materials : I mean the study of human nature in various situations, equally interesting as they are uncommon. However remote or secluded from frequent inter- course with more polished nations the inhabitants of any parts of the world be, if history or our own observation should make it evident that they have been formerly visited, and that foreign manners and opinions, and languages, have been blended with their own, little use can be made of what is observed amongst such people, toward drawing a real picture of man in his natural uncultivated state. This seems to be the situation of the inhabitants of most of the islands that lie contiguous to the continent of Asia, and of whose manners and institutions the Europeans, who occasionally visit them, have frequently given us accounts. But the islands which our enterprising discoverers visited in the centre of the South Pacific Ocean, and are, indeed, the principal scenes of their * See Vol. IV. p. 266. VOYAGE TO THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 67 operations, were untrodden ground. The inhabit- ants, as far as could be observed, were unmixed with any different tribe, by occasional intercourse, sub- sequent to their original settlement there ; left en- tirely to their own powers for every art of life ; and to their own remote traditions for every political or re- ligious custom or institution ; uninformed by science ; unimproved by education ; in short, a fit soil from whence a careful observer could collect facts for forming a judgment, how far unassisted human nature will be apt to degenerate ; and in what respects it can ever be able to excel. Who could have thought, that the brutal ferocity of feeding upon human flesh, and the horrid superstition of offering human sacri- fices, should be found to exist amongst the natives lately discovered in the Pacific Ocean, who, in other respects, appear to be no strangers to the fine feelings of humanity, to have arrived at a certain stage of social life, and to be habituated to subordination and government which tend so naturally to repress the ebullitions of wild passion, and expand the latent powers of the understanding? Or, if we turn from this melancholy picture, which will suggest copious matter for philosophical specu- lation, can we without astonishment observe to what a degree of perfection the same tribe (and, indeed, we may here join, in some of those instances, the American tribes visited in the course of the present voyage) have carried their favourite amusements ; the plaintive songs of their women ; their dramatic entertainments ; their dances ; their Olympian games, as we may call them ; the orations of their chiefs ; the chants of their priests ; the solemnity of their religious pro- cessions ; their arts and manufactures ; their ingeni- ous contrivances to supply the want of proper mate- rials, and of effective tools and machines ; and the wonderful productions of their persevering labour under a complication of disadvantages ; their cloth and their mats ; their weapons ; their fishing instru- f 2 68 INTRODUCTION TO THE ments ; their ornaments ; their utensils ; which, in design and execution, may vie with whatever modern Europe, or classical antiquity can exhibit. It is a favourite study with the scholar to trace the remains of Grecian or Roman workmanship : he turns over his Montfaucon with learned satisfac- tion ; and he gazes with rapture on the noble col- lection of Sir William Hamilton. The amusement is rational and instructive. But will not his curiosity be more awakened, will he not find even more real matter for important reflection, by passing an hour in surveying the numerous specimens of the ingenuity our newly-discovered friends brought from the utmost recesses of the globe to enrich the British Museum, and the valuable repository of Sir Ashton Lever ? If the curiosities of Sir Ash ton's Sandwich-room alone, were the only acquisition gained by our visits to the Pacific Ocean, who that has taste to admire, or even eyes to behold, could hesitate to pronounce, that Captain Cook had not sailed in vain ? The ex- pence of his three voyages did not perhaps far exceed that of digging out the buried contents of Hercu- laneum. And we may add, that the novelties of the Society or Sandwich islands, seem better calculated to engage the attention of the studious in our times than the antiquities, which exhibit proofs of Roman magnificence. The grounds for making this remark cannot be better explained, than in the words of a very in- genious writer; " In an age (says Mr. Warton*), " advanced to the highest degree of refinement, that " species of curiosity commences, which is busied in " contemplating the progress of social life, in display- " ing the gradations of society, and in tracing " the gradations from barbarism to civility. That " these speculations should become the favourite " topics of such a period is extremely natural. We " look back on the savage condition of our ancestors * Preface to his History of English Poetry. VOYAGE TO THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 69 " with the triumph of superiority; and are pleased " to mark the steps by which we have been raised " from rudeness to elegance; and our reflections on " this subject are accompanied with a conscious pride, " arising, in a great measure, from a tacit comparison " of the infinite disproportion between the feeble " efforts of remote ages, and our present improve- " ments in knowledge. In the mean time, the man- " ners, monuments, customs, practices, and opinions " of antiquity, by forming so strong a contrast with " those of our own times, and by exhibiting human " nature and human inventions in new lights, in un- " expected appearances, and in various forms, are " objects which forcibly strike a feeling imagination. " Nor does this spectacle afford nothing more than a " fruitless gratification to the fancy. It teaches us to " set a just estimation on our own acquisitions, and encourages us to cherish that cultivation which is so closely connected with the existence and the ex- " ercise of every social virtue." We need not here observe, that the manners, monuments, customs, prac- tices, and opinions of the present inhabitants of the Pacific Ocean, or of the West side of North America, form the strongest contrast with those of our own time in enlightened Europe; and that a feeling imagination will probably be more struck with the narration of the ceremonies of a Naiche at Tongataboo, than of a Gothic tournament at London ; with the contempla- tion of the colossuses of Easter Island, than of the mysterious remains of Stonehenge. Many singularities respecting what may be called the natural history of the human species, in different climates, will, on the authority of our late navigators, open abundant sources for philosophical discussion. One question of this sort, in particular, which had formerly divided the opinions of the inquisitive, as to the existence, if not of " giants on the earth," at least of a race (inhabiting a district bordering on the north side of the strait of Magalhaens), whose stature 3 70 INTRODUCTION TO THE considerably exceeds that of the bulk of mankind, will no longer be doubted or disbelieved. And the ingenious objections of the sceptical author of Re- cherches sur les Americai?is*, will weigh nothing in the balance against the concurrent and accurate testimony of Byron, Wallis and Carteret. Perhaps there cannot be a more interesting inquiry than to trace the migrations of the various families or tribes that have peopled the globe; and in no re- spect have our late voyages been more fertile in curious discoveries. It was known in general (and I shall use the words of Kaempfert), that the Asiatic nation called Malayans, " in former times had by " much the greatest trade in the Indies, and fre- " quented with their merchant ships, not only all the " coasts of Asia, but ventured even over to the coasts " of Africa, particularly to the great island of Mada- " gascar.t The title which the king of the Malayans " assumed to himself, of Lord of the Winds and Seas " to the East and to the West, is an evident proof of this; but much more the Malayan language, which spread most all over the east, much after the same manner as formerly the Latin, and of late the " French, did all over Europe." Thus far, I say, was known. But that from Madagascar to the Mar- queses and Easter Island, that is, nearly from the east side of Africa, till we approach towards the west side of America, a space including above half the circum- * Tom. i. p. 331. f History of Japan, vol. i. p. 93. | That the Malayans have not only frequented Madagascar, but have also been the progenitors of some of the present race of inhabitants there, is confirmed to us by the testimony of Monsieur de Pages, who visited that island so late as 1774. " lis m'ont " paru provenir des diverses Races; leur .couleur, leurs cheveux, " et leur corps l'indiquent. Ceux que je n'ai pas cru originates " des anciens naturels du pays, sont petits et trapus; ils ont les " cheveux presque unis, et sont oliv aires comme les Malayes, avec " qui ils ont, en general, une espece de resemblance. 1 * Voijetges des Af. des Pages, T. ii. p. 90. 19 VOYAGE TO THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 71 ference of the globe, the same tribe or nation, the Phoenicians, as we may call them, of the Oriental World, should have made their settlements, and founded colonies throughout almost every interme- diate stage of this immense tract, in islands at amazing distances from the mother continent, and ignorant of each others' existence; this is an histo- rical fact, which could be but very imperfectly known before Captain Cook's two first voyages discovered so many new inhabited spots of land lurking in the bosom of the South Pacific Ocean; and it is a fact which does not rest solely on similarity of customs and institutions, but has been established by the most satisfactory of all proofs, that drawn from affinity of language. Mr. Marsden, who seems to have con- sidered this curious subject with much attention, says, that the links of the latitudinal chain remain yet to be traced, * The discovery of the Sandwich islands in this last voyage has added some links to the chain. But Captain Cook had not an opportunity of carry- ing his researches into the more westerly parts of the North Pacific. The reader, therefore, of the follow- ing work will not, perhaps, think that the Editor was idly employed when he subjoined some notes, which contain abundant proof that the inhabitants of the Ladrones, or Marianne islands, and those of the * Archaeolog. vol. vi. p. 155. See also his History of Sumatra, p. 166. from which the following passage is transcribed. " Besides tl the Malaye, there are a variety of languages spoken on Sumatra, " which, however, have not only a manifest affinity among them- " selves, but also to that general language which is found to pre- " vail in, and to be indigenous to, all the islands of the eastern " seas; from Madagascar to the remotest of Captain Cook's dis- ** coveries, comprehending a wider extent than the Roman or any " other tongue has yet boasted. In different places, it has been " more or less mixed and corrupted; but between the most dis- " similar branches, an eminent sameness of many radical w r ords is " apparent; and in some very distant from each other, in point of " situation : As, for instance, the Philippines and Madagascar, the " deviation of the words is scarcely more than is observed in the " dialects of neighbouring provinces of the same kingdom/' F 4 7 INTRODUCTION TO THE Carolines, are to be traced to the same common source, with those of the islands visited by our ships.^ With the like view, of exhibiting a striking picture of the amazing extent of this oriental language, which marks, if not a common original, at least an intimate intercourse between the inhabitants of places so very remote from each other, he has inserted a compara- tive table of their numerals, upon a more enlarged plan than any that has hitherto been executed. * Our British discoverers have not only thrown a blaze of light on the migrations of the tribe which lias so wonderfully spread itself throughout the islands in the Eastern Ocean; but they have also favoured us with much curious information concern- ing another of the families of the earth whose lot has fallen in less hospitable climates. We speak of the Esquimaux, hitherto only found seated on the coasts of Labradore and Hudson's Bay, and who differ in several characteristic marks from the inland inhabitants of North America. That the Green- landers and they agree in every circumstance of customs, and manners, and language, which are de- monstrations of an original identity of nation, had been discovered about twenty years ago. t Mr. Hearne, in 1?72, traced this unhappy race farther back, toward that part of the globe from whence they had originally coasted along in their skin boats, having met with some of them at the mouth of the Coppermine River, in the latitude of 72, and near rive hundred leagues farther W. than PickersghTs * We are indebted to Sir Joseph Banks, for a general outline of this, in Hawkesworth's Collection, vol. iii. p-. 777. The reader will find our enlarged Table at the end of the third volume, Ap- pendix, No. 2. f See Crantz's History of Greenland, vol. i. p. 262.; where we are told that the Moravian Brethren, who, with the consent and furtherance of Sir Hugh Palliser, then Governor of Newfoundland, visited the Esquimaux on the Labradore coast, found that their language, and that of the Greenlanders, do not differ so much as that of the High and Low Dutch. ra VOYAGE TO THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 73 most westerly station in Davis's Strait. Their being the same tribe who now actually inhabit the islands and coasts on the west side of North America, opposite Kamtschatka, was a discovery, the comple- tion of which was reserved for Captain Cook. The reader of the following work will find them at Norton Sound, and at Oonalashka, and Prince William's Sound; that is, near 1500 leagues distant from their stations in Greenland, and on the Labra- dore coast. And lest similitude of manners should be thought to deceive us, a table exhibiting proofs of affinity of language, which was drawn up by Captain Cook, and is inserted in this work*, will remove every doubt from the mind of the most scrupulous inquirer after truth. There are other doubts of a more important kind, which it may be hoped will now no longer perplex the ignorant, or furnish matter of cavil to the ill- intentioned. After the great discovery, or at least the full confirmation of the great discovery of the vici- nity of the two continents of Asia and America, we trust that we shall not be anv more ridiculed, for believing that the former could easily furnish its in- habitants to the latter. And thus, to all the various good purposes already enumerated, as answered by our late voyages, we may add this last, though not the least important, that they have done service to religion, by robbing infidelity of a favourite objection to the credibility of the Mosaic account of the peopling of the earth, t * See Appendix, No. 6. The Greenlanders, as Crantz tells us, call themselves Karalit ; a word not very unlike Kanagyst, the name asumed by the inhabitants of Kodiack, one of the Schumagin islands, as Staehlin informs us. f A contempt of revelation is generally the result of ignorance, conceited of its possessing superior knowledge. Observe how the Author of Recherches Philosophiques sitr les Americains, expresses himself on this very point. " Cette distance que Mr. Antermony " veut trouver si peu importante, est a-peu-pres de huit cent lieues " Gauloises au travers d'nn ocean jyerilleax, et impossible a franchir " avec des canots aussi chetifs et aussi fragiles que le sont, au rap- 7-i INTRODUCTION TO THE 6. Hitherto we have considered our voyages as having benefited the discoverers. But it will be asked, have they conveyed, or are they likely ever to convey any benefit to the discovered ? It would afford exquisite satisfaction to every benevolent mind to be instructed in facts which might enable us, without hesitation, to answer this question in the affirmative. And yet, perhaps, we may indulge the pleasing hope, that, even in this respect, our ships have not sailed in vain. Other discoveries of new countries have, in effect, been wars, or rather mas- sacres ; nations have been no sooner found out, than they have been extirpated ; and the horrid cruelties of the conquerors of Mexico and Peru can never be remembered, without blushing for religion and human nature ; but when the recesses of the globe are inves- tigated, not to enlarge private dominion, but to pro- mote general knowledge ; when we visit new tribes of our fellow-creatures as friends, and wish only to learn that they exist, in order to bring them within the pale of the offices of humanity, and to relieve the wants of their imperfect state of society, by com- municating to them our superior attainments ; voyages of discovery, planned with such benevolent views by George the Third, and executed by Cook, have not, we trust, totally failed in this respect. Our repeated visits, and long continued intercourse with the natives of the Friendly, Society, and Sandwich Islands, cannot but have darted some rays of light on the infant minds of those poor people. The un- common objects they have thus had opportunities of observing and admiring, will naturally tend to en- " port d'Ysbrand Ides, les chaloupes des Tunguses," &c. &c. t. i. p. 156. Had this writer known that the two continents are not above thirteen leagues (instead of eight hundred) distant from each other, and that, even in that narrow space of sea, there are interven- ing islands, he would not have ventured to urge this argument in opposition to Mr. Bell's notion of the quarter from which North America received its original inhabitants. VOYAGE TO THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 75 large their stock of ideas, and to furnish new mate- rials for the exercise of their reason. Comparing themselves with their visitors, they cannot but be struck with the deepest conviction of their own in- feriority, and be impelled, by the strongest motives, to strive to emerge from it, and to rise nearer to a level with those children of the -sun who deigned to look upon them, and left behind so many specimens of their generous and humane attention. The very introduction of our useful animals and vegetables, by adding fresh means of subsistence, will have added to their comforts of life and immediate enjoyments ; and if this be the only benefit they are ever to re- ceive, who will pronounce that much has not been gained ? Bnt may we not carry our wishes and our hopes still farther ? Great Britain itself, when first visited by the Phoenicians, was inhabited by painted savages, not perhaps blessed with higher attain- ments than are possessed by the present natives of New Zealand ; certainly less civilized than those of Tongataboo or Otaheite. Our having opened an intercourse with them is the first step toward their improvement. Who knows, but that our late voyages may be the means appointed by Providence, of spreading, in due time, the blessings of civilization, amongst the numerous tribes of the South Pacific Ocean ; of abolishing their horrid repasts and their horrid rites ; and of laying the foundation for future and more effectual plans, to prepare them for holding an honourable station amongst the nations of the earth ? This, at least is certain that our having, as it were, brought them into existence by our exten- sive researches, will suggest to us fresh motives of devout gratitude to the Supreme Being, for having blessed us with advantages hitherto withheld from so great a proportion of the human race; and will operate powerfully to incite us to persevere in every feasible attempt, to be his instruments in rescuing millions of fellow-creatures from their present state of humi- liation. 76 INTRODUCTION TO THE The several topics which occurred, as suitable to this general Introduction, being now discussed, no- thing remains but to state a few particulars, about which the reader of these volumes has a right to expect some information. Captain Cook, knowing, before he sailed upon this last expedition, that it was expected from him to ?*elate, as well as to execute, its operations, had taken care to prepare such a journal as might be made use of for publication. This journal, which exists in his own hand-writing, has been faithfully adhered to. It is not a bare extract from his log-books, but con- tains many remarks which it appears had not been inserted by him in the nautical register ; and it is also enriched with considerable communications from Mr. Anderson, surgeon of the Resolution. The con- fessed abilities and great assiduity of Mr. Anderson, in observing every thing that related either to na- tural history, or to manners and language ; and the desire which, it is well known, Captain Cook, on all occasions, showed to have the assistance of that gen- tleman, stamped a great value on his collections. That nothing, therefore, might be wanting to convey to the public the best possible account of the trans- actions of the voyage, his journal, by the order of Lord Sandwich, was also put into the hands of the editor, who was authorized and directed to avail himself of the information it might be found to con- tain, about matters imperfectly touched, or altogether omitted, in Captain Cook's manuscript. This task has been executed in such a manner, that the reader will scarcely ever be at a loss to distinguish in what instances recourse has been had to Mr. Anderson. To preclude, if possible, any mistake, the copy of the first and second volumes, before it went to the printer, was submitted to Captain King ; and after it had been read over and corrected by one so well qualified topoint out any inaccuracies, the Earl of Sandwich had the goodness to give it a perusal. As to the third volume, VOYAGE TO THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 77 nothing more need be said than that it was com- pletely prepared for the press by Captain King him- self. All that the editor of the work has to answer for, are the notes occasionally introduced in the course of the two volumes, contributed by Captain Cook ; and this introduction, which was intended as a kind of epilogue to our voyages of discovery. He must be permitted, however, to say, that he con- siders himself as intitled to no inconsiderable share of candid indulgence from the public ; having en- gaged in a very tedious and troublesome undertaking upon the most disinterested motives ; his only reward being the satisfaction he feels, in having been able to do an essential service to the family of our great navigator, who had honoured him in the journal of this voyage, with the appellation of friend. They who have repeatedly asked why this publi- cation has been so long delayed, need only look at the volumes, and their attendant illustrations and ornaments, to be satisfied that it might, with at least equal reason, be wondered at, that it has not been delayed longer. The journal of Captain Cook, from the first moment that it came into the hands of the editor had been ready for the press ; and Captain King had left with him his part of the narrative, so long ago as his departure for the West Indies, when he commanded the Resistance man-of-war. But much besides remained to be done. The charts, particularly the general one, were to be prepared by Mr. Roberts, who gives an account of his work in the note* ; the very numerous and elegant drawings * Soon after our departure from England, I was instructed by Captain Cook to complete a map of the world as a general chart, from the best materials he was in possession of for that purpose ; and before his death this business was in a great measure ac- complished : That is, the grand outline of the whole was arranged, leaving only those parts vacant or unfinished, which he expected to fall in with and explore. But on our return home, when the fruits of our voyage were ordered by the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty to be published, the care of the general chart being 78 INTRODUCTION TO THE of Mr. Webber were to be reduced by him to the proper size j artists were next to be found out who consigned to me, I was directed to prepare it from the latest and best authorities ; and also to introduce Captain Cook's three suc- cessive tracts, that all his discoveries, and the different routs he had taken might appear together ; by this means to give a general idea of the whole. This task having been performed by me, it is necessary, for the information of the reader, to state the heads of the several authorities which I have followed in such parts of the chart as differ from what was drawn up immediately under' the in- spection of Captain Cook. And when the public are made ac- quainted, that many materials, necessary to complete and elucidate the work, were not at the time on board the Resolution, or in his possession, the reason will appear very obvious, why these alterations and additions were introduced contrary to the original drawing. First, then, I have followed closely the very excellent and cor- rect charts of the Northern Atlantic Ocean, published by Messrs. de Verdun de la Crenne, de Borda, et Pringre in 1775 and 1776; which comprise the coast of Norway from the Sud Hoek, in the latitude of 62 degrees north, to Trelleburg, Denmark, the coast of Holland, north coast of Great Britain, Orkneys, Shetland, Ferro Isles, Iceland, coasts of France, Spain, and Portugal, to Cape St. Maria on the coast of Africa ; including the Azores, Canaries, Cape de Verd, Antilles, and West Indian islands from Barbadoes to the east end of Cuba ; the north part of Newfoundland and the Labradore coast, as far as the latitude of 57 north. Ireland, and part of the coast of Scotland, is laid down from Mr. Mackenzie's late surveys ; and the south coast of England from a chart published by Mr. Faden in 1780, taken from M. I'Abbe Dicquemare. The north part of the coast of Labradore, from the latitude of 57 north, to Button's Islands in the entrance of Hudson's Strait, is taken from Monsieur Bellin's chart, as is also the north coast of Norway and Lapland,, including the White Sea, Gulph of Bothnia, Baltic Sea, and the east coast of Greenland. The Gulf of Finland, from a large (MS.) chart, now engraving for the use of some private merchants. The West India islands, from the east end of Cuba to the west end, including Jamaica and the Bahama islands, are from a chart published in London by Sayer and Bennett in 1779. The south side of Cuba, from Point Gorda to Cape de Cruz, is laid down from Monsieur Bellin, in 1762. The coasts of Newfoundland, and the Gulf of St. Laurence, from the surveys made by Captain Cook, and Messrs. Gilbert and Lane. Nova Scotia, Cape Breton, Island of St. John, River St. Lau- rence, Canada, and New England to the River Delaware, from VOYAGE TO THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 79 would undertake to engrave them ; the prior engage- ments of those artists were to be fulfilled before they J. F. W. des Barres, Esq. in 1777 and 1778; and charts published in France by order of the King, in 1780, intituled, Neptune Americo-Septrentrional, &c. And from these charts also are taken the coast of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia, North and South Carolina, Georgia, East and West Florida, as well as the interior parts of the country to the east side of Lake Ontario. The other parts of this lake, as likewise Lakes Erie, Hurons, Michigan, and Superior, were copied from Mr. Green's maps of America : The northern part of this last-mentioned lake is fixed from the astronomical observations made by order of the Hudson's Bay Company, at Mishippicotton House. The whole of Hudson's Bay I took from a chart, compiled by Mr. Marly, from all the most authentic maps he could procure of those parts, with which I was favoured by Samuel Wegg, Esq. F. R. S. and Governor of that Company, who also politely fur- nished me with Mr. Hearne's Journals, and the map of his route to the Coppermine River, which is faithfully inserted on the chart, together with the survey of Chesterfield Inlet made by Cap- tain Christopher and Mr. Moses Norton, in 1762; and the disco- veries from York Fort to Cumberland, and Hudson Houses (this last is the most western settlement belonging to the company), extending to Lake Winipeg, from the drafts of Mr. Philip Turnor, made in 1778 and 1779, corrected by astronomical observations. And from this lake, the disposition of the other lakes to the south- ward of it, and which communicate with it, is formed, and laid down from a map constructed by Mr. Spurrel, in the company's service. The Albany and Moose rivers to Gloucester House, and to Lake Abitibbe and Superior, are also drawn from a map of Mr. Tumor's, adjusted by observations for the longitudes. The west coast of Greenland, as chiefly laid down from the ob- servations made by Lieut. R. Pickersgill in the Lion brig in 1776, which determine the line of the coast only, as the immense quan- tities of ice choke up every bay and inlet on this coast, which for- merly were, in the summer season, quite free and open: From the mouth of the Mississippi River, including its source, and the other rivers branching from it ; all the coast of New Leon to Cape Rozo, and the western coast of America, from Cape Cor- rienties to the Great Bay of Tecoantepec, is taken from Monsieur D'Anville. The Gulf of California I have laid down from a German pub- lication in 1773, put into my hands by Sir Joseph Banks, Bart. P. R. S. ; and the western side of it is brought together from a Spanish MS. chart with which A. Dalrymple, Esq. F. R. S. ob- liged me. 80 INTRODUCTION TO THE could begin ; the labour and skill to be exerted in The coast of Brazil, from Sera to Cape Frio, is copied from a small chart of that part by Mr. Dalrymple. For the southern part of Africa, from the Cape of Good Hope to Point Natal, I have taken the authority of the chart of Major J. Rennels, F. R. S. shewing the extent of the bank of Lagullus. For the existence of the small islands, shoals, and banks to the eastward of Madagascar, together with the Archipelago of the Maldive and Laccidive islands ; for the coasts of Mallacca, part of Cambodia, and the island Sumatra, I have used the latest authority of Monsieur D' Apres de Mannevillette's publications in the Nep- tune Oriental. The coasts of Guzerat, Malabar, Coromandel, and the opposite shore, containing the Great Bay of Bengal, and the Island of Cey- lon, and exhibiting the Heads of the Ganges, and Barampooter or Sanpoo rivers, are inserted from the work of the ingenious author of the map of Hindoostan, published in 1782. The China sea is laid down from the chart published by Mr. Dalrymple ; but the longitude of Pula Sapara, Pulo Condore, Pulo Timoan, Straits of Banca and Sunda, and the parts we saw are, as settled by us, together with the east coast of Niphon, the principal of the Japanese islands. The Jeso and Kurile islands, the east coast of Asia and Kamt- schatka, as well as the sea of Okotsk, and the islands lying between Kamtschatka and America that were not seen in the voyage, are taken from a Russian MS. chart, got by us at the island of Oona- lashka. The northern countries from Cape Kanin, near the White Sea, as far east of the River Lena, I have given from the Great Rus- sian map, published at Petersburgh in 1776, including the Euxine, Caspian, and Aral Seas, as also the principal lakes to the eastward; the intent of which is to show the source of the large rivers that empty themselves into the different oceans and seas. Every other part of the chart not mentioned in this account, is as originally placed by Captain Cook. The whole has been corrected from the latest astronomical ob- servations, selected from the tables compiled by Mr. William Wales, F. R. S. and mathematical master of Christ's Hospital, for the Nautical Almanacs : from those in the Mariner's Guide by the Rev. Dr. Maskelyne, F. R. S. and Astronomer Royal, pub- lished in 1763 ; from the Connoissance des Terns for 1780 and 1781; From Professor Mayer's Geographical Table; from the Voyages of Messrs. d'Eveux de Fleurieu, Verdun, de Borda, and Chabet, &c. ; from the Table lately published by Mr. Dalrymple for the use of the East India ships; from the Philosophical Trans- actions of the Royal Society; and from the Observations of our late Navigators. HEN. ROBERTS. Shoreham, Sussex, May 18. 1784. VOYAGE TO THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 81 finishing many of them, rendered this a tedious ope- ration ; paper fit for printing them upon was to be procured from abroad ; and after all these various and unavoidable difficulties were surmounted, much time was necessarily required for executing a numer- ous impression of the long list of plates, with so much care as might do justice both to Mr. Webber and to his several engravers. When all these circumstances are taken into consideration, we trust that we shall hear no more of the delay ; and only be grateful to that munificent Patron of Science, who not only directed the history of the voyage to be published, but to be published with such a splendid train of ornaments, at the public expense, as will still add to the merit of having ordered the voyage itself to be undertaken. And here it seems to be incumbent upon us to add, as another instance of munificent attention, that care has been taken to mark, in the most significant manner, the just sense entertained of the humane and liberal relief afforded to our ships in Kamts- chatka. Colonel Behm, the commandant of that province, has not been rewarded merely by the plea- sure which a benevolent mind feels in reflecting upon the blessings it confers ; but has been thanked in a manner equally consistent with the dignity of his own sovereign and of ours, to whose subjects he ex- tended protection. A magnificent piece of plate was presented to him with an inscription, worthy of a place in the same book where the history of his hu- manity to our countrymen is recorded, and which, while it does honour to our national gratitude, de- serves also to be preserved as a monument of our national taste for elegant composition. It is as follows: Viro egregio magno de Behm ; qui, Imperatricis Augustissimae Catherinae auspiciis, summaque animi benig- nitate, saeva, quibus praeerat, Kamtschatkae littora, navibus nautisque Britannicis, hospita praebuit; eosque, in terminis, si qui essent lmperio Russico, frustra explorandis, mala multa perpessos, iterata vice excepit, refecit, recreavit, & commeatu VOL. V. - G 82 INTRODUCTION TO THE omni cumulate auctos dimisit; Rei navalis Britannic^e Septemviri in aliquam benevolentiae tarn insignis memoriam, amicissimo, gratissimoque animo, suo, patriaeque nomine, D.D.D. MDCCLXXX1. This public testimony of gratitude reminds the editor, that there are similar calls upon himself. He owes much to Captain King for his advice and direc- tion, in a variety of instances, where Captain Cook's Journal required explanation ; for filling up several blanks with the proper longitude and latitude ; of and for supplying deficiencies in the tables of astro- nomical observations. Lieutenant Roberts was also frequently consulted, and was always found to be a ready and effectual assistant, when any nautical difficulties were to be cleared up. But particular obligations are due to Mr. Wales, who besides the valuable communications which have been adopted in this Introduction, seconded most liberally the editor's views of serving Mrs, Cook, by cheerfully taking upon himself the whole trouble of digesting, from the log-books, the tables of the route of the ships, which add so greatly to the intrinsic merit of this publication. Mr. Wegg, besides sharing in the thanks so justly due to the committee of the Hudson's Bay Company, for their unreserved communications, was particularly obliging to the editor, by giving him repeated oppor- tunities of conversing with Governor Hearne, and Captain Christopher. The honourable Mr. Daines Barrington had the goodness to interest himself, with his usual zeal for every work of public utility, in procuring some ne- cessary information, and suggesting some valuable hints which were adopted. It would be great injustice not to express our ac- knowledgments to Mr. Pennant, who, besides enrich- VOYAGE TO THE PACIFIC OCEAN. S3 ing the third volume with references to his Arctic Zoology y the publication of which will be an impor- tant accession to Natural History, also communicated some very authentic and satisfactory manuscript ac- counts of the Russian discoveries. The vocabularies of the Friendly and Sandwich Islands, and of the natives of Nootka, had been fur- nished to Captain Cook, by his most useful associate in the voyage, Mr. Anderson ; and a fourth, in which the language of the Esquimaux is compared with that of the Americans on the opposite side of the con- tinent, had been prepared by the Captain himself. But the comparative Table of Numerals, which is marked No. 2 in the Appendix, was very obligingly drawn up, at the request of the editor, by Mr. Bryant, who, in his study, has followed Captain Cook, and, indeed, every traveller and historian, of every age, into every part of the globe. The public will con- sider this table as a very striking illustration of the wonderful migrations of a nation, about whom so much additional information has been gained by our voyages, and be ready to acknowledge it as a very useful communication. One more communication remains to be not only acknowledged, but to be inserted at the close of this Introduction. The testimonies of learned contem- poraries, in commendation of a deceased author, are frequently displayed in the front of his book. It is with the greatest propriety, therefore, that we prefix to this posthumous work of Captain Cook the testi- mo?iy of one of his own profession, not more distin- guished by the elevation of rank, than by the dignity of private virtues. As he wishes to remain concealed, perhaps this allusion, for which we intreat his indul- gence, may have given too exact direction to the eyes of the public where to look for such a character. Let us, however, rest satisfied with the intrinsic merit of a composition, conveyed under the injunc- tion of secrecy ; and conclude our long preliminary g 2 84 INTRODUCTION, &C. dissertation with expressing a wish, or rather a well- grounded hope, that this volume may not be the only place where posterity can meet with a monu- mental inscription, commemorative of a man, in re- counting and applauding whose services, the whole of enlightened Europe will equally concur with Great Britain. 