The men have filver pincers hanging by ftrings round their necks, with which they pluck out the hair of their beards; and both men and women root out the hair that grows under the arms.

The drefs of the men confifts of two pieces of cotton cloth, one of which is bound round the middle, and the lower edge of it being drawn pretty tight between the legs, the upper edge is left loofe, fo as to form a kind of a pocket, in which they carry their knives and other things: the other piece being paffed under the former, on the back of the wearer, the ends of it are carried over the fhoulders, and tucked into the pocket before. The women draw the upper edge of the piece round the waift tight, while the lower edge, dropping to the knees makes a kind of a petticoat: the other piece of cloth is faftened across the breaft, and under the arms. This cloth, which is manufactured by the natives, is dyed blue while in the yarn; and, as it is of various fhades, its look when it comes to be worn is very beautiful.

The ornaments of the natives of Savu are very numerous, and confift of rings, beads worn round the neck and on the wrifts, and chains of plaited gold wire, likewife hung round the neck: thefe things were worn by both fexes; but the women had alfo girdles of beads round their waift, which helped to keep up the petticoat.

The houses on the island of Savu are of different lengths, from twenty feet to four hundred, according to the rank of the inhabitant, and are fixed on posts about four or five feet from the ground. The houses are generally divided into three rooms of equal fize, the centre room being fet apart for the ufe of the women; and fometimes fmaller rooms are enclosed from the fides of the building, the whole of which is thatched with the leaves of the palm-tree.

The natives eat of all the tame animals which the island produces, but they prefer the hog to all the reft; next to the hog's flesh they admire that of the horse, to which fucceeds the buffalo, and then the poultry; and they like the flesh of cats and dogs much better than that of goats and fheep. They seldom eat fish.

The fan-palm is the most remarkable, and most useful tree that grows on the island, its ufes being equally great and various. Soon after the buds put forth, the natives cut them, and tying under them little baskets, formed of the leaves of the tree, a liquor drops into them, which has the taste of a light wine, and is the common liquor of all the inhabitants. The leaves of the tree are applied to the various ufes of making tobacco-pipes, umbrellas, cups, bafkets, and the thatching of houses. The fruit is nearly the fize of a full grown turnip; but the natives are not fond of it. The island confifts of five divifions, each of which has a raja, or chief governor of its own. These divifions are called Timo, Maffara, Regeeua, Laai and Seba. It was on this laft divifion that our English adventurers went on fhore; the raja of which was between thirty and forty years of age, and remarkable for his corpulency. He governs his people with the most abfolute authority, but takes on him very little of the parade or pomp of royalty.

The natives are fo expert in the ufe of their lances, that they will throw them with fuch force and exactness, as to pierce a man through the heart at the distance of fixty or feventy yards.

The inhabitants of Savu are divided into five ranks; the rajas, the land-owners, manufacturers, labourers, and flaves. The land-owners are refpected in proportion to the extent of their lands, and the number of their flaves, which laft are bought and fold with the eftates to which they belong; but when a flave is bought feparately, a fat hog is the price of the purchase. Though a man may fell his flave in this manner,

or convey him with his lands, yet his power over him extends no farther, for he must not even ftrike him without the raja's permiffion.

The natives in general are robuft and healthy, and had the appearance of being long-lived. The fmall-pox has found its way to this ifland, and is as much dreaded as the peftilence. When this diforder attacks any perfon, he is carried to fome spot at a great diftance from any houfe, where his food is conveyed to him by means of a long flick, for no one will venture very near the invalid, who is thus left to take his chance of life or death.

The island of Savu having been visited by the Portuguese almost at their first failing into this part of the world, they established a fettlement upon it; but in a little time they were fucceeded by the Dutch, who, though they did not formally poffefs themselves of the ifland, fent a number of trading veffels to establish a treaty of commerce with the natives. The principal object of this treaty is, that the rajas fhould furnish the Dutch, for the confumption of their fpice iflands, with rice, maize, &c. annually, and they are to return the value in arrack, cutlery wares, linen, and filk. In this agreement the rajas ftipulated, that a Dutch refident fhould be conftantly on the island, to observe that their part of the contract was fulfilled.

As foon as this was accomplished, they fent Mr. Lange to act as their refident. Once every two months he is attended by fifty flaves on horseback, and in this state vifits each of the rajas. He conftantly takes with him a quantity of arrack, by the help of which he does not fail of making advantageous bargains with the rajas.

