Captain Cook's Journal During His First Voyage Round the World
much Surf on the Shore; but we found no ground with 100 fathoms 3/4 of a
Mile from the Shore, and nearer we did not go. Here several of the
Inhabitants assembled together with their Canoes, with a design, as we
thought, to come off to us, as they hauld one of them over the reef
seemingly for that purpose; but after waiting near 1/2 an hour, and they
not attempting to come, we bore away and made Sail, and presentley the
Canoe put off after us; but, as we did not stop, they soon went back
again. They were in all respects like those we had seen on Lagoon Island,
and Armed with Clubs and long Pikes like them. At 1/2 past 6 a.m. Saw a
small Island to the Northward, hauled our wind for it, and soon got close
in with it. It is about 3 or 4 Miles in Circuit, and very low, with a
Pond in the Middle. There is some wood upon it, but no inhabitants but
Birds, and for this reason is called Bird Island.* (* Reitoru.) It lies
in the latitude 17 degrees 48 minutes and longitude 143 degrees 35
minutes West, and West 1/2 North 10 Leagues from the West end of the two
Groups. The birds we saw were Men-of-War Birds and several other sorts.
Wind East; course North 66 degrees West; distance 66 miles; latitude 17
degrees 48 minutes South, longitude 143 degrees 31 minutes West.
Saturday, 8th. Fresh Trade and pleasant weather, but about noon had a few
flying showers of rain. Variation 6 degrees 32 minutes East. Wind East by
South and East; course North 87 degrees West; distance 100 miles;
latitude 17 degrees 43 minutes South, longitude 145 degrees 16 minutes
West.
Sunday, 9th. A steady fresh gale and pleasant weather. At 2 p.m. saw Land
to the Northward, hauld up for it, and found it to be a double range of
low woody islands joined together by reefs, by which means they make one
Island in form of an Ellipsis or Oval, in the Middle of which is a Salt
water lake. The small Islands and reefs circumscribes or bounds this lake
like a Chain; it is therefore called Chain Island.* (* Anaa.) It is in
length, North-West and South-East, about 5 Leagues, and in breadth about
5 Miles. The middle of it lies in the Latitude of 17 degrees 23 minutes
South, and Longitude 145 degrees 54 minutes West, and West by North 45
Leagues from Bird Island. Variation per Several Azimuths 4 degrees 54
minutes East. Wind East by North to North by East; course West,
Northerly; distance 81 miles; latitude 17 degrees 42 minutes South,
longitude 146 degrees 40 minutes West.
Monday, 10th. P.M. moderate breezes and cloudy; in the Night, dark,
cloudy, unsettled weather, with very much Thunder, Lightning, and rain.
A.M. little wind and fair. P.M. variation per Several Azimuths 5 degrees
41 minutes East. At 8 a.m. saw Osnaburg Island* (* Maitea, the
easternmost of the Society Islands, which are all high, and a great
contrast to the low coral atolls of the Paumotus.) (so called by Captain
Wallis, the first discoverer) bearing North-West by West, distance 4 or 5
Leagues. It is a high round Island, and appears to be not above a League
in Circuit, and when it bears as above it looks like a high Crown'd Hatt,
but when it bears North the Top is more like the roof of a House. It lies
in the Latitude of 17 degrees 48 minutes South and Longitude 148 degrees
10 minutes West, and West by South, 44 Leagues, from Chain Island. Wind
North-North-West, variable, North-West by North; course South 13 degrees
West; distance 67 miles; latitude 18 degrees 00 minutes South, longitude
147 degrees 47 minutes West; at noon, Osnaburg Island North by West 1/2
West, 5 leagues.
[Arrive at Tahiti.]
Tuesday, 11th. First part, little wind and cloudy; the remainder, little
wind and very Variable; unsettled weather, with some rain. P.M. took
several Observations of the sun and moon, which gave the Longitude of the
ship to be 148 degrees 18 minutes West, and differs but little from that
given by the Log. At 6 a.m. saw King George's Island* (* So named by
Captain Wallis. The native name was ascertained by Cook, who spelt it
Otaheite. Now known as Tahiti. It is the chief island of the Society
Group, and was annexed by the French in 1844.) Extending from West by
South 1/2 South to West by North 1/2 North. It appeared very high and
Mountainous. Wind variable; course North 66 degrees West; distance 54
miles; latitude 17 degrees 38 minutes South, longitude 148 degrees 39
minutes West; Osnaburg Island East 1/2 South, 13 leagues.
Wednesday, 12th. Variable, light Airs all these 24 Hours, and Hot sultry
weather. At 5 p.m. King George's Island extending from North-West by West
to South-West, distance 6 or 7 Leagues; and at 6 a.m. it bore from
South-South-West to West by North, being little wind with Calms. Several
of the Natives came off to us in their Canoes, but more to look at us
than anything else. We could not prevail with any of them to come on
board, and some would not come near the ship. Wind variable; course West;
distance 18 miles; latitude 17 degrees 38 minutes South, longitude 148
degrees 58 minutes West; at noon, King George's Island, from South to
West by North, 5 leagues.
Thursday, 13th. The first part Cloudy and Squally, with Showers of rain;
remainder, genteel breezes and clear weather. At 4 p.m. the North-East
point of Royal Bay West 1/2 North; run under an easy sail all night, and
had soundings from 22 to 12 fathoms 2 or 3 Miles from the Shore. At 5
a.m. made sail for the bay, and at 7 anchored in 13 fathoms.* (* Matavai
Bay.) At this time we had but very few men upon the sick list, and these
had but slite complaints. The Ship's company had in general been very
healthy, owing in a great measure to the Sour kroutt, Portable Soup and
Malt; the two first were served to the People, the one on Beef Days and
the other on Banyan Days. Wort was made of the Malt, and at the
discretion of the Surgeon given to every man that had the least simptoms
of Scurvy upon him. By this means, and the Care and Vigilance of Mr.
