A new, authentic, and complete collection of voyages round the world, undertaken and performed by Royal authority. Containing an authentic, entertaining, full, and complete history of Captain Cook's first, second, third and last voyages ... / now publishing under the immediate direction of George William Anderson, assisted by a principal officer who sailed in the Resolution sloop, and by many other gentlemen of the most distinguished naval abilities.

Date:: [1800?]

Credit: A new, authentic, and complete collection of voyages round the world, undertaken and performed by Royal authority. Containing an authentic, entertaining, full, and complete history of Captain Cook's first, second, third and last voyages ... / now publishing under the immediate direction of George William Anderson, assisted by a principal officer who sailed in the Resolution sloop, and by many other gentlemen of the most distinguished naval abilities. Source: Wellcome Collection.

28/986 (page 14)

Capt. COOK’s VOYAGES COMPLETE. J4 11 *Ml t . ■ ■III —■■■—1— greater part of it. The furrounding border of land was low and narrow in many places, efpecially towards the fouth, where the beach confifted of a reef of rocks. Three places on the north iide had the fame appearance, fo that on the whole the land feemed to referable feveral woody iflands. To the weft was a large clump of trees, and in the center two cocoa-nut trees. When within a mile of the north fide, though we caft out a line, no bottom could be found at 130 fathom, nor any good anchorage. This ifland w'as covered with trees, but wTe could difcern no other fpecies than the palm and the cocoa-nut. Several of the natives were difcovered on fhore, they appeared to be tall, with heads remark¬ able large, which probably fome bandage might have . increafed. Their complexion was of the copper colour, and their hair was black. Some of thefe people were feen abreaft of the fhip, holding poles or pikes of twice their own height. They appeared alfo naked, but when they retired, on the fhip’s palling by the iflands, they put on a light-coloured covering. Some clumps of palm-trees ferved them for habitations, which at a diftancc appeared like hilly ground, and the view ol the groves was a very agreeable one. Our captain called this place Lagoon Ifland. It lay in 18 degrees fouth latitude, and 139 weft longitude. In the after¬ noon we again faw land to the north-weft, by fun-fet We reached it, when it appeared to be a low ifland of a circular form, and about a mile in circumference. The land was covered with verdure of various kinds, but no inhabitants were vilible] nor any cocoa-nut trees. This ifland is diftant ' from that of Lagoon about feven leagues north, and 62 weft, which our gentlemen on board named Thumb Cap. On the 5 th we continued our courfe with a favour¬ able w ind, and about three o’clock difcovered land to the weftw ard. It was low, in form refembling a bow, and in circumference feemed to be ten or twelve leagues. Its length is about three or four leagues, and its width about two hundred yards. The beach w;as flat, and feemed to have no other herbage upon it than fea- weeds. ■ The refemblance of a bow was preferved in the arch and cord forming the land, while the inter¬ mediate fpace was taken up by water. The arch, in general, was covered with trees of various verdure and different heights. This ifland, from the fmoke that was difcovered, appeared to be inhabited, and w'e gave it the name of Bow' Ifland. On the 6th about noon, wTe again fawr land to the weft, and at three o’clock we came up with it. This land feemed to be divided into two parts, or rather a collec¬ tion of iflands, (to which we gave the name of the Groups) to the extent of about nine leagues. The two largeft were divided from the others by a ftreight, the breadth of w'hich was about half a mile. Some of thefe iflands were ten miles or more in length, but ap¬ peared like long narrow' firings of land, not above a quarter of a mile in breadth ; but they produced trees, however, of different kinds, among which was the cocoa-nut tree. Several of the inhabitants came out in their canoes, and tw o of them fhewed an intention of coming on board ; but thefe, like the reft, flopped at the reef. From the obfervations made, thefe people appeared to be about our fize, and well made. I heir complexion w as brown, and they wrere naked. In ge¬ neral, they had two weapons, one was a long pole, fpear-pointed, and the other refembled a paddle. Se¬ veral of their canoes were conftnufted in fuch a manner as not to carry more than three perfons ; others were fitted up for fix or feven ; and one of thefe boats hoifted a fail, which was converted into an awning when a fhower of rain fell. Capt. Cook would not flay for any of them, neither could wre determine, whether the fignals made were meant for defiance, or for invitation ; one party waving their hats, and another anfwering by fhouting. In this refpedt it was not judged prudent to try the experiment in order to be convinced, as the ifland appeared o. no importance, and the crew not being in want of any thing it could produce. This curiofity was therefore laid afide, in expectation of foon difeovering the ifland, where we had been directed to make our aftronomical obfervations, the natives of which, it was .reafonable to conjecture, would make no refiftance, having already experienced the danger of op- pofing an European force. On the 7th we difcovered another ifland, judged to be in compafs about five miles, being very low', and having a piece of w ater in the center. It appeared to abound in wood, and to be covered with verdure, but we faw no inhabitants upon it. It was named Bird Ifland, from the number of birds that were feen flying about. This lies in latitude 17 deg. 48 min. fouth, and 143 deg. 35 min. wreft longitude; diftant ten leagues, in the direction weft, half north from the w'eft: end of the Groups. On the 8th in the afternoon wre faw land to the north¬ ward, and came abreaft of it in the evening, at about five miles diftance. This land feemed to be a chain of low iflands, of an oval figure, and confifted of coral and fand, with a few clumps of frnall trees, and in the middle of it was a lagoon. On account of its ap¬ pearance, it w'as called Chain Ifland. On the 10th, after a tempeftuous night we came in fight of Ofnaburgh ifland, called by the natives Maitea. This ifland is circular, about four miles in circumference, partly rocky, and partly covered w'ith trees. - -- ■■ - ---- 1 1 .j. -- ■ -—- - - ■ CHAP. III. The Endeavour arrives at Otaheite, or George the Third’s Ijland—Rules eftablifhed by Capt. Cook for conducing a trade with the natives—An account of feveral incidents during his flay in this ijland—An obfervatory and fort erebled—Ex- curjions into the woods—Vifits from feveral of the chiefs—The mufic of the natives, and their manner of burying their dead, deferibed■—Other excursions and incidents, both on board and on fmre—Firjl interview with Obereay the fuppofed Queen of the ijland—The fort deferibed—The quadrant foleny and the confequences—A vifit to Tootahah, an Indian chief — I wrefl ling-match deferibed—European feeds arefown—The Indians give our people names. ON the nth we made Otaheite, or as captain Wallis .had named it, king George the Third’s Ifland. The calms prevented our approaching it till the morning of the 12th, when a breeze fprung up, and fev.eral canoes were feen making towards the fhip. Few of them, however, would come near, and thofe who did could not be perfuaded to come on board. They had brought with them young plantains and branches of trees, w hich were handed up the fhip’s fide, and, by their defire, were ftuck in confpicuous parts of the rigging as tokens of peace and friendfhip. We then purchafed their commodities, confifting of cocoa-nuts, bananas, bread-fruit, apples and figs, which were very acceptable to the crew. On the evening of the fame day we opened the north-weft point of the ifle, to which the Dolphin’s people had given the name of York Ifland. We lay off and on all night, and in the morning of the 13th we entered Port Royal Har¬ bour in the ifland of Otaheite, and anchored within half a mile of the fhore. Many of the natives came off immediately in their canoes, and brought with them bread-fruit, cocoa-nuts, apples, and fome hogs, which they bartered for beads and other trinkets with the fhip’s company. The tree which bears the bread-fruit is about the fize of a horfe-chefnut: its leaves are near a foot and a half in length, in fhape oblong, and very 1 much

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