Lange had been on this island ten years, during all which time he had not seen a white perfon, except those who came annually in the Dutch fhip to carry off the rice. He is married to an Indian woman, a native of the island of Timor, and he lives in the fame manner as the inhabitants of Savu, whose language he speaks better than any other; like them too he fits on the ground and chews betle, and has fo perfectly adopted their manners, that he is an abfolute Indian, except in drefs and complexion.

The morality of these people is of the pureft kind. A robbery is fcarce ever committed, and a murder is never perpetrated. When any difputes arise between the natives, they instantly submit the point in debate to the decifion of the raja, and rest perfectly fatisfied with his determination. No man is permitted to marry more than one wife; yet a violation of the marriage bed, or even the crime of fimple fornication, is almost wholly unknown among them.

Of the islands in the neighbourhood of Savu, the principal is Timor, which is annually vifited by the Dutch refidents on the other islands, in order to make up their

accounts.

A French fhip was wrecked on the coast of Timor, about two years before the Endeavour was in these feas. She had been lodged on the rock several days, when the wind tore her to pieces in an inftant, and the captain, with the greater number of the feamen, were drowned; but a lieutenant, and about eighty men reached the shore, where their immediate neceffities were relieved, after which they returned to the wreck, in company with fome Dutch and Indians, who affifted them in recovering all their chefts of bullion, fome of their guns and other effects, which being done, they returned, where they remained several weeks; but in this interval, death made fuch havock among them, that not above half their number remained to be fent to their native country.

The Endeavour failed from the island of Savu on the 21ft of September, 1770, and bent her course weftward.

VERY

Begun in 1772, and finished in 1775

VERY foon after the captain's return from his enterprize in the Endeavour, (an account of which the reader has, it is fuppofed, juft read) it was determined to fend two fhips to complete the difcovery in the fouthern hemifphere; and for this purpose two veffels of a particular conftruction were purchased of Captain Hammond, of Hull: the largest was 462 tons, fhe was named the Refolution; the other was 336 tons, and named the Adventure. Captain James Cook was appointed to the command of the former, and Captain Tobias Furneaux was promoted from the rank of a lieutenant to the command of the latter.

The Refolution had 112 perfons on board, officers included, and the Adventure 81. Mr. Forster and his fon, and Mr. Wales, now mathematical mafter of Chrift's Hofpital, accompanied them.

On the 13th of June, 1772, at fix o'clock in the morning, both the fhips failed from Plymouth Sound, and on the evening of the 29th anchored in Funchiale Road, in the island of Madeira. At the captain's and Mr. Forfter's landing, they were received by a gentleman from the vice-conful, Mr. Sills, who conducted them to the houfe of Mr. Loughnans, the most confiderable English merchant in the place. This gentleman not only obtained leave for Mr. Forfter to fearch the island for plants, but procured them every other thing they other thing they wanted, and infifted on their accommodating themfelves at his houfe during their stay.

Having got on board a fupply of water, wine, and other neceffaries, they left Madeira on the ift of Auguft, and fteered fouthward.

Captain Cook now made three puncheons of beer, of the infpiffated juice of malt. The proportion was about ten of water to one of juice. They ftopped at St. Jago for a fupply of water, on the 10th; the captain immediately dispatched an officer to afk leave to water, and purchase refreshments, which was granted. The 14th in the evening, having completed their water and got on board a fupply of refreshments, fuch as hogs, goats, fowls, and fruit, they put to fea, and proceeded on their voyage.

Port Praya, where they anchored, is a small bay, fituated about the middle of the fouth fide of the island of St. Jago. The water is tolerable, but fcarce; and bad getting off, on account of a great furf on the beach. The refreshments to be got here are bullocks, hogs, goats, theep, poultry, and fruits. The goats are of the antelope kind, fo extraordinarily lean, that hardly any thing can equal them; and the bullocks, hogs, and fheep are not much better. Bullocks must be purchased with money; the price is twelve Spanish dollars a head, weighing between 250 and 300 pounds. Other articles may be got from the natives in exchange for old clothes, &c.

On the 19th, in the afternoon, one of the carpenter's mates fell overboard, and was drowned. He was over the fide, fitting on one of the fcuttles; whence, it was fuppofed, he had fallen; for he was not feen till the very inftant he funk under the fhip's ftern, when all endeavours to fave him were too late. This lofs was fenfibly felt during the voyage, as he was a fober man and a good workman.

On