weighed anchor, and refumed our courfe to the north. We discovered no land till day-break in the morning of the 18th, when an ifland made its appearance; and foon after, we saw more land, entirely detached from the former.

On the 19th, at fun-rife, the island first seen bore eaft, feveral leagues diftant. This being directly to windward, which prevented our getting near it, I ftood for the other; and, not long after, difcovered a third island in the direction of weft-north-weft, as far diftant as land could be feen. Soon after we saw some canoes coming off from the shore toward the fhips. I immediately brought to, to give them time to join us. They had from three to fix men each; and, on their approach, we were agreeably furprised to find that they spoke the language of Otaheite, and of the other iflands we had lately vifited. It required but very little addrefs to get them to come along-fide; but no entreaties could prevail upon any of them to come on board. I tied fome brafs medals to a rope, and gave them to thofe in one of the canoes, who, in return, tied fome small mackerel to the rope, as an equivalent. This was repeated; and fome fmall nails, or bits of iron, which they valued more than any other article, were given them.

These people were of a brown colour; and, though of the common fize, were ftoutly made. There was little difference in the cafts of their colour, but a confiderable variation in their features; fome of their vifages not being very unlike thofe of Europeans. They feemed very mild; and had no arms of any kind, if we except fome finall ftones, which they had evidently

brought

brought for their own defence; and these they threw overboard, when they found that they were not wanted.

Seeing no figns of an anchoring place at this eaftern extreme of the ifland, I ranged along the fouth-eaft fide, at the diftance of half a league from the fhore. As foon as we made fail, the canoes left us; but others came off, as we proceeded along the coaft, bringing with them roafting pigs, and fome very fine potatoes, which they exchanged, as the others had done, for whatever was offered to them. Several final pigs were purchafed for a fix-penny-nail; fo that we again found ourfelves in a land of plenty.

The next morning we ftood in for the land, and were met by feveral canoes filled with people, fome of whom took courage and ventured on board.

In the courfe of my feveral voyages, I never before met with the natives of any place fo much aftonished as these people were, upon entering a hip. Their eyes were continually flying from object; the wildnels of their looks and lly expreffing their entire ignorance thing they faw, and ftrongly markthat, till now, they had never been ropeans, nor been acquainted with commodities, except iron; which, was plain, they had only heard of, or t in fome fmall quantity, brought to e diftant period. They feemed only id that it was a fubftance, much betto the purposes of cutting, or of s, than any thing their own country They asked for it by the name of robably referring to me inftrument,

in the making of which iron could be usefully employed. For the fame reason, they frequently called iron by the name of toe, which, in their language, fignifies a hatchet, or rather a kind of adze. When we fhewed them fome beads, they afked firft, "What they were; and then, whether they should eat them." But on their being told, that they were to be hung in their ears, they returned them as ufelefs. They were equally indifferent as to a looking-glafs which was offered them, and returned it for the fame reafon; but fufficiently expreffed their defire for hamaite and toe, which they wished might be very large. They were, in fome respect, naturally well bred; or, at leaft, fearful of giving offence, afking, where they fhould fit down, whether they might fpit upon the deck, and the like. Some of them repeated a long prayer before they came on board; and others, afterwards, fung and made motions with their hands, fuch as we had been accustomed to fee in the dances of the islands we had lately vifited. There was another circumftance, in which they alfo perfectly refembled those other iflanders. At first, on their entering the fhip, they endeavoured to fteal every thing they came near; or rather to take it openly, as what we either fhould not refent, or not hinder. We foon convinced them of their mistake; and if they, after fome time, became lefs active in appropriating to themselves whatever they took a fancy to, it was because they found that we kept a watchful eye over them.

At nine o'clock, being pretty near the shore, I fent three armed boats, under the command of

onant Williamfon, to look for a landingfor fresh water. I ordered him, that

if

if he should find it neceffary to land in fearch of the latter, not to fuffer more than one man to go with him out of the boats.

While the boats were occupied in examining the coaft, we ftood on and off with the fhips, waiting for their return. About noon, Mr. Williamson came back, and reported that he had seen a large pond near one of the villages, which contained fresh water. He also reported that he had attempted to land in another place, but was prevented by the natives, who, coming down to the boats in great numbers, attempted to take away the oars, mufkets, and in short, every thing that they could lay hold of; and preffed fo thick upon him, that he was obliged to fire, by which one man was killed. But this unhappy circumftance I did not know till after we had left the ifland; fo that all my measures were directed as if nothing of the kind had happened.

Between three and four o'clock I went ashore with three armed boats, to examine the water, and to try the difpofition of the inhabitants, feveral hundreds of whom were affembled on the beach.

The very inftant I leaped on fhore, the collected body of the natives all fell flat upon their faces, and remained in that very humble pofture, till, by expreffive figns, I prevailed upon them to rife. They then brought a great many fmall pigs, which they prefented to me, with plantain trees, afing much the fame ceremonies that we had feen practifed on fuch occafions at the Society and other iflands; and a long prayer being spoken by a tingle perfon, in which others of the affembly fometimes joined, I expreffed my acceptance of their proffered friendship, by giving the

in return fuch prefents as I had brought with me from the thip for that purpofe. When this introductory bufinefs was finished, I ftationed a guard upon the beach, and got fome of the natives to conduct me to the water, which proved to be very good, and in a proper fituation for our purpofe. Having fatisfied myfelf about this very eflential point, and about the peaceable difpofition of the natives, I returned on board; and then gave orders that every thing fhould be in readiness for landing and filling our water-cafks in the morning; when again I went afhore.

As foon as we landed, a trade was fet on foot for hogs and potatoes, which the people of the ifland gave us in exchange for nails and pieces of iron, formed into fomething like chiffels. We met with no obftruction in watering; on the contrary, the natives affifted our men in rolling the cafks to and from the pool; and readily performed whatever we required.

Every thing thus going on to my fatisfaction, and confidering my prefence on the fpot as unneceffary, I left the command to Mr. Williamfon, who had landed with me, and made an excurfion into the country, up the valley, accompanied by Mr. Anderfon and Mr. Webber. A numerous train of natives followed us; and one of them, whom I had diftinguifhed for his activity in keeping the reft in order, I made choice of as our guide, Every one whom we met fell proftrate upon the ground, and remained in that pofition till we had paffed. This, as I afterwards underftood, is the mode of paying their refpect to their own great chiefs. As we ranged down the coaft

the eaft in the fhips, we had obferved at illage one or more elevated white objects,