85 TO THE MEMORY OF CAPTAIN JAMES COOK, THE ABLEST AND MOST RENOWNED NAVIGATOR THIS OR ANY COUNTRY HATH PRODUCED. He raised himself, solely by his merit, from a very obscure birth, to the rank of Post-Captain in the royal navy, and was unfortunately killed by the savages of the island Owhyhee on the 14th of February, 1779; which island he had not long before discovered, when prosecuting his third voyage round the globe. He possessed, in an eminent degree, all the qualifications requisite for his profession and great undertakings; together with the amiable and worthy qualities of the best men. Cool and deliberate in judging : sagacious in determining: active in executing: steady and persevering in enterprising from vigilance and unremitting caution : unsubdued by la- bour, difficulties, and disappointments : fertile in expedients : never wanting presence of mind: always possessing himself, and the full use of a sound understanding. Mild, just, but exact in discipline, he was a father to his people, who were attached to him from affection, and obe- dient from confidence. His knowledge, his experience, his sagacity, rendered him so intirely master of his subject, that the greatest obstacles were surmounted, and the most dangerous navigations be- came easy, and almost safe, under his direction. He explored the Southern hemisphere to a much higher latitude than had ever been reached, and with fewer accidents than frequently befall those who navigate the coasts of this island. g 3 86 INSCRIPTION TO THE By his benevolent and unabating attention to the welfare of his ship's company, he discovered and introduced a system for the preservation of the health of seamen in long voyages, which has proved wonderfully efficacious : for in his second voyage round the world, which continued upwards of three years, he lost only one man by distemper, of one hundred and eighteen, of which his company consisted. The death of this eminent and valuable man was a loss to mankind in general ; and particularly to be deplored by every nation that respects useful accomplishments, that honours science, and loves the benevolent and amiable affections of the heart. It is still more to be deplored by this country, which may justly boast of having produced a man hitherto unequalled for nautical talents; and that sorrow is farther aggravated by the reflection, that his country was deprived of this ornament by the enmity of a people, from whom, indeed, it might have been dreaded, but from whom it was not deserved. For, actuated always by the most attentive care and tender compassion for the savages in general, this excel- lent man was ever assiduously endeavouring, by kind treat- ment, to dissipate their fears and court their friendship; over- looking their thefts and treacheries, and frequently inter- posing, at the hazard of his life, to protect them from the sudden resentment of his own injured people. The object of his last mission was to discover and ascertain the boundaries of Asia and America, and to penetrate into the Northern Ocean by the North East Cape of Asia. Traveller ! contemplate, admire, revere, and emulate this great master in his profession; whose skill and labours have enlarged natural philosophy ; have extended nautical science ; and have disclosed the long-concealed and admirable arrange- ments of the Almighty in the formation of this globe, and, at the same time, the arrogance of mortals, in presuming to ac- count, by their speculations, for the laws by which he was pleased to create it. It is now discovered, beyond all doubt, that the same Great Being who created the universe by his Jiat) by the same ordained our earth to keep a just poise, without a corresponding Southern continent and it does so ! " He stretches out the North over the empty place, and " hangeth the earth upon nothing.'' Job, xxvi. 7. If the arduous but exact researches of this extraordinary man have not discovered a new world, they have discovered seas unnavigated and unknown before. They have madeus acquainted with islands, people, and productions, of which we MEMORY OF CAPTAIN COOK. 87 had no conception. And if he has not been so fortunate as Americus to give his name to a continent, his pretensions to such a distinction remain unrivalled ; and he will be revered* while there remains a page of his own modest account of his voyages, and as long as mariners and geographers shall be instructed, by his new map of the Southern hemisphere, to trace the various courses and discoveries he has made. If public services merit public acknowledgments; if the man who adorned and raised the fame of his country is de- serving of honours, then Captain Cook deserves to have a monument raised to his memory, by a generous and grateful nation. Virtutis ubtrrimum alimentum est honos. Val. Maximus, lib. ii. cap. 6. G 4 VOYAGE TO THE PACIFIC OCEAN. BOOK I. TRANSACTIONS FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE VOYAGE TILL OUR DEPARTURE FROM NEW ZEALAND. CHAP. I. VARIOUS PREPARATIONS FOR THE VOYAGE. OMAl'S BEHA- VIOUR ON EMBARKING. OBSERVATIONS FOR DETERMINING THE LONGITUDE OF SHEERNESS, AND THE NORTH FORE- LAND. PASSAGE OF THE RESOLUTION FROM DEPTFORD TO PLYMOUTH. EMPLOYMENTS THERE. COMPLEMENTS OF THE CREWS OF BOTH SHIPS, AND NAMES OF THE OFFICERS. OBSERVATIONS TO FIX THE LONGITUDE OF PLYMOUTH. DE- PARTURE OF THE RESOLUTION. .Having, on the ninth day of February, 1776, re- ceived a commission to command his Majesty's sloop the Resolution, I went on board the next day, hoisted the pendant, and began to enter men. At the same time, the Discovery, of three hundred tons' burthen, was purchased into the service, and the command of her given to Captain Clerke, who had been my second Lieutenant on board the Resolution, in my second voyage round the world, from which we had lately returned. 90 cook's voyage to march, These two ships were, at this time, in the dock at Deptfbrd, under the hands of the shipwrights ; being ordered to be equipped to make farther discoveries in the Pacific Ocean, under my direction. On the 9th of March, the Resolution was hauled out of dock into the river ; where we completed her rigging, and took on board the stores and provisions requisite for a voyage of such duration. Both ships, indeed, were supplied with as much of every neces- sary article as we could conveniently stow, and with the best of every kind that could be procured. And, besides this, every thing that had been found, by the experience acquired during our former extensive voyages, to be of any utility in preserving the health of seamen, was supplied in abundance. It was our intention to have sailed to Long Reach on the 6th of May, when a pilot came on board to carry us thither ; but it was the 29th before the wind would permit us to move -> and the 30th before we arrived at that station, where our artillery, powder, shot, and other ordnance stores were received. While we lay in Long Reach, thus employed, the Earl of Sandwich, Sir Hugh Palliser, and others of the Board of Admiralty, as the least mark of the very great attention they had all along shown to this equipment, paid us a visit on the 8th of June, to ex- amine whether every thing had been completed con- formably to their intentions and orders, and to the satisfaction of all who were to embark in the voyage. They, and several other noblemen and gentlemen, their friends, honoured me with their company at dinner on that day ; and, on their coming on board, and also on their going ashore, we saluted them with seventeen guns, and three cheers. With the benevolent view of conveying some per- manent benefit to the inhabitants of Otaheite, and of the other islands in the Pacific Ocean, whom we might happen to visit, his Majesty having com- manded some useful animals to be carried out, we 177t>- THE TACIFIC OCEAN. 91 took on board, on the 10th, a bull, two cows with their calves, and some sheep, with hay and corn for their subsistence ; intending to add to these, other useful animals, when I should arrive at the Cape of Good Hope. I was also, from the same laudable motives, fur- nished with a sufficient quantity of such of our Eu- ropean garden seeds, as could not fail to be a valu- able present to our newly-discovered islands, by adding fresh supplies of food to their own vegetable productions. Many other articles, calculated to improve the condition of our friends in the other hemisphere in various ways, were, at the same time, delivered to us by order of the Board of Admiralty. And both ships were provided with a proper assortment of iron tools and trinkets, as the means of enabling us to traffic and to cultivate a friendly intercourse with the inha- bitants of such new countries as we might be for- tunate enough to meet with. The same humane attention was extended to our own wants. Some additional clothing, adapted to a cold climate, was ordered for our crews : and nothing was denied to us, that could be supposed in the least conducive to health, or even to convenience. Nor did the extraordinary care of those at the head of the naval department stop here. They were equally solicitous to afford us every assistance to- wards rendering our voyage of public utility. Ac- cordingly, we received on board, next day, several astronomical and nautical instruments, which the Board of Longitude intrusted to me, and to Mr. King, my second lieutenant; we having engaged to that board to make all the necessary observations during the voyage, for the improvement of astro- nomy and navigation ; and, by our joint labours, to supply the place of a professed observator. Such a person had been originally intended to be sent out in my ship. 9 ( 2 cook's voyage to june, The Board, likewise, put into our possession the same watch, or time-keeper, which I had carried out in my last voyage, and had performed its part so well. It was a copy of Mr. Harrison's, constructed by Mr. Kendall. This day, at noon, it was found to be too slow for mean time at Greenwich, by 3', 31", 890 ; and by its rate of going, it lost on mean time, 1", c 209 per day. Another time-keeper, and the same number and sort of instruments for making observations, were put on board the Discovery, under the care of Mr. William Bailey ; who, having already given satisfac- tory proofs of his skill and diligence as an observator, while employed in Captain Furneaux's ship, during the late voyage, was engaged a second time, in that capacity, to embark with Captain Clerke. Mr. Anderson, my surgeon, who, to skill in his immediate profession, added great proficiency in na- tural history, was as willing as he was qualified to describe every thing in that branch of science which should occur worthy of notice. As he had already visited the South Sea Islands in the same ship, and been of singular service, by enabling me to enrich my relation of that voyage with various useful re- marks on men and things*, I reasonably expected to derive considerable assistance from him in recording our new proceedings. I had several young men amongst my sea-officers who, under my direction, could be usefully employed in constructing charts, in taking views of the coasts and headlands near which we should pass, and in drawing plans of the bays and harbours in which we should anchor. A constant attention to this I knew to be highly requisite, if we would render our dis- coveries profitable to future navigators. * The very copious Vocabulary of the language of Otaheite, and the comparative specimen of the languages of the several other islands visited during the former voyage, and published in Captain Cook's account of it, were furnished by Mr. Anderson. 177^. THE PACIFIC OCEAN. QS And, that we might go out with every help that could serve to make the result of our voyage enter- taining to the generality of readers, as well as in- structive to the sailor and scholar, Mr. Webber was pitched upon, and engaged to embark with me, for the express purpose of supplying the unavoidable imperfections of written accounts, by enabling us to preserve, and to bring home, such drawings of the most memorable scenes of cur transactions, as could only be executed by a professed and skilful artist. Every preparation being now completed, I re- ceived an order to proceed to Plymouth, and to take the Discovery under my command. I accordingly gave Captain Gierke two orders ; one to put himself under my command, and the other to carry his ship round to Plymouth. On the 15th, the Resolution sailed from Long Reach, with the Discovery in company, and the same evening they anchored at the Nore. Next day the Discovery proceeded, in obedience to my order ; but the Resolution was ordered to remain at the Nore till I should join her, being at this time in London. As we were to touch at Otaheite and the Society Islands, in our way to the intended scene of our fresh operations, it had been determined not to omit this opportunity (the only one ever likely to happen) of carrying Omai back to his native country. Ac- cordingly, every thing being ready for our depar- ture, he and I set out together from London on the 24th, at six o'clock in the morning. We reached Chatham between ten and eleven o'clock ; and after dining with Commissioner Proby, he very obligingly ordered his yacht to carry us to Sheerness, where my boat was waiting to take us on board. Omai left London with a mixture of regret and satisfaction. When we talked about England, and about those who, during his stay, had honoured him 4 94 cook's voyage to june, with their protection or friendship, I could observe that his spirits were sensibly affected, and that it was with difficulty he could refrain from tears. But, the instant the conversation turned to his own islands, his eyes began to sparkle with joy. He was deeply impressed with a sense of the good treatment he had met with in England, and entertained the highest ideas of the country and of the people. But the pleasing prospect he now had before him of return- ing home, loaded with what he well knew would be esteemed invaluable treasures there, and the flat- tering hope which the possession of these gave him, of attaining to a distinguished superiority amongst his countrymen, were considerations which operated by degrees to suppress every uneasy sensation ; and he seemed to be quite happy when he got on board the ship. He was furnished, by his Majesty, with an ample provision of every article which, during our inter- course with his country, we had observed to be in any estimation there, either as useful or as orna- mental. He had, besides, received many presents of the same nature from Lord Sandwich, Mr. Banks*, and several other gentlemen and ladies of his ac- quaintance. In short, every method had been em- ployed, both during his abode in England, and at his departure, to make him the instrument of con- veying to the inhabitants of the islands of the Pacific Ocean, the most exalted opinion of the greatness and generosity of the British nation. While the Resolution lay at the Nore, Mr. King made several observations for finding the longitude by the watch. The mean of them all gave 44/ 0", for the longitude of the ship. This, reduced to Sheerness, by the bearing and estimated distance, will make that place to be 37' 0" east of Green- wich ; which is more by seven miles than Mr. Lyons made it, by the watch which Lord Mulgrave had * The late Sir Joseph. 177& THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 95 with him, on his voyage towards the North Pole. Whoever knows any thing of the distance between Sheerness and Greenwich, will be a judge which of these two observations is nearest the truth. The variation of the needle here, by a mean of different sets, taken with different compasses, was 20 37' west. On the 25th, about noon, we weighed anchor, and made sail for the Downs, through the Queen's Chan- nel, with a gentle breeze at north-west by west. At nine in the evening we anchored, with the North Foreland bearing south by east, and Margate Point south-west by south. Next morning, at two o'clock, we weighed and stood round the Foreland ; and when it bore north, allowing for the variation of the compass, the watch w r atch gave 1 24/ east longitude, which, reduced to the Foreland, will be 1 21' east. Lunar observations made the preceding evening, fixed it at 1 20' east. At eight o'clock the same morning, we anchored in the Downs. Two boats had been built for us at Deal, and I immediately sent on shore for them. I was told that many people had assembled there to see Omai ; but to their great disappointment he did not land. Having received the boats on board, and a light breeze at south south-east springing up, we got under sail the next day at two o'clock in the after- noon. But the breeze soon died away, and we were obliged to anchor again till ten o'clock at night. We then weighed, with the wind at east, and proceeded down the channel. On the 30th, at three o'clock in the afternoon, we anchored in Plymouth Sound, where the Dis- covery had arrived only three days before. I saluted Admiral Amherst, whose flag was flying on board the Ocean, with thirteen guns, and he returned the compliment, with eleven. It was the first object of our care, on arriving at Plymouth, to replace the water and provisions that 96 cook's voyage to july, we had expended, and to receive on board a supply of Port wine. This was the employment which occupied us on the 1st and 2d of July. During our stay here, the crews were served with fresh beef every day : and I should not do justice to Mr. Ommanney, the agent-victualler, if I did not take this opportunity to mention, that he showed a very obliging readiness to furnish me with the best of every thing that lay within his department. I had been under the like obligations to him on my setting out upon my last voyage. Commissioner Ourry, with equal zeal for the service, gave us every assistance that we wanted from the naval yard. It could not but occur to us as a singular and affecting circumstance, that at the \ery instant of our departure upon a voyage, the object of which was to benefit Europe by making fresh discoveries in North America, there should be the unhappy necessity of employing others of his Majesty's ships, and of conveying numerous bodies of land forces, to secure the obedience of those parts of that continent which had been discovered and settled by our countrymen in the last century. On the 6th, his Majesty's ships Diamond, Ambuscade, and Uni- corn, with a fleet of transports, consisting of sixty- two sail, bound to America, with the last division of the Hessian troops, and some horse, were forced into the Sound by a strong north-west wind. On the 8th, I received, by express, my instruc- tions* for the voyage, and an order to proceed to the Cape of Good Hope with the Resolution. I was also directed to leave an order for Captain Clerke to follow us, as soon as he should join his ship; he being, at this time, detained in London. Our first discoverers of the New World, and na- vigators of the Indian and Pacific Oceans, were justly thought to have exerted such uncommon abilities, and to have accomplished such perilous * See the instructions in the Introduction. 177& THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 97 enterprises, that their names have been handed down to posterity as so many Argonauts. Nay, even the hulks of the ships that carried them, though not converted into constellations in the heavens, used to be honoured and visited as sacred relics upon earth. We, in the present age of improved navi- gation, who have been instructed by their labours, and have followed them as our guides, have no such claim to fame. Some merit, however, being still, in the public opinion, considered as due to those who sail to unexplored quarters of the globe, in conformity to this favourable judgment, I prefixed to the ac- count of my last voyage the names of the officers of both my ships, and a table of the number of their re- spective crews. The like information will be expected from me at present. The Resolution was fitted out with the same com- plement of officers and men she had before ; and the Discovery's establishment varied from that of the Ad- venture, in the single instance of her having no marine officer on board. This arrangement was to be finally completed at Plymouth ; and, on the 9th, we received the party of marines allotted for our voyage. Colonel Bell, who commanded the division at this port, gave me such men for the detachment as 1 had reason to be satisfied with. And the supernumerary seamen, occasioned by this reinforcement, being turned over into the Ocean man-of-war, our several complements remained fixed, as represented in the following table : vol. v. h 98 A VOYAGE TO JULY, ' RESOLUTION. DISCOVERY. Officers and Men. N. 1 Officers' Names. N. 1 Officers' Names. Captain - - James Cook - Charles Clerke Lieutenants 3 John Gore James King John Williamson 2 James Burney John Rickman Master - - - 1 William Bligh 1 Thomas Edgar Boatswain - - 1 William Ewin 1 Eneas Atkins Carpenter - - 1 James Clevely 1 Peter Reynolds Gunner - - 1 Robert Anderson 1 William Peckover Surgeon - - 1 William Anderson 1 John Law Master's Mates 3 - - _ 2 Midshipmen - 6 4 Surgeon's Mates 2 - 2 Captain's Clerk 1 - 1 Master at Arms 1 - 1 Corporal 1 Armourer - - 1 m 1 Ditto Mate 1 - 1 B Sail Maker 1 - 1 R Ditto Mate 1 1 Boatswain's Mates 3 m M m 2 Carpenter's Ditto 3 - 2 Gunner's Ditto 2 m m 1 Carpenter's Crew 4 " * 'm 4 Cook - - - 1 m m am 1 Ditto Mate 1 Quarter Masters 6 , m mt 4 Able Seamen - 45 m a> Marines. 33 Lieutenant 1 MolesworthPhilips Serjeant - - 1 - 1 Corporals - - 2 - 1 Drummer - 1 - 1 Privates - - 15 ~ m 8 Total - 112 80 . 177& THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 99 On the 10th, the commissioner and pay-clerks came on board, and paid the officers and crew up to the 30th of last month. The petty officers and seamen had, besides, two months' wages in advance. Such indulgence to the latter, is no more than what is customary in the navy. But the payment of what was due to the superior officers was humanely ordered by the Admiralty, in consideration of our peculiar situation, that we might be better able to defray the very great expense of furnishing ourselves with a stock of necessaries for a voyage which, probably, would be of unusual duration, and to regions where no supply could be expected. Nothing now obstructing my departure but a contrary wind, which blew strong at south-west, in the morning of the 11th I delivered into the hands of Mr. Burney, first lieutenant of the Discovery, Captain Clerke's sailing orders ; a copy of which I also left with the officer * commanding his Majesty's ships at Plymouth, to be delivered to the Captain immediately on his arrival. In the afternoon, the wind moderating, we weighed with the ebb, and got farther out, beyond all the shipping in the Sound ; where, after making an unsuccessful attempt to get to sea, we were detained most of the following day, which was employed in receiving on board a supply of water ; and, by the same vessel that brought it, all the empty casks were returned. As I did not imagine my stay at Plymouth would have been so long as it proved, we did not get our instruments on shore to make the necessary observ- ations for ascertaining the longitude by the watch. For the same reason, Mr. Baily did not set about this, till he found that the Discovery would probably be detained some days after us. He then placed his quadrant upon Drake's Island ; and had time, * Captain Le Crass, Admiral Amherst having struck his flag some days before. H 2 100 A VOYAGE TO JULY, before the Resolution sailed, to make observations sufficient for the purpose we had in view. Our wateh made the island to lie 4 14/, and his, 4 13^' west of Greenwich. Its latitude, as found by Messrs. Wales and Baily, on the last voyage, is 50 21' 30 /f north. We weighed again at eight in the evening, and stood out of the Sound, with a gentle breeze at north-west by west. J 776. THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 101 CHAP. II. PASSAGE OF THE RESOLUTION TO TENERIFFE. RECEPTION THERE. DESCRIPTION OF SANTA CRUZ ROAD. REFRESH- MENTS TO BE MET WITH. OBSERVATIONS FOR FIXING THE LONGITUDE OF TENERIFFE. SOME ACCOUNT OF THE ISLAND. BOTANICAL OBSERVATIONS. CITIES OF SANTA CRUZ AND LAGUNA. AGRICULTURE. ' AIR AND CLIMATE. COMMERCE. INHABITANTS. W e had not been long out of Plymouth Sound, before the wind came more westerly, and blew fresh, so that we were obliged to ply down the Channel ; and it was not till the 14th, at eight in the evening, that we were off the Lizard. On the 16th, at noon, St. Agnes's light-house on the Isles of Scilly, bore north-west by west, distant seven or eight miles. Our latitude was now 49 53' 30 /7 north, and our longitude, by the watch, 6 ll'west. Hence, I reckon that St. Agnes's light- house is in 49 57' 30" north latitude, and in 6 20' of west longitude. On the 17th* and 18th we were off Ushant, and found the longitude of the island to be, by the watch, 5 18' 37" west. The variation was 23 0' 50", in the same direction. With a strong gale at south, on the 19th, we stood to the westward, till eight o'clock in the morning ; when, the wind shifting to the west and north-west, we tacked and stretched to the southward. At this time, we saw nine sail of large ships, which we judged * It appears from Captain Cook's log-book, that he began his judicious operations for preserving the health of his crew, very early in the voyage. On the 1 7th, the ship was smoked between decks with gun-powder. The spare sails also were then well aired, H 3 102 A VOYAGE TO AUG. to be French men-of-war. They took no particular notice of us, nor we of them. At ten o'clock in the morning of the 22d, we saw Cape Ortegal ; which at noon bore south-east, half south, about four leagues distant. At this time we were in the latitude of 44 6' north ; and our longi- tude, by the watch, was 8 23' west. After two days of calm weather we passed Cape Finisterre, on the afternoon of the 24th, with a fine gale at north north-east. The longitude of this Cape, by the watch, is 9 29' west; and, by the mean of forty-one lunar observations, made before and after we passed it, and reduced to it by the watch, the result was 9 19' 12". On the 30th, at six minutes and thirty-eight seconds past ten o'clock at night, apparent time, I observed with a night-telescope, the moon totally eclipsed, By the ephemeris, the same happened at Greenwich at nine minutes past eleven o'clock : the difference being one hour, two minutes, and twenty- two seconds, or 15 e 35' 30" of longitude. The watch, for the same time, gave 15 26' 45" longitude west ; and latitude 31 10' north. No other observation could be made on this eclipse, as the moon was hid behind the clouds the greater part of the time ; and, in particular, when the beginning and end of total darkness, and the end of the eclipse, happened. Finding that we had not hay and corn sufficient for the subsistence of the stock of animals on board, till our arrival at the Cape of Good Hope, I determined to touch at Teneriffe, to get a supply of these, and of the usual refreshments for ourselves ; thinking that island, for such purposes, better adapted than Ma- deira. At four in the afternoon of the 31st, we saw Teneriffe, and steered for the eastern part. At nine, being near it, we hauled up, and stood off and on during the night. At day-light, on the morning of the 1st of August, we sailed round the east Point of the island \ and, 14 1776- THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 103 about eight o'clock, anchored on the south-east side of it, in the road of Santa Cruz, in twenty-three fathoms water ; the bottom, sand and owze. Punta de Nago, the east point of the road, bore north 64 east ; St. Francis's church, remarkable for its high steeple, west south-west ; the Pic, south 65 west ; and the south-west point of the road, on which stands a fort or castle, south 39 west. In this situation, we moored north-east and south-west, with a cable each way, being near half a mile from the shore. We found, riding in this road, La Boussole, a French frigate, commanded by the Chevalier de Borda; two brigantines of the same nation ; an English brigantine from London, bound to Senegal ; and fourteen sail of Spanish vessels. No sooner had we anchored, than we were visited by the master of the port, who satisfied himself with asking the ship's name. Upon his leaving us, I sent an officer ashore to present my respects to the Governor ; and to ask his leave to take in water, and to purchase such articles as we were in want of. All this he granted with the greatest politeness : and, soon after, sent an officer on board, to compliment me on my arrival. In the afternoon, I waited upon him in person, accompanied by some of my officers ; and, before I returned to my ship, bespoke some corn and straw for the live stock ; ordered a quantity of wine from Mr. M'Carrick, the contractor, and made an agreement with the master of a Spanish boat to supply us with water, as I found that we could not do it ourselves. The road of Santa Cruz is situated before the town of the same name, on the south-east side of the island. It is, as I am told, the principal road of TenerifFe, for shelter, capacity, and the goodness of its bottom. It lies entirely open to the south-east and south winds. But these winds are never of long continuance ; and, they say, there is not an h 4- 104 A VOYAGE TO AUG. instance* of a ship driving from her anchors on shore. This may, in part, be owing to the great care they take in mooring them : for I observed, that all the ships we met with there, had four anchors out ; two to the north-east, and two to the south-west : and their cables buoyed up with casks. Ours suffered a little by not observing this last precaution. At the south-west part of the road, a stone pier runs out into the sea from the town, for the conveni- ence of loading and landing of goods. To this pier, the water that supplies the shipping is conveyed. This, as also what the inhabitants of Santa Cruz use, is derived from a rivulet that runs from the hills, the greatest part of which comes into the town in wooden spouts or troughs, that are supported by slender posts, and the remainder doth not reach the sea ; though it is evident, from the size of the channel, that sometimes large torrents rush down. At this time these troughs were repairing, so that fresh water, which is very good here, was scarce. Were we to judge from the appearance of the country in the neighbourhood of Santa Cruz, it might be concluded that Teneriffe is a barren spot, insuffi- cient to maintain even its own inhabitants. The ample supplies, however, which we received, con- vinced us that they had enough to spare for visitors. Besides wine, which is the chief produce of the island, beef may be had at a moderate price. The oxen are small and boney, and weigh about ninety pounds a quarter. The meat is but lean, and was, at present, sold for half a bit (three-pence sterling) a pound. I, unadvisedly, bought the bullocks alive, and paid * Though no such instance was known to those from whom Captain Cook had this information, we learn from Glas, that some years before he was at Teneriffe, almost all the shipping in the road were driven on shore. See Glas's Hist, of the Canari/ Islands, p. 235. We may well suppose the precautions now used, have pre- vented any more such accidents happening. This will sufficiently justify Captain Cook's account. 177' THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 105 considerably more. Hogs, sheep, goats, and poultry, are likewise to be bought at the same moderate rate: and fruits are in great plenty. At this time we had grapes, figs, pears, mulberries, plantains, and musk- melons. There is a variety of other fruits produced here, though not in season at this time. Their pumpkins, onions, and potatoes, are exceedingly good of their kind, and keep better at sea than any I ever before met with. The Indian corn, which is also their produce, cost me about three shillings and sixpence a bushel ; and the fruits and roots were, in general, very cheap. They have not any plentiful supply of fish from the adjoining sea ; but a very considerable fishery is carried on by their vessels upon the coast of Barbary ; and the produce of it sells at a reasonable price. Upon the whole, I found Teneriffe to be a more eligible place than Madeira for ships bound on long voyages to touch at ; though the wine of the latter, according to my taste, is as much superior to that of the former, as strong beer is to small. To compensate for this, the difference of prices is considerable ; for the best Teneriffe wine was now sold for twelve pounds a pipe ; whereas a pipe of the best Madeira would have cost considerably more than double that sum.* The Chevalier de Borda, commander of the French frigate now lying in Santa Cruz road, was employed, in conjunction with Mr. Varila, a Spanish gentleman, in making astronomical observations for ascertaining the going of two time-keepers which they had on board their ship. For this purpose, they had a tent * Formerly, there was made at Teneriffe a great quantity of Canary sack, which the French call Fin de Malvesie ; and we, cor- ruptly after them, name Malmsey (from Malvesia, a town in the Morea, famous for such luscious wine). In the last century, and still later, much of this was imported into England ; but little wine is now made there, but of the sort described by Captain Cook. Not more than fifty pipes of the rich Canary was annually made in Glas's time ; and he says, they now gather the grapes when green, and make a dry hard wine of them, fit for hot climates, p. 262. 106 A VOYAGE TO AUG. pitched on the pier head, where they made their ob- servations, and compared their watches, every day at noon, with the clock on shore, by signals. These signals the Chevalier very obligingly communicated to us ; so that we could compare our watch at the same time. But our stay was too short to profit much by his kindness. The three days' comparisons which we made, assured us that the watch had not materially, if at all, altered her rate of going ; and gave us the same longitude, within a very few seconds, that was ob- tained by finding the time from observations of the sun's altitude from the horizon of the sea. The watch, from a mean of these observations, on the 1st, 2d, and 3d of August, made the longitude 16 31' west ; and, in like manner, the latitude was found to be 28 3(Y IF north. Mr. Varila informed us, that the true longitude was 18 35' 30", from Paris, which is only 16 16' 30" from Greenwich ; less than what our watch gave by 14/ 30". But, far from looking upon this as an error in the watch, I rather think it a confirmation of its having gone well ; and that the longitude by it may be nearer the truth than any other. It is farther confirmed by the lunar observations that we made in the road, which gave 16 3T 10". Those made be- fore we arrived, and reduced to the road by the watch, gave 16 33' 30". And those made after we left it, and reduced back in the same manner, gave 16 28'. The mean of the three is 16 30' 40". To reduce these several longitudes, and the lati- tude, to the Pic of Teneriffe, one of the most noted points of land with geographers (to obtain the true situation of which, I have entered into this particular discussion), I had recourse to the bearing, and a few hours of the ship's run after leaving Santa Cruz road ; and found it to be 12" 11" south of the road, and 29' 30" of longitude west of it. As the base, which helped to determine this, was partly estimated, it is 1776. THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 107 liable to some error ; but I think I cannot be much mistaken. Dr. Maskelyne, in his British Mariner's Guide, places the Pic in the latitude of 28 12' 54". This, with the bearing from the road, will give the difference of longitude 43', which considerably ex- ceeds the distance they reckon the Pic to be from Santa Cruz. I made the latitude of the Pic to be 28 18' north. Upon that supposition, its longitude will be as follows: rthe time-keeper - 17 0' 30") By ^ lunar observations - 16 30' 20" >west. (Mr. Varila - - 16 4G' O'j But if the latitude of it is 28 12' 54", as in the British Mariner's Guide, its longitude will be 13' 30" more westerly. The variation, when we were at anchor in the road, by the mean of all our compasses, was found to be 14 41' 20" west. The dip of the north end of the needle was 61 52' 30". Some of Mr. Anderson's remarks on the natural appearances of Teneriffe, and its productions ; and what he observed himself, or learnt by information, about the general state of the island, will be of use, particularly in marking what changes may have happened there since Mr. Glas visited it. They here follow in his own words: " While we were standing in for the land, the weather being perfectly clear, we had an opportunity of seeing the celebrated Pic of Teneriffe. But, I own, 1 was much disappointed in my expectation with respect to its appearance. It is, certainly, far from equalling the noble figure of Pico, one of the western isles which 1 have seen ; though its perpen- dicular height may be greater. This circumstance, perhaps, arises from its being surrounded by other very high hills ; whereas Pico stands without a rival. " Behind the city of Santa Cruz, the country rises gradually, and is of a moderate height. Beyond this, 108 A VOYAGE TO AUG. to the south westward, it becomes higher, and con- tinues to rise towards the Pic, which, from the road, appears but little higher than the surrounding hills. From thence it seems to decrease, though not suddenly, as far as the eye can reach. From a sup- position that we should not stay above one day, I was obliged to contract my excursions into the country ; otherwise, I had proposed to visit the top of this famous mountain.* " To the eastward of Santa Cruz, the island appears perfectly barren. Ridges of hills run towards the sea ; between which ridges are deep valleys, termi- nating at mountains or hills that run across, and are higher than the former. Those that run towards the sea, are marked by impressions on their sides, which make them appear as a succession of conic hills, with their tops very rugged. The higher ones that run across, are more uniform in their appearance. " In the forenoon of the 1st of August, after we had anchored in the road, I went on shore to one of these valleys, with an intention to reach the top of the re- moter hills, which seemed covered with wood ; but time would not allow me to get further than their foot. After walking about three miles, I found no alteration in the appearance of the lower hills ; which produce great quantities of the euphorbia Canariensis. It is surprising that this large succulent plant should * See an account of a journey to the top of the Pic of Teneriffe, in Sprat's History of the Royal Society, p. 200, &c. Glas also went to the top of it. History of the Canary Islands, p. 252 to 259. In the Philosophical Transactions, vol. xlvii. p. 353 356, we have Observations made, in going up the Pic of Teneriffe, by Dr. T. Heberden. The Doctor makes its height, about the level of the sea, to be 2566 fathoms, or 15,396 English feet ; and says, that this was confirmed by two subsequent observations by himself, and another made by Mr. Crosse, the consul. And yet, I find, that the Chevalier de Borda, who measured the height of this mountain in August 1776, makes it to be only 1931 French toises, or 12,34-0 English feet. See Dr. Forster's Observations during a Voyage round the World, p. 32. 177^' THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 109 thrive on so burnt-up a soil. When broken, which is easily done, the quantity of juice is very great ; and it might be supposed that, when dried, it would shrivel to nothing ; yet it is a pretty tough, though soft and light wood. The people here believe its juice to be so caustic as to erode the skin*: but I convinced them, though with much difficulty, to the contrary, by trusting my ringer into the plant full of it, without afterwards wiping it off. They break down the bushes of euphorbia, and suffering them to dry, carry them home for fuel. I met with nothing else growing there, but two or three small shrubs, and a few fig-trees near the bottom of the valley. " The basis of the hills is a heavy, compact, blueish stone, mixed with some shining particles ; and, on the surface, large masses of red friable earth, or stone, are scattered about. I also often found the same substance disposed in thick strata; and the little earth, strewed here and there, was a blackish mould. There were likewise some pieces of slag ; one of which, from its weight and smooth surface, seemed almost wholly metalline. " The mouldering state of these hills is, doubtless, owing to the perpetual action of the sun, which calcines their surface. This mouldered part being afterwards washed away by the heavy rains, perhaps is the cause of their sides being so uneven. For, as the different substances of which they are composed, are more or less easily affected by the sun's heat, they will be carried away in the like proportions. Hence, perhaps, the tops of the hills, being of the hardest rock, have stood, while the other parts on a declivity have been destroyed. As I have usually observed, that the tops of most mountains that are covered with trees have a more uniform appearance, * Glas, p. 231., speaking of this plant, says, that he cannot imagine xnhy the natives of the Canaries do not extract the juice, and use it instead of pitch, for the bottoms of their boats. We now learn from Mr. Anderson their reason for not using it. 110 A VOYAGE TO AUG. I am inclined to believe that this is owing to their being shaded. " The city of Santa Cruz, though not large, is tolerably well built. The churches are not magnifi- cent without ; but within are decent, and indiffer- ently ornamented. They are inferior to some of the churches at Madeira ; but, I imagine, this rather arises from the different disposition of the people, than from their inability to support them better. For the private houses, and dress of the Spanish inhabi- tants of Santa Cruz, are far preferable to those of the Portuguese at Madeira ; who, perhaps, are willing to strip themselves, that they may adorn their churches. " Almost facing the stone pier at the landing-place, is a handsome marble column lately put up, orna- mented with some human figures, that do no dis- credit to the artist ; with an inscription in Spanish, to commemorate the occasion of the erection, and the date. " In the afternoon of the 2d, four of us hired mules to ride to the city of Laguna # , so called from an ad- joining lake, about four miles from Santa Cruz. We arrived there between five and six in the evening ; but found a sight of it very unable to compensate for our trouble, as the road was very bad, and the mules but indifferent. The place is, indeed, pretty exten- sive, but scarcely deserves to be dignified with the name of city. The disposition of its streets is very irregular; yet some of them are of a tolerable breadth, and have some good houses. In general, however, Laguna is inferior in appearance to Santa Cruz, though the latter is but small, if compared with the former. We were informed, likewise, that Laguna * Its extended name is St. Christobal de la Laguna ; and it used to be reckoned the capital of the island, the gentry and lawyers living there ; though the Governor-General of the Canary Islands resides at Santa Cruz, as being the centre of their trade, both with Europe and America. See Glas's Hist, p. 248. 