Monkhouse, the Surgeon, this disease was prevented from getting a footing
in the Ship. The Sour Kroutt, the Men at first would not eat it, until I
put it in practice--a method I never once Knew to fail with seamen--and
this was to have some of it dressed every day for the Cabin Table, and
permitted all the Officers, without exception, to make use of it, and
left it to the Option of the men either to take as much as they pleased
or none at all; but this practice was not continued above a Week before I
found it necessary to put every one on board to an allowance; for such
are the Tempers and disposition of Seamen in general that whatever you
give them out of the common way--altho' it be ever so much for their
good--it will not go down, and you will hear nothing but murmurings
against the Man that first invented it; but the moment they see their
superiors set a value upon it, it becomes the finest stuff in the world
and the inventor an honest fellow. Wind easterly.
CHAPTER 3. TAHITI.
REMARKABLE OCCURRENCES, ETC., AT GEORGE'S ISLAND.
[At Tahiti.]
NOTE. The way of reckoning the day in Sea Journals is from Noon to Noon,
but as the most material transaction at this Island must hapen in the Day
time, this method will be attended with ill conveniences in inserting the
transactions of each day; for this reason I shall during our stay at this
Island, but no longer, reckon the day according to the Civil account that
is to begin and end at Midnight.
We had no sooner come to an Anchor in Royal Bay, as before-mentioned,
than a great number of the Natives in their Canoes came off to the Ship
and brought with them Cocoa Nuts, etc.; these they seem'd to set a great
value upon. Amongst those that came off to the Ship was an elderly man
whose Name was Owhaa, him the Gentlemen that had been here before in the
Dolphin* (* Lieutenant Gore and Mr. Molineux, the Master.) knew and had
often spoke of as one that had been of Service to them. This man
(together with some others) I took on board and made much of, thinking
that he might on some occasions be of use to us. As our stay at this
place was not likely to be very short, I thought it very necessary that
some order should be observed in Traficking with the Natives, that such
Merchandize as we had on board for that purpose might continue to bear a
proper value, and not leave it to everyone's own particular fancy, which
could not fail to bring on Confusion and Quarrels between us and the
Natives, and would infallibly lessen the value of such Articles as we had
to trafick with. In Order to prevent this, the following rules were
ordered to be Observed; viz.:--
Rules to be observed by every person in or belonging to His Majesty's
Bark the Endeavour for the better Establishing a regular and uniform
Trade for Provisions, etc., with the Inhabitants of George's Island:--
1. To endeavour by every fair means to Cultivate a Friendship with the
Natives, and to treat them with all imaginable humanity.
2. A Proper Person or Persons will be appointed to Trade with the Natives
for all manner of Provisions, Fruits, and other Productions of the Earth;
and no Officer or Seaman or other person belonging to the Ship, excepting
such as are so appointed, shall Trade or offer to Trade for any sort of
Provisions, Fruit or other Productions of the Earth, unless they have my
leave so to do.
3. Every Person employ'd on shore on any duty whatsoever is strictly to
attend to the same, and if by neglect he looseth any of His Arms or
working Tools, or suffers them to be stole, the full value thereof will
be charged against his pay, according to the Custom of the Navy in such
Cases, and he shall receive such further punishment as the nature of the
Offence may deserve.
4. The same Penalty will be inflicted upon every person who is found to
Embezzle, Trade, or Offer to Trade with any of the Ship's Stores of what
Nature so ever.
5. No sort of Iron or anything that is made of Iron, or any sort of Cloth
or other useful or necessary Articles, are to be given in Exchange for
anything but Provisions.
J.C.
As soon as the Ship was properly secured I went on shore, accompanied by
Mr. Banks and the other Gentlemen,* (* Cook generally uses this term for
the civilians on board.) with a Party of Men under Arms; we took along
with us Owhaa--who took us to the place where the Dolphin watered, and
made signs to us as well as we could understand that we might Occupy that
ground, but it hapned not to be fit for our purpose. No one of the
Natives made the least opposition at our landing, but came to us with all
imaginable Marks of Friendship and Submission. We Afterwards made a
Circuit through the Woods, and then came on board. We did not find the
inhabitants to be numerous, and we imagin'd that several of them had fled
from their habitations upon our Arrival in the Bay.
Friday, 14th. This morning we had a great many Canoes about the Ship; the
most of them came from the Westward, and brought nothing with them but a
few Cocoa Nuts, etc. Two that appeared to be Chiefs we had on board,
together with several others, for it was a hard matter to keep them out
of the Ship, as they Climb like Munkeys; but it was still harder to keep
them from Stealing but everything that came within their reach; in this
they are Prodigious Expert. I made each of these two Chiefs a present of
a Hatchet, things that they seemed mostly to value. As soon as we had
partly got clear of these People I took 2 Boats and went to the Westward,
all the Gentlemen being along with me. My design was to see if there was
not a more commodious Harbour, and to try the disposition of the Natives,
having along with us the 2 Chiefs above mentioned; the first place we
landed at was in great Canoe Harbour (so called by Captain Wallis); here
the Natives Flocked about us in great numbers, and in as friendly a