Captain Cook's Journal During His First Voyage Round the World
our future discoveries we resolved to bring away one whose name is Tupia,
a Chief and a Priest. This man had been with us most part of the time we
had been upon the Island, which gave us an opportunity to know something
of him. We found him to be a very intelligent person, and to know more of
the Geography of the Islands situated in these Seas, their produce, and
the religion, laws, and Customs of the inhabitants, than any one we had
met with, and was the likeliest person to answer our Purpose. For these
reasons, and at the request of Mr. Banks, I received him on board,
together with a young Boy, his Servant. For the first two Months we were
at this Island the Natives supplied us with as much Bread fruit, Cocoa
Nuts, etc., as we could well dispence with, and now and then a few Hogs,
but of these hardly sufficient to give the Ship's company one and
sometimes two fresh Meals a week. As to Fowls, I did not see above 3
dozen upon the whole Island, and fish they seldom would part with; but
during the last Month we got little refreshment of any sort. The
detaining of their Canoes broke off Trade at that time, and it never
after was begun again with any Spirit. However, it was not wholy owing to
this, but to a Scarcity. The Season for Bread fruit was wholy over, and
what other Fruits they had were hardly sufficient for themselves; at
least, they did not care to part with them. All sorts of Fruits we
purchased with Beads and Nails, not less than 40-penny, for a nail under
that size was of no value; but we could not get a Hog above 10 or 12
pounds weight for anything less than a Hatchet, not but that they set
great value upon Spike Nails; but, as this was an Article many in the
Ship are provided with, the Women soon found a much easier way at coming
at them than by bringing Provisions. Our Traffick with this people was
carried on with as much Order as in the best regulated Market in Europe.
It was managed ashore chiefly by Mr. Banks, who took uncommon Pains to
procure from the Natives every kind of refreshment that was to be got.
Axes, Hatchets, Spikes, large Nails, looking Glasses, Knives, and Beads
are all highly valued by this People, and nothing more is wanting to
Traffick with them for everything they have to dispose of. They are
likewise very fond of fine Linnen Cloth, both White and Printed, but an
Axe worth half a Crown will fetch more than a Piece of Cloth worth Twenty
Shillings.
Upon our arrival at Batavia we had certain information that the two ships
that were at George's Island some time before our arrival there were both
French ships.* (* In Admiralty copy.)
DESCRIPTION OF KING GEORGE'S ISLAND.
This Island is called by the Natives Otaheite, and was first discovered
by Captain Wallis, in His Majesty's ship Dolphin, on June 19th, 1767, and
to the Credit of him and his Officers, the Longitude of Royal Bay was by
them settled to within half a degree of the Truth, and the whole figure
of the Island not ill described. It is situated between the Latitude of
17 degrees 29 minutes and 17 degrees 53 minutes South, and between the
Longitude of 149 degrees 10 minutes and 149 degrees 39 minutes West from
the Meridian of Greenwich.* (* These latitudes are exact. The modern
limits of longitude are 149 degrees 7 minutes to 149 degrees 36 minutes
30 seconds.) Point Venus, so called from the Observation being made
there, is the Northern extremity of the Island, and lies in the Longitude
of 149 degrees 30 minutes,* (* Now considered to be 149 degrees 29
minutes.) being the mean result of a Great number of Observations made
upon the Spot. The Shores of this Island are mostly guarded from the Sea
by reefs of coral rocks, and these form several excellent Bays and
Harbours, wherein are room and depth of Water sufficient for the largest
Ships.
Royal Bay, called by the Natives Matavie,* (* Matavai.) in which we lay,
and the Dolphin before us, is not inferior to any on the Island, both in
Point of conveniency and Situation. It may easily be known by a
Prodigious high Mountain in the middle of the Island, which bears due
south from Point Venus, which is the Eastern point of the Bay. To sail
into it either keep the West point of the Reefs which lies before Point
Venus close on board, or give it a berth of near half a Mile in order to
avoid a small Shoal of Coral Rocks, whereon is but 2 1/2 fathoms of
water. The best Anchoring is on the Eastern side of the Bay in 16 or 14
fathoms of water, owsey bottom. The Shore of the bay is all a fine sandy
beach, behind which runs a river of Fresh Water, so that any Number of
Ships might Water here without discommoding one another. The only wood
for fuel upon the whole Island is fruit Trees, and these must be
purchased of the Natives, if you mean to keep on good Terms with them.
There are some Harbours to the Westward of this bay that have not been
mentioned, but as they lay Contiguous to it, and are to be found in the
plan, the description of them is unnecessary.
The land of this Island, except what is immediately bordering upon the
Sea coast, is of a very uneven Surface, and rises in ridges which run up
into the middle of the Island, and there form mountains, that are of a
height Sufficient to be seen at the distance of 20 leagues. Between the
foot of the ridges and the Sea is a border of low Land surrounding the
whole Island, except in a few places where the ridge rises directly from
the Sea. This low land is of Various Breadths, but nowhere exceeds a Mile
and a half. The Soil is rich and fertile, being for the most part well
stock'd with fruit Trees and small Plantations. and well water'd by a
number of small Rivulets of Excellent Water which come from the adjacent
hills. It is upon this low Land that the greatest part of the inhabitants
live, not in Towns or Vilages, but dispersed everywhere round the whole
Island; the Tops of most of the ridges and mountains are Barren and, as
it were, burnt up with the sun, yet many parts of some of them are not
without their produce, and many of the Valleys are fertile and inhabited.