17?6. THE PACIFIC OCEAN. Ill is declining fast; there being, at present, some vine- yards where houses formerly stood; whereas Santa Cruz is encreasing daily. "The road leading from Santa CruztoLaguna runs up a steep hill, which is very barren ; but, lower down, we saw some fig-trees, and several corn fields. These are but small, and not thrown into ridges, as is prac- tised in England. Nor does it appear that they can raise any corn here without great labour, as the ground is so encumbered with stones, that they are obliged to collect and lay them in broad rows, or walls, at small distances. The large hills that run to the south-west, appeared to be pretty well furnished with trees. Nothing else worth noticing presented itself during this excursion, except a few aloe plants in flower, near the side of the road, and the cheerful- ness of our guides, who amused us with songs by the way. " Most of the laborious work in this island is per- formed by mules ; horses being to appearance scarce, and chiefly reserved for the use of the officers. They are of a small size, but well-shaped and spirited. Oxen are also employed to drag their casks along upon a large clumsy piece of wood ; and they are yoked by the head ; though it doth not seem that this has any peculiar advantage over our method of fixing the harness on the shoulders. In my walks and excur- sions, I saw some hawks, parrots, which are natives of the island, the sea-swallow or tern, sea-gulls, part- ridges, w r agtails, swallows, martins, blackbirds, and canary birds in large flocks. There are also lizards of the comoion, and another sort; some insects, as locusts; and three or four sorts of dragon-flies. " I had an opportunity of conversing with a sensible and well-informed gentleman residing here, and whose veracity I have not the least reason to doubt. From him I learnt some particulars, which, during the short stay of three days, did not fall within my own observ- ation. He informed me, that a shrub is common 112 A VOYAGE TO AUG. here, agreeing exactly with the description given by Tournefbrt and Linnaeus, of the tea shrub, as growing in China and japan. It is reckoned a weed, and he roots out thousands of them every year, from his vineyards. The Spaniards, however, of the island, sometimes use it as tea, and ascribe to it all the qualities of that imported from China. They also give it the name of tea ; but what is remarkable, they say it was found here when the islands were first dis- covered. "Another botanical curiosity, mentioned by him, is what they call the impregnated lemon, * It is a perfect and distinct lemon, inclosed within another, differing from the outer one only in being a little more globular. The leaves of the tree that produces this sort, are much longer than those of the common one; and it was represented to me as being crooked, and not equal in beauty. " From him I learnt also, that a certain sort of grape growing here, is reckoned an excellent remedy in phthisical complaints. And the air and climate, in general, are remarkably healthful, and particularly adapted to give relief in such diseases. This he endeavoured to account for, by it's being always in one's power to procure a different temperature of the air, by residing at different heights in the island; and he expressed his surprise that the English physicians should never have thought of sending their consump- tive patients to Teneriffe, instead of Nice or Lisbon. How much the temperature of the air varies here, I myself could sensibly perceive, only in riding from Santa Cruz up to Laguna; and you may ascend till the cold becomes intolerable. I was assured that no person can live comfortably within a mile of the per- * The writer of the Relation of Teneriffe, in Sprat's History, p. 207, takes notice of this lemon as produced here, and calls it Pregnada. Probably, empremiada, the Spanish word for impreg- nated, is the name it goes by. I77fi THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 118 pendicular height of the Pic, after the month of August. # " Although some smoke constantly issues from near the top of the Pic, they have had no earthquake or eruption of a volcano since 1704, when the port of Garrachica, where much of their trade was formerly carried on, was destroyed, t " Their trade, indeed, must be considered as very considerable; for they reckon that forty thousand pipes of wine are annually made; the greatest part of which is either consumed in the island, or made into brandy, and sent to the Spanish West Indies. X About six thousand pipes were exported every year to North America, while the trade with it was un- interrupted; at present, they think not above half the quantity. The corn they raise is, in general, insufficient to maintain the inhabitants ; but the deficiency used to be supplied by importation from the North Americans, who took their wines in return. "They make a little silk; but unless we reckon the * This agrees with Dr. T. Heberden's account, who says that the sugar-loaf part of the mountain, or la pericosa (as it is called), which is an eighth part of a league (or 1980 feet) to the top, is covered xvith snovo the greatest part of the year. See Philosophical Transactions , as quoted above. f This port was then filled up by the rivers of burning lava that flowed into it from a volcano; insomuch that houses are now built where ships formerly lay at anchor. See Glass Hist. p. 244. \ Glas, p. 342., says, that they annually export no less than fifteen thousand pipes of wine and brandy. In another place, p. 252, he tells us, that the number of the inhabitants of TenerifFe, when the last account was taken, was no less than 96,000. We may reasonably suppose that there has been a considerable increase of population since Glas visited the island, which is above thirty years ago. The quantity of wine annually consumed, as the com- mon beverage of at least one hundred thousand persons, must amount to several thousand pipes. There must be a vast expen- diture of it, by conversion into brandy ; to produce one pipe of which, five or six pipes of wine must be distilled. An attention to these particulars will enable every one to judge, that the account given to Mr. Anderson, of an annual produce of 40.000 pipes of wine, has a foundation in truth. VOL. V. I 114 cook's VOYAGE TO AUG. filtering-stones, brought in great numbers from Grand Canary, the wine is the only considerable article of the foreign commerce of Teneriffe. " None of the race of inhabitants found here when the Spaniards discovered the Canaries now remain a distinct people*, having intermarried with the Spanish settlers; but their descendants are known, from their being remarkably tall, large-boned, and strong. The men are, in general, of a tawny colour, and the women have a pale complexion, entirely des- titute of that bloom which distinguishes our northern beauties. The Spanish custom of wearing black clothes continues amongst them; but the men seem more indifferent about this, and, in some measure, dress like the French. In other respects, we found the inhabitants of Teneriffe to be a decent and very civil people, retaining that grave cast which distin- guishes those of their country from other European nations. Although we do not think that there is a great similarity between our manners and those of the Spaniards, it is worth observing, that Omai did not think there was much difference. He only said, that they seemed not so friendly as the English; and that, in their persons, they approached those of his countrymen." * It was otherwise in Glas's time, when a few families of the Guanches (as they are called) remained still in Teneriffe, not blended with the Spaniards. Glas, p. 240. 177& THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 115 CHAP. III. DEPARTURE FROM TENERIFFE. DANGER OF THE SHIP NEAR BONAVISTA. ISLE OF MAYO. PORT PRAYA. PRECAU- tions aganst the rain and sultry weather in the neighbourhood of the equator. position of the coast of brazil. arrival at the cape of good hope. transactions there. junction of the discovery. mr. Anderson's journey up the country. astron- omical OBSERVATIONS. NAUTICAL REMARKS ON THE PASS- AGE FROM ENGLAND TO THE CAPE, WITH REGARD TO THE CURRENTS AND THE VARIATION. Having completed our water, and got on board every other thing we wanted at Teneriffe, we weighed anchor on the 4th of August, and proceeded on our voyage, with a fine gale at north-east. At nine o'clock in the evening on the 10th*, we saw the island of Bonavista bearing S., distant little more than a league; though, at this time, we thought ourselves much farther off; but this proved a mistake. For, after hauling to the east-ward till twelve o'clock, to clear the sunken rocks that lie about a league from the S. E. point of the island, we found ourselves, at that time, close upon them, and did but just weather the breakers. Our situation, for a few minutes, was very alarming. I did not choose to sound, as that might have heightened the danger without any pos- sibility of lessening it. I make the N. end of the * As a proof of Captain Cook's attention, both to the discipline and to the health of his ship's company, it may be worth while to obseve here, that it appears from his log-book, he exercised them at great guns and small arms, and cleared and smoked the ship belotv decks, twice in the interval between the 4th and the 10th of August. I ^ l]f> cook's voyage TO AUG. island of Bonavista to lie in the latitude of 16 17' N., and in the longitude of 22 5$ W. As soon as we were clear of the rocks, we steered S. S. W., till day-break next morning, and then hauled to the westward, to go between Bonavista and the isle of Mayo, intending to look into Port Praya for the Discovery, as I had told Captain Clerke that I should touch there, and did not know how soon he might sail after me. At one in the afternoon, we saw the rocks that lie on the S. W. side of Bonavista, bearing S. E., distant three or four leagues. Next morning, at six o'clock, the isle of Mayo bore S. S. E., distant about five leagues. In this situation we sounded, and found ground at sixty fathoms. At the same time the variation, by the mean of several azimuths taken with three different compasses, was 9 32i' W. At eleven o'clock, one extreme of Mayo bore E. by N., and the other S. E. by S. In this position, two roundish hills appeared near its N. E. part; farther on, a large and higher hill; and, at about two-thirds of its length, a single one that is peaked. At the distance we now saw this island, which was three or four miles, there was not the least appearance of vegetation, nor any relief to the eye from that lifeless brown which prevails in countries under the torrid zone that are unwooded. Here I cannot help remarking that Mr. Nichelson, in his Preface to Sundry Remarks and Observations made in a Voyage to the East Indies * , tells us, that " with eight degrees W. variation, or any thing above that, you may venture to sail by the Cape de Verde Islands night or day, being well assured, with that variation, that you are to the eastward of them." Such an assertion might prove of dangerous conse- quence, were there any that would implicitly trust to it. We also tried the current, and found one setting * On board his Majesty's ship Elizabeth, from 1758 to 1764; by William Nichelson, master of the said ship. London, 1773. 1776* THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 117 S. W. by W., something more than half a mile an hour. We had reason to expect this, from the differ- ences between the longitude given by the watch and dead reckoning, which, since our leaving Teneriffe, amounted to one degree. While we were amongst these islands we had light breezes of wind, varying from the S. E. to E., and some calms. This shows that the Cape de Verde Islands, are either extensive enough to break the current of the trade-wind, or that they are situated just beyond its verge, in that space where the variable winds, found on getting near the line, begin. The first supposition, however, is the most probable, as Dampier* found the wind westerly here in the month of February; at which time the trade-wind is sup- posed to extend farthest towards the equinoctial. The weather was hot and sultry, with some rain; and, for the most part, a dull whiteness prevailed in the sky, that seems a medium between fog and clouds. In general, the tropical regions seldom enjoy that clear atmosphere observable where variable winds blow; nor does the sun shine with such brightness. This circumstance, however, seems an advantage; for otherwise, perhaps, the rays of the sun, being un- interrupted, would render the heat quite unsupport- able. The nights are, nevertheless, often clear and serene. At nine o'clock in the morning of the 13th, we arrived before Port Praya, in the island of St. Jago, where we saw two Dutch East India ships, and a small brigantine at anchor. As the Discovery was not there, and we had expended but little water in our passage from Teneriffe, I did not think proper to go in, but stood to the southward. Some altitudes of the sun were now taken, to ascertain the true time. The longitude by the watch, deduced there- from, was 23 48' W.; the little island in the bay * Dampier's Voyages, vol. iii. p. 10. i 3 US cook's VOYAGE TO AUG. bore W. N. W., distant near three miles, which will make its longitude 23 51'. The same watch, on my late voyage, made the longitude to be 23 30' W. ; and we observed the latitude to be 14 53' 30" N. The day after we left the Cape de Verde Islands, we lost the N. E. trade-wind; but did not get that which blows from the S. E. till the 30th, when we were in the latitude of 2 N., and in the twenty-fifth degree of W. longitude. During this interval*, the wind was mostly in the S. W. quarter. Sometimes it blew fresh, and in squalls; but for the most part a gentle breeze. The calms were few, and of short duration. Between the latitude of 12 and of 7 N., the weather was ge- nerally dark and gloomy, with frequent rains, which enabled us to save as much water as filled most of our empty casks. These rains, and the close sultry weather accom- panying them, too often bring on sickness in this passage. Every bad consequence, at least, is to be apprehended from them ; and commanders of ships cannot be too much upon their guard, by purifying the air between decks with fires and smoke, and by obliging the people to dry their clothes at every op- portunity. These precautions were constantly ob- served on board the Resolutiont and Discovery; and * On the 18th, I sunk a bucket with a thermometer seventy fathoms below the surface of the sea, where it remained two minutes; and it took three minutes more to haul it up. The mercury in the thermometer was at 66, which before, in the air, stood at 78, and in the surface of the sea at 79. The water which came up in the bucket contained, by Mr. Cavendish's table, V** i part salt; and that at the surface of the sea T V' 4. As tms ^ ast was taken up after a smart shower of rain, it might be lighter on that account. Captain Cook's log-book. f The particulars are mentioned in his log-book. On the 14th of August, a fire was made in the well, to air the ship below. On the 15th, the spare-sails were aired upon deck, and a fire made to air the sail-room. On the 17th, cleaned and smoked betwixt decks, and the bread-room aired with fires. On the 21st, cleaned and smoked betwixt decks ; and on the 22d, the men's bedding was spread on deck to air. 3 77^. THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 119 we certainly profited by them, for we had now fewer sick than on either of my former voyages. We had, however, the mortification to find our ship exceed- ingly leaky in all her upper works. The hot and sultry weather we had just passed through, had opened her seams, which had been badly caulked at first, so wide, that they admitted the rain-water through as it fell. There was hardly a man that could lie dry in his bed ; and the officers in the gun-room were all driven out of their cabins, by the water that came through the sides. The sails in the sail-room got wet ; and before we had weather to dry them, many of them were much damaged, and a great expense of canvas and of time became necessary to make them in some degree serviceable. Having experienced the same defect in our sail-rooms on my late voyage, it had been represented to the yard-officers, who under- took to remove it. But it did not appear to me that any thing had been done to remedy the complaint. To repair these defects the caulkers were set to work, as soon as we got into fair settled weather, to caulk the decks and inside weather works of the ship ; for 1 would not trust them over the sides while we were at sea. On the first of September * we crossed the equa- tor, in the longitude of 27 38' W., with a fine gale at S. E. by S. ; and notwithstanding my apprehensions * The afternoon, as appears from Mr. Anderson's Journal, was spent in performing the old and ridiculous ceremony of ducking those who had not crossed the equator before. Though Captain Cook did not suppress the custom, he thought it too trifling to deserve the least mention of it in his Journal, or even in his log- book. , Pernetty, the writer of Bougainville's Voyage to the Falk- land Islands, in 1763 and 1764-, thought differently; for his account of the celebration of this childish festival on board his ship, is extended through seventeen pages, and makes the subject of an entire chapter, under the title of Bapleme de la Ligne. It may be worth while to transcribe his introduction to the de- scription of it. " C'est un usage qui ne remonte pas plus haut que " ce voyage celebre de Gama, qui a fonrni au Camoens le sujet de " la Lusiade. LTdee qu'on ne scauroit etre un bon marin, sans I 4 120 cook's voyage to SEPT. of falling in with the coast of Brazil in stretching to the S. W., I kept the ship a full point from the wind. However, I found my fears were ill grounded , for on drawing near that coast, we met with the wind more and more easterly ; so that, by the time we were in the latitude of 10 8., we could make a south-easterly course good. On the 8th we were in the latitude of 8 57' S.; which is a little to the southward of Cape St. Augus- tine, on the coast of Brazil. Our longitude, deduced from a very great number of lunar observations, was 34 16' W.; and by the watch 34 47'. The former is 1 43', and the latter 2 14' more westerly than the island of Fernando de Noronha, the situation of which was pretty well determined during my late voyage.* Hence I concluded that we could not now be farther from the continent than twenty or thirty leagues at most ; and perhaps not much less, as we neither had soundings, nor any other signs of land. Dr. Halley, however, in his voyage, published by Mr. Dairy mple, tells ust, that he made no more than one hundred and txvo miles, meridian distance, from the island [Fer- nando de Noronha] to the coast of Brazil; and seems to think that currents could not be the whole cause of his making so little. But I rather think that he was mistaken, and that the currents had hurried him far to the westward of his intended course. This was, in some measure, confirmed by our own observations ; for we had found, during three or four days preceding the 8th, that the currents set to the westward ; and, " avoir traverse* l'Equateur, l'ennui inseparable d'une longue na- " vigation, un certain esprit republicain qui regne dans toutes les " petites societes, peut-&tre toutes ces causes reunies, on pu donner " naissance a ces especes de saturnales. Quoiqu'il en soit, elles " furent adoptees, en un instant, dans toutes les nations, et les " hommes les plus eclair&s furent obliges de se soumettre a une " coutume dont ils reconnoissoient l'absurdit^. Car, partout, des " que le peuple parle, il faut que le sage se mette a Funison,'* Histoire awn Voyage aux Isles Malouines, p. 107, 108. * See vol. IV. p. 252. f P. U. 177& THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 121 during the last twenty-four hours, it had set strong to the northward, as we experienced a difference of twenty-nine miles between our observed latitude and that by dead reckoning. Upon the whole, till some better astronomical observations are made on shore on the eastern coast of Brazil, I shall conclude that its longitude is thirty-five degrees and a half, or thirty- six degrees west, at most. We proceeded on our voyage, without meeting with any thing of note, till the 6th of October. Being then in the latitude of 35 \5' S., longitude 7 4.5' W., we met with light airs and calms by turns, for three days successively. We had, for some days before, seen albatrosses, pintadoes, and other petrels ; and here we saw three penguins, which occasioned us to sound ; but we found no ground with a line of one hundred and fifty fathoms. We put a boat in the water, and shot a few birds ; one of which was a black petrel, about the size of a crow, and, except as to the bill and feet, very like one. It had a few white feathers under the throat; and the under-side of the quill-feathers were of an ash-colour. All the other feathers were jet black, as also the bill and legs. On the 8th, in the evening, one of those birds which sailors call noddies, settled on our rigging, and was caught. It was something larger than an English black-bird, and nearly as black, except the upper part of the head, which was white, looking as if it were powdered ; the whitest feathers growing out from the base of the upper bill, from which they gradually assumed a darker colour, to about the middle of the upper part of the neck, where the white shade was lost in the black, without being divided by any line. It was web-footed ; had black legs and a black bill, which was long, and not unlike that of a curlew. It is said these birds never fly far from land. We knew of none nearer the station we were in, than Gough's or Richmond Island, from which our distance could not be less than one hundred leagues. But it must 1*22 cook's voyage to oct. be observed that the Atlantic Ocean, to the south- ward of this latitude, has been but little frequented; so that there may be more islands there than we are acquainted with. We frequently, in the night, saw those luminous marine animals mentioned and described in my first voyage.* Some of them seemed to be considerably larger than any I had before met with ; and some- times they were so numerous, that hundreds were visible at the same moment. This calm weather was succeeded by a fresh gale from the N. W., which lasted two days. Then we had again variable light airs for about twenty-four hours ; when the N. W. wind returned, and blew with such strength, that on the 17th we had sight of the Cape of Good Hope ; and the next day anchored in Table Bay, in four fathoms water, with the church bearing S. W. i S., and Green Point N. W. i W. As soon as we had received the usual visit from the master attendant and the surgeon, I sent an officer to wait on Baron Plettenberg, the governor ; and, on his return, saluted the garrison with thirteen guns, which complement was returned with the same number. We found in the bay two French East India ships j the one outward, and the other homeward bound. And two or three days before our arrival, another homeward bound ship of the same nation had parted from her cable, and been driven on shore at the head of the bay, where she was lost. The crew were saved ; but the greatest part of the cargo shared the same fate with the ship, or (which amounted to the same) was plundered and stolen by the inhabitants, either out of the ship, or as it was driven or carried on shore. This is the account the French officers gave to me ; and the Dutch themselves could not deny the fact. But, by way of excusing themselves * See Hawkesworth's Collection of Voyages, vol. ii. p. 15. 177^" THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 123 from being guilty of a crime disgraceful to every civilised state, they endeavoured to lay the whole blame on the French captain, for not applying in time for a guard. - As soon as we had saluted, I went on shore, ac- companied by some of my officers, and waited on the governor, the lieutenant-governor, the fiscal, and the commander of the troops. These gentlemen re- ceived me with the greatest civility; and the go- vernor, in particular, promised me every assistance that the place afforded. At the same time I obtained his leave to set up our observatory on any spot I should think most convenient ; to pitch tents for the sailmakers and coopers; and to bring the cattle on shore, to graze near our encampment. Before I re- turned on board, I ordered soft bread, fresh meat, and greens, to be provided, every day, for the ship's company. On the 22d, we set up the tents and observatory, and began to send the several articles out of the ship which I wanted on shore. This could not be done sooner, as the militia of the place were exercising on, or near the ground which we were to occupy. The next day, we began to observe equal altitudes of the sun, in order to ascertain the rate of the watch, or, which is the same thing, to find whether it had altered its rate. These observations were continued every day, whenever the weather would permit, till the time of our departure drew near. But before this, the caulkers had been set to work to caulk the ship ; and I had concerted measures with Messrs. Brandt and Chiron, for supplying both ships with such pro- visions as I should want. Bakers, likewise, had been ordered, immediately after our arrival, to bake such a quantity of bread as I thought would be requisite. As fast as the several articles destined for the Reso- lution were got ready, they were carried on board. On the 26th, the French ship sailed for Europe, and by her, we sent letters to England. The next 124 cook's VOYAGE TO NOV. day, the Hampshire, East India ship, from Bencoolen, anchored in the bay, and saluted us with thirteen guns, which we returned with eleven. Nothing remarkable happened till the evening of the 31st, when it came on to blow excessively hard at S. E., and continued for three days ; during which time there was no communication between the ship and the shore. The Resolution was the only ship in the bay that rode out the gale without dragging her anchors. We felt its effects as sensibly on shore. Our tents and observatory were torn to pieces ; and our astronomical quadrant narrowly escaped irre- parable damage. On the 3d of November the storm ceased, and the next day we resumed our different employments. On the 6th, the Hampshire India ship, sailed for England. In her I sent home an invalid, whom Captain Trimble was so obliging as to receive on board. I was afterwards sorry that I had not availed myself of this opportunity to part with two or three more of my crew, who were troubled with different complaints ; but, at this time, there was some hope of their health being re-established. In the morning of the 10th, the Discovery arrived in the bay. Captain Clerke informed me that he had sailed from Plymouth on the 1st of August, and should have been with us here a week sooner if the late gale of wind had not blown him off the coast. Upon the whole, he was seven days longer in his passage from England than we had been. He had the misfortune to lose one of his marines, by falling over-board ; but there had been no other mortality amongst his people, and they now arrived well and healthy. Captain Clerke having represented to me that his ship was in want of caulking ; that no time might be lost in repairing this defect, next day I sent all my workmen on board her, having already completed this service on board the Resolution. I lent every 177^' THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 125 other assistance to the captain to expedite his supply of provisions and water, having given him an order to receive on board as much of both articles as he could conveniently stow. I now found that the ba- kers had failed in baking the bread I had ordered for the Discovery. They pretended a want of flour ; but the truth was, they were doubtful of her coming, and did not care to begin till they saw her at anchor in the bay. I have before made mention of our getting our cattle on shore. The bull and two cows, with their calves, were sent to graze along with some other cattle ; but I was advised to keep our sheep, sixteen in number, close to our tents, where they were penned up every night. During the night preceding the 14th, some dogs having got in amongst them, forced them out of the pen, killing four, and dis- persing the rest. Six of them were recovered the next day ; but the two rams, and two of the finest ewes in the whole flock, were amongst those missing. Baron Plettenberg being now in the country, I ap- plied to the lieutenant-governor, Mr. Hemmy, and to the fiscal. Both these gentlemen promised to use their endeavours for the recovery of the lost sheep. The Dutch, we know, boast that the police at the Cape is so carefully executed, that it is hardly possible for a slave, with all his cunning and know- ledge of the country, to effectuate his escape. Yet my sheep evaded all the vigilance of the fiscal's officers and people. However, after much trouble and expence, by employing some of the meanest and lowest scoundrels in the place (who, to use the phrase of the person who recommended this method to me, would, for a ducatoon, cut their master's throat, burn the house over his head, and bury him and the whole family in the ashes), I recovered them all but the two ewes. Of these I never could hear the least tidings : and I gave over all inquiry after them, when I was told, that since I had got the two rams, 126 cook's voyage to nov. I might think myself very well off. One of these, however, was so much hurt by the dogs, that there was reason to believe he would never recover. Mr. Hem my very obligingly offered to make up this loss, by giving me a Spanish ram, out of some that he had sent for from Lisbon. But I declined the offer, under a persuasion that it would answer my purpose full as well, to take with me some of the Cape rams ; the event proved, that I was under a mistake. This gentleman has taken some pains to introduce European sheep at the Cape ; but his en- deavours, as he told me, have been frustrated by the obstinacy of the country people, who hold their own breed in greater estimation, on account of their large tails, of the fat of which they sometimes make more money than of the whole carcass besides * ; and think that the wool of European sheep will, by no means, make up for their deficiency in this respect. Indeed, I have heard some sensible men here make the same observation. And there seems to be foundation for it. For, admitting that European sheep were to produce wool of the same quality here as in Europe, which experience has shown not to be the case, the Dutch have not hands, at the Cape of Good Hope, to spare for the manufacturing even their own cloth- ing. It is certain that, were it not for the continual importation of slaves, this settlement would be thin- ner of people than any other inhabited part of the world. While the ships were getting ready for the prose- * " The most remarkable thing in the Cape sheep, is the length and thickness of their tails, which weigh from fifteen to twenty pounds. The fat is not so tallowish as that of European mutton, and the poorer sort use it for butter." Kolben s Cape of Good Hope [English translation], vol. ii. p. 65. De la Caille, who finds every thing wrong in Kolben, says, the weight of the tails of the Cape sheep is not above five or six pounds. Voyage de la Caille, p. 343. If the information given to Captain Cook may be depended upon, it will prove that, in this instance at least, Kolben is unjustly accused of exaggeration. 16 17?0. THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 127 cution of our voyage, some of our officers made an excursion to take a view of the neighbouring coun- try. Mr. Anderson, my surgeon, who was one of the party, gave me the following relation of their proceedings * : " On the 16th, in the forenoon, I set out in a wag- gon, with five more, to take a view of some part of the country. We crossed the large plain that lies to the eastward of the town, which is entirely a white sand, like that commonly found on beaches, and pro- duces only heath, and other small plants of various sorts. At five in the afternoon we passed a large farm-house, with some corn-fields, and pretty con- siderable vineyards, situated beyond the plain, near the foot of some low hills, where the soil becomes worth cultivating. Between six and seven we ar- rived at Stellenbosh, the colony next to that of the Cape for its importance. " The village does not consist of more than thirty houses, and stands at the foot of the range of lofty mountains, above twenty miles to the eastward of the Cape Town. The houses are neat ; and, with the advantage of a rivulet which runs near, and the shelter of some large oaks, planted at its first settling, forms what may be called a rural prospect in this desert country. There are some vineyards and orchards about the place, which, from their thriving appearance, seem to indicate an excellent soil ; though, perhaps, they owe much to climate, as the air here has an uncommon serenity. * In the Philosophical Transactions, vol. lxvi. p. 268 to 319, is an Account of Three Journies from the Cape Town into the Southern parts of Africa , in 1772, 1773, and 1774 ; by Mr. Francis Masson, who had been sent from England for the discovery of new- plants, towards the improvement of the Royal Botanical Garden at Kew. Much curious information is contained in Mr. Masson's account of these journies. M. de Pages, who was at the Cape in 1773, gives some remarks on the state of that settlement, and also the particulars of his journey from False Bay to the Cape Town. Voyage vers le Pole du S?id, p. 17 to 32. cook's VOYAGE TO NOV. " I employed the next day in searching for plants and insects about Stellenbosh, but had little success. Few plants are in flower here at this season, and in- sects but scarce. I examined the soil in several places, and found it to consist of yellowish clay, mixed with a good deal of sand. The sides of the low hills, which appear brown, seem to be constituted of a sort of stone marie. "We left Stellenbosh next morning, and soon arrived at the house we had passed on Saturday ; the owner of which, Mr. Cloeder, had sent us an invitation, the evening before, to visit him. This gentleman enter- tained us with the greatest hospitality, and in a man- ner very different from what we expected. He re- ceived us with music ; and a band also played while we were at dinner ; which, considering the situation of the place, might be reckoned elegant. He shewed us his wine-cellars, his orchards, and vineyards ; all which, I must own, inspired me with a wish to know in what manner these industrious people could create such plenty in a spot where, I believe, no other Eu- ropean nation would have attempted to settle. " In the afternoon we crossed the country, and passed a few plantations, one of which seemed very considerable, and was laid out in a taste somewhat different from any other we saw. In the evening we arrived at a farm-house, which is the first in the cul- tivated tract called the Pearl. We had, at the same time, a view of Drakenstein, the third colony of this country, which lies along by the foot of the lofty hills already mentioned, and contains several farms or plantations, not very extensive. " I went, on the 19th in the forenoon, in quest of plants and insects, which I found almost as scarce as at Stellenbosh ; but I met with more shrubs or small trees, naturally produced, in the valleys, than in any part of the country I had hitherto seen. " In the afternoon, we went to see a stone of a re- markable size, called by the inhabitants the Tower 177^' THE PACIFIC OCEAX. t^f) of Babylon, or the Pearl Diamond.* It lies, or stands, upon the top of some low hills, at the foot of which our farm-house was situated ; and though the road to it is neither very steep nor rugged, we were above an hour and a half in walking to it. It is of an oblong shape, rounded on the top, and lies nearly south and north. The east and west sides are steep, and almost perpendicular. The south end is likewise steep, and its greatest height is there; from whence it declines gently to the north part, by which we ascended to its top, and had an extensive view of the whole country. Its circumference, I think, must be at least half a mile; as it took us above half an hour to walk round it, including every allowance for the bad road, and stopping a little. At its highest part, which is the south end, comparing it with a known object, it seems to equal the dome of St. Paul's church. It is one uninterrupted mass of stone, if we except some fissures, or rather impressions, not above three or four feet deep, and a vein which runs across near its north end. It is of that sort of stone called, bv miner- * In the Philosophical Transactions, vol. Ixviii. parti, p. 102, we have a Letter from Mr. Anderson to Sir John Pringle, describ- ing this remarkable stone. The account sent home from the Cape, and read before the Royal Society, is much the same with that now published, but rather fuller. In particular, he tells Sir John, that he went to see it at Mr. Mason s desire, who, probably, had not had an opportunity of sufficiently examining it himself. In the account of his journies, above referred to, p. 270, he only says, u there are two large solid rocks on the Per el Berg, each of which {he believes) is more than a mile in circumference at the base, and upwards of two hundred feet high. Their surfaces are nearly smooth, without chink or fissures ; and they are found to be a spe- cies of granite, different from that which composes the neighbouring mountains." Mr. Anderson having, with his letter to Sir John Pringle, also sent home a specimen of the rock, it was examined by Sir Wil- liam Hamilton, whose opinion is, that " this singular, immense fragment of granite, most probably has been raised by a volcanic explosion, or some such cause" See his Letter to Sir John Prin- gle, annexed to Mr. Anderson's, in the Philosophical Transactions, VOL. V. K 130 COOK'S VOYAGE TO NOV. alogists, Saturn conglutinatum, and consists chiefly of pieces of coarse quartz and glimmer, held together by a clayey cement. But the vein which crosses it, though of the same materials, is much compacter. This vein is not above a foot broad or thick; and its surface is cut into little squares or oblongs, disposed obliquely, which makes it look like the remains of some artifical work. But I could not observe whether it penetrated far into the large rock, or was only superficial. In descending, we found at its foot a very rich black mould ; and on the sides of the hills, some trees of a considerable size, natives of the place, which are a species of olea.* In the morning on the 20th, we set out from the Pearl; and going a different road from that by which we came, passed through a country, wholly uncul- tivated, till we got to the Tyger hills, when some tolerable corn-fields appeared. At noon, we stopped in a hollow for refreshment ; but, in walking about here, were plagued with a vast number of musquitoes or sand-flies, which were the first I saw in the coun- try. In the afternoon we set out again, and in the evening arrived at the Cape Town, tired with the jolting waggon." On the 23d, we got on board the observatory, * It is strange that neither Kolben nor de la Caille should have thought the Tower of Babylon worthy of a particular description. The former vol. ii. p. 52, 53, English Translation,] only men- tions it as a high mountain. The latter contents himself with tel- ling us, that it is a very low hillock, un tres-bas monticule. Voyage tie la Caille, p. 341. We are much obliged to Mr. Anderson for his very accurate account of this remarkable rock, which agrees with Mr. Sonnerat's, who was at the Cape of Good Hope so late as 1781. His words are, " La Montagne de la Perle, merite d'etre observee. C'est un des plus hautes des environs du Cap. Elle n'est composee que d'un seul bloc de granit crevasse dans plusieurs endroits." Voyage aux Indes, torn. ii. p. 91. Mr. Sonnerat tells us, that Mr. Gordon, commander of the troops at the Cape, had lately made three journies up the country, from which, when he publishes his Journal, we may expect much curious information. 