fuddenly, that, at the diftance of a few yards, there might be feven or eight fathoms. The fea was, at this time, quite unruffled; and the fun fhining bright, expofed the various forts of coral, in the most beautiful order. This scene was enlivened by numerous fpecies of fishes gliding along in apparent fecurity.

There were no traces of inhabitants having ever been here; if we except a small piece of a canoe that was found upon the beach, which, probably, may have drifted from fome other inland.

After the boats were laden, I returned on board, leaving Mr. Gore, with a party, to pass the night on thore, in order to be ready to go to work early the next morning.

That day was accordingly spent, as the preceding one had been, in collecting food for the cattle. Having got a fufficient fupply by funfet, I ordered every body on board. But having little or no wind, I determined to wait, and to employ the next day, in trying to get fome cocoa-nuts from the next ifland, where we could obferve that those trees were in much greater abundance than where we had already landed.

With this view I went with the boats to the weft fide of the island, and landed with little difficulty; and immediately fet the people to gather cocoa-nuts, which we found in great abundance. Omai, who was with me, caught, with a scoop net, in a very fhort time, as much fish as ferved the whole party on thore for dinner, befides fending fome to both fhips. Here were alfo great abundance of birds, particularly men of war and tropic birds; fo that we fared fumptuoufly. And

it

it is but doing juftice to Omai to fay, that, in in these excurfions, he was of the greatest use. For he not only caught the fish, but dreffed thefe, and the birds we killed, in an oven, with heated ftones, after the fashion of his country, with a dexterity and good humour that did him great credit.

We found this iflot near a half larger than the other, and almoft entirely covered with cocoa palms. A young turtle had been lately thrown afhore here, as it was ftill full of maggots. We found fome fcorpions, a few other infects, and a greater number of fish upon the reefs.

Upon the whole, we did not fpend our time unprofitably at this laft iflot; for we got there about twelve hundred cocoa-nuts, which were equally divided amongst the whole crew.

The nine or ten low illots, comprehended under the name of Palmerstone's Ifland, may be reckoned the heads or fummits of the reef of coral rock, that connects them together, covered only with a thin coat of fand, yet clothed, as already obferved, with trees and plants.

The heat, which had been great for about a month, became now much more difagreeable, from the clofe rainy weather; and, from the moisture attending it, threatened foon to be noxious. However, it is remarkable enough, that though the only refreshment we had received fince leaving the Cape of Good Hope, was that at New Zealand, there was not, yet, a fingle perfon on board fick, from the conftant ufe of falt food, or viciffitude of climate.

In the night between the 24th and 25th we, paffed Savage Ifland, which I had difcovered in

1774. I fteered for the fouth, and then hauled up for Annamooka.

It was no fooner day-light, than we were vifited by fix or feven canoes from different islands, bringing with them, befides fruits and roots, two pigs, feveral fowls, fome large wood-pigeons, finall rails, and large violet-coloured coots. All these they exchanged with us for beads, nails, hatchets, &c. They had also other articles of commerce; but I ordered that no curiofities fhould be purchased till the fhips fhould be fupplied with provifions, and leave given for that purpose. Knowing, alfo, from experience, that, if all our people might trade with the natives, according to their own caprice, perpetual quarrels would enfue, I ordered that particular perfons fhould manage th traffic both on board and on thore, prohibiting all others to interfere. Before mid-day, Mr. King, who had been fent to Komango, returned with feven hogs, fome fowls, a quantity of fruit and roots, and fome grafs for the cattle. His party was very civilly treated at Komango. The inhabitants did not feem to be numerous; and their huts, which stood close to each other, within a plantain walk, were but indifferent. Not far from them was a pretty large pond of fresh water, tolerably good; but there was no appearance of any stream. With Mr. King came on board the chief of the ifland, named Tooboulangee; and another, whofe name was Taipa. They brought with them a hog, as a prefent to me, promifing more the next day; and they kept their word.

I now refumed the very fame ftation which I had occupied when I vifited Annamooka three

years

years before; and probably, almoft in the fame place where Tafman, the first difcoverer of this and some of the neighbouring islands, anchored in 1643.

The following day I went afhore, accompanied by Captain Clerke. Toobou, the chief of the ifland, conducted me and Omai to his house. We found it fituated on a pleasant spot, in the centre of his plantation. While we were on fhore, we procured a few hogs and fome fruit, by bartering; and, before we got on board again, the fhips were crowded with the natives. Few of them coming empty-handed, every neceffary refreshment was now in the greatest plenty.

I landed again in the afternoon, with a party marines; and, at the fame time, the horses, and fuch of the cattle as were in a weakly ftate, were fent on fhore. Every thing being fettled to my fatisfaction, I returned to the fhip at funfet, leaving the command upon the island to Mr. King.

Next day, May 3d, our various operations on fhore began. In the evening, before the natives retired from our poft, Taipa harangued them for fome time. We could only guess at the subject; and judged, that he was inftructing them how to behave towards us, and encouraging them to bring the produce of the island to market. We experienced the good effects of his eloquence in the plentiful fupply of provifions which, next day, we received.

On the 6th, we were vifited by a great chief from Tongataboo, whose name was Feenou, and whom Taipa was pleafed to introduce to us as king of all the Friendly Ifles. All the natives paid their obeifance to him, by bowing their

heads

heads as low as his feet, the foles of which they alfo touched with each hand, firft with the palmi, and then with the back part. There could be little room to fufpect that a person, received with fo much refpect, could be any thing less than the king.

In the afternoon, I went to pay this great man a vifit, having first received a prefent of two fish from him, brought on board by one of his fervants. As foon as I landed, he came up to me. He appeared to be about thirty years of age, tall, but thin, and had more of the European features than any I had yet feen here. After a short stay, our new vifiter, and five or fix of his attendants, -accompanied me on board. I gave fuitable prefents to them all, and entertained them in fuch a manner, as I thought would be most agreeable.

In the evening I attended them on thore in my boat, into which the chief ordered three hogs to be put, as a return for the prefents he had received from me.

The first day of our arrival at Annamooka, one of the natives had ftolen, out of the fhip, a large junk axe. I now applied to Feenou, who was my gueft on the 8th, to exert his authority to get it reftored to me; and fo implicitly was he obeyed, that it was brought on board while we were at dinner. These people gave us very frequent opportunities of remarking what expert thieves they were. Even fome of the chiefs did not think this profeflion beneath them. On the lower clafs a flogging feemed to make no greater impreffion than it would have done upon the mainmaft. When any of them happened to be caught in the act, their fuperiors, far from interceding for them, would often advife us to kill them. As this was a punish