[Produce of Tahiti.]
OF THE PRODUCE.
The produce of this Island is Bread Fruit, Cocoa Nuts, Bonanoes,
Plantains, a fruit like an Apple, sweet Potatoes, Yams, a Fruit known by
the name of Eag Melloa, and reck'ned most delicious; Sugar Cane which the
inhabitants eat raw; a root of the Salop kind, called by the inhabitants
Pea; the root also of a plant called Ether; and a fruit in a pod like a
Kidney bean, which when roasted eats like a Chestnut, and is called Ahee;
the fruit of a Tree which they call Wharra, something like a Pine Apple;
the fruit of a Tree called by them Nano; the roots of a Fern and the
roots of a plant called Thive. All these Articles the Earth almost
Spontaniously produces, or, at least, they are raised with very little
Labour. In the Article of food these people may almost be said to be
exempt from the Curse of our Forefathers, scarcely can it be said that
they Earn their bread with the sweat of their brow; benevolent Nature
hath not only Supply'd them with necessarys, but with abundance of
Superfluities. The Sea coast supplies them with vast Variety of most
Excellent fish, but these they get not without some Trouble and
Perseverance. Fish seems to be one of their greatest Luxuries, and they
Eat it either raw or Dressed and seem to relish it one way as well as the
other. Not only fish but almost everything that comes out of the Sea is
Eat and Esteem'd by these People; Shell Fish, Lobsters, Crabs, and even
sea insects, and what is commonly called blubbers of many kinds, conduce
to their support.
For tame Animals they have Hogs, Fowls, and Dogs, the latter of which we
learned to Eat from them, and few were there of us but what allow'd that
a South Sea dog was next to an English Lamb. One thing in their favour is
that they live intirely upon Vegetables; probably our Dogs would not Eat
half so well. Little can be said in favour of their Fowles, but their
pork is most Excellent, they have no beasts of Prey of any Sort, and Wild
Fowls are scarce and confin'd to a few Species. When any of the Chiefs
kill a Hog it seems to be almost equally divided among all his
Dependents, and as these are generally very numerous, it is but a little
that come to each person's share, so that their chief food is Vegetables,
and of these they eat a large quantity.
Cookery seems to have been but little studied here; they have only 2
Methods of applying Fire--broiling and Baking, as we called it; the
method this is done I have before described, and I am of Opinion that
Victuals dressed this way are more juicy and more equally done than by
any of our Methods, large Fish in particular, Bread Fruit, Bananoes.
Plantains Cooked this way eat like boil'd Potatoes, and was much used by
us by way of bread whenever we could get them. Of bread Fruit they make 2
or 3 dishes by beating it with a Stone Pestle till it makes a Paste,
mixing Water or Cocoa Nut Liquor, or both, with it, and adding ripe
Plantains, Bananoes, Sour Paste, etc.
This last is made from bread Fruit in the following manner. This fruit,
from what I can find, remains in Season only 8 or 9 months in the year,
and as it is the Chief support of the inhabitants a reserve of food must
be made for those months when they are without it. To do this the Fruit
is gathered when upon the point of ripening; after the rinde is scraped
off it is laid in heaps and coverd close with leaves, where it undergoes
a fermentation, and becomes soft and disagreeably sweet. The Core is then
taken out, and the rest of the fruit thrown into a Hole dug for that
purpose, the sides and bottom of which are neatly laid with grass. The
whole is covered with leaves and heavy stones laid upon them; here it
undergoes a second Fermentation and becomes sourish, in which condition
they say it will keep good 10 or 12 months. As they want to use it they
make it into balls, which they wrap up in leaves and bake in the same
manner as they do the Fruit from the Tree; it is then ready for eating
either hot or cold, and hath a sour and disagreeable taste. In this last
State it will keep good a Month or 6 Weeks; it is called by them Mahai,
and they seldom make a Meal without some of it, one way or another. To
this plain diet Salt Water is the universal sauce, hardly any one sets
down to a meal without a Cocoa Nut shell full of it standing by them,
into which they dip most of what they Eat, especially Fish, drinking at
Intervals large sops of it out of their Hands, so that a man may use half
a Pint at a Meal.
It is not common for any 2 to eat together, the better sort hardly ever;
and the women never upon any account eat with the Men, but always by
themselves. What can be the reason of so unusual a custom it is hard to
say; especially as they are a people, in every other instance, fond of
Society and much so of their Women. They were often Asked the reason, but
they never gave no other Answer, but that they did it because it was
right, and Express'd much dislike at the Custom of Men and Women Eating
together of the same Victuals. We have often used all the intreatys we
were Masters of to invite the Women to partake of our Victuals at our
Tables, but there never was an instance of one of them doing it publick,
but they would Often goe 5 or 6 together into the Servants apartments,
and there eat very heartily of whatever they could find, nor were they
the least disturbed if any of us came in while they were dining; and it
hath sometimes hapned that when a woman was alone in our company she
would eat with us, but always took care that her own people should not
know what she had don, so that whatever may be the reasons for this
custom, it certainly affects their outward manners more than their
Principle.
[Natives of Tahiti.]