1776. THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 131 clock, &c. By a mean of the several results of the equal altitudes of the sun, taken with the astronom- ical quadrant, the astronomical clock was found to lose on sidereal time, V 8", 368 each day. The pen- dulum was kept at the same length as at Greenwich, where the daily loss of the clock on sidereal time, was 4". The watch, by the mean of the results of fifteen days' observations, was found to be losing 2" 261, on mean time, each day ; which is 1" 052 more than at Greenwich : and on the 21st, at noon, she was too slow for mean time by l h 20'57" 66. From this, 6' 48", 956, is to be subtracted, for what she was too slow on the 11th of June at Greenwich, and her daily rate since; and the remainder, viz. l h 14/ 08" 70*, or 18 M' 10", will be the longitude of the Cape Town by the watch. Its true longitude, as found by Messrs. Mason and Dixon, is 18 23' 15". As our observations were made about half a mile to the east of theirs, the error of the watch, in longitude, is no more than 8' 25". Hence we have reason to con- clude, that she had gone well all the way from Eng- land, and that the longitude, thus given, may be nearer the truth than any other. If this be admitted, it will, in a great measure, enable me to find the direction and strength of the currents we met with on this passage from England. For, by comparing the latitude and longitude by dead reckoning, with those by observation and the watch, we shall from time to time, have, very accu- rately, the error of the ship's reckoning, be the cause what it will. But as all imaginable care was taken in having and keeping the log, and every necessary allowance made for lee-way, heave of the sea, and other such circumstances, I cannot attribute those errors that did happen, to any other cause but cur- rents ; but more particularly when the error was constantly the same way, for several days succes- sively. k2 13f2 cook's voyage to not. On the contrary, if we find the ship ahead of the reckoning on one day, and astern of it on another, we have reason to believe that such errors are owing to accidental causes, and not to currents. This seems to have been the case in our passage between England and Teneriffe. But, from the time of our leaving that island, till the 15th of August, being then in the latitude of 12 N., and longitude 24 W., ,the ship was carried 1 20' of longitude to the westward of her reckoning. At this station, the currents took a contrary direction, and set to E. S. E., at the rate of twelve or fourteen miles a day, or twenty-four hours, till we arrived into the latitude of 5 N., and longitude of 20 W. ; which was our most easterly situation after leaving the Cape de Verde Islands, till we got to the southward. For in this situation the wind came southerly, and we tacked and stretched to the westward ; and for two or three days could not find that our reckoning was affected by any current. So that, I judged, we were between the current that generally, if not con- stantly, sets to the east upon the coast of Guinea, and that w T hich sets to the west towards the coast of Brasil. This westerly current was not considerable till we got into 2 N., and 25 W. From this station, to 3 S. and 30 W., the ship, in the space of four days, was carried one hundred and fifteen miles in the direction of S. W. by W., beyond her reckoning ; an error by far too great to have any other cause but a strong current running in the same direction. Nor did its strength abate here ; but its course was, afterward, more westerly, and to the N. of W. ; and off' Cape Augustine, north, as I have already mentioned. But this northerly current did not exist at twenty or thirty leagues to the southward of that Cape, nor any other, that I could perceive, in the remaining part of the passage. The little dif- ference we afterward found between the reckoning 37?6- THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 133 and observations, might very well happen without the assistance of currents ; as will appear by the Table of Days' Works. In the account of my last voyage *, I remarked, that the currents one meets with in this passage generally balance each other. It happened so then; because we crossed the line about 20 more to the eastward than we did now ; so that we were, of consequence, longer under the influence of the east- erly current, which made up for the westerly one. And this, I apprehend, will generally be the case, if you cross the line 10 or 15 to the east of the meridian of St. Jago. From these remarks I shall draw the following conclusion, that, after passing the Cape de Verde Island, if you do not make above 4 or 5 easting, and cross the line in, or to the westward of, the meridian of St. Jago, you may expect to find your ship 3 or 4 to the westward of her reckoning, by the time you get into the latitude of 10 S. If, on the other hand, you keep well to the east, and cross the line 15 or 20 to the east of St. Jago, you will be then as much to the east of your reckoning; and the more you keep to the eastward, the greater will be your error ; as has been experienced by some India ships, whose people have found themselves close upon the coast of Angola, when they thought its distance w r as above two hundred leagues. During the whole of our passage from England, no opportunity was admitted of observing, with all the attention and accuracy that circumstances would permit, the variation of the compass, which I have inserted in a table, with the latitude and longitude of the ship at the time of observation. As the lon- gitude may be depended upon, to a quarter or half a degree at most, this table will be of use to those navigators who correct their reckoning by the varia- * Vol. III. p. 35. k 3 VS4t cook's voyage to no v. tion. It will also enable Mr. Dun to correct his new Variation Chart, a thing very much wanted. It seems strange to me, that the advocates for the variation should not agree amongst themselves. We find one # of them telling us, as I have already ob- served, that with 8 west variation, or any thing above that, you may venture to sail by the Cape de Verde Islands, by night or day, being well assured, with that variation, that you are to the eastward of them. Another, in his chart t, lays down this varia- tion ninety leagues to the westward of them. Such a disagreement as this, is a strong proof of the uncer- tainty of both. However, I have no doubt, the former found here, as well as in other places, the varia- tion he mentions. But he should have considered, that at sea, nay even on land, the results of the most accurate observations will not always be the same. Different compasses will give different variations ; and even the same compass will differ from itself two degrees, without our being able to discover, much Jess to remove, the cause. Whoever imagines he can find the variation within a degree, will very often see himself much deceived. For, besides the imperfection which may be in the construction of the instrument, or in the power of the needle, it is certain that the motion of the ship, or attraction of the ironwork, or some other cause not yet discovered, will frequently occasion far greater errors than this. That the variation may be found, with a share of accuracy more than sufficient to determine the ship's course, is allowed ; but that it can be found so exactly as to fix the longitude within a degree, or sixty miles, I absolutely deny. * Nichelson. . f Mr. Dun. 17?6. XKE PACIFIC OCEAN'. 135 CHAP. IV. THE TWO SHIPS LEAVE THE CAPE OF GOOD HOPE. TWO ISLANDS, NAMED PRINCE EDWARD'S, SEEN, AND THEIR APPEARANCE DESCRIBED. KERGUELEn's LAND VISITED. ARRIVAL IN CHRISTMAS HARBOUR. OCCURRENCES THERE. DESCRIPTION OF IT. After the disaster which happened to our sheep, it may be well supposed I did not trust those that remained long on shore ; but got them, and the other cattle, on board as fast as possible. I also added to my original stock, by purchasing two young bulls, two heifers, two young stone-horses, two mares, two rams, several ewes and goats, and some rabbits and poultry. All of them were intended for New Zealand, Otaheite, and the neighbouring islands, or any other places, in the course of our voyage, where there might be a prospect that the leaving any of them would be useful to posterity. Towards the latter end of November, the calkers had finished their work on board the Discovery, and she had received all her provisions and water. Of the former, both ships had a supply sufficient for two years and upwards. And every other article we could think of, necessary for such a voyage, that could be had at the Cape, was procured ; neither knowing when, or where, we might come to a place where we could furnish ourselves so well. Having given Captain Clerke a copy of my in- structions, and an order directing him how to pro- ceed in case of separation ; in the morning of the 30th, we repaired on board. At five in the after- noon, a breeze sprung up at S. E., with which we weighed, and stood out of the bay. At nine it fell k 4 136 cook's voyage to dec. calm, and we anchored between Penguin Island and the east shore, where we lay till three o'clock next morning. We then weighed and put to sea, with a light breeze at south ; but did not get clear of the land till the morning of the 3d, when with a fresh gale at W. N. W., we stood to the S. E. to get more into the way of these winds. On the oth, a sudden squall of wind carried away the Resolution's mizen top-mast. Having another to replace it, the loss was not felt ; especially as it was a bad stick, and had often complained. On the 6th, in the evening, being then in the latitude of 39 14' S., and in the longitude of 23 5& E., we passed through several small spots of water of red- dish colour. Some of this w 7 as taken up ; and it was found to abound with a small animal, which the mi- croscope discovered to be like a cray-fish, of a red- dish hue. We continued our course to the south-east, with a very strong gale from the westward, followed by a mountainous sea ; which made the ship roll and tum- ble exceedingly, and gave us a great deal of trouble to preserve the cattle we had on board. Notwith- standing all our care, several goats, especially the males, died ; and some sheep. This misfortune was, in a great measure, owing to the cold, which we now began most sensibly to feel. On the 12th, at noon* we saw land extending from S. E. by S. to S. E. by E.- Upon a nearer approach, we found it to be two islands. That which lies most to the south, and is also the largest, 1 judged to be about fifteen leagues in circuit; and to be in the latitude of 46 53' S., and in the longi- tude of 37 46' E. The most northerly one is about nine leagues in circuit ; and lies in the latitude of 46 40' S., and in 38 8' E. longitude. The distance from the one to the other is about five leagues. We passed through this channel, at equal distance from both islands ; and could not discover, with the i 1776- THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 137 assistance of our best glasses, either tree or shrub on either of them. They seemed to have a rocky and bold shore; and, excepting the south-east parts, where the land is rather low and flat, a surface composed of barren mountains, which rise to a considerable height, and whose summits and sides were covered with snow, which in many places seemed to be of a considerable depth. The south-east parts had a much greater quantity on them than the rest ; owing probably, to the sun acting for a less space of time on these than on the north and north-west parts. The ground, where it was not hid by the snow, from the various shades it exhibited, may be supposed to be covered with moss, or, perhaps, such a coarse grass as is found in some parts of Falkland's Islands. On the north side of each of the islands is a detached rock : that near the south island is shaped like a tower, and seemed to be at some distance from the shore. As we passed along, a quantity of sea-weed was seen, and the colour of the water indicated soundings. But there was no appearance of an inlet, unless near the rock just mentioned ; and that, from its smallness, did not promise a good anchoring- place. These two islands, as also four others which lie from nine to twelve degrees of longitude more to the east, and nearly in the same latitude, were discover- ed, as I have mentioned in my late voyage*, by Captains Marion du Fresne, and Crozet, French na- vigators, in January 1772, on their passage in two ships from the Cape of Good Hope to the Philippine Islands. As they have no names in the French chart of the southern hemisphere, which Captain Crozet communicated to me in 177<5t, I shall distinguish * See Vol. IV. p. 24-3. These islands are there said to be in the latitude of 48 S., that is, two degrees farther south, than what here appears to be their real position. f See Vol. IV. as above. Dr. Forster, in his observations made during that voyage, p. 30* 3 gives us this description of the chart 138 cook's voyage to dec. the two we now saw, by calling them Prince Ed- ward's Islands, after his Majesty's fourth son ; and the other four, by the name of Marion's and Crozet's Islands, to commemorate their discoveries. We had now, for the most part, strong gales be- tween the north and west, and but very indifferent weather; not better, indeed, than we generally have in England in the very depth of winter, though it was now the middle of summer in this hemisphere. Not discouraged, however, by this, after leaving Prince Edward's Islands, I shaped our course to pass to the southward of the others, that I might get into the latitude of the land discovered by Monsieur de Kerguelen. I had applied to the Chevalier de Borda, whom, as I have mentioned, I found at Teneriffe, request- ing, that if he knew any thing of the island dis- covered by Monsieur de Kerguelen, between the Cape of Good Hope and New Holland, he would be so obliging as to communicate it to me. Accord- ingly, just before we sailed from Santa Cruz Bay, he sent me the following account of it, viz. " That the pilot of the Boussole, who was in the voyage with Monsieur de Kerguelen, had given him the latitude and longitude of a little island, which Monsieur de Kerguelen called the Isle of Rendezvous, and which lies not far from the great island which he saw. Latitude of the little isle, by seven observations, 48 26' south ; longitude, by seven observations of the distance of the sun and moon, 64 57' east from Paris." I was very sorry I had not sooner known that there was on board the frigate a t Tene- riffe an officer who had been with Monsieur de Ker- guelen, especially the pilot ; because from him I then communicated by Monsieur Crozet; that it was published under the patronage of the Duke de Croye, by Robert de Vaugondy. Captain Cook tells us lower in this chapter that it was published m 1773. 1776. THE PACIFIC OCEAN. IS[) might have obtained more interesting information about this land than the situation alone, of which I was not before entirely ignorant. * * Captain Cook's proceedings, as related in the remaining part of this chapter, and in the next, being upon a coast newly dis- covered by the French, it could not but be an object of his atten- tion to trace the footsteps of the original explorers. But no superiority of professional skill, nor diligence in exerting it, could possibly qualify him to do this successfully, without possessing, at the same time, full and authentic intelligence of all that had been performed here by his predecessors in the discovery. But that he was not so fortunate as to be thus sufficiently instructed, will appear from the following facts, which the reader is requested to attend to, before he proceeds to the perusal of this part of the journal. How very little was known, with any precision, about the oper- ations of Kerguelen, when Captain Cook sailed in 1776, may be inferred from the following paragraph of his instructions : " You are to proceed in search of some islands said to have been lately seen by the French in the latitude of 4-8 S., and in the meridian of Mauritius."* This was, barely, the amount of the very inde- finite and imperfect information, which Captain Cook himself had received from Baron Plettenberg at the Cape of Good Hope, in November 1772 f; in the beginning of which year Kerguelen's first voyage had taken place. The Captain, on his return homeward, in March 1775, heard, a second time, something about this French discovery at the Cape, where he met with Monsieur Crozet, who very obligingly commu- nicated to him a chart of the southern hemisphere, wherein were delineated not only his own discoveries, but also that of Captain Kerguelen.^ But what little information that chart could convey, was still necessarily confined to the operations of the first voyage ; the chart here referred to, having been published in France in 1773; that is, before any intelligence could possibly be conveyed from the southern hemisphere of the result of Kerguelen's second visit to this new land ; which we now know happened towards the close of the same year. Of these latter operations, the only account (if that can be called an account which conveys no particular information) re- ceived by Captain Cook from Monsieur Crozet was, that a later voyage had been undertaken by the French, under the command of Captain Kerguelen, which had ended much to the disgrace of that commander. What Crozet had 7iot communicated to our author, and what * See the Instructions in the Introduction. f See Vol. in. p. 36. . J Vol. IV. p, 243. Vol. IV. p. 244. o 140 COOKS VOYAGE TO DEC. My instructions directing me to examine it, with a view to discover a good harbour, I proceeded in we are sure, from a variety of circumstances, he had never heard of from any other quarter, he missed an opportunity of learning at TenerifFe. He expresses his being sorry, as we have just read, that he did not know sooner that there tvas on board the frigate an officer xvho had been tvith Kerguelen, as he might have obtained from )um more interesting information about this land than its situation. And, indeed, if he had conversed with that officer he might have obtained information more interesting than he was aware of; he might have learnt that Kerguelen had actually visited this southern land a second time, and that the little isle of which he then re- ceived the name and position from the Chevalier de Borda, was a discovery of this later voyage. But the account conveyed to him being, as the reader will observe, unaccompanied with any date, or other distinguishing circumstance, he left TenerifFe, and arrived on the coasts of Kerguelen's Land, under a full persuasion that it had been visited only once before. And, even with regard to the operations of that first voyage, he had nothing to guide him, but the very scanty materials afforded to him by Baron Plettenberg and Monsieur Crozet. The truth is, the French seem, for some reason or other, not surely founded on the importance of Kerguelen's discovery, to have been very shy of publishing a full and distinct account of it. No such account had been published while Captain Cook lived. Nay, even after the return of his ships in 1780, the gentleman who obligingly lent his assistance to give a view of the prior ob- servations of the French, and to connect them on the same chart with those of our author, though his assiduity in procuring geo- graphical information can be equalled only by his readiness in communicating it, had not, it should seem, been able to procure any materials for that purpose, but such as mark the operations of the first French voyage ; and even for these, he was indebted to a MS. drawing. But this veil of unnecessary secrecy is at length drawn aside. Kerguelen himself has, very lately, published the journal of his proceedings in two successive voyages in the years 1772 and 1773 ; and has annexed to his Narrative a chart of the coasts of this land, as far as he had explored them in both voyages. Monsieur de Pages also, much about the same time, favoured us with another account of the second voyage, in some respects fuller than Ker- guelen's own, on board whose ship he was then an officer. From these sources of authentic information we are enabled to draw every necessary material to correct what is erroneous, and to illustrate what, otherwise, would have remained obscure, in this part of Captain Cook's Journal. We shall take occasion to do this in separate notes on the passages as they occur, and conclude 177^* THE PACIFIC OCEAN. Hi the search; and on the 16th, being then in the latitude of 48 45' 9 and in the longitude of 52 E., we saw penguins and divers, and rock- weed floating in the sea. We continued to meet with more or less of these every day, as we proceeded to the eastward; and on the 2 1st, in the latitude of 48 WJ' S., and in the longitude of 65 E., a very large seal was seen. We had now much foggy weather, and, as we ex- pected to fall in with the land every hour, our navigation became both tedious and dangerous. At length, on the 24th, at six o'clock in the morning, as we were steering to the eastward, the fog clearing away a little, we saw land*, bearing S. S. E., which, upon a nearer approach, we found to be an island of considerable height, and about three leagues in circuit, t Soon after, we saw another of the same magnitude, one league to the eastward $ - f this tedious, but, it is hoped, not unnecessary detail of facts, with one general remark, fully expressive of the disadvantages our author laboured under. He never saw that part of the coast upon which the French had been in 1772; and he never knew that they had been upon another part of it in 1773, which was the very scene of his own operations. Consequently, what he knew of the former voyage, as delineated upon Crozet's chart, only served to perplex and mislead his judgment ; and his total ignorance of the latter, put it out of his power to compare his own observations with those then made by Kerguelen ; though we, who are better instructed, can do this, by tracing the plainest marks of coincidence and agreement. * Captain Cook was not the orginal discoverer of these small islands which he now fell in with. It is certain that they had been seen and named by Kerguelen, on his second voyage, in December, 1773. Their position, relatively to each other, and to the adjoin- ing coasts of the greater land, as represented on the annexed chart, bears a striking resemblance to Kerguelen's delineation of them; whose chart, however, the public may be assured, was un- known in England till after our's had been engraved. \ This is the isle to which Kerguelen gave the name of Croy or Crouy. Besides delineating it upon his chart, he has added a particular view of it, exactly corresponding with Captain Cook's account of its being of considerable height. ^ Kerguelen called this Isle Rolland, after the name of his own ship. There is also a particular view of it on the French chart. 142 cook's voyage to dec. and between these two, in the direction of S. E., some smaller ones.* In the direction of S. by E. E., from the E. end of the first island, a third t high island was seen. At times, as the fog broke away, we had the appearance of land over the small islands; and I had thoughts of steering for it, by running in between them. But, on drawing near, I found this would be a dangerous attempt, while the weather continued foggy. For, if there should be no passage, or if we should meet with any sudden danger, it would have been impossible for us to get oft'; the wind being right astern, and a prodigious sea run- ing, that broke on all the shores in a frightful surf. At the same time, seeing another island in the N. E. direction, and not knowing but that there might be more, I judged it prudent to haul off, and wait for clearer weather, lest we should get intangled amongst unknown lands in a thick fog. We did but just weather the island last mentioned. It is a high round rock, which was named Bligh's Cap. Perhaps this is the same that Monsieur de Kerguelen called the Isle of Rendezvous $ ; but I know nothing that can rendezvous at it, but fowls of the air; for it is certainly inaccessible to every other animal. At eleven o'clock the weather began to clear up, * The observations of the French and English navigators agree exactly, as to the position of these smaller isles. + The situation of Kerguelen's Isle de Clugny, as marked on hia chart, shows it to be the third high island seen by Captain Cook. ^ This isle, or rock, was the single point about which Captain Cook had received the least information at Teneriffe ; and we may observe how sagacious he was in tracing it. What he could only speak of as probable, a comparison of his chart with that lately published by Kerguelen, proves to be certain; and if he had even read and copied what his predecessors in the discovery says of it, he could scarcely have varied his account of its shape. Kergue- len's words are, ** Isle de Reunion, qui n'est qu'une roche, nous servoit de rendezvous, ou de point de ralliement ; et resemble ^ un coin de mire*' J77& THE PACIFIC OCEAX. 143 and we immediately tacked, and steered in for the tend. At noon we had a pretty good observation, which enabled us to determine the latitude of Bligh's Cap, which is the northermost island, to be 48 29' S., and its longitude 68 40' B.* We passed it at three o'clock, standing to the S. S. E., with a fresh gale at W. Soon after we saw the land, of which we had a faint view in the morning; and at four o'clock it extended from S. E. * E., to S. W. by S., distant about four miles. The left extreme, which I judged to be the northeren point of this land called, in the French chart of the southern hemisphere, Cape St. Louis t , terminated in a perpendicular rock of a considerable height; and the right one (near which * The French and English agree very nearly (as might be ex- pected) in their accounts of the latitude of this island; but the observations by which they fix its longitude, vary considerably. The pilot at Teneriffe made it only 64 57' E. from Paris, which is about 67 16' E. from London; or 1 24' more- westerly than Captain Cook's observations fix it. Monsieur de Pages says it is 66 47' E. from Paris, that is 69 6' E. from London, or twenty-six miles more easterly than it is placed by Captain Cook. Kerguelen himself only says that it is about 68 of E. longitude, par 68 de longitude. f Hitherto, we have only had occasion to supply defects, owing to Captain Cook's entire ignorance of Kerguelen's second voyage in 1773; we must now correct errors, owing to his very limited knowledge of the operations of the first voyage in 1772. The chart of the southern hemisphere, his only guide, having given him, as he tells us, the name of Cape St. Louis (or Cape Louis) as the most northerly promontory then seen by the French ; and his own ob- servations now satisfying him that uo part of the main land stretched further N. than the left extreme now before him ; from this supposed similarity of situation, he judged that his own perpendicular rock must be the Cape Lewis of the first discoverers. By looking upon our chart, we shall find Cape Louis lying upon a very different part of the coast ; and by comparing this chart with that lately published by Kerguelen, it will appear, in the clearest manner, that the northern point now described by Captain Cook, is the very same to which the French have given the name of Cape Francois. 144 cook's voyage to dec. is a detached rock) in a high indented point.* From this point the coast seemed to turn short round to the southward; for we could see no land to the westward of the direction in which it now bore to us, but the islands we had observed in the morning; the most southerly t of them lying nearly W. from the point, about two or three leagues distant. About the middle of the land there appeared to be an inlet, for which we steered ; but, on approaching, found it was only a bending on the coast, and there- fore bore up, to go round Cape St. Louis, t Soon after, land opened off the Cape, in the direction of S. 53 E., and appeared to be a point at a consider- able distance ; for the trending of the coast from the Cape was more southerly. We also saw several rocks and islands to the eastward of the above direc- tions, the most distant of which was about seven leagues from the Cape, bearing S. 88 E. We had no sooner got off the Cape, than we ob- served the coast, to the southward, to be much in- dented by projecting points and bays ; so that we now made sure of soon finding a good harbour. Accord- ingly, we had not run a mile farther, before we dis- covered one behind the Cape, into which we began to ply ; but after making one board, it fell calm, and we anchored at the entrance, in forty-five fathoms * This right extreme of the coast, as it now showed itself to Captain Cook, seems to be what is represented on Kerguelen's chart under the name of Cape Aubert. It may be proper to observe here, that all that extent of coast lying between Cape Louis and Cape Francois, of which the French saw very little dur- ing their first visit in 1772, and may be called the N. W. side of this land, they had it in their power to trace the position of in 1773, and have assigned names to some of its bays, rivers, and promon- tories, upon their chart. f Kerguelen's Isle de Clugny. | Cape Francois, as already observed. The observations of the French, round Cape Francois, remark- ably coincide with Captain Cook's in this paragraph; and the rocks and islands here mentioned by him, also appear upon their chart. 1776 THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 145 water, the bottom black sand ; as did the Discovery soon after. I immediately dispatched Mr. Bligh, the master, in a boat to sound the harbour ; who, on his return, reported it to be safe and commodious, with good anchorage in every part ; and great plenty of fresh water, seals, penguins, and other birds, on the shore ; but not a stick of wood. While we lay at anchor, we observed that the flood-tide came from the south-east, running two knots, at least, in an hour. At day-break, in the morning of the 2.5th, we weighed with a gentle breeze at west ; and having wrought into the harbour, to within a quarter of a mile of the sandy beach at its head, we anchored in eight fathoms' water, the bottom a fine dark sand. The Discovery did not get in till two o'clock in the afternoon ; when Captain Clerke informed me, that he had narrowly escaped being driven on the south point of the harbour, his anchor having started before they had time to shorten in the cable. This obliged them to set sail, and drag the anchor after them, till they had room to heave it up ; and then they found one of its palms was broken off. As soon as we had anchored, I ordered all the boats to be hoisted out ; the ship to be moored with a kedge-anchor ; and the water-casks to be got ready to send on shore. In the mean time I landed, to look for the most convenient spot where they might be filled, and to see what else the place afforded. I found the shore, in a manner, covered with pen- guins and other birds, and seals. These latter were not numerous, but so insensible of fear (which plainly indicated that they were unaccustomed to such visitors), that we killed as many as we chose, for the sake of their fat or blubber, to make oil for our lamps, and other uses. Fresh water was in no less plenty than were birds ; for every gully afforded a large stream. But not a single tree or shrub, nor the least sign of any, was to be discovered, and but very little herbage of any sort. The appearances, as vol. v. L cook's voyage to dec. we sailed into the harbour, had flattered us with the hope of meeting with something considerable grow- ing here, as we observed the sides of many of the hills to be of a lively green. But I now found that this was occasioned by a single plant, which, with the other natural productions, shall be described in another place. Before I returned to my ship, I ascended the first ridge of rocks, which rise in a kind of amphitheatre above one another. I was in hopes, by this means, of obtaining a view of the country ; but before I reached the top, there came on so thick a fog, that I could hardly find my way down again. In the evening, we hauled the seine at the head of the harbour, but caught only half-a-dozen small fish. We had no better success next day, when we tried with hook and line. So that our only resource here, for fresh provisions, were birds, of which there was an inexhaustible store. The morning of the 26th proved foggy, with rain. However, we went to work to fill water, and to cut grass for our cattle, which we found in small spots near the head of the harbour. The rain which fell swelled all the rivulets to such a degree, that the sides of the hills, bounding the harbour, seemed to be covered with a sheet of water. For the rain, as it fell, ran into the fissures and crags of the rocks that composed the interior parts of the hills, and was precipitated down their sides in prodigious torrents. The people having wrought hard the two pre- ceding days, and nearly completed our water, which we filled from a brook at the left corner of the beach, I allowed them the 27th, as a day of rest, to celebrate Christmas. Upon this indulgence, many of them went on shore, and made excursions, in different directions, into the country, which they found bar- ren and desolate in the highest degree. In the even- ing, one of them brought to me a quart-bottle which he had found, fastened with some wire to a projecting rock on the north side of the harbour. This bottle 177& THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 147 contained apiece of parchment, on which was written the following inscription : Ludovico XV. Galliarum rege, et d* de Boynes regi a Secretis ad res maritimas annis 177^ ct 1773. From this inscription, it is clear, that we were not the first Europeans who had been in this harbour. I supposed it to be left by Monsieur de Boisguehenneu, who went on shore in a boat, on the 13th of Feb- ruary, 1772, the same day that Monsieur de Ker- guelen discovered this land ; as appears by a note in the French chart of the southern hemisphere, published the following year, t * The (egin to contract ; and eight fathoms up, near the bottom of the harbour. To these particulars, which throw abundant light on this part of our author's Journal, I shall only add, that the distance of our harbour from that where Boisguehenneu landed, in 1772, is forty leagues. For this we have the authority of Kerguelen, in the following passage: "Monsieur de Boisguehenneu descendit le 13 " de Fevrier, 1772, dans un baie, qu il nomme Baie du Lion Marin, " et prit possession de cette terre au nom de Roi ; il n'y vit aucune " trace d'habitants. Monsieur de Rochegude, en 1774-, a descendu " dans un autre baie, que nous avons nomme Baie de l'Oiseau, et " cette seconde rade est a quarantes lieues de la premiere. II en " a egalement pris possession, et il n'y trouva egalement aucune " trace d'habitants.'* Kerguelen, p. 92. * Cap Francois, for reasons already assigned. \ If there could be the least doubt remaining of the identity of the Baie de l'Oiseau, and Christmas Harbour, the circumstance of the perforated rock, which divides it from another bay to the south, would amount to a strict demonstration. For Monsieur de Pages had observed this discriminating mark before Captain Cook. His words are as follow : " L'on vit que la ctke de Test, voisine du i3 >o 150 cook's voyage to dec. mark within, from a single stone or rock, of a vast size, which lies on the top of a hill on the south side, near its bottom ; and opposite this, on the north side, there is another hill, much like it, but smaller. There is a small beach at its bottom, where we com- monly landed; and, behind it, some gently rising ground, on the top of which is a large pool of fresh water. The land on both sides of the inlet is high, and it runs in west, and W. N. W., about two miles. Its breadth is one mile and a quarter, for more than half its length ; above which, it is only half a mile. The depth of water, which is forty-five fathoms at the entrance, varies, as we proceed farther in, from thirty to five and four fathoms, as marked upon the plan. The shores are steep ; and the bottom is every where a fine dark sand, except in some places close to the shore, where there are beds of sea-weed, which always grows on rocky ground. The head of the harbour lies open only to two points of the compass ; and even these are covered by islands in the offing, so that no sea can fall in to hurt a ship. The appear- ances on shore confirmed this ; for we found grass growing close to high-water mark, which is a sure sign of a pacific harbour.* It is high water here, at " Cap Francois, avoit deux baies ; elles etoient separees par une ** pointe tres-reconnoissable par sa forme, qui representoit une porte " cochere, au travers de laquelle Von voyoit lejour" Voyages du M. de Pages, vol. ii. p. 67. Every one knows how exactly the form of a porte coch'ere, or arched gateway, corresponds with that of the arch of a bridge. It is very satisfactory to find the two navigators, neither of whom knew any thing of the other's descrip- tion, adopting the same idea ; which both proves that they had the same uncommon object before their eyes, and that they made an accurate report. * In the last note, we saw how remarkably Monsieur de Pages and Captain Cook agree about the appearance of the south point of the harbour ; I shall here subjoin another quotation from the former, containing his account of the harbour itself, in which the reader may trace the same distinguishing features observed by Captain Cook in the foregoing paragraph. " Le 6, Ton mit a terre dans la premiere baie a. Test du Cap "Francois, et Ton prit possession de ces contrees. Ce mouillage 177^' THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 151 the full and change days, about ten o'clock ; and the tide rises and falls about four feet. After I had finished this business of the inscription, I went, in my boat, round the harbour, and landed in several places, to examine what the shore afforded; and, particularly, to look for drift wood. For, al- though the land here was totally destitute of trees, this might not be the case in other parts ; and if there were any, the torrents would force some, or, at least, some branches, into the sea, which would afterward throw them upon the shores ; as in all other countries where there is wood, and in many where there is none : but, throughout the whole extent of the har- bour, I found not a single piece. In the afternoon, I went upon Cape St. Louis*, accompanied by Mr. King, my second lieutenant. I was in hopes, from this elevation, to have had a view of the sea-coast, and of the islands lying off it. But, when I got up, I found every distant object below me hid in a thick fog. The land on the same plain, or of a greater height, was visible enough, and appeared naked and desolate in the highest degree ; consiste en une petite rade,-qui a environs quatres encablures, ou quatre cents toises de profondeur, sur un tiers en sus de largeur. 4< En dedans de cette rade est un petit port, dont l'entree, de quatres encablures de largeur, presente au sud-est. La sonde de la petite rade est depuis quarante-cinq jusqu'a trente brasses ; et celle du port depuis seize jusqu'a huit. Le fond dee deux est " de sable noir et vaseux. La cote des deux bords est haute, ct 4< par une pente tres-rude ; elle est couverte de verdure, et il y a une quantite prodigieuse d'outardes. Le fond du port est occupe par un monticule qui laisse entre lui, et la mer une plage de sable. Une petite riviere, -de tres-bonne eau, coule a la mer dans cet " endroit ; et elle est fournie par un lac qui est un peu au loin, au- " dessus du monticule. II y avoit sur la plage beaucoup de pin- *' guoins et de lions marins. Ces deux especes d'animaux ne ' fuyoient pas, et Ton augura que le pays n'etoit point habite* ; *' la terre rapportoit de l'herbe large, noire, et bien nourrie, " qui n'avoit cependant que cinque pouces ou plus de hauteur. " L'on ne vit aucun arbre, ni signe d'habitation.'' Voyage du, Monsieur die Pages, torn. ii. p. 69, 70. Cap Francois. h 4 41 it ii tt H 152 cook's voyage to dec. except some hills to the southward, which were covered with snow. When I got on board, I found the launch hoisted in, the ships unmoored, and ready to put to sea; but our sailing was deferred till five o'clock the next morning, when we weighed anchor. 177& THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 153 CHAP. V. DEPARTURE FROM CHRISTMAS HARBOUR. RANGE ALONG THE COAST, TO DISCOVER ITS POSITION AND EXTENT. SEVERAL PROMONTORIES AND BAYS, AND A PENINSULA, DESCRIBED AND NAMED. DANGER FROM SHOALS. AN- OTHER HARBOUR AND A SOUND. MR. ANDERSON^ OB- SERVATIONS ON THE NATURAL PRODUCTIONS, ANIMALS, SOIL, &C. OF KERGUELEN'S LAND. jtVs soon as the ships were out of Christmas Harbour, we steered S. E. i S., along the coast, with a fine breeze at N. N. W., and clear weather. This we thought the more fortunate, as, for some time past, fogs had prevailed, more or less, every day ; and the continuance of them would have defeated our plan of extending Kerguelen's discovery. We kept the lead constantly going; but seldom struck ground with a line of fifty or sixty fathoms. About seven or eight o'clock, we were off a pro- montory, which I called Cape Cumberland. It lies a league and a half from the south point of Christmas Harbour, in the direction of S. E. - S. Between them is a bay with two arms, both of which seemed to afford good shelter for shipping. Off Cape Cum- berland is a small but pretty high island, on the summit of which is a rock like a sentry-box, which occasioned our giving that name to the island. Two miles farther to the eastward, lies a groupe of small islands and rocks, with broken ground about them; we sailed between these and Sentry-Box Island, the channel being a full mile broad, and more than forty fathoms deep; for we found no bottom with that length of line. Being through this channel, we discovered, on the 154 cook's voyage to dec. south side of Cape Cumberland, a bay, running in three leagues to the westward. It is formed by this Cape to the N., and by a promontory to the S., which I named Point Pringle, after my good friend Sir John Pringle, President of the Royal Society. The bottom of this bay was called Cumberland Bay; and it seemed to be disjoined from the sea, which washes the N. W. coast of this country, by a narrow neck of land. Appearances, at least, favoured such a conjecture. To the southward of Point Pringle, the coast is formed into a fifth bay; of which this point is the northern extreme ; and from it, to the southern extreme, is about four miles in the direction of S. S. E. i- E. In this bay, which obtained the name of White Bay, on account of some white spots of land or rocks in the bottom of it, are several lesser bays or coves, which seemed to be sheltered from all winds. Off the S. point are several rocks which raise their heads above water, and, probably, many more that do not. Thus far our course was in a direction parallel to the coast, and not more than two miles from it. Thither our glasses were continually pointed ; and we could easily see that, except the bottoms of the bays and coves, which, for the most part, terminated in sandy beaches, the shores were rocky, and, in many places, swarmed with birds; but the country had the same barren and naked appearance as in the neighbourhood of Christmas Harbour. We had kept on our larboard bow the land which first opened off Cape St. Louis *, in the direction of S. 53 E., thinking that it was an island, and that we should find a passage between it and the main. We now discovered this to be a mistake; and found that it was a peninsula, joined to the rest of the coast by a low isthmus. I called the bay, formed by this penin- * Cap Frun^oib. 1776. THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 155 sula, Repulse Bay; and a branch of it seemed to run a good way inland towards the S. S. W. Leaving this, we steered for the northern point of the penin- sula, which we named Howe's Foreland, in honour of Admiral Lord Howe. As we drew near it, we perceived some rocks and breakers near the N. W. part; and two islands a league and a half to the eastward of it, which, at first, appeared as one. I steered between them and the Foreland*, and was in the middle of the channel by noon. At that time our latitude, by observation, was 48 51' S., and we had made twenty-six miles of E. longitude from Cape St. Louis, t From this situation, the most advanced land to the southward bore S. E. ; but the trending of the coast from the foreland was more southerly. The islands which lie ofFChrismas Harbour bore N.; and the N. point of the foreland, N. 60 W., distant three miles. The land of this peninsula, or foreland, is of a moderate height, and of a hilly and rocky substance. The coast is low, with rocky- points shooting out from it; between which points are little coves, with sandy beaches; and these, at this time, were mostly covered with sea birds. We also saw upon them some seals. As soon as we were clear of the rocks and islands before mentioned, I gave orders to steer S. E. by S., along the coast. But before these orders could be carried into execution, we discovered the whole sea before us to be chequered with large beds of rock- * Though Kerguelen's ships, in 1773, did not venture to explore this part of the coast, Monsieur de Pages' account of it answers well to Captain Cook's. " Du 17 au 23, Ton ne prit d'autre con- " noissance que celle de la figure de la cote, qui, courant d'abord " au S. E., et revenant ensuite au N. E., formoit un grand golfe. " 11 etoit occupe" par des brisans et des rochers; il avoit aussi une " isle basse, et assez etendue, et Ton usa d'une bien soigneuse pre- " caution, pour ne pas s'affaler dans ce golfe." Voyage du M* de Pages, torn. ii. p. 67. -f Cap Francois. 16 cook's voyage to dec. weed, which we knew to be fast to the bottom, and to grow on rocky shoals. I had often found a great depth of water on such shoals ; and I had as often found rocks that have raised their heads nearly to the surface of the water. It is always dangerous, therefore, to sail over them before they are well examined ; but more especially, when there is no surge of the sea to discover the danger. This was the case at present, for the sea was as smooth as a mill-pond. Consequently we endeavoured to avoid them, by steering through the winding channels by which they were separated. We kept the lead con- tinually going ; but never struck ground with a line of sixty fathoms. This circumstance increased the danger, as we could not anchor, whatever necessity there might be for it. After running in this manner above an hour, we discovered a lurking rock, just even with the surface of the sea. It bore N. E. ^ E., distant three or four miles, and lay in the middle of one of these large beds of weeds. This was a suf- ficient warning to make us use every precaution to prevent our coming upon them. We were now across the mouth of a large bay, that lies about eight miles to the southward of Howe's Foreland. In and before the entrance of this bay are several low islands, rocks, and those beds of sea- weed. But there seemed to be winding channels between them. After continuing our course half an hour longer, we were so much embarrassed with these shoals, that I resolved to haul off to the east- ward, as the likeliest means of extricating ourselves from the danger that threatened us. But so far was this from answering the intended purpose, that it brought us into more. I therefore found it abso- lutely necessary to secure the ships, if possible, in some place before night, especially as the weather had now become hazy, and a fog was apprehended. And seeing some inlets to the south-west of us, I ordered Captain Clerke, as the Discovery drew less water 177^. THE, PACIFIC OCEAN. 15^ than the Resolution, to lead in for the shore ; which was accordingly done. In standing in, it was not possible to avoid running over the edges of some of the shoals, on which we found from ten to twenty fathoms' water ; and the moment we were over, had no ground at the depth of fifty fathoms. After making a few boards to weather a spit that rtin out from an island on our lee, Captain Gierke made the signal for having discovered an harbour; in which, about five o'clock, we an- chored in fifteen fathoms' water, over a bottom of fine dark sand, about three quarters of a mile from the shore ; the north point of the harbour bear- ing N. by E. -- E. one mile distant ; and the small islands in the entrance, within which we anchored, extending from E. to S. E. Scarcely were the ships secured, when it began to blow very strong ; so that we thought it prudent to strike top-gallant yards. The weather, however, continued fair; and the wind dispersing the fog that had settled on the hills, it was tolerably clear also. The moment, therefore, we had anchored, I hoisted out two boats ; in one of which I sent Mr. Bligh, the master, to survey the upper part of the harbour, and look for wood ; for not a shrub was to be seen from the ship. I also desired Captain Clerke to send his master to sound the channel that is on the south side of the small isles, between them and a pretty large island which lies near the south point of the harbour. Having given these directions, I went myself, in my other boat, accompanied by Mr. Gore, my first lieutenant, and Mr. Bailey, and landed on the north point, to see what I could discover from thence. From the highest hill over the point, we had a pretty good view of the sea-coast, as far as Howe's Foreland. It is much indented, and several rocky points seemed to shoot out from it, with coves and inlets of unequal extent. One of the latter, the end 158 COORDS VOYAGE TO DEC. of which I could not see, was disjoined from that in which the ships were at anchor, by the point we then stood upon. A great many small islands, rocks, and breakers appeared scattered along the coast, as well to the southward as northward ; and I saw no better channel to get out of the harbour than by the one through which we had entered it. While Mr. Bailey and I were making the observ- ations, Mr. Gore encompassed the hill ; and joined us by a different route, at the place where I had ordered the boat to wait for us. Except the craggy precipices, we met with nothing to obstruct our walk. For the country was, if possible, more barren and desolate than about Christmas Harbour. And yet, if there be the least fertility in any part of this land, we ought to have found it in this, which is com- pletely sheltered from the predominating bleak southerly and westerly winds. I observed, with re- gret, that there was neither food nor covering for cattle of any sort ; and that, if I left any, they must inevitably perish. In the little cove where the boat waited for us (which I called Penguin Cove, as the beach was covered with these birds,) is a fine rivulet of fresh water, that may be easily come at. Here were also some large seals, shags, and a few ducks ; and Mr. Baily had a transient sight of a very small land bird ; but it flew amongst the rocks, and we lost it. About nine o'clock we got on board. Soon after, Mr. Bligh returned, and reported that he had been four miles up the harbour, and, as he judged, not far from the head of it. He found that its direction was W. S. W. ; and that its breadth, a little above the ships, did not exceed a mile ; but grew narrower towards the head. The soundings were very irregular, being from thirty-seven to ten fathoms ; and, except under the beds of sea-weed, which in many places extended from the shore near half channel over, the bottom was a fine sand. He landed on both shores, which he found barren 177& THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 159 and rocky, without the least signs of tree or shrub, and with very little verdure of any kind. Penguins, and other oceanic birds and seals, occupied part of the coast ; but not in such numbers as at Christmas Harbour. Finding no encouragement to continue our re- searches, and the next morning both wind and weather being favourable, I weighed anchor and put to sea. To this harbour I gave the name of Port Palliser, in honour of my worthy friend Admiral Sir Hugh Palliser. It is situated in the latitude of 49 3' S. in the longitude of 69 37' E., and five leagues from Howe's Foreland, in the direction of S. 2.5 E. There are several islands, rocks, and breakers lying in and without the entrance, for which the annexed chart of the coast, and sketch of the harbour, may be consulted. We went in and out between them and the north head j but I have no doubt that there are other channels. As we were standing out of Port Palliser, we dis- covered a round hill, like a sugar-loaf, in the direc- tion of S. 7- E., about nine leagues distant. It had the appearance of an island lying at some distance from the coast ; but we afterwards found it was upon the main land. In getting out to sea, we had to steer through the winding channels amongst the shoals. However, we ventured to run over some of them, on which we never found less than eighteen fathoms, and often did not strike ground with twenty- four ; so that, had it not been for the sea-weed growing upon all of them, they would not have been discovered. After we had got about three or four leagues from the coast, we found a clear sea, and then steered east till nine o'clock, when the Sugar-loaf hill, above mentioned, which I named Mount Campbell, bore S. E., and a small island that lies to the north- ward of it, S. S. E., distant four leagues. I now 160 COOK'S VOYAGE TO DEC. steered more southerly, in order to get in with the land. At noon, the latitude by double altitudes was 49 8' S. ; and we had made eighty miles of E. lon- gitude from Cape St. Louis.* Mount Campbell bore S. 47 W., distant about four leagues; a low point, beyond which no land was to be seen, bore S. S. E., at the distance of about twenty miles ; and we were about two leagues from the shore. The land here is low and level, t The mountains ending about five leagues from the low point, a great extent of low land is left, on which Mount Campbell is situated, about four miles from the foot of the mountains, and one from the sea-coast. These mountains have a considerable elevation, as also most of the inland ones. They seemed to be composed of naked rocks, whose summits were capt with snow. Nor did the valleys appear to greater advantage. To whatever quarter we directed our glasses, nothing but sterility was to be seen. We had scarcely finished taking the bearings at noon, before we observed low land opening off the low point just mentioned, in the direction of S. S. E., and eight miles beyond it. This new point proved to be the very eastern extremity of this land, and it was named Cape Digby. It is situated in the lati- tude of 49 23' S., and in the longitude of 70 34/ E. Between Howe's Foreland and Cape Digby, the shore forms (besides the several lesser bays and har- bours) one great bay that extends several leagues to the south-west, where it seemed to lose itself in vari- ous arms running in between the mountains. A pro- * Cap Francois. f This part of the coast seems to be what the French saw on the 5th of January, 1774-. Monsieur de Pages speaks of it thus: " Nous reconnumes une nouvelle cote etendue de toute vue dans " Test, et dans le ouest. Les terres de cette cote etoient moins " elevees que celles que nous avions vues jusques ici ; elles Etoient " aussi d'un aspect moins rude." De Pa%es } torn. ii. p. 68. 19 177^. THE PACIFIC OCEAN. l6l digious quantity of sea- weed grows all over it, which seemed to be the same sort of weed that Mr. Banks distinguished by the name of Jucus giganteas.* Some of this weed is of a most enormous length, though the stem is not much thicker than a man's thumb. I have mentioned, that on some of the shoals upon which it grows, we did not strike ground with a line of twenty-four fathoms. The depth of water, there- fore, must have been greater. And as this weed does not grow in a perpendicular direction, but makes a very acute angle with the bottom, and much of it afterwards spreads many fathoms on the surface of the sea, I am well warranted to say, that some of it grows to the length of sixty fathoms and upward. At one o'clock (having run two leagues upon a S. E. i-E. course, from noon) we sounded, and found eighteen fathoms' water, and a bottom of fine sand. Seeing a small bending in the coast, on the north side of Cape Digby, I steered for it. It was my intention to anchor there, if I should find it might be done with safety, and to land on the Cape, to examine what the low land within it produced. After running in one league, we sounded again, and found thirteen fathoms ; and, immediately after, saw a shoal right before us, that seemed to extend off from the shore, from which we were distant about two miles. This discovery obliged us to haul off, E. by S., one league, where our depth of water encreased to twenty-five fathoms. We then steered along shore, and continued in the same depth, over a bottom of fine sand, till Cape Digby bore west, two leagues distant, when we found twenty-six fathoms. After this we did not strike ground, though we tried several times ; but the ship having a good deal of way, ran the line out before the lead could reach the bottom; and being disappointed in my views both of anchoring and of landing, I would not shorten sail, * See Hawkesworth's Collection of Voyages, Vol. ii. p. 42. VOL. V. M 16 cook's voyage to dec. but pushed forward, in order to see as much of the coast as possible before night. From Cape Digby, it trends nearly S. W. by S. for about four or five leagues, or to a low point, to which, in honour of her Majesty, I gave the name of Point Charlotte; and it is the southernmost on the low coast. Six leagues from Cape Digby, in the direction of S. S. W. \ W., is a pretty high projecting point, which was called Prince of Wales's Foreland ; and six leagues beyond that, in the same direction, and in the latitude of 49 54' S., and the longitude of 70 13" E., is the most southerly point of the whole coast, which I distinguished by the name of Cape George, in honour of his Majesty. Between Point Charlotte and Prince of Wales's Foreland, where the country to the south-west began again to be hilly, is a deep inlet, which was called Royal Sound. It runs in west, quite to the foot of the mountains which bound it on the south-west, as the low land before mentioned does on the north. There are islands lying in the entrance, and others higher up, as far as we could distinguish. As we advanced to the south, we observed, on the south- west side of Prince of Wales's Foreland, another in- let into Royal Sound; and it then appeared, that the Foreland was the east point of a large island lying in the mouth of it. There are several small islands in this inlet; and one about a league to the southward of Prince of Wales's Foreland. All the land on the south-west side of Royal Sound, quite to Cape George, is composed of elevated hills, that rise directly from the sea, one behind another, to a considerable height. Most of the sum- mits were capt with snow, and they appeared as naked and barren as any we had seen. The smallest vestige of a tree or shrub was not discoverable, either inland or on the coast ; and, I think, I may venture to pro- nounce that the country produces none. The low land about Cape Digby, when examined through our 1776- THE PAdFIC OCEAN. 163 glasses, resembled the rest of the low land we had before met with ; that is, it appeared to be partly naked, and partly covered with a green turf ; a de- scription of which shall be given in its proper place. The shore is composed of sandy beaches, on which were many penguins and other oceanic birds ; and an immense number of shags kept perpetually flying about the ships as we sailed along. Being desirous of getting the length of Cape George, to be assured whether or no it was the most southerly point of the whole land, I continued to stretch to the south, under all the sail we could carry, till half an hour past seven o'clock; when, seeing no likelihood of accomplishing my design, as the wind had, by this time, shifted to W. S. W., the very di- rection in which we wanted to go, I took the ad- vantage of the shifting of the wind, and stood away from the coast. At this time Cape George bore south 53 W. distant about seven leagues. A small island that lies off* the pitch of the Cape, was the only land we could see to the south of it; and we were farther confirmed that there was no more in that quarter, by a south- west swell which we met as soon as we brought the Cape to bear in this direction. But we have still a stronger proof that no part of this land can extend much, if at all, to the southward of Cape George ; and that is, Captain Furneaux's tract in February 1773, after his separation from me during my late voyage. His log-book is now lying before me ; and I find from it, that he crossed the meridian of this land only about seventeen leagues to the southward of Cape George ; a distance at which it may very well be seen in clear weather. This seems to have been the case w r hen Captain Fur- neaux passed it. For his log-book makes no men- tion of fogs or hazy weather ; on the contrary, it ex- pressly tells us, that, when in this situation, they had it in their power to make observations, both for lati- m 2 164 cook's voyage to dec tude and longitude, on board his ship ; so that, if this land extends farther south than Cape George, it would have been scarcely possible that he should have passed without seeing it. From these circumstances we are able to deter- mine, within a very few miles, the quantity of lati- tude that this land occupies ; which does not much exceed one degree and a quarter. As to its extent from east to west, that still remains undecided. We only know, that no part of it can reach so far to the west as the meridian of 65; because, in 1773, under that meridian, I searched for it in vain. * The French discoverers, with some reason, ima- gined Cape St. Louis t to be the projecting point of a southern continent. The English have since proved that no such continent exists ; and that the land in question is an island of no great extent t; which, * If the French observations, as marked upon Captain Cook's chart, and still more authentically upon that published by their own discoverers, may be depended upon, this land doth not reach so far to the west as the meridian of 68 ; Cape Louis, which is represented as its most westerly point, being laid down by them to the east of that meridian. j- The idea of Cape Louis being this projecting point of a southern continent, must have soon vanished, as Cape Francois, within a year after, was found, by the same discoverer, to lie above one third of a degree farther north upon the same land. But if Kerguelen entertained any such imagination at first, we are sure that, at present, he thinks very differently. This appears from the following explicit declaration of his sentiments, which deserves to be transcribed from his late publication, as it does equal honour to . his candour, and to Captain Cook's abilities. " La terre que j'ai " dcouverte est certainement une isle; puisque le celebre Ca- " pitaine Cook a passe au sud, lors de son premier voyage, sans " rien rencontrer. Je juge meme, que cette isle n'est pas Men " grande. II y a aussi apparence, d'apres le Voyage de Monsieur " Cook, que toute cette etendue de mers meridionales, est semee " d'isles ou de rochers ; mais qu'il n'y a ni continent ni grande " terre." Kerguelen, p. 92. J Kerguelen, as we see in the last note, concurs with Captain Cook as to this. However, he tells us, that he has reason to be- lieve that it is about two hundred leagues in circuit ; and that he was acquainted with about fourscore leagues of its coast. " J'en 177^. THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 1 65 from its sterility, I should, with great propriety, call the Island of Desolation, but that I would not rob Monsieur de Kerguelen of the honour of its bearing his name. * Mr. Anderson, my surgeon, who, as I have already mentioned, had made natural history a part of his studies, lost no opportunity, during the short time we lay in Christmas Harbour, of searching the coun- try in every direction. He afterwards communi- cated to me the observations he made on its natural productions; and I shall insert them here in his own words. " Perhaps no place, hitherto discovered in either connois environs quatre-vingt lieues des cotes ; et j'ai lieu de croire, qu'elle a environ deux cents lieues de circuit." Ker- guelen, ibid. * Some of Monsieur de Kerguelen's own countrymen seem more desirous than we are, to rob him of this honour. It is very remarkable that Monsieur de Pages never once mentions the name of his commander. And, though he takes occasion to enumerate the several French explorers of the southern hemisphere, from Gonneville down to Crozet, he affects to preserve an entire silence about Kerguelen, whose first voyage, in which the discovery of this considerable tract of land was made, is kept as much out of sight, as if it never had taken place. Nay, not satisfied with re- fusing to acknowledge the right of another, he almost assumes it to himself. For, upon a Map of the World annexed to his book, at the spot where the new land is delineated, we read this inscrip- tion : Isles nouvelles Australes vuees par Monsieur de Pages, en 1774. He could scarcely have expressed himself in stronger terms, if he had meant to convey an idea that he was the conduc- tor of the discovery. And yet we know, that he was only a lieu- tenant [enseigne de vaisseau] on board one of the three ships commanded by Kerguelen ; and that the discovery had been already made in a former voyage, undertaken while he was ac- tually engaged in his singular journey round the world. After all, it cannot but be remarked that Kerguelen was pecu- liarly unfortunate, in having done so little to complete what he had begun. He discovered a new land indeed ; but, in two expe- ditions to it, he could not once bring his ships to an anchor upon any part of its coasts. Captain Cook, as we have seen in this, and in the foregoing chapter, had either fewer difficulties to struggle with, or was more successful in surmounting them. M 3 166 cook's voyage to dec. hemisphere, under the same parallel of latitude, af- fords so scanty a field for the naturalist as this barren spot. The verdure which appears, when at a little distance from the shore, would flatter one with the expectation of meeting with some herbage ; but in this we were much deceived. For on landing, we saw that this lively colour was occasioned only by one small plant, not much unlike some sorts of saxi- frage, which grows in large spreading tufts, to a con- siderable way up the hills. It forms a surface of a pretty large texture, and grows on a kind of rotten turf, into which one sinks a foot or two at every step. This turf, dried, might, in cases of necessity, serve for fuel, and is the only thing we met with here that could possibly be applied to this use. " There is another plant, plentifully enough scattered about the boggy declivities, which grows to near the height of two feet, and not much unlike a small cab- bage, when it has shot into seeds. The leaves about the root are numerous, large, and rounded; narrower at the base, and ending in a small point. Those on the stalks are much smaller, oblong, and pointed. The stalks, which are often three or four, all rise separately from the root, and run into long cylindrical heads, composed of small flowers. It has not only the appearance, but the watery acrid taste of the an- tiscorbutic plants, and yet differs materially from the whole tribe ; so that we looked upon it as a produc- tion entirely peculiar to the place. We ate it fre- quently raw, and found it almost like the New Zea- land scurvy-grass. But it seemed to acquire a rank flavour by being boiled ; which, however, some of our people did not perceive, and esteemed it good. If it could be introduced into our kitchen-gardens, it would, in all probability, improve so far by cultiva- tion, as to be an excellent pot-herb. At this time, none of its seeds were ripe enough to be preserved, and brought home, to try the experiment. " Two other small plants were found near the brooks 1776. THE PACIFIC OCEAN. l67 and boggy places, which were eaten as sallad ; the one almost like garden cresses, and very fiery; and the other very mild. This last, though but small, is in itself a curiosity; having not only male and female, but what the botanists call androgynous plants. " A coarse grass, which we cut down for the cattle, grows pretty plentifully in a few small spots about the sides of the harbour, with a smaller sort which is rarer; and, upon the flat ground, a sort of goose- grass, and another small plant much like it. In short, the whole catalogue of plants does not exceed sixteen or eighteen, including some sorts of moss, and a beautiful species of lichen, which grows upon the rocks, higher up than the rest of the vegetable pro- ductions. Nor is there even the least appearance of a shrub in the whole country. " Nature has rather been more bountiful in furnish- ing it with animals; though, strictly speaking, they are not inhabitants of the place, being all of the marine kind ; and, in general, only using the land for breed- ing, and for a resting-place. The most considerable are seals, or (as we used to call them) sea-bears; being that sort called the ursine seal. These come ashore to rest or breed; but they were not very numerous, which is not to be wondered at, as it is known that these animals rather frequent out-rocks, and little islands lying off coasts, than bays or inlets. They were, at this time, shedding their hair, and so tame, that we killed what number we chose. r^Dip of the south-end of the needle lure Bay, f V ^ ^ We had high-water on the 29th, being two days before the last quarter of the moon, at nine in the morning. The perpendicular rise then was eighteen inches; and there was no appearance of its having ever exceeded two feet and a half. These are all the memorials useful to navigation, which my short stay has enabled me to preserve, with respect to Van Diemen's Land. Mr. Anderson, my surgeon, with his usual dili- gence, spent the few days we remained in Adventure Bay, in examining the country. His account of its natural productions, with which he favoured me, will more than compensate for my silence about them: some of his remarks on the inhabitants will supply what I may have omitted or represented im- perfectly; and his specimen of their language, how- ever short, will be thought worth attending to, by those who wish to collect materials for tracing the origin of nations. I shall only premise, that the tall straight forest trees which Mr. Anderson describes 186 cook's voyage to jan. in the following account, are of a different sort from those which are found in the more northern parts of this coast. The wood is very long and close-grained ; extremely tough ; fit for spars, oars, and many other uses; and would, on occasion, make good masts (perhaps none better), if a method could be found to lighten it. " At the bottom of Adventure Bay is a beautiful sandy beach, which seems to be wholly formed by the particles washed by the sea from a very fine white sand-stone, that in many places bounds the shore, and of which Fluted Cape, in the neighbour- hood, from its appearance, seems to be composed. This beach is about two miles long, and is excellently adapted for hauling a seine, which both ships did repeatedly with success. Behind this, is a plain or flat, with a salt, or rather brackish lake (running in length parallel with the beach), out of which we caught, with angling rods, many whitish bream, and some small trout. The other parts pf the country adjoining the bay are quite hilly; and both those and the flat are an entire forest of very tall trees, rendered almost impassible by shrubs, brakes of fern, and fallen trees; except on the sides of some of the hills, where the trees are but thin, and a coarse grass is the only interruption. " To the northward of the bay, there is low land, stretching farther than the eye can reach, which is only covered with wood in certain spots; but we had no opportunity to examine in what respects it differed from the hilly country. The soil on the flat land is either sandy, or consists of a yellowish mould, and, in some places, of a reddish clay. The same is found on the lower part of the hills; but farther up, espe- cially where there are few trees, it is of a gray tough cast, to appearance very poor. " In the valleys between the hills, the water drains down from their sides; and at last, in some places, forms small brooks; such indeed as were sufficient to 1777' rHE pacific ocean. I87 supply us with water, but by no means of that size we might expect in so extensive a country, especially as it is both hilly and well wooded. Upon the whole, it has many marks of being naturally a very dry country; and perhaps might (independent of its wood) be compared to Africa, about the Cape of Good Hope, though that lies ten degrees farther northward, rather than to New Zealand, on its other side, in the same latitude, where we find every valley, however small, furnished with a considerable stream of water. The heat too appears to be great, as the thermometer stood at 6l<, 70, and once at 74. And it was remarked, that birds were seldom killed an hour or two, before they were almost covered with small maggots, which I would rather attribute merely to the heat; as we had not any reason to suppose there is a peculiar disposition in the climate to render substances soon putrid. " No mineral bodies, nor indeed stones of any other sort, but the white sand one already mentioned, were observed. " Amongst the vegetable productions, there is not one, that we could find, which afforded the smallest subsistence for man. " The forest trees are all of one sort, growing to a great height, and in general quite straight, branching but little, till towards the top. The bark is white, which makes them appear, at a distance, as if they had been peeled; it is also thick; and within it are sometimes collected, pieces of a reddish transparent gum or resin, which has an astringent taste. The leaves of this tree are long, narrow, and pointed; and it bears clusters of small white flowers, whose cups were, at this time, plentifully scattered about the ground, with another sort resembling them somewhat in shape, but much larger; which makes it probable that there are two species of this tree. The bark of the smaller branches, fruit, and leaves, have an agree- able pungent taste, and aromatic smell, not unlike 188 cook's voyage to jan. peppermint; and in its nature, it has some affinity to the myrtus of botanists. " The most common tree, next to this, is a small one about ten feet high, branching pretty much, with narrow leaves, and a large, yellow, cylindrical flower, consisting only of a vast number of filaments; which, being shed, leave a fruit like a pine-top. Both the above-mentioned trees are unknown in Europe. " The underwood consists chiefly of a shrub some- what resembling a myrtle, and which seems to be the leptospermum scopariwn, mentioned in Dr. Forster's Char. Gen. Plant.; and, in some places, of another, rather smaller, which is a new species of the melaleuca of Linnseus. " Of other plants, which are by no means numerous, there is a species of gladiolus, rush, bell-flower, sam- phire, a small sort of wood-sorrel, milk-wort, cudweed, and Job's tears; with a few others, peculiar to the place. There are several kinds of fern, as polypody, spleenwort, female fern, and some mosses; but the species are either common, or at least found in some other countries, especially New Zealand. " The only animal of the quadruped kind we got, was a sort of opossum, about twice the size of a large rat ; and is, most probably, the male of that species found at Endeavour River, as mentioned in Hawkes- worth's Collection of Voyages.* It is of a dusky colour above, tinged with a brown or rusty cast, and whitish below. About a third of the tail, towards its tip, is white, and bare underneath ; by which it pro- bably hangs on the branches of trees, as it climbs these, and lives on berries. The kangooroo, another animal found farther northward in New Holland, as described in the same Voyage t, without all doubt also inhabits here, as the natives we met with had some pieces of their skins; and we several times saw animals, though indistinctly, run from the thickets * Vol. II. p. 167. of this Edition of Cook's Voyages, f Ibid. p. 159. 18 1777- THE" PACIFIC OCEAN. 189 when we walked in the woods, which, from the size, could be no other. It should seem also, that they are in considerable numbers, from the dung we saw almost every where, and from the narrow tracks or paths they have made amongst the shrubbery. "There are several sorts of birds, but all so scarce and shy, that they are evidently harassed by the natives, who, perhaps, draw much of their subsistence from them. In the woods, the principal sorts are large brown hawks or eagles; crows, nearly the same as ours in England; yellowish paroquets; and large pigeons. There are also three or four small birds, one of which is of the thrush kind; and another small one, with a pretty long tail, has part of the head and neck of a most beautiful azure colour; from whence we named it motacilla cyanea. On the shore were several common and sea gulls; a few black oyster catchers, or sea pies; and a pretty plover of a stone colour, with a black hood. About the pond or lake behind the beach, a few wild ducks were seen ; and some shags used to perch upon the high leafless trees near the shore. " Some pretty large blackish snakes were seen in the woods; and we killed a large, hitherto unknown, lizard, fifteen inches long and six round, elegantly clouded with black and yellow ; besides a small sort, of a brown gilded colour above, and rusty below. " The sea affords a much greater plenty, and at least as great a variety as the land. Of these the elephant fish, or pejegallo, mentioned in Frezier's Voyage*, are the most numerous; and though inferior to many other fish, were very palatable food. Several large rays, nurses, and small leather-jackets, were caught; with some small white bream, which were firmer and better than those caught in the lake. We likewise got a few soles and flounders; two sorts of gurnards, one of them a new species ; some small spotted mullet; and, very unexpectedly, the small fish with a silver * Tom. ii. p. 211. 12mo. Planche xvii. L90 cook's VOYAGE TO JAN. band on its side, called atherina hepsetus by Hassel- quist. * " But that next in number, and superior in good- ness, to the elephant fish, was a sort none of us re- collected to have seen before. It partakes of the nature both of a round and of a flat fish, having the eyes placed very near each other; the fore-part of the body much flattened or depressed, and the rest rounded. It is of a brownish sandy colour, with rusty spots on the upper part* and whitish below. From the quantity of slime it was always covered with, it seems to live after the manner of flat fish, at the bottom. " Upon the rocks are plenty of muscles, and some other small shell-fish. There are also great numbers of sea-stars; some small limpets; and large quantities of sponge; one sort of which, that is thrown on shore by the sea, but not very common, has a most delicate texture; and another, is the spongia dichotoma. " Many pretty Medusa 9 s heads were found upon the beach; and the stinking laplysia, or sea-hare, which, as mentioned by some authors, has the property of taking off the hair by the acrimony of its juice; but this sort was deficient in this respect. " Insects, though not numerous, are here in consider- able variety. Amongst them are grashoppers, but- terflies, and several sorts of small moths, finely variegated. There are two sorts of dragon-flies, gad-flies, camel-flies; several sorts of spiders; and some scorpions; but the last are rather rare. The most troublesome, though not very numerous tribe of insects, are the musquitoes; and a large black ant, the pain of whose bite is almost intole- rable, during the short time it lasts. The mus- quitoes, also, make up the deficiency of their number, by the severity of their venemous proboscis. " The inhabitants whom we met with here, had little of that fierce or wild appearance common to people * Iter Palcestinum. 1777- THF pacific OCEAN. 191 n their situation ; but, on the contrary, seemed mild and cheerful, without reserve or jealousy of strangers. This, however, may arise from their having little to lose or care for. " With respect to personal activity or genius, we can say but little of either. They do not seem to possess the first in any remarkable degree; and as for the last, they have, to a-ppearance, less than even the half- animated inhabitants of Terra del Fuego, who have not invention sufficient to make clothing for defend- ing themselves from the rigor of their climate, though furnished with the materials. The small stick, rudely pointed, which one of them carried in his hand, was the only thing we saw that required any mechanical exertion, if we except the fixing on the feet of some of them pieces of kangooroo skin, tied with thongs; though it could not be learnt whether these were in use as shoes, or only to defend some sore. It must be owned, however, they are masters of some contriv- ance, in the manner of cutting their arms and bodies in lines of different lengths and directions, which are raised considerably above the surface of the skin, so that it is difficult to guess the method they use in executing this embroidery of their persons. Their not expressing that surprize which one might have expected from their seeing men so much unlike themselves, and things to which, we were well as- sured, they had been hitherto utter strangers, their indifference for our presents, and their general in- attention, were sufficient proofs of their not possess- ing any acuteness of understanding. " Their colour is a dull black, and not quite so deep as that of the African Negroes. It should seem also, that they sometimes heightened their black colour, by smutting their bodies ; as a mark was left behind on any clean substance, such as white paper, when they handled it. Their hair, however, is perfectly woolly, and it is clotted or divided into small parcels, like that of the Hottentots, with the use of some sort 192 cook's VOYAGE TO JAN. of grass, mixed with a red paint or ochre, which they smear in great abundance over their heads. This practice, as some might imagine, has not the effect of changing their hair into the frizzling texture we observed; for, on examining the head of a boy, which appeared never to have been smeared, I found the hair to be of the same kind. Their noses, though not flat, are broad and full. The lower part of the face projects a good deal, as is the case of most In- dians I have seen ; so that a line let fall from the forehead, would cut off a much larger portion than it would in Europeans. Their eyes are of a middling size, with the white less clear than in us; and though not remarkably quick or piercing, such as give a frank cheerful cast to the whole countenance. Their teeth are broad, but not equal, nor well set; and either from nature or from dirt, not of so true a white as is usual among people of a black colour. Their mouths are rather wide; but this appearance seems heightened by wearing their beards long, and clotted with paint, in the same manner as the hair on their heads. In other respects, they are well-propor- tioned; though the belly seems rather projecting. This may be owing to the want of compression there, which few nations do not use, more or less. The posture of which they seem fondest, is to stand with one side forward, or the upper part of the body gently reclined, and one hand grasping (across the back) the opposite arm, which hangs down by the projecting side. " What the ancient poets tell us of Fauns and Satyrs living in hollow trees, is here realized. Some wretched constructions of sticks, covered with bark, which do not even deserve the name of huts, were indeed found near the shore in the bay; but these seemed only to have been erected for temporary pur- poses ; and many of their largest trees were converted into more comfortable habitations. These ha'd their trunks hollowed out by fire, to the height of six or 1777' THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 193 seven feet; and that they take up their abode in them sometimes, was evident from the hearths, made of clay, to contain the fire in the middle, leaving room for four or five persons to sit round it.* At the same time, these places of shelter are durable; for they take care to leave one side of the tree sound, which is sufficient to keep it growing as luxuriantly as those which remain untouched. "The inhabitants of this place are, doubtless, from the same stock with those of the northern parts of New Holland. Though some of the circumstances mentioned by Dampier, relative to those he met with on the western coast of this country, such as their defective sight, and want of fore-teeth, are not found here; and though Hawkesworth's account of those met with by Captain Cook on the east side, shows also that they differ in many respects; yet still, upon the whole, I am persuaded that distance of place, entire separation, diversity of climate, and length of time, all concurring to operate, will account for greater differences, both as to their persons and as to their customs, than really exist between our Van Diemen's Land natives, and those described by Dampier, and in Captain Cook's first voyage. This is certain, that the figure of one of those seen in Endeavour River, and represented in Sidney Parkinson's Journal of that voyage, very much resembles our visitors in Adventure Bay. That there is not the like resem- blance in their language, is a circumstance that need not create any difficulty. For though the agreement of the languages of people living distant from each other, may be assumed as a strong argument for their having sprung from one common source ; dis- * Tasman, when in the bay of Frederick Henry, adjoining to Adventure Bay, found two trees, one of which was two fathoms, and the other two fathoms and a half in girth, and sixty or sixty- five feet high, from the root to the branches. See his Voyage, in Harris's Collection, Campbell's Edition, vol. i. p. 326. VOL. V. O 194 cook's VOYAGE TO JAN. agreement of language is by no means a proof of the contrary.* " However, we must have a far more intimate ac- quaintance with the languages spoken here and in the more northern parts of New Holland, before we can be warranted to pronounce that they are totally different. Nay, we have good grounds for the opposite opinion; for we found that the animal called kangooroo at Endeavour River, was known under the same name here; and I need not observe that it is scarcely possible to suppose that this was not trans- mitted from one another, but accidentally adopted by two nations, differing in language and extraction. Besides, as it seems very improbable that the Van Diemen's Land inhabitants should have ever lost the use of canoes or sailing vessels, if they had been originally conveyed thither by sea, we must neces- sarily admit that they, as well as the kangooroo itself have been stragglers by land from the more northern parts of the country. And if there be any force in this observation, while it traces the origin of the people, it will, at the same time, serve to fix another * The ingenious Author of Recherches sur les Americains, illuS' trates the grounds of this assertion in the following satisfactory manner: " C'est quelque chose de surprenant, que la foule des idiomes, tous varies entr'eux, que parlent les naturels de l'Am6- rique Septentrionale. Qu'on reduise ces idiomes a des racines, qu'on les simplifie, qu'on en separe les dialectes et les jargons derives, il en resulte toujours cinq ou six langues-meres, respect- ivement incomprehensibles. On a observe la meme singularity dans la Siberie et la Tartarie, ou le nombre des idiomes, et des dialectes, est egalement multiplie; et rien n'est plus commun, que d'y voir deux hordes voisines qui ne se comprennent point. On rtrouve cette meme multiplicity de jargons dans toutes les Pro- vinces de 1'AmeYique Mendionale." [He might also have included Africa.] "11 y a beaucoup d'apparence que la me sauvage, en dispersant les homines par petites troupes isolees dans des bois ejjais, occasione necessairement cette grande diver site des langues dont le nombre diminue a mesure que la socit, en rassemblant les barbares vagabonds, en forme un corps de nation. Alors l'idiome le plus riche, ou le moins pauvre en mots, devient dominant, et absorbe les autres." Tom. i. p. 159, 160. 18 1777- THE PACIFIC OCEAN. J 9^ point, if Captain Cook and Captain Furneaux have not already decided it, that New Holland is no where totally divided by the sea into islands, as some have imagined.* " As the New Hollanders seem all to be of the same extraction, so neither do I think there is any thing peculiar in them. On the contrary, they much re- semble many of the inhabitants whom I have seen at the islands Tanna and Manicola. Nay, there is even some foundation for hazarding a supposition, that they may have originally come from the same place with all the inhabitants of the South Sea. For, of only about ten words which we could get from them, that which expresses cold, differs little from that of New Zealand and Otaheite; the first being Mallareede, the second Makka'reede, and the third Ma'reede. The rest of our very scanty Van Diemen's Land Vocabulary is as follows: Quadne, A woman. Eve'rai, The eye. Muidje, The nose. Ka'my, The teeth, mouth, or tongue. T , (A small bird, a native of the woods JLae renne, < -, u 9 \ here. Koy'gee, The ear. No'onga, Elevated scars on the body. Teegera, To eat. Toga'rago, / must be gone, or I will go. " Their pronunciation is not disagreeable, but rather quick; though not more so than is that of other nations of the South Sea; and, if we may depend upon the affinity of languages as a clue to guide us in discovering the origin of nations, I have no doubt but we shall find, on a diligent inquiry, and when opportunities offer to collect accurately a sufficient * Dampier seems to be of this opinion. Vol. Hi. p. 104. 125. o 2 196 COOK S VOYAGE TO JAN. number of these words, and to compare them, that all the people from New Holland, eastward to Easter Island, have been derived from the same common root." * * We find Mr. Anderson's notions on this subject conformable to those of Mr. Marsden, who has remarked, " that one general language prevailed (however mutilated and changed in the course of time) throughout all this portion of the world, from Madagascar to the most distant discoveries eastward; of which the Malay is a dialect, much corrupted or refined by a mixture of other tongues. This very extensive similarity of language indicates a common origin of the inhabitants ; but the circumstances and progress of their separation are wrapped in the darkest veil of obscurity." History of Sumatra, p. 35. See also his very curious paper, read before the Society of An- tiquaries, and published in their Archceologia, vol. vi. p. 155; where his sentiments on this subject are explained more at large, and illustrated by two tables of coresponding words. 1777- THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 197 CHAP. VII. THE PASSAGE FROM VAN DIEMEN's LAND TO NEW ZEALAND. EMPLOYMENTS IN QUEEN CHARLOTTE'S SOUND. TRANSAC- TIONS WITH THE NATIVES THERE. INTELLIGENCE ABOUT THE MASSACRE OF THE ADVENTURE'S BOAT'S CREW. AC- COUNT OF THE CHIEF WHO HEADED THE PARTY ON THAT OCCASION, OF THE TWO YOUNG MEN WHO EMBARK TO AT- TEND OMAI. VARIOUS REMARKS ON THE INHABITANTS. ' ASTRONOMICAL AND NAUTICAL OBSERVATIONS. J\t eight o'clock in the morning of the 30th of January, a light breeze springing up at W., we weighed anchor, and put to sea from Adventure Bay. Soon after, the wind veered to the southward, and increased to a perfect storm. Its fury abated in the evening, when it veered to the E. and N. E. This gale was indicated by the barometer, for the wind no sooner began to blow, than the mercury in the tube began to fall. Another remarkable thing attended the coming on of this wind, which was very faint at first. It brought with it a degree of heat that was almost intolerable. The mercury in the thermometer rose, as it were instantaneously, from about 70 to near 90. This heat was of so short a continuance, that it seemed to be wafted away before the breeze that brought it; so that some on board did not perceive it. We pursued our course to the eastward, without meeting with any thing worthy of note, till the night between the 6th and 7th of February, when a marine belonging to the Discovery fell over board, and was never seen afterward. This was the second mis- fortune of the kind that had happened to Captain Clerke since he left England. On the 10th, at four in the afternoon, we dis- o 3 198 cook's voyage to feb. covered the land of New Zealand. The part we saw proved to be Rock's Point, and bore S. E. by S., about eight or nine leagues distant. During this run from Van Diemen's Land, the wind, for the first four or five days, was at N. E., N., and N. N. W., and blew, for the most part, a gentle breeze. It after- ward veered to S. E., where it remained twenty-four hours. It then came to W. and S. W.; in which points it continued, with very little deviation, till we reached New Zealand. After making the land, I steered for Cape Farewell, which at day-break, the next morning, bore S. by W., distant about four leagues. At eight o'clock, it bore S. W. by S., about five leagues distant; and, in this situation, we had forty-five fathoms' water over a sandy bottom. In rounding the Cape we had fifty fathoms, and the same sort of bottom. I now steered for Stephen's Island, which we came up with at nine o'clock at night; and at ten, next morning, anchored in our old station, in Queen Char- lotte's Sound. # Unwilling to lose any time, our operations commenced that very afternoon, when we landed a number of empty water-casks, and began to clear a place where we might set up the two observatories, and tents for the reception of a guard, and of such of our people whose business might make it necessary for them to remain on shore. We had not been long at anchor before several canoes, filled with natives, came along-side of the ships; but very few of them would venture on board; which appeared the more extraordinary, as I was well known to them all. There was one man in particular amongst them, whom I had treated with remarkable kindness, during the whole of my stay when I was last here. Yet now, neither professions of friendship, * See the chart of Queen Charlotte's Sound, in Hawkesworth's Collection, vol. ii. p. 385^ 1777- THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 1Q9 nor presents, could prevail upon him to come into the ship. This shyness was to be accounted for only upon this supposition, that they were apprehensive we had revisited their country, in order to revenge the death of Captain Furneaux's people. Seeing Omai on board my ship now, whom they must have re- membered to have seen on board the Adventure when the melancholy affair happened, and whose first conversation with them, as they approached, generally turned on that subject, they must be well assured tiiat I was no longer a stranger to it. I thought it necessary, therefore, to use every endeavour to assure them of the continuance of my friendship, and that I should not disturb them on that account. I do not know whether this had any weight with them ; but certain it is, that they very soon laid aside all manner of restraint and distrust. On the 13th we set up two tents, one from each ship ; on the same spot where he had pitched them formerly* The observatories were at the same time erected ; and Messrs. King and Bayly began their operations immediately, to find the rate of the time- keeper, and to make other observations. The re- mainder of the empty water-casks were also sent on shore, with the cooper to trim, and a sufficient num- ber of sailors to fill them. Two men were appointed to brew spruce beer ; and the carpenter and his crew were ordered to cut wood. A boat, with a party of men, under the direction of one of the mates, was sent to collect grass for our cattle ; and the people that remained on board were employed in refitting the ship, and arranging the provisions. In this man- ner, we were all profitably busied during our stay. For the protection of the party on shore, I appointed a guard of ten marines, and ordered arms for all the workmen ; and Mr. King, and two or three petty officers, constantly remained with them. A boat was never sent to any considerable distance from the ships without being armed, and under the direction o 4 200 cook's voyage TO FEB. of such officers as I could depend upon, and who were well acquainted with the natives. During my former visits to this country, I had never taken some of these precautions ; nor were they, I firmly believe, more necessary now than they had been formerly. But after the tragical fate of the Adventure's boat's crew in this Sound, and of Captain Marion du Fresne, and of some of his people, in the Bay of Islands *, it was impossible totally to divest ourselves of all appre- hension of experiencing a similar calamity. If the natives entertained any suspicion of our re- venging these acts of barbarity, they very soon laid it aside. For, during the course of this day, a great number of families came from different parts of the coast, and took up their residence close to us ; so that there was not a spot in the cove where a hut could be put up, that was not occupied by them, except the place where we had fixed our little en- campment. This they left us in quiet possession of; but they came and took away the ruins of some old huts that were there, as materials for their new erec- tions. It is curious to observe with what facility they build these occasional places of abode. I have seen above twenty of them erected on a spot of ground, that, not an hour before, was covered with shrubs and plants. They generally bring some part of the materials with them ; the rest they find upon the premises. I was present when a number of people landed, and built one of these villages. The mo- ment the canoes reached the shore, the men leaped out, and at once took possession of a piece of ground, by tearing up the plants and shrubs, or sticking up some part of the framing of a hut. They then re- turned to their canoes, and secured their weapons, by setting them up against a tree, or placing them in such a position, that they could be laid hold of in an in 1772, 1777- THE TACIFIC OCEAN. 201 instant. I took particular notice that no one ne- glected this precaution. While the men were em- ployed in raising the huts, the women were not idle. Some were stationed to take care of the canoes ; others to secure the provisions, and the few utensils in their possession ; and the rest went to gather dry sticks, that a fire might be prepared for dressing their victuals. As to the children, I kept them, as also some of the more aged, sufficiently occupied in scrambling for beads, till I had emptied my pockets, and then I left them. These temporary habitations are abundantly suffi- cient to afford shelter from the wind and rain, which is the only purpose they are meant to answer. I observed that, generally, if not always, the same tribe or family, though it were ever so large, asso- ciated and built together ; so that we frequently saw a village, as well as their larger towns, divided into different districts, by low pallisades, or some similar mode of separation. The advantage we received from the natives com- ing to live with us, was not inconsiderable. For, every day, when the weather would permit, some of them went out to catch fish ; and we generally got, by exchanges, a good share of the produce of their labours. This supply, and what our own nets and lines afforded us, was so ample, that we seldom were in want of fish. Nor was there any deficiency of other refreshments. Celery, scurvy-grass, and port- able soup, were boiled with the peas and wheat, for both ships' companies, every day during our whole stay ; and they had spruce-beer for their drink. So that, if any of our people had contracted the seeds of the scurvy, such a regimen soon removed them. But the truth is, when we arrived here* there were only two invalids (and these on board the Resolution) upon the sick lists in both ships. Besides the natives who took up their abode close to us, we were occasionally visited bv others of them, c 202 cook's voyage to feb. whose residence was not far off; and by some who lived more remote. Their articles of'commerce were, curiosities, fish, and women. The two first always came to a good market ; which the latter did not. The seamen had taken a kind of dislike to these peo- ple ; and were either unwilling, or afraid, to asso- ciate with them ; which produced this good effect, that I knew no instance of a man's quitting his sta- tion, to go to their habitations. A connection with women I allow, because I can- not prevent it ; but never encourage, because I always dread its consequences. I know, indeed, that many men are of opinion, that such an inter- course is one of our greatest securities amongst sav- ages ; and perhaps they who, either from necessity or choice, are to remain and settle with them, may find it so. But with travellers and transient visitors, such as we were, it is generally otherwise ; and, in our situation, a connection with their women betrays more men than it saves. What else can be reason- ably expected, since all their views are selfish, with- out the least mixture of regard or attachment? My own experience, at least, which hath been pretty ex- tensive, hath not pointed out to me one instance to the contrary. Amongst our occasional visitors, was a chief named Kahoora, who, as 1 was informed, headed the party that cut off Captain Furneaux's people, and himself killed Mr. Rowe, the officer who commanded. To judge of the character of Kahoora, by what I heard from many of his countrymen, he seemed to be more feared than beloved amongst them. Not satisfied with telling me that he was a very bad man, some of them even importuned me to kill him: and, I be- lieve, they were not a little surprised that I did not listen to them ; for, according to their ideas of equity, this ought to have been done. But if I had followed the advice of all our pretended friends, I might have extirpated the whole race ; for the people of each 1777* THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 203 hamlet or village, by turns, applied to me to destroy the other. One would have almost thought it impos- sible, that so striking a proof of the divided state in which this miserable people live, could have been assigned. And yet I was sure that I did not mis- conceive the meaning of those who made these strange applications to me ; for Omai, whose lan- guage was a dialect of their own, and perfectly un- derstood all that they said, was our interpreter. On the 15th, I made an excursion in my boat to look for grass, and visited the Hippah, or fortified village, at the south-west point of Motuara, and the places where our gardens had been planted on that island. There were no people at the former ; but the houses and pallisades had been rebuilt, and were now in a state of good repair ; and there were other evident marks of its having been inhabited not long before. It would be unnecessary, at present, to give a particular account of this Hippah, sufficient notice having been taken of it in the Account of my first Voyage, to which I refer.* When the Adventure arrived first at Queen Char- lotte's Sound, in 1773 t, Mr. Bayly, fixed upon this place for making his observations ; and he, and the people with him, at their leisure hours, planted seve- ral spots with English garden seeds. Not the least vestige of these now remained. It is probable that they had been all rooted out to make room for build- ings, when the village was re-inhabited ; for, at all the other gardens then planted by Captain Furneaux, although now wholly over-run with the weeds of the country, we found cabbages, onions, leeks, purslain, radishes, mustard, &c. and a few potatoes. These potatoes, which were first brought from the Cape of Good Hope, had been greatly improved by change of soil; and, with proper cultivation, would be su- * See Vol. I. p. 383. f See Vol. Ill, p. 132 204 cook's VOYAGE TO FEB. perior to those produced in most other countries. Though the New Zealanders are fond of this root, it was evident that they had not taken the trouble to plant a single one (much less any other of the articles which we had introduced) ; and if it were not for the difficulty of clearing ground where potatoes had been once planted, there would not have been any now remaining. On the 16th, at day-break, I set out with a party of men, in five boats, to collect food for our cattle. Captain Clerke, and several of the officers, Omai, and two of the natives, accompanied me. We pro- ceeded about three leagues up the Sound, and then landed on the east side, at a place where I had for- merly been. Here we cut as much grass as loaded the two launches. As we returned down the Sound, we visited Grass Cove, the memorable scene of the massacre of Cap- tain Furneaux's people. Here I met with my old friend Pedro, who was almost continually with me the last time I was in this Sound, and is mentioned in my History of that Voyage. * He, and another of his countrymen, received us on the beach, armed with thepa-too and spear. Whether this form of re- ception was a mark of their courtesy or of their fear, I cannot say ; but I thought they betrayed manifest signs of the latter. However, if they had any ap- prehensions, a few presents soon removed them, and brought down to the beach two or three more of the family ; but the greatest part of them remained out of sight. Whilst we were at this place, our curiosity prompted us to inquire into the circumstances attending the melancholy fate of our countrymen ; and Omai was made use of as our interpreter for this purpose. Pe- dro, and the rest of the natives present, answered all the questions that were put to them on the subject, * See VoL IV. p. I45 1777* THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 205 without reserve, and like men who are under no dread of punishment for a crime of which they are not guilty. For we already knew that none of them had been concerned in the unhappy transaction. They told us, that while our people were sitting at dinner, surrounded by several of the natives, some of the latter stole, or snatched from them, some bread and fish, for which they were beat. This being re- sented, a quarrel ensued, and two New Zealanders were shot dead, by the only two muskets that were fired. For before our people had time to discharge a third, or to load again those that had been fired, the natives rushed in upon them, overpowered them with their numbers, and put them all to death. Pedro and his companions, besides relating the history of the massacre, made us acquainted with the very spot that was the scene of it. It is at the corner of the cove on the right hand. They pointed to the place of the sun, to mark to us at what hour of the day it happened ; and, according to this, it must have been late in the afternoon. They also showed us the place where the boat lay ; and it appeared to be about two hundred yards distant from that where the crew were seated. One of their number, a black servant of Captain Furneaux, was left in the boat to take care of her. We were afterward told that this black was the cause of the quarrel, which was said to have hap- pened thus : One of the natives stealing something out of the boat, the negro gave him a severe blow with a stick. The cries of tfre fellow being heard by his countrymen at a distance, they imagined he was killed, and immediately began the attack on our people ; who, before they had time to reach the boat, or to arm themselves against the unexpected impending danger, fell a sacrifice to the fury of their savage assailants. The first of these accounts, was confirmed by the testimony of many of the natives, whom we conversed 206 cook's VOYAGE TO FEB. with, at different times, and who, I think, could have no interest in deceiving us. The second manner of relating the transaction, rests upon the authority of the young New Zealander, who chose to abandon his country and go away with us, and who, consequently, could have no possible view in disguising the truth. All agreeing that the quarrel- happened when the boat's crew were sitting at their meal, it is highly probable that both the accounts are true, as they perfectly coincide. For we may very naturally sup- pose, that while some of the natives were stealing from the man who had been left in the boat, others of them might take the same liberties with the pro- perty of our people who were on shore. Be this as it will, all agree, that the quarrel first took its rise from some thefts, in the commission of which the natives were detected. All agree, also, that there was no premeditated plan of bloodshed, and that, if these thefts had not been, unfortunately, too hastily resented, no mischief would have hap- pened. For Kahoora's greatest enemies, those who solicited his destruction most earnestly, at the same time confessed that he had no intention to quarrel, much less to kill, till the fray had actually com- menced. It also appears that the unhappy victims were under no sort of apprehension of their fate ; otherwise they never would have ventured to sit down to a repast at so considerable a distance from their boat, amongst people who were the next moment to be their murderers. What became of the boat I never could learn. Som^said she was pulled to pieces and burnt ; others told us that she was carried, they knew not whither, by a party of strangers. We stayed here till the evening, when, having loaded the rest of the boats with grass, celery, scurvy- grass, &c. we embarked to return to the ships. We had prevailed upon Pedro to launch his canoe, and accompany us ; but we had scarcely put off from the shore, when the wind began to blow very hard at 1777* THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 20/ north-west, which obliged him to put back. We proceeded ourselves, but it was with a good deal of difficulty that we could reach tiie ships; where some of the boats did not arrive till one o'clock the next morning ; and it was fortunate that they got on board then, for it afterward blew a perfect storm, with abundance of rain, so that no manner of work could go forward that day. In the evening the gale ceased, and the wind having veered to the east, brought with it fair weather. The next day we resumed our works ; the natives ventured out to catch fish ; and Pedro, with all his family, came and took up his abode near us. This chief's proper name is Matahouah ; the other being given him by some of my people during my last voyage, which I did not know till now. He was, however, equally well known amongst his country- men by both names. On the 20th, in the forenoon, we had another storm from the north-west. Though this was not of so long continuance as the former, the gusts of wind from the hills were far more violent, insomuch that we w r ere obliged to strike the yards and top-masts to the very utmost; and, even with all this precaution, it was with difficulty that we rode it out. These storms are very frequent here, and sometimes violent and troublesome. The neighbouring mountains, which at these times are always loaded with vapours, not only increase the force of the wind, but alter its direction in such a manner, that no two blasts follow each other from the same quarter; and the nearer the shore, the more their effects are felt. The next day we were visited by a tribe or family, consisting of about thirty persons, men, women, and children, who came from the upper part of the Sound. I had never seen them before. The name of their chief was Tomatongeauooranuc ; a man of about forty-five years of age, with a cheerful open coun- tenance. And, indeed, the rest of his tribe were, in 208 cook's VOYAGE TO FEB. general, the handsomest of the New Zealand race I had ever met with. By this time more than two-thirds of the inhabi- tants of the Sound had settled themselves about us. Great numbers of them daily frequented the ships, and the encampment on shore : but the latter became, by far, the most favourite place of resort, while our people there were melting some seal blubber. No Greenlander was ever fonder of train-oil, than our friends here seem to be. They relished the very skimmings of the kettle, and dregs of the casks ; but a little of the pure stinking oil was a delicious feast, so eagerly desired, that I supposed it is seldom en- joyed. Having got on board as much hay and grass as we judged sufficient to serve the cattle till our arrival at Otaheite, and having completed the wood and water of both ships, on the 23d we struck our tents, and carried every thing off from the shore; and next morning we weighed anchor, and stood out of the cove. But the wind not being very fair, and finding that the tide of ebb would be spent before we could get out of the Sound, we cast anchor again a little without the island Motuara, to wait for a more fa- vourable opportunity of putting into the strait. While we were unmooring and getting under sail, Tomatongeauooranuc, Matahouah, and many more of the natives, came to take their leave of us, or rather to obtain, if they could, some additional pre- sent from us before we left them. These two chiefs became suitors to me for some goats, and hogs. Ac- cordingly, I gave to Matahouah two goats, a male and female with kid ; and to Tomatongeauooranuc two pigs, a boar, and a sow. They made, me a pro- mise not to kill them ; though I must own I put no great faith in this. The animals which Captain Fur- neaux sent on shore here, and which soon after fell into the hands of the natives, I was now told were all dead ; but I could get no intelligence about the fate 1777- THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 209 of those I had left in West Bay, and in Cannibal Cove, when I was here in the course of my last voyage. However, all the natives whom I con- versed with agreed, that poultry are now to be met with wild in the woods behind Ship Cove ; and I was afterward informed, by the two youths who went away with us, that Tiratou, a popular chief amongst them, had a great many cocks and hens in his se- parate possession, and one of the sows. On my present arrival at this place, I fully intended to have left not only goats and hogs, but sheep, and a young bull, with two heifers, if I could have found either a chief powerful enough to protect and keep them, or a place where there might be a probability of their being concealed from those who would igno- rantly attempt to destroy them. But neither the one nor the other presented itself to me. Tiratou was now absent ; and Tringoboohee, whom I had met with during my last voyage *, and who seemed to be a person of much consequence at that time, had been killed five months ago, with about seventy persons of his tribe ; and I could not learn that there now remained in our neighbourhood any tribe, whose numbers could secure to them a superiority of power over the rest of their countrymen. To have given the animals to any of the natives who pos- sessed no such power, would not have answered the intention. For, in a country like this, where no man's property is secure, they would soon have fallen a prey to different parties, and been either separ- ated or killed ; but most likely both. This was so evident, from what we had observed since our ar- rival, that I had resolved to leave no kind of animal, till Matahouah and the other chief solicited me for the hogs and goats. As I could spare them, I let them go, to take their chance. I have, at different times, left in New Zealand no less than ten or a * See Vol. IV. p. 144. VOL. V. P 210 cook's VOYAGE TO FEB. dozen hogs, besides those put on shore by Captain Furneaux. It will be a little extraordinary, there- fore, if this race should not increase and be preserved here, either in a wild or in a domestic state, or in both. We had not been long at anchor near Motuara, before three or four canoes, filled with natives, came off to us from the south-east side of the Sound ; and a brisk trade was carried on with them for the curio- sities of this place. In one of these canoes was Ka- hoora, whom I have already mentioned as the leader of the party who cut off the crew of the Adventurer's boat. This was the third time he had visited us, without betraying the smallest appearance of fear. I was ashore when he now arrived, but had got on board just as he was going away. Omai, who had returned with me, presently pointed him out, and solicited me to shoot him. Not satisfied with this, lie addressed himself to Kahoora, threatening to be his executioner, if ever he presumed to visit us again. The New Zealander paid so little regard to these threats, that he returned, the next morning, with his whole family, men, women, and children, to the number of twenty and upwards. Omai was the first who acquainted me with his being along-side the ship, and desired to know if he should ask him to come on board. I told him he might ; and accordingly he introduced the chief into the cabin, saying, " There is Kahoora ; kill him ! " But, as if he had forgot his former threats, or were afraid that I should call upon him to perform them, he immediately re- tired. In a short time, however, he returned; and seeing the chief unhurt, he expostulated with me very earnestly, saying, " Why do you not kill him ? ' You tell me, if a man kills another in England, " that he is hanged for it. This man has killed ten, " and yet you will not kill him ; though many of " his countrymen desire it, and it would be very " good." Omai's arguments, though specious 1777' THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 211 enough, having no weight with me, I desired him to ask the chief, why he had killed Captain Furneaux's people ? At this question, Kahoora folded his arms, hung down his head, and looked like one caught in a trap; and, I firmly believe, he expected instant death. But no sooner was he assured of his safety, than he became cheerful. He did not, however, seem willing to give me an answer to the question that had been put to him, till I had, again and again, repeated my promise that he should not be hurt. Then he ventured to tell us, that one of his countrymen having brought a stone-hatchet to barter, the man to whom it was offered took it, and would neither return it nor give any thing for it; on which the owner of it snatched up the bread as an equivalent ; and then the quarrel began. The remainder of Kahoora's account of this un- happy affair differed very little from what we had before learned from the rest of his countrymen. He mentioned the narrow escape he had during the fray, a musket being levelled at him, which he avoided by skulking behind the boat ; and another man, who stood close to him, was shot dead. As soon as the musket was discharged, he instantly seized the opportunity to attack Mr. Rowe, who commanded the party, and who defended himself with his hanger (with which he wounded Kahoora in the arm), till he was overpowered by numbers. Mr. Burney, who was sent by Captain Furneaux the next day* with an armed party, to look for his missing people, upon discovering the horrid proofs of their shocking fate, had fired several vollies amongst the crowds of natives who still remained as- sembled on the spot, and were, probably, partaking of the detestable banquet. It was natural to sup- pose that he had not fired in vain; and that, there- fore, some of the murderers and devourers of our, * See his Narrative, Vcl. IV. p. 232.. p 212 COOK'S VOYAGE TO FEB. unhappy countrymen had suffered under our just re- sentment. Upon enquiry, however, into this matter, not only from Kahoora, but from others who had oppor- tunities of knowing, it appeared that our supposition was groundless, and that not one of the shot fired by Mr. Burney's people had taken effect, so as to kill, or even to hurt, a single person. It was evident, that most of the natives we had met with since our arrival, as they knew I was fully acquainted with the history of the massacre, ex- pected I should avenge it with the death of Kahoora. And many of them seemed not only to wish it, but expressed their surprise at my forbearance. As he could not be ignorant of this, it was a matter of won- der to me, that he put himself so often in my power. When he visited us while the ships lay in the Cove, confiding in the number of his friends that accompa- nied him, he might think himself safe. But his two last visits had been made under such circumstances, that he could no longer rely upon this. We were then at anchor in the entrance of the Sound, and at some distance from any shore ; so that he could not have any assistance from thence, nor flatter himself he could have the means of making his escape, had I determined to detain him. And yet, after his first fears, on being interrogated, were over, he was so far from entertaining any uneasy sensations, that, on seeing a portrait of one of his countrymen hanging up in the cabin, he desired to have his own portrait drawn ; and sat till Mr. Webber had finished it, without marking the least impatience. I must con- fess, I admired his courage, and was not a little pleased to observe the extent of the confidence he put in me. For he placed his whole safety in the declarations I had uniformly made to those who soli- cited his death, that I had always been a friend to them all, and would continue so, unless they gave me cause to act otherwise ; that as to their inhuman treatment of our people, I should think no more of 1777' THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 213 it, the transaction having happened long ago, and when I was not present ; but that, if ever they made a second attempt of that kind, they might rest as- sured of feeling the weight of my resentment. For some time before we arrived at New Zealand, Omar had expressed a desire to take one of the na- tives with him to his own country. We had not been there many days, before he had an opportunity of being gratified in this ; for a youth about seventeen or eighteen years of age, named Taweiharooa, of- fered to accompany him ; and took up his residence on board. I paid little attention to this at first, ima- gining that he would leave us when we were about to depart, and after he had got what he could from Omai. At length, finding that he was fixed in his resolution to go with us, and having learnt that he was the only son of a deceased chief, and that his mother, still living, was a woman much respected here, I was apprehensive that Omai had deceived him and his friends, by giving them hopes and as- surances of his being sent back. I therefore caused it to be made known to them all, that if the young man went away with us, he would never return. But this declaration seemed to make no sort of im* pression. The afternoon before we left the Cove, Tiratoutou, his mother, came on board, to receive her last present from Omai. The same evening, she and Taweiharooa parted, with all the marks of ten- der affection that might be expected between a parent and a child, who were never to meet again. But she said she would cry no more ; and, sure enough, she kept her word. For when she returned the next morning, to take her last farewell of him, all the time she was on board she remained quite cheerful, and went away wholly unconcerned. That Taweiharooa might be sent away in a man- ner becoming his birth, another youth was to have gone with him as his servant ; and, with this view, as we supposed, he remained on board till we were p 3 214" cook's voyage to feb. about to sail, when his friends took him ashore. However, his place was supplied, next morning, by another, a boy of about nine or ten years of age, named Kokoa. He was presented to me by his own father, who, I believe, would have parted with his dog with far less indifference. The very little cloth- ing the boy had, he stripped him of, and left him as naked as he was born. It was to no purpose that I endeavoured to convince these people of the impro- bability, or rather of the impossibility, of these youths ever returning home. Not one, not even their nearest relations, seemed to trouble themselves about their future fate. Since this was the case, and 1 was well satisfied that the boys would be no losers by exchange of place, I the more readily gave my consent to their going. From my own observations, and from the informa- tion of Taweiharooa and others, it appears to me that the New Zealanders must live under perpetual appre- hensions of being destroyed by each other ; there being few of their tribes that have not, as they think, sustained wrongs from some other tribe, which they are continually upon the watch to revenge. And, perhaps, the desire of a good meal may be no small incitement. I am told that many years will some- times elapse before a favourable opportunity hap- pens, and that the son never loses sight of an injury that has been done to his father. Their method of executing their horrible designs is by stealing upon the adverse party in the night ; and if they find them unguarded, (which, however, I believe, is very seldom the case,) they kill every one indiscriminately, not even sparing the women and children. When the massacre is completed, they either feast and gorge themselves on the spot, or carry off as many of the dead bodies as they can, and devour them at home, with acts of brutality too shocking to be described. If they are discovered before they can execute their bloody purpose, they generally steal off again 5 and 19 1111' THE PACIFIC OCEAN. )>i5 sometimes are pursued and attacked by the other party, in their turn. To give quarter, or to take prisoners, makes no part of their military law ; so that the vanquished can only save their lives by flight. This perpetual state of war, and destruc- tive method of conducting it, operates so strongly in producing habitual circumspection, that one hardly ever finds a New Zealander off his guard, either by night or by day. Indeed no other man can have such powerful motives to be vigilant, as the preservation both of body and of soul depends upon it. For, according to their system of belief, the soul of the man whose flesh is devoured by the enemy is doomed to a perpetual fire, while the soul of the man whose body has been rescued from those who killed him, as well as the souls of all who die a natural death, ascend to the habitations of the gods. I asked, whether they ate the flesh of such of their friends as had been killed in war, but whose bodies were saved from falling into the enemy's hands? They seemed surprised at the question, which they answered in the negative, expressing some abhorrence at the very idea. Their common method of dis- posing of their dead is by depositing their bodies in the earth ; but if they have more of their slaughtered enemies than they can eat, they throw them into the sea. They have no such thing as morals, or other places of public worship; nor do they ever assemble together with this view. But they have priests, who alone address the gods in prayers for the prosperity of their temporal affairs; such as an enterprise against a hostile tribe, a fishing party, or the like. Whatever the principles of their religion may be, of which we remain very ignorant, its instructions are very strongly inculcated into them from their very infancy. Of this I saw a remarkable instance, in the youth who was first destined to accompany Taweiharooa. He refrained from eating the greatest p -if 216 COOK'S VOYAGE TO FEB. part of the day, on account of his hair being cut; though every method was tried to induce him to break his resolution, and he was tempted with the offer of such victuals as he was known to esteem the most. He said, if he ate any thing that day, the Eatooa would kill him. However, towards evening, the cravings of nature got the better of the precepts of his religion, and he ate, though but sparingly. I had often conjectured, before this, that they had some superstitious notions about their hair, having frequently observed quantities of it tied to the branches of trees near some of their habitations; but what these notions are, I never could learn. Notwithstanding the divided and hostile state in which the New Zealanders live, travelling strangers, who come with no ill design, are well received and entertained during their stay; which, however, it is expected, will be no longer than is requisite to transact the business they come upon. Thus it is that a trade for paenammoo, or green talc, is carried on throughout the whole northern island. For they tell us, that there is none of this stone to be found, but at a place which bears its name, somewhere about the head of Queen Charlotte's Sound, and not above one or two days' journey, at most, from the station of our ships. I regretted much that I could not spare time sufficient for paying a visit to the place; as we were told a hundred fabulous stories about this stone, not one of which carried with it the least probability of truth, though some of their most sensible men would have us believe them. One of these stories is, that this stone is originally a fish", which they strike with a gig in the water, tie a rope to it, and drag it to the shore, to which they fasten it, and it afterward becomes stone. As they all agree, that it is fished out of a large lake, or collection of waters, the most probable conjecture is, that it is brought from the mountains, and deposited in the water, by the torrents. This 15 1777 THE TACIFIC OCEAN. 217 lake is called by the natives Tavai Poenammoo ; that is, the water of Green Talc ; and it is only the adjoin- ing part of the country, and not the whole southern island of New Zealand, that is known to them by the name which hath been given to it on my chart. Polygamy is allowed amongst these people; and it is not uncommon for a man to have two or three wives. The women are marriagable at a very early- age ; and it should seem that one who is unmarried is but in a forlorn state. She can with difficulty get a subsistence ; at least she is, in a great measure, without a protector, though in constant want of a powerful one. The New Zealanders seem to be a people perfectly satisfied with the little knowledge they are masters of, without attempting, in the least, to improve it ; nor are they remarkably curious, either in their ob- servations or their enquiries. New objects do not strike them with such a degree of surprise as one would naturally expect; nor do they even fix their attention for a moment. Omai, indeed, who was a great favourite with them, would sometimes attract a circle about him; but they seemed to listen to his speeches like persons who neither understood, nor wished to understand, what they heard. One day, on our enquiring of Taweiharooa how many ships, such as ours, had ever arrived in Queen Charlotte's Sound, or in any part of its neighbour- hood? he began with giving an account of one absolutely unknown to us. This, he said, had put into a port on the north-west coast of Teerawitte, but a very few years before I arrived in the Sound in the Endeavour, which the New Zelanders dis- tinguish, by calling Tupia's ship. At first, I thought he might have been mistaken as to the time and place; and that the ship in question might be either Monsieur Survi lie's, who is said to have touched upon the north-east coast of Eaheiiiomauwe, the ^18 cook's voyage to fee. same year I was there in the Endeavour, or else Monsieur Marion du Fresne's, who was in the Bay of Islands, on the same coast, a few years after; but he assured us that he was not mistaken, either as to the time or as to the place of this ship's ar- rival; and that it was well known to every body about Queen Charlotte's Sound and Teerawitte. He said, that the captain of her, during his stay here, cohabited with a woman of the country; and that she had a son by him still living, and about the age of Kokoa ; who, though not born then, seemed to be equally well acquainted with the story. We were also informed by Taweiharooa, that this ship first introduced the venereal disease amongst the New Zealanders. I wish that subsequent visiters from Europe may not have their share of guilt, in leaving so dreadful a remembrance of them amongst this unhappy race. The disorder now is but too common here, though they do not seem to regard it, saying, that its effects are not near so pernicious at present as they were at its first appearance. The only method, as far as I ever heard, that they make use of as a remedy, is by giving the patient the use of a sort of hot bath, which they produce by the steam of certain green plants laid over hot stones. I regretted much that we did not hear of this ship while we were in the Sound; as, by means of Omai, we might have had full and correct information about her from eye-witnesses. For Taweiharooa's account was only from what he had been told, and therefore liable to many mistakes. I have not the least doubt, however, that his testimony may so far be depended upon, as to induce us to believe that a ship really had been at Teerawitte prior to my arrival in the Endeavour, as it corresponds with what I had formerly heard. For in the latter end of 1773, the second time I visited New Zealand, during my last voyage, when we were continually making enquiries 1777- THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 219 about the Adventure, after our separation, some of the natives informed us of a ship's having been in a port on the coast of Teerawitte. But, at that time, we thought we must have misunderstood them, and took no notice of the intelligence. The arrival of this unknown ship has been marked by the New Zealanders with more cause of remem- brance than the unhappy one just mentioned. Ta- weiharooa told us, their country was indebted to her people for the present of an animal, which they left behind them. But as he had not seen it himself, no sort of judgment could be formed, from his descrip- tion, of what kind it was. We had another piece of intelligence from him, more correctly given, though not confirmed by our own observations, that there are snakes and lizards there of an enormous size. He described the latter as being eight feet in length, and as big round as a man's body. He said, they sometimes seize and devour men; that they burrow in the ground; and that they are killed by making fires at the mouths of the holes. We could not be mistaken as to the animal; for with his own hand he drew a very good representation of a lizard on a piece of paper; as also of a snake, in order to show what he meant. Though much has been said, in the narratives of my two former voyages, about this country and its inhabitants, Mr. Anderson's remarks, as serving either to confirm or to correct our former accounts,, may not be superfluous. He had been three times with me in Queen Charlotte's Sound, during my last voyage; and, after this fourth visit, what bethought proper to record, may be considered as the result of sufficient observation. The reader will find it in the next chapter; and I have nothing farther to add, before I quit New Zealand, but to give some account of the astronomical and nautical observations made during our stay there. 220 cook's VOYAGE TO , FEB. The longitude of the Observa- tory in Ship Cove, by a mean of 103 sets of observations, each set consisting of six or more observed distances, was - - 174 25' 15" east. By the time-keeper, at Green- wich rate, it was - - - - 175 26 30 By ditto, at the Cape rate, it was 174 56 12 Variation of the compass, being the mean of six needles, ob- served on board the ship - 12 40 easU By the same needles on shore, it was 13 53 O The dip of the south end, ob- served on shore, was - - 63 42 By a mean of the results of eleven days observ- ations, the time-keeper was too slow for mean time, on February 22. at noon, by ll h 50' 37", 396; and she was found to be losing, on mean time, at the rate of 2", 913 per day. From this rate the longitude will be computed, till some other opportunity offers to ascertain her rate anew. The astronomical clock, with the same length of pendulum as at Greenwich, was found to be losing on sidereal time 40", 239 per day. It will not be amiss to mention, that the longitude, by lunar observations, as above, differs only 6' 45" from what Mr. Wales made it during my last voyage ; his being so much more to the W., or 174 18" 30". The latitude of Ship Cove is 41 6" 0", as found by Mr. Wales. 1777- THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 221 CHAP. VI11. mr. Anderson's remarks on the country near oueen charlotte's sound. the soil. climate. weather. winds. trees. plants. birds. fish. other animals. of the inhabitants. description of their persons. their dress. ornaments. habi- tations. boats. food and cookery. arts. weapons. cruelty to prisoners. various customs. specimen of their language. 1 he land every where about Queen Charlotte's Sound is uncommonly mountainous, rising imme- diately from the sea into large hills with blunted tops. At considerable distances are valleys, or rather impressions on the sides of the hills, which are not deep; each terminating toward the sea in a small cove, with a pebbly or sandy beach; behind which are small flats, where the natives generally build their huts, at the same time hauling their canoes upon the beaches. This situation is the more con- venient, as in every cove a brook of very fine water (in which are some small trout) empties itself into the sea. The bases of these mountains, at least toward the shore, are constituted of a brittle, yellowish sand- stone, which acquires a bluish cast, where the sea washes it. It runs, at some places, in horizontal, and, at other places, in oblique strata; being fre- quently divided, at small distances, by thin veins of coarse quartz, which commonly follow the direction of the other, though they sometimes intersect it. The mould, or soil, which covers this, is also of a 22 COOK'S VOYAGE TO FEB. yellowish cast, not unlike marl; and is commonly from a foot to two, or more, in thickness. The quality of this soil is best indicated by the luxuriant growth of its productions. For the hills (except a few toward the sea, which are covered with smaller bushes) are one continued forest of lofty trees, flourishing with a vigour almost supe- rior to any thing that imagination can conceive, and affording an august prospect to those who are delighted with the grand and beautiful works of nature. The agreeable temperature of the climate, no doubt, contributes much to this uncommon strength in vegetation. For at this time, though answering to our month of August, the weather was never disagreeably warm; nor did it raise the thermometer higher than 66. The winter, also, seems equally mild with respect to cold: for in June, 177^, which corresponds to our December, the mercury never fell lower than 48; and the trees, at that time, retained their verdure, as if in the summer season; so that, I believe, their foliage is never shed, till pushed off by the succeeding leaves in spring. i The weather, in general, is good, but sometimes windy, with heavy rain; which, however, never lasts above a day, nor does it appear that it is ever ex- cessive. For there are no marks of torrents rushing down the hills, as in many countries; and the brooks, if we may judge from their channels, seem never to be greatly increased. I have observed, in the four different times of my being here, that the winds from the S. eastward are commonly moderate, but attended with cloudy weather, or rain. The S. W. winds blow very strong, and are also attended with rain; but they seldom last long. The N. W. winds are the most prevailing; and though often pretty strong, are almost constantly connected with fine weather. In short, the only obstacle to this being one of the finest countries upon earth is its great hilliness, which, 1777- THE pacific OCEAN. 223 allowing the woods to be cleared away, would leave it less proper for pasturage than flat land, and still more improper for cultivation, which could never be effected here by the plough. The large trees which cover the hills are chiefly of two sorts. One of them, of the size of our largest firs, grows much after their manner; but the leaves, and small berries on their points, are much liker the yew. It was this which supplied the place of spruce in making beer; which we did with a strong decoc- tion of its leaves, fermented with treacle or sugar. And this liquor, when well prepared, was acknow- ledged to be little inferior to the American spruce- beer, by those who had experience of both. The other sort of tree is not unlike a maple; and grows often to a great size; but it only served for fuel, as the wood, both of this and of the preceding, was found to be rather too heavy for masts, yards, and other similar repairs. There is a greater variety of trees on the small flat spots behind the beaches. Amongst these are two that bear a kind of plum of the size of prunes, the one yellow, called karraca; and the other black, called maitao; but neither of them of a very agreeable taste, though the natives ate both* and our people did the same. Those of the first sort grow on small trees, always facing the sea; but the others belong to larger trees that stand farther within the wood, and which we frequently cut down for fuel. A species of Philadelphus grows on the eminences which jut out into the sea; and also a tree bearing flowers almost like myrtle, with roundish-spotted leaves of a disagreeable smell. We drank the leaves of the Philadelphus as tea; and found that they had a pleasant taste and smell, and might make an ex- cellent substitute for the oriental sort. Among other plants that were useful to us, may be reckoned wild celery, which grows plentifully in almost every cove; especially if the natives have 224 COOK'S VOYAGE TO FEB. ever resided there before; and one that we used to call scurvy-grass, though entirely different from the plant to which we give that name. This, however, is far preferable to ours for common use; and may be known by its jagged leaves, and small clusters of white flowers on the top. Both sorts were boiled every morning, with wheat ground in a mill, and with portable soup, for the people's breakfast, and also amongst their pease-soup, for dinner. Sometimes they were used as salad, or dressed as greens. In all which ways they are good; and together with the fish, with which we were constantly supplied, they formed a sort of refreshment, perhaps little inferior to what is to be met with in places most noted by navigators for plentiful supplies of animal and vege- table food. Amongst the known kinds of plants met with here, are common and rough bindweed; night-shade and nettles, both which grow to the size of small trees; a shrubby speedwell, found near all the beaches; sow-thistles, virgin's bower, vanelloe, French willow, euphorbia, and crane's bill; also cudweed, rushes, bull-rushes, flax, all-heal, American night-shade, knot-grass, brambles, eye-bright, and groundsel; but the species of each are different from any we have in Europe. There is also polypody, spleenwort, and about twenty other different sort of ferns, entirely peculiar to the place; with several sorts of mosses, either rare, or produced only here; besides a great number of other plants, whose uses are not yet known, and subjects fit only for botanical books. Of these, however, there is one which deserves particular notice here, as the natives make their garments of it; and it produces a fine silky flax, superior in appearance to any thing we have, and, probably, at least as strong. It grows every where near the sea, and in some places a considerable way up the hills, in bunches or tufts, with sedge-like leaves, bearing, on a long stalk, yellowish flowers, 1777- THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 225 which are succeeded by a long roundish pod, filled with very thin shining black seeds. A species of long pepper is found in great plenty; but it has little of the aromatic flavour that makes spices valuable; and a tree much like a palm at a distance, is pretty frequent in the woods, though the deceit appears as you come near it. It is remarkable that, as the greatest part of the trees and plants had, at this time, lost their flowers, we perceived they were generally of the berry-bearing kind; of which, and other seeds, I brought away about thirty different sorts. Of these, one in particular, which bears a red berry, is much like the supple jack, and grows about the trees, stretching from one to another, in such a manner as to render the woods almost wholly impassable. The birds, of which there is a tolerable stock, as well as the vegetable productions, are almost entirely peculiar to the place. And though it be difficult to follow them, on account of the quantity of under- wood and the climbing plants, that render travelling, for pleasure alone, uncommonly fatiguing, yet a person, by remaining in one place, may shoot as many in a day as would serve six or eight others. The principal sorts are, large brown parrots, with white or greyish heads; green paroquets with red foreheads; large wood pigeons, brown above, with white bellies, the rest green, and the bill and feet red. Two sorts of cuckoos, one as large as our com- mon sort, of a brown colour, variegated with black ; the other not larger than a sparrow, of a splendid green cast above, and elegantly varied with waves of golden, green, brown, and white colours below. Both these are scarce; but several others are in greater plenty; one of which, of a black colour, with a greenish cast, is remarkable for having a tuft of white curled feathers hanging under the throat, and was called the Poy bird by our people. Another sort, rather smaller, is black, with a brown back and wings, and two small gills under the root of the VOL. v. Q ^Q(') COOK'S VOYAGE TO FEB. bill. This we called the small wattle-bird, to dis- tinguish it from another, which we called the large one, of the size of a common pigeon, with two large yellow and purple membranes also, at the root of the bill. It is black, or ratber blue, and has no resemblance of the other but in name; for the bill is thick, short, and crooked, and has alto- gether an uncommon appearance. A gross-beak, about the size of a thrush, of a brown colour, with a reddish tail, is frequent; as is also a small greenish bird, which is almost the only musical one here, but is sufficient bv itself to fill the woods with a melody, that is not only sweet, but so varied, that one would imagine he was surrounded by a hundred different sorts of birds, when the little warbler is near. From this circumstance we named it the mocking-bird. There are likewise three or four sorts of smaller birds; one of which, in figure and tame- ness, exactly resembles our robin, but is black where that is brown, and white where that is red. Another differs but little from this, except in being smaller; and a third sort has a long tail, which it expands as a fan on coming near, and makes a chirping noise when it perches. King-fishers are seen, though rare, and are about the size of our English ones, but with an inferior plumage. About the rocks are seen black sea-pies with red bills; and crested shags of a leaden colour, with small black spots on the wings and shoulders, and the rest of the upper part of a velvet black tinged with green. We frequently shot both these, and also a more common sort of shags, black above and white underneath, that build their nests upon trees, on which sometimes a dozen or more sit at once. There are also, about the shore, a few sea-gulls; some blue herons; and sometimes, though very rarely, wild ducks; a small sandy-coloured plover, and some sand-larks ; and small penguins, black above, with a white belly, as well as numbers of little black divers, swim often about the Sound. We like- 1?77. THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 2^7 wise killed two or three rails of a brown or yellowish colour, variegated with black, which feed about the smali brooks, and are nearly as large as a common fowl. No other sort of game was seen, except a single snipe, which was shot, and differs but little from that of Europe. The principal fish we caught by the seine were mullets and elephant fish, with a few soles and flounders; but those that the natives mostly supplied us with, were a sort of sea-bream of a silver colour w r ith a black spot on the neck, large conger-eels, and a fish in shape much like the bream, but so large as to weigh ^ve, six, or seven pounds. It is blackish with thick lips, and called Mogge by the natives. With hook and line we caught chiefly a blackish fish of the size of a haddock, called cole-fish by the sea- men, but differing much from that known by the same name in Europe; and another of the same size, of a reddish colour with a little beard, which we called night-walkers, from the greatest number being caught in the night. Sometimes we got a sort of small salmon, gurnards, skate, and nurses; and the natives, now and then, brought hake, paracutas, a small sort of mackerel, parrot-fish, and leather- jackets ; besides another fish which is very rare, shaped almost like a dolphin, of a black colour, with strong bony jaws, and the back-fin, as well as those opposite to it, much lengthened at the end. All these sorts, except the last, which we did not try, are ex- cellent to eat; but the Mogge, small salmon, and cole-fish, are superior to the rest. The rocks are abundantly furnished with great quantities of excellent muscles : one sort of which, that is not very common, measures above a foot in length. There are also cockles buried in the sand of the small beaches; and in some places oysters, which, though very small, are well tasted. Of other shell-fish, there are ten or twelve sorts, such as peri- wincles, wilks, limpets, and some very beautiful sea- q 2 2&3 cook's voyage to . feb. ears; also another sort which stick to the weeds; with some other things, as sea-eggs, star-fish, &c. several of which are peculiar to the place. The natives likewise sometimes brought us very fine cray- fish, equal to our largest lobsters, and cuttle-fish, which they eat themselves. Insects are very rare. Of these, we only saw r two sorts of dragon flies, some butterflies, small gras- hoppers, several sorts of spiders, some small black ants, and vast numbers of scorpion flies, with whose chirping the woods resound. The only noxious one is the sand-fly, very numerous here, and almost as troublesome as the musquitoe ; for we found no reptile here, except two or three sorts of small harm- less lizards. * It is remarkable, that, in this extensive land, there should not even be the traces of any quadruped, only excepting a few rats, and a sort of fox-dog, which is a domestic animal with the natives. Neither is there any mineral worth notice, but a green jasper or serpent-stone, of which the New Zealanders make their tools and ornaments. This is esteemed a precious article by them; and they have some superstitious notions about the method of its generation, which we could not perfectly under- stand. It is plain, however, that wherever it may be found (which, they say, is in the channel of a large river far to the southward), it is disposed in the earth in thin layers, or, perhaps, in detached pieces, like our flints; for the edges of those pieces, which have not been cut, are covered with a whitish crust like these. A piece of this sort was purchased, about eighteen inches long, a foot broad, and near two inches thick; which yet seemed to be only the frag- ment of a larger piece. * In a separate memorandum-book, Mr. Anderson mentions the monstrous animal of the lizard kind, described by the two boys after they left the island. 1777- THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 29 The natives do not exceed the common stature of Europeans; and, in general, are not so well made> especially about the limbs. This is, perhaps, the effect of sitting, for the most part, on their hams; and of being confined, by the hilly disposition of the country, from using that sort of exercise which con- tributes to render the body straight and well-propor- tioned. There are, however, several exceptions to this; and some are remarkable for their large bones and muscles ; but few that I have seen are corpulent. Their colour is of different casts, from a pretty deep black to a yellowish or olive tinge ; and their features also are various, some resembling Europe- ans. But, in general, their faces are round, with their lips full, and also their noses towards the point; though the first are not uncommonly thick, nor the last flat. I do not, however, recollect to have seen an instance of the true aquiline nose amongst them. Their teeth are commonly broad, white, and well set; and their eyes large, with a very free motion* which seems the effect of habit. Their hair is black, straight, and strong, commonly cut short on the hind part, with the rest tied on the crown of the head: but some have it of a curling disposition, or of a brown colour. In the young, the countenance is generally free or open ; but in many of the men it has a serious cast, and sometimes a sullenness or reserve, especially if they are strangers. The women are, in general, smaller than the men ; but have few peculiar graces, either in form or features, to dis- tinguish them. The dress of both sexes is alike; and consists of an oblong garment about five feet long, and four broad, made from the silky flax already mentioned. This seems to be their most material and complex manufacture, which is executed by knotting; and theirwork is often ornamented with pieces of dog- skin, or chequered at the corners. They bring two corners of this garment over the shoulders, and Q 3 230 COOK'S VOYAGE TO FEB. fasten it on the breast with the other part, which covers the body ; and about the belly, it is again tied with a girdle made of mat. Sometimes thev cover it with large feathers of birds (which seem to be wrought into the piece of cloth when it is made), or with dog-skin; and that alone we have seen worn as a covering. Over this garment, many of them wear mats, which reach from the shoulders to near the heels. But the most common outer-covering is a quantity of the above sedgy plant, badly dressed, which they fasten on a string to a considerable length, and, throwing it about the shoulders, let it fall down on all sides, as far as the middle of the thighs. When they sit down with this upon them, either in their boats, or upon the shore, it would be difficult to dis- tinguish them from large grey stones, if their black heads, projecting beyond their coverings, did not engage one to a stricter examination. By way of ornament, they fix in their heads feathers, or combs of bone, or wood, adorned with pearl shell, or the thin inner skin of some leaf. And in the ears, both of men and women, which are pierced, or rather slit, are hung small pieces of jasper, bits of cloth, or beads when they can get them. A few also have the septum of the nose bored in its lower part; but no ornament was worn there that we saw; though one man passed a twig through it, to show us that it was sometimes used for that purpose. They wear long beards, but are fond of having them shaved. Some are punctured or stained in the face with curious spiral and other figures, of a black or deep blue colour; but it is doubtful whether this be ornamental, or intended as a mark of particular distinction; and the women, who are marked so, have the puncture only on their lips, or a small spot on their chins. Both sexes often besmear their faces and heads with a red paint, which seems to be a martial ochre mixed with grease; and the women sometimes wear neck- 18 1777- THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 231 Jaces of shark's teeth, or bunches of long beads, which seem to be made of the leg-bones of small birds, or a particular shell. A few also have small triangular aprons adorned with the feathers of parrots, or bits of pearl shells, furnished with a double or treble set of cords to fasten them about the waist. I have sometimes seen caps or bonnets made of the feathers of birds, which may be reckoned as orna- ments; for it is not their custom to wear any covering on their heads. They live in the small coves formerly described, in companies of forty or fifty, or more; and sometimes in single families, building their huts contiguous to each other; which, in general, are miserable lodging- places. The best I ever saw was about thirty feet long, fifteen broad, and six high, built exactly in the manner of one of our country barns. The inside was both strong and regularly made of supporters at the sides, alternately large and small, well fastened by means of withes, and painted red and black. The ridge pole was strong; and the large bull-rushes, which composed the inner part of the thatching, were laid with great exactness parallel to each other. At one end was a small square hole, which served as a door to creep in at; and near it another much smaller, seemingly for letting out the smoke, as no other vent for it could be seen. This, how- ever, ought to be considered as one of the best, and the residence of some principal person; for the greatest part of them are not half the above size, and seldom exceed four feet in height; being, besides, indifferently built, though proof against wind and rain. No other furniture is to be seen in them, than a few small baskets or bags, in which they put their fishing-hooks, and other trifles ; and they sit down in the middle round a small fire, where they also proba- bly sleep, without any other covering than what they wear in the day, or perhaps without that ; as such q 4 c 23 l 2 cook's voyage to feb. confined places must be very warm, though inhabited but by a few persons. They live chiefly by fishing, making use either of nets of different kinds, or of wooden fish-hooks pointed with bone ; but so oddly made, that a stran- ger is at a loss to know how they can answer such a purpose. It also appears, that they remove their ha- bitations from one place to another when the fish grow scarce, or for some other reason ; for we found houses now built in several parts, where there had been none when we were here during our last voy- age, and even these have been already deserted. Their boats are well built, of planks raised upon each other, and fastened with strong withes, which also bind a long narrow piece on the outside of the seams to prevent their leaking. Some are fifty feet long, and so broad as to be able to sail without an outrigger ; but the smaller sort commonly have one ; and they often fasten two together by rafters, which we then call a double canoe. They carry from five to thirty men or more ; and have often a large head ingeniously carved, and painted with a figure at the point, which seems intended to represent a man, with his features distorted by rage. Their paddles are about four or five feet long, narrow, and pointed ; with which, when they keep time, the boat is pushed along pretty swiftly. Their sail, which is seldom used, is made of a mat of a triangular shape, having the broadest part above. The only method of dressing their fish, is by roast- ing, or rather baking, for they are entirely ignorant of the art of boiling. In the same manner they dress the root, and part of the stalk, of the large fern-tree, in a great hole dug for that purpose, which serves as an oven. After which they split it, and find within a fine gelatinous substance, like boiled sago-powder, but firmer. They also use another smaller fern root, which seems to be their substitute for bread, as it is dried and carried about with them, together with 1777- THE pacific OCEAN. 233 dried fish in great quantities, when they remove their families, or go far from home. This they beat with a stick till it becomes pretty soft, when they chew it sufficiently, and spit out the hard fibrous part, the other having a sweetish mealy taste not at all disagreeable. When they dare not venture to sea, or perhaps from choice, they supply the place of other fish with mus- cles and sea-ears ; great quantities of the shells of which lie in heaps near their houses. And they sometimes, though rarely, find means to kill rails, penguins, and shags, which help to vary their diet. They also breed considerable numbers of the dogs, mentioned before, for food ; but these cannot be considered as a principal article of diet. From whence we may conclude, that as there is not the least sign of cultivation of land, they depend princi- pally for their subsistence on the sea, which, indeed, is very bountiful in its supply. Their method of feeding corresponds with the nastiness of their persons, which often smell dis- agreeably from the quantity of grease about them, and their clothes never being washed. We have seen them eat the vermin, with which their heads are suf- ficiently stocked. They also used to devour, with the greatest eager- ness, large quantities of stinking train oil, and blub- ber of seals, which we were melting at the tent, and had kept near two months ; and, on board the ships, they were not satisfied with emptying the lamps, but actually swallowed the cotton and fragrant wick with equal voracity. It is worthy of notice, that though the inhabitants of Van Diemen's land appear to have but a scanty subsistence, they would not even taste our bread, though they saw us eat it ; whereas these people devoured it greedily, when both mouldy and rotten. But this must not be imputed to any defect in their sensations ; for I have observed 234 cook's voyage to feb. them throw away things which we eat, with evident disgust, after only smelling to them. They show as much ingenuity, both in invention and execution, as any uncivilized nations under simi- lar circumstances. For, without the use of any metal tools, they make every thing by which they procure their subsistence, clothing, and warlike weapons, with a degree of neatness, strength, and convenience, for accomplishing their several purposes. Their chief mechanical tool is formed exactly after the manner of our adzes ; and is made, as are also the chissel and goudge, of the green serpent-stone or jasper already, mentioned ; though sometimes they are composed of a black, smooth, and very solid stone. But their master-piece seems to be carving, which is found upon the most trifling things ; and, in par- ticular, the heads of their canoes are sometimes ornamented with it in such a manner, as not only shows much design, but is also an example of their great labour and patience in execution. Their cord- age for fishing-lines is equal, in strength and even- ness, to that made by us ; and their nets not at all inferior. But what must cost them more labour than any other article, is the making the tools we have mentioned ; for the stone is exceedingly hard, and the only method of fashioning it, we can guess at, is by rubbing one stone upon another, which can t have but a slow effect. Their substitute for a knife is a shell, a bit of flint, or jasper. And, as an auger, to bore holes, they fix a shark's tooth in the end of a small piece of wood. It is true, they have a small saw made of some jagged fishes' teeth, fixed on the convex edge of a piece of wood nicely carved. But this, they say, is only used to cut up the bodies of their enemies whom they kill in battle. No people can have a quicker sense of an injury done to them, and none are more ready to resent it. But, at the same time, they will take an opportunity 1777. THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 235 of being insolent when they think there is no danger of punishment ; which is so contrary to the spirit of genuine bravery, that, perhaps, their eagerness to resent injuries is to be looked upon rather as an effect of a furious disposition than of great courage. They also appear to be of a suspicious or mistrustful tem- per (which, however, may rather be acquired than natural), for strangers never came to our ships im- mediately, but lay in their boats at a small distance, either to observe our motions, or consult whether or no they should risk their safety with us. To this they join a great degree of dishonesty ; for they steal every thing they can lay their hands on, if there be the least hope of not being detected ; and, in trading, I have little doubt but they would take advantages, if they thought it could be done with safety ; as they not only refuse to trust a thing in one's hand for examination, but exult, if they think they have tricked you in the bargain. Such conduct, however, is in some measure to be expected where there appears to be but little sub- ordination, and consequently few, if any laws, to punish transgressions. For no man's authority seems to extend farther than his own family ; and when, at any time, they join for mutual defence, or any other purpose, those amongst them who are eminent for courage or prudence, are directors. How their private quarrels are terminated is uncer- tain ; but, in the few we saw, which were of little consequence, the parties concerned were clamorous and disorderly. Their public contentions are frequent, or rather perpetual; for it appears, from their number of weapons, and dexterity in using them, that war is their principal profession. These weapons are spears, patoos and halberts, or sometimes stones. The first are made of hard wood pointed, of different lengths, from five to twenty, or even thirty feet long. The short ones are used for 236 cook's voyage to feb. throwing as darts. The patoo or emeete is of an elliptical shape, about eighteen inches long, with a handle made of wood, stone, the bone of some sea animal, or green jasper, and seems to be their principal dependance in battle. The halbert, or long club, is about five or six feet long, tapering at one end with a carved head, and at the other, broad or flat, with sharp edges. Before they begin the onset, they join in a war- song, to which they all keep the exactest time, and soon raise their passion to a degree of frantic fury, attended with the most horrid distortion of their eyes, mouths, and tongues, to strike terror into their enemies ; which, to those who have not been accustomed to such a practice, makes them appear more like demons than men, and would almost chill the boldest with fear. To this succeeds a circum- stance, almost foretold in their fierce demeanor, horrid, cruel, and disgraceful to human nature ; which is, cutting in pieces, even before being per- fectly dead, the bodies of their enemies, and, after dressing them on a fire, devouring the flesh, not only without reluctance, but with peculiar satisfaction. One might be apt to suppose, that people, capa- ble of such excess of cruelty, must be destitute of every humane feeling, even amongst their own party. And yet we find them lamenting the loss of their friends, with a violence of expression which argues the most tender remembrance of them. For both men and women, upon the death of those connected with them, whether in battle or otherwise, bewail them with the most doleful cries ; at the same time cutting their foreheads and cheeks, with shells or pieces of flint, in large gashes, until the blood flows plentifully and mixes with their tears. They also carve pieces of their green stone, rudely shaped as human figures, which they ornament with bright eyes of pearl shell, and hang them about their necks, 1777* the pacific OCEAN'. 237 as memorials of those whom they held most dear ; and their affections of this kind are so strong, that they even perform the ceremony of cutting, and lamenting for joy, at the return of any of their friends, who have been absent but for a short time. The children are initiated, at a very early age, into all the practices, good or bad, of their fathers ; so that you find a boy or girl, nine or ten years old, able to perform all the motions, and to imitate the frightful gestures, by which the more aged use to inspire their enemies with terror, keeping the strictest time in their song. They likewise sing, with some degree of melody, the traditions of their forefathers, their actions in war, and other indifferent subjects ; of all which they are immoderately fond, and spend much of their time in these amusements, and in playing on a sort of flute. . Their language is far from being harsh or dis- agreeable, though the pronunciation is frequently guttural ; and whatever qualities are requisite in any other language to make it musical, certainly obtain to a considerable degree here, if we may judge from the melody of some sorts of their songs. It is also sufficiently comprehensive, though, in many respects, deficient, if compared with our European languages, which owe their perfection to long improvement. But a small specimen is here subjoined, from which some judgment may be formed. I collected a great many of their words, both now and in the course of our former voyage ; and being equally attentive, in my inquiries, about the languages of the other islands throughout the South Sea, I have the amplest proof of their wonder- ful agreement, or rather identity. This general observation has indeed been already made in the accounts of the former voyages.* I shall be * See Hawkesworth's Collection, vol. iii. p. 474-, 4*75. and Captain Cook's Voyage, Vol. ii. p. 364. 238 COOK S VOYAGE TO FEB. enabled, however, to confirm and strengthen it, by a fresh list of words, selected from a large vocabu- lary in my possession ; and by placing in the opposite column, the corresponding words as used at Otaheite, the curious reader will, at one view, be furnished with sufficient materials for judging by what subordinate changes the difference of dialect has been effected. English. Netv Zealand. Otaheite. Water, Ewy, Evy. A tail of a dog, Wyeroo, Ero. Death, dead, Kaoo, matte, Matte, roa. Tofy, Ererre, Eraire. A house, Ewharre, Ewharre. To sleep, Moea, Moe. A Jish-hook, Makoee, Matou. Shut, Opanee, Opanee. A bed, Moenga, Moera. A butterfly, Epaipe, Pepe. To chew or eat, Hekaee, Ey- Cold, Makkareede, Mareede. To-day, Agooanai, Aooanai. The hand, Reenga, Ereema. Large, Keeerahoi, Erahoi. Red, Whairo, Oora, oora We, Taooa, Taooa. Where is it? Kahaia, Tehaia. A stone, Powhy, Owhy. A man, Tangata, Taata. Black, Purra, purra, Ere, ere. White, Ema, Ooama. To reside, or dwell, Nohoanna, Nohonoa. Out, not within, Woho, Woho. Male kind (of any Toa, Etoa. animal), Female, Eoowha, Eooha. A shark, Mango, Mao. To understand, Geetaia, Eetea. 1 777- THE PACIFIC OCEAK. 289 English. New Zealand. Otaheite. Forgot, Warre, Ooaro. Yesterday, Taeninnahoi, Ninnahoi One, Tahaee, Atahay Two, Rooa, Erooa. Three, Toroo, Toroo, Four, Faa, Ahaa. Five, Reema, Ereema. Sir, Ono, Aono. Seven, Heetoo, Aheitoo* Eight, Waroo, Awaroo. Nine, Eeva, Aeeva. Ten, Angahoora, Ahooroo. The New Zealanders to these numerals prefix Ma ; as, Eleven, Matahee. Twelve, 8$c. c. Marooa, &c &c. Twenty, Mangahoora. 240 cook's VOYAGE TO FEB. BOOK II. FROM LEAVING NEW ZEALAND TO OUR ARRIVAL AT OTAHEITE, OR THE SOCIETY ISLANDS. CHAP. I. PROSECUTION OF THE VOYAGE. BEHAVIOUR OF THE TWO NEW ZEALANDERS ON BOARD. UNFAVOURABLE WINDS. AN ISLAND CALLED MANGEEA DISCOVERED. THE COAST OF IT EXAMINED. TRANSACTIONS WITH THE NATIVES. AN ACCOUNT OF THEIR PERSONS, DRESS, AND CANOE, DE- SCRIPTION OF THE ISLAND. A SPECIMEN OF THE LAN- GUAGE. DISPOSITION OF THE INHABITANTS. On the 25th, at ten o'clock in the morning, a light breeze springing up at N. W. by W., we weighed, stood out of the Sound, and made sail through the strait, with the Discovery in company. We had hardly got the length of Cape Tierawhitte, when the wind took us aback at S. E. It continued in this quarter till two o'clock the next morning, when we had a few hours' calm. After which we had a breeze at N. ; but here it fixed not long, before it veered to the E., and after that to the S. At length, on the 27th at eight o'clock in the morning, we took our departure from Cape Palliser, which, at this time, bore W., seven or eight leagues distant. We had a fine gale, and I steered E. by N. We had no sooner lost sight of the land than our two New Zealand adventurers, the sea-sickness they now experienced giving a turn to their reflections, repented heartily of the step they had taken. All the soothing encouragement we could think of, 1777- THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 241 availed but little. They wept both in public and in private ; and made their lamentations in a kind of song, which, as far as we could comprehend the meaning of the words, was expressive of their praises of their country and people, from which they were to be separated for ever. Thus they continued for many days, till their sea-sickness wore off, and the tumult of their minds began to subside. Then these fits of lamentation became less and less frequent, and at length entirely ceased. Their native country and their friends were, by degrees, forgot, and they ap- peared to be as firmly attached to us, as if they had been born amongst us. The wind had not remained many hours at S., before it veered to S. E. and E. ; and, with this, we stood to the N., till the 28th at noon. Being then in the latitude of 41 17', and in longitude of 177 17' E., we tacked and stood to the S. E., with a gentle breeze at E. N. E. It afterward freshened, and came about to N. E. ; in which quarter it con- tinued two days, and sometimes blew a fresh gale with squalls, accompanied with showers of rain. On the 2d of March at noon, being in the latitude of 42 35' 30", longitude 180 8' E. the wind shifted to north-west; afterward to south- west; and between this point and north it con- tinued to blow, sometimes a strong srale with hard squalls, and at other times very moderate. With this wind we steered north-east by east and east, under all the sail we could carry, till the 11th at noon, at which time we were in the latitude of 39 W, longitude 196 4/ E. The wind now veered to north-east and south- east, and I stood to the north, and to the north-east, as the wind would admit, till one o'clock in the morning on the l6th, when having a more favour- able gale from the north, I tacked and stood to the east, the latitude being 33 40', and the longitude 198 50' E. We had light airs and calms by turns, vol. v. R 242 cook's voyage to march; till noon the next day, when the wind began to- freshen at east south-east, and I again stood to the north-east. But as the wind often veered to east and east north-east, we frequently made no better than a northerly course ; nay sometimes to the westward of north. But the hopes of the wind coming more southerly, or of meeting with it from the westward, a little without the tropic, as I had experienced in my former visits to this ocean, encouraged me to continue this course. Indeed it was necessary that I should run all risks, as my proceeding to the north this year, in prosecution of the principal object of the voyage, depended entirely on my making a quick passage to Otaheite, or the Society Islands. The wind continued invariably fixed at east south- east, or seldom shifting above two points on either side. It also blew very faint, so that it was the 27th before we crossed the tropic, and then we were only in the longitude of 201 23' east, which was nine degrees to the westward of our intended port. In all this run we saw nothing, except now and then a tropic bird, that could induce us to think we had sailed near any land. In the latitude of 34 20', longitude 199, we passed the trunk of a large tree, which was covered with barnacles, a sign that it had been long at sea. On the 29th, at ten in the morning, as we were standing to the north-east, the Discovery made the signal of seeing land. We saw it from the mast- head almost the same moment, bearing north-east by east by compass. We soon discovered it to be an island of no great extent, and stood for it till sunset, when it bore north north-east, distant about two or three leagues. The night was spent in standing off and on, and at day-dreak the next morning, I bore up for the lee or west side of the island, as neither anchorage nor landing appeared to be practicable on the south 19 1777* THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 243 side, on account of a great surf' # , which broke every where with violence against the shore, or against the reef that surrounded it. We presently found that the island was inhabited, and saw several people, on a point of the land we had passed, wading to the reef, where, as they found the ship leaving them quickly, they remained. But others, who soon appeared in different parts, followed her course, and sometimes several of them collected into small bodies, who made a shouting noise altogether, nearly after the manner of the inhabitants of New Zealand. Between seven and eight o'clock, we were at the west north-west part of the island, and being near the shore, we could perceive with our glasses, that several of the natives, who appeared upon a sandy beach, were all armed with long spears and clubs, which they brandished in the air with signs of threatening, or, as some on board interpreted their attitudes, with invitations to land. Most of them appeared naked, except having a sort of girdle, which being brought up between the thighs, covered that part of the body. But some of them had pieces of cloth of different colours, white, striped, or chequered, which they wore as a garment thrown about their shoulders. And almost all of them had a white wrapper about their heads, not much unlike a turban ; or, in some instances, like a high conical cap. We could also perceive that they were of a tawny colour, and in general of a middling stature, but robust, and inclining to corpulence. At this time, a small canoe was launched in a great hurry from the further end of the beach, and a man getting into it, put off, as with a view to reach the ship. On perceiving this, I brought to, that we might receive the visit; but the man's * A very ingenious and satisfactory account of the cause of the surf, is to be met with in Marsden's History of Sumatra, p. 29. 32. R 2 44 cook's voyage to march, resolution failing, he soon returned toward the beach, where, after some time, another man joined him in the canoe ; and then they both paddled towards us. They stopt short, however, as if afraid to approach, until Omai, who addressed them in the Otaheite language, in some measure quieted their apprehensions. They then came near enough to take some beads and nails, which were tied to a piece of wood, and thrown into the canoe. They seemed afraid to touch these things, and .put the piece of wood aside without untying them. This, however, might arise from superstition ; for Omai told us, that when they saw us offering them presents, they asked something for their Eatooa, or god. He also, perhaps improperly, put the question to them, whether they ever ate human flesh? which they answered in the negative, with a mixture of indig- nation and abhorrence. One of them, whose name was Mourooa, being asked how he came by a scar on his forehead, told us that it was the consequence of a wound he had got in fighting with the people of an island which lies to the north-eastward, who sometimes came to invade them. They afterward took hold of a rope. Still, however, they would not venture on board ; but told Omai, who understood them pretty well, that their countrymen on shore had given them this caution, at the same time directing them to inquire, from whence our ship came, and to learn the name of the captain. On our part, we inquired the name of the island, which they called Mangya or Mangcea ; and sometimes added to it Nooe, nai, naiwa. The name of their chief, they said, was Orooaeeka. Mourooa was lusty and well made, but not very tall. His features were agreeable, and his disposi- tion seemingly no less so ; for he made several droll gesticulations, which indicated both good nature and a share of humour. He also made others which seemed of a serious kind, and repeated some 3777* THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 845 words with a devout air, before he ventured to lay hold of the rope at the ship's stern ; which was probably to recommend himself to the protection of some divinity. His colour was nearly of the same cast with that common to the most southern Europeans. The other man was not so handsome. Both of them had strong, straight hair, of a jet colour, tied together on the crown 'of the head with a bit of cloth. They wore such girdles as we had perceived about those on shore, and we found they were a substance made from the Morns papyrifera, in the same manner as at the other islands of this ocean. It was glazed like the sort used by the natives of the Friendly Islands ; but the cloth on their heads was white, like that which is found at Otaheite. They had on a kind of sandals, made of a grassy substance interwoven, which we also observed were worn by those who stood upon the beach ; and, as we supposed, intended to defend their feet against the rough coral rock. Their beards were long ; and the inside of their arms, from the shoulder to the elbow, and some other parts, were punctured or tatooed, after the manner of the inhabitants of almost all the other islands in the South Sea. The lobe of their ears was pierced, or rather slit, and to such a length, that one of them stuck there a knife and some beads, which he had received from us ; and the same person had two polished pearl shells, and a bunch of human hair, loosely twisted, hanging about his neck, which was the only ornament we observed. The canoe they came in (which was the only one we saw), was not above ten feet long, and very narrow ; but both strong and neatly made. The forepart had a flat board fastened over it, and projecting out, to pre- vent the sea getting in on plunging, like the small Evaas at Otaheite ; but it had an upright stern, about five feet high, like some in New Zealand ; and the upper end of this stern-post t was forked. The R O 246 cook's voyage to march, lower part of the canoe was of white wood, but the upper was black, and their paddles, made of wood of the same colour, not above three feet long, broad at one end, and blunted. They paddled either end of the canoe forward indifferently ; and only turned about their faces to paddle the contrary way. We now stood off and on ; and as soon as the ships were in a proper station, about ten o'clock I ordered two boats, one of them from the Discovery, to sound the coast, and to endeavour to find a landing-place. With this view, T went in one of them myself, taking w T ith me such articles to give the natives, as I thought might serve to gain their good-will. I had no sooner put off from the ship, than the canoe Avith the two men, which had left us not long before, paddled towards my boat ; and, having come alongside, Mourooa stept into her with- out being asked, and without a moment's hesitation. Omai, who was with me, was ordered to inquire of him, where we could land; and he directed us to two different places. But I saw, with regret, that the attempt could not be made at either place, unless at the risk of having our boats filled with water, or even staved to pieces. Nor were we more fortunate in our search for anchorage ; for we could find no bottom, till within a cable's length of the breakers. There we met with from forty to twenty fathoms depth, over sharp coral rocks ; so that anchoring would have been attended with much more danger than landing. While we were thus employed in reconnoitring the shore, great numbers of the natives thronged down upon the reef, all armed as above mentioned. Mourooa, who was now in my boat, probably think- ing that this warlike appearance hindered us from landing, ordered them to retire back. As many of them complied, I judged he must be a person of some consequence among them. Indeed if we un- derstood him right, he was the king's brother. So 1777' THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 247 great was the curiosity of several of them, that they took to the water, and swimming off to the boats, <;ame on board them without reserve. Nay, we found it difficult to keep them out; and still more difficult to prevent their carrying off every thing they could lay their hands upon. At length, when they perceived that we were returning to the ships, they all left us, except our original visitor Mourooa. He, though not without evident signs of fear, kept his place in my boat, and accompanied me on board the ship. The cattle and other new objects that presented themselves to him there, did not strike him with so much surprise as one might have expected. Perhaps his mind was too much taken up about his own safety to allow him to attend to other things. It is certain that he seemed very uneasy ; and the ship, on our getting on board, happening to be standing off shore, this circumstance made him the more so. I could get but little new information from him ; and, there- fore, after he had made a short stay, I ordered a boat to carry him in toward the land. As soon as he got out of the cabin, he happened to stumble over one of the goats : his curiosity now overcoming his fear, he stopped, looked at it, and asked Omai what bird this was ? and not receiving an immediate answer from him, he repeated the question to some of the people upon deck. The boat having conveyed him pretty near to the surf, he leaped into the sea and swam ashore. He had no sooner landed, than the multi- tude of his countrymen gathered round him, as if with an eager curiosity to learn from him what he had seen ; and in this situation they remained when we lost sight of them. As soon as the boat returned, we hoisted her in, and made sail from the land to the northward. Thus were we obliged to leave unvisited, this fine island, which seemed capable of supplying all our wants. It lies in the latitude of 21 57' S. and in r 4 248 cook's voyage to march, the longitude of 201 53' E. Such parts of the coast as fell under our observation, are guarded by a reef of coral rock, on the outside of which the sea is of an unfathomable depth. It is full five leagues in circuit, and of a moderate and pretty equal height; though in clear weather it may be certainly seen at the distance of ten leagues ; for we had not lost sight of it at night when we had run above seven leagues, and the weather was cloudy. In the middle it rises into little hills, from whence there is a gentle descent to the shore, which at the south- west part is steep, though not above ten or twelve feet high; and has several excavations made by the beating of the waves against a brownish sand-stone of which it is composed. The descent here is covered with trees of a deep green colour, very thick, but not high, which seem all of one sort, unless nearest the shore, where there are great numbers of that species of draccena found in the woods of New Zealand, which are also scattered in some other places. On the north-west part, the shore, as we mentioned above, ends in a sandy beach ; beyond which the land is broken down into small chasms or gullies, and has a broad border of trees resembling tall .willows ; which, from its regularity, might be supposed a work of art, did not its extent forbid us to think so. Farther up on the ascent, the trees were of the deep green mentioned before. Some of us supposed these to be the rima, intermixed with low cocoa palms, and a few of some other sorts. They seemed not so thick as on the south-west part, and higher ; which appearance might be owing to our nearer approach to the shore. On the little hills were some trees of a taller sort, thinly scattered ; but the other parts of them were either bare and of a reddish colour, or covered with something like fern. Upon the whole, the island has a pretty aspect, and might be made a beautiful spot by cultivation. As the inhabitants seemed to be both numerous 1777- THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 249 and well fed, such articles of provision as the island produces must be in great plenty. It might, however, be a matter of curiosity to know, particularly, their method of subsistence; for our friend Mourooa told us, that they had no animals, as hogs and dogs, both which, however, they had heard of; but acknow- ledged they had plantains, bread-fruit, and taro. The only birds we saw, were some white egg-birds, terns, and noddies; and one white heron, on the shore. The language of the inhabitants of Mangeea is a dialect of that spoken at Otaheite ; though their pronunciation, as that of the New Zealanders, be more guttural. Some of their words, of which two or three are perhaps peculiar to this island, are here subjoined, as taken, by Mr. Anderson, from Omai, who had learnt them in his conversations with Mou- rooa. The Otaheite words, where there is any re- semblance, are placed opposite. English. Mangeea, Otaheite. A cocoa-nut, * Eakkaree, Aree. Kooroo, Ooroo. Ewakka, Evaa. Naoo, mou. Taata, or Tangata, Taata. Cloth, or cloth- ) rp .. , -r, , j ' > laia, taia aoutee, Eoute. plant, y Good, Mata, Myty. A club, Pooroohee. Bread-fruit, A canoe, Friend, A man, Yes, Aee, Ai. No, Aoure, Aoure. A spear, Hey hey. A fight, or battle, Etamagee, Tamaee. A rvoman, Waheine, Waheine. A daughter, Maheine, Maheine. The sun, Heetaia matooa. i, Ou, Wou. The shore, Euta, Euta. What is that ? Ehataieee ? Owy taieeoa ? There, Oo. A chief, Ereekee, Eree. &50 COOK S VOYAGE TO MARCH, English. Mangeea. Otaheite. Greats or pow- ( Manna (an adjunct erfiil, \ to the last.) To kiss, Ooma. The natives of Mangeea seem to resemble those of Otaheite and the Marquesas in the beauty of their persons, more than any other nation I have seen in these seas ; having a smooth skin, and not being muscular. Their general disposition also cor- responds, as far as we had opportunities of judging, with that which distinguishes the first mentioned people. For they are not only cheerful, but, as Mourooa showed us, are acquainted with all the lascivious gesticulations which the Otaheiteans prac- tise in their dances. It may also be supposed, that their method of living is similar. For, though the nature of the country prevented our seeing many of their habitations, we observed one house near the beach, which much resembled, in its mode of con- struction, those of Otaheite. It was pleasantly situated in a grove of trees, and appeared to be about thirty feet long, and seven or eight high, with an open end, which represented an ellipse divided trans- versely. Before it, was spread something white on a few bushes; which we conjectured to be a fishing- net, and, to appearance, of a very delicate texture. They salute strangers much after the manner of the New Zealanders, by joining noses; adding, how- ever, the additional ceremony of taking the hand of the person to whom they are paying civilities, and rubbing it with a degree of force upon their nose and mouth. * * The inhabitants of the Palaos, New Philippine, or rather Caroline Islands, at the distance of almost fifteen hundred leagues from Mangeea, have the same mode of salutation. " Leur civility, et la marque de leur respect, consiste a prendre la main ou le pied de celui a qui ils veulent faire honneur, et s'en frotter doucement tout le visage." Lett res Edifiantes et Cur lenses, torn. xv. p. 208. Edit. 1781. 1777 THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 251 CHAP. II. THE DISCOVERY OF AN ISLAND CALLED WATEEOO. ITS COASTS EXAMINED. VISITS FROM THE NATIVES ON BOARD THE SHIPS. MESS. GORE, BURNEY, AND ANDERSON, WITH OMM, SENTON SHORE. MR. ANDERSON^ NARRATIVE OF THEIR RE- CEPTION. OMAl's EXPEDIENT TO PREVENT THEIR BEING DETAINED. HIS MEETING WITH SOME OF HIS COUNTRYMEN, AND THEIR DISTRESSFUL VOYAGE. FARTHER ACCOUNT OF WATEEOO, AND OF ITS INHABITANTS. After leaving Mangeea, on the afternoon of the 30th, we continued our course northward all that night, and till noon on the 31st; when we again saw land, in the direction of N. E. by N., distant eight or ten leagues. Next morning, at eight o'clock, we had got abreast of its north end, within four leagues of it, but to leeward; and could now pronounce it to be an island, nearly of the same appearance and extent with that we had so lately left. At the same time, another island, but much smaller, was seen right ahead. We could have soon reached this; but the largest one had the preference, as most likely to furnish a supply of food for the cattle, of which we began to be in great want. With this view, I determined to work up to it; but as there was but little wind, and that little was unfavourable, we were still two leagues to leeward at eight o'clock the following morning. Soon after, I sent two armed boats from the Resolution, and one from the Discovery, under the command of Lieute- nant Gore, to look for anchoring-ground, and a 252 COOK'S VOYAGE TO APRIL, landing-place. In the mean time, we plied up under the island with the ships. Just as the boats were putting off, we observed several single canoes coming from the shore. They went first to the Discovery, she being the nearest ship. It was not long after, when three of these canoes came alongside of the Resolution, each conducted by one man. They are long and narrow, and supported by outriggers. The stern is elevated about three or four feet, something like a ship's stern-post. The head is flat above, but prow-like below, and turns down at the extremity, like the end of a violin. Some knives, beads, and other trifles were conveyed to our visitors ; and they gave us a few cocoa-nuts, upon our asking for them. But they did not part with them by way of exchange for what they had received from us. For they seemed to have no idea of bartering ; nor did they appear to estimate any of our presents at a high rate. With a little persuasion, one of them made his canoe fast to the ship, and came on board ; and the other two, encouraged by his example, soon followed him. Their whole behaviour marked that thev were quite at their ease, and felt no sort of apprehension of our detaining, or using them ill. After their departure, another canoe arrived, con- ducted by a man who brought a bunch of plantains as a present to me ; asking for me by name, having learnt it from Omai, who was sent before us in the boat with Mr. Gore. In return for this civility, I gave him an axe, and a piece of red cloth ; and he paddled back to the shore well satisfied. I after- ward understood from Omai, that this present had been sent from the king, or principal chief of the island. Not long after, a double canoe, in which were twelve men, came toward us. As they drew near the ship, they recited some words in concert, by way 1777* THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 253 of chorus*, one of their number first standing up, and giving the word before each repetition. When they had finished their solemn chant, they came alongside, and asked for the chief. As soon as I showed myself, a pig and a few cocoa-nuts were con- veyed up into the ship ; and the principal person in the canoe made me an additional present of a piece of matting, as soon as he and his companions got on board. Our visitors were conducted into the cabin, and to other parts of the ship. Some objects seemed to strike them with a degree of surprise ; but nothing fixed their attention for a moment. They were afraid to come near the cows and horses ; nor did they form the least conception of their nature. But the sheep and goats did not surpass the limits of their ideas ; for thev ffave us to understand that they knew them to be birds. It will appear rather incred- ible, that human ignorance could ever make so strange a mistake ; there not being the most distant similitude between a sheep or goat, and any winged animal. But these people seemed to know nothing of the existence of any other land-animals, besides hogs, dogs, and birds. Our sheep and goats, they could see, were very different creatures from the two first, and therefore they inferred, that they must be- long to the latter class, in which they knew there is a considerable variety of species. 1 made a present to my new friend of what I thought might be most * Something like this ceremony was performed by the inhabi- tants of the Marquesas, when Captain Cook visited them in 1774. See his Id Voyage, Vol. III. It is curious to observe, at what immense distances this mode of receiving strangers prevails. Padillo, who sailed from Manilla in 1710, on a voyage to discover the Palaos Islands, was thus received there. The writer of the relation of his voyage says, " Aussitot qu'ils approcherent de notre bord, ils se mirent a chanter. lis rgloient la cadence, en frappant des mains sur leurs cuisses." Lettres Edifianles et Curieuses, torn. xv. p. 323. 254< cook's voyage to april, acceptable to him ; but, on his going away, he seemed rather disappointed than pleased. I afterward understood that he was very desirous of obtaining a dog, of which animal this island could not boast, though its inhabitants knew that the race existed in other islands of their ocean. Captain Clerke had received the like present, with the same view, from another man, who met with from him the like dis- appointment. The people in these canoes were in general of a middling size, and not unlike those of Mangeea ; though several were of a blacker cast than any we saw there. Their hair was tied on the crown of the head, or flowing loose about the shoulders ; and though in some it was of a frizzling disposition, yet, for the most part, that, as well as the straight sort, was long. Their features were various, and some of the young men rather handsome. Like those of Mangeea, they had girdles of glazed cloth, or fine matting, the ends of which, being brought betwixt their thighs, covered the adjoining parts. Orna- ments, composed of a sort of broad grass, stained with red, and strung with berries of the night-shade, w T ere worn about their necks. Their ears were bored, but not slit ; and they were punctured upon the legs, from the knee to the heel, which made them appear as if they wore a kind of boots. They also resembled the inhabitants of Mangeea in the length of their beards, and like them, wore a sort of sandals upon their feet. Their behaviour was frank and cheerful, with a great deal of good-nature. At three o'clock in the afternoon, Mr. Gore re- turned with the boat, and informed me, that he had examined all the west side of the island, without finding a place where a boat could land, or the ships could anchor, the shore being every where bounded by a steep coral rock, against which the sea broke in . a dreadful surf. But as the natives seemed very friendly, and to express a degree of disappointment 1777* THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 255 when they saw that our people failed in their at- tempts to land, Mr. Gore was of opinion, that by means of Omai, who could best explain our request, they might be prevailed upon to bring off to the boats, beyond the surfj such articles as we most wanted ; in particular, the stems of plantain trees, which make good food for the cattle. Having little or no wind, the delay of a day or two was not of any moment ; and therefore I determined to try the ex- periment, and got every thing ready against the next morning. Soon after day-break, we observed some canoes coming off to the ships, and one of them directed its course to the Resolution. In it was a hog, with some plantains and cocoa nuts, for which the people, who brought them demanded a dog from us, and refused every other thing that we offered in exchange. One of our gentlemen on board, happened to have a dog and a bitch, which were great nuisances in the ship, and might have been disposed of on this occasion for a purpose of real utility, by propagating a race of so useful an animal in this island. But their owner had no such views, in making them the companions of his voyage. However, to gratify these people, Omai parted with a favourite dog he had brought from England ; and with this acquisition they departed highly satisfied. About ten o'clock I dispatched Mr. Gore with three boats, two from the Resolution and one from the Discovery, to try the experiment he had pro- posed. And, as I could confide in his diligence and ability, I left it entirely to himself, to act as from circumstances he should judge to be most proper. Two of the natives who had been on board accom- panied him ; and Omai went with him in his boat as an interpreter. The ships being a full league from the island when the boats put off, and having but little wind, it was noon before we could work up to it. We then saw our three boats riding at their 256 cook's voyage to april, grapplings, just without the surf, and a prodigious number of the natives on the shore abreast of them. By this we concluded that Mr. Gore and others of our people had landed, and our impatience to know the event may be easily conceived. In order to ob- serve their motions, and to be ready to give them such assistance as they might want, and our respec- tive situations would admit of, I kept as near the shore as was prudent. I was sensible, however, that the reef was as effectual a barrier between us and our friends who had landed, and put them as much be- yond the reach of our protection, as if half the cir- cumference of the globe had intervened. But the islanders, it was probable, did not know this so well as we did. Some of them now and then came off to the ships in their canoes with a few cocoa-nuts, which thev exchanged for whatever was offered to them, without seeming to give the preference to any parti- cular article. These occasional visits served to lessen my solici- tude about our people who had landed. Though we could get no information from our visitors ; yet their venturing on board seemed to imply, at least, that their countrymen on shore had not made an improper use of the confidence put in them. At length, a little before sun-set, we had the satisfaction of seeing the boats put off*. When they got on board, I found that Mr. Gore himself, Omai, Mr. Anderson, and Mr. Burney, were the only persons who had landed. The transactions of the day were now fully reported to me by Mr. Gore ; but Mr. Anderson's account of them being very particular, and including some remarks on the island and its inhabitants, I shall give it a place here nearly in his own words. " We rowed toward a small sandy beach, upon which, and upon the adjacent rocks, a great number of the natives had assembled, and came to an anchor within a hundred yards of the reef, which extends about as far, or a little farth