Captain Cook's Journal During His First Voyage Round the World
are not less than 1200 Leagues asunder. Was such things found floating
upon the Water in the South Seas one would hardly be perswaided that one
was even out of sight of Land, so apt are we to Catch at everything that
may at least point out to us the favourite Object we are in persuit of;
and yet experiance shews that we may be as far from it as ever.
Thus I have given my Opinion freely and without prejudice, not with any
View to discourage any future attempts being made towards discovering the
Southern Continent; on the Contrary, as I think this Voyage will
evidently make it appear that there is left but a small space to the
Northward of 40 degrees where the grand object can lay. I think it would
be a great pity that this thing, which at times has been the Object of
many Ages and Nations, should not now be wholy be clear'd up; which might
very Easily be done in one Voyage without either much trouble or danger
or fear of Miscarrying, as the Navigator would know where to go to look
for it; but if, after all, no Continent was to be found, then he might
turn his thoughts towards the discovery of those Multitude of Islands
which, we are told, lay within the Tropical regions to the South of the
Line, and this we have from very good Authority, as I have before hinted.
This he will always have in his power; for, unless he be directed to
search for the Southern lands in a high Latitude, he will not, as we
were, be obliged to go farther to the Westward in the Latitude of 40
degrees than 140 or 145 degrees West, and therefore will always have it
in his power to go to George's Island, where he will be sure of meeting
with refreshments to recruit his people before he sets out upon the
discovery of the Islands.* (* Cook carried out this programme in his
second voyage, when he set at rest for ever the speculation regarding the
Southern Continent.) But should it be thought proper to send a Ship out
upon this Service while Tupia lives, and he to come out in her, in that
case she would have a prodidgious Advantage over every ship that hath
been upon discoveries in those Seas before; for by means of Tupia,
supposing he did not accompany you himself, you would always get people
to direct you from Island to Island, and would be sure of meeting with a
friendly reception and refreshment at every Island you came to. This
would enable the Navigator to make his discoveries the more perfect and
Compleat; at least it would give him time so to do, for he would not be
Obliged to hurry through those Seas thro' any apprehentions of wanting
Provisions.
[Tupia's List of Islands.]
I shall now add a list of those Islands which Tupia and Several others
have given us an account of, and Endeavour to point out the respective
Situations from Otaheite, or George's Island; but this, with respect to
many of them, cannot be depended upon. Those marked thus (*) Tupia
himself has been at, and we have no reason to doubt his Veracity in this,
by which it will appear that his Geographical knowledge of those Seas is
pretty Extensive; and yet I must observe that before he came with us he
hardly had an Idea of any land being larger than Otaheite.
COLUMN 1: NAME OF THE ISLANDS NORTH-EAST QUARTER.
COLUMN 2: BEARINGS FROM OTAHEITE.
Oopate : Between the North and North-North-East.
Ooura : Between the North and North-North-East.
Teohcoa : Between the North and North-North-East.
Oryvoa : Between the North and North-North-East.
Ohevapato : Between the North and North-North-East.
Otaah : North-North-East to North-East by North.
Ohevaroa : North-North-East to North-East by North.
Temanno : North-North-East to North-East by North.
Ootta : North-North-East to North-East by North.
COLUMN 1: NAME OF THE ISLANDS SOUTH-EAST QUARTER.
COLUMN 2: BEARINGS FROM OTAHEITE.
Moutou : South to South-East.
Toomitoaroaro : South to South-East.
*Tennowhammeatane : South to South-East.
Ohitetamaruire : South to South-East.
Ouropoe : South to South-East.
*Mytea or Oznaburg Island : East-South-East and East.
Ohevanue : East-South-East and East.
Ohirotah : East-South-East and East.
COLUMN 1: NAME OF THE ISLANDS SOUTH-WEST QUARTER.
COLUMN 2: BEARINGS FROM OTAHEITE.
*Imao or York Island : West by South and West-South-West.
*Tapooamanue or Saunders Island : West by South and West-South-West.
*Manua : Between the South and South-West.
*Honue : Between the South and South-West.
*Ohiteroa : Between the South and South-West.
Onawhaa : Between the South and South-West.
Otaohoera : Between the South and South-West.
Opooroo : Between the South and South-West.
Ooonow : Between the South and South-West.
Teorooromatiwhatea : Between the South and South-West.
*Teatowhite : Between the South and South-West.
Oheavie : Between the South-West and West-South-West.
Pooromathetua : Between the South-West and West-South-West.
Teamoorohete : Between the South-West and West-South-West.
Ohetotarive : Between the South-West and West-South-West.
Ohetotareva : Between the South-West and West-South-West.
Ohitetoutoumi : Between the South-West and West-South-West.
*Mooenatayo : West.
Tetupatunaeo : West.
Ohiteteutenatu : West.
Ohitepoto : West.
COLUMN 1: NAME OF THE ISLANDS NORTH-EAST QUARTER.
COLUMN 2: BEARINGS FROM OTAHEITE.
Whareva : North-East.
Whatteruro : North-East.
Tetioo : North-East.
Tetineohva : North-East.
Terouwhah : North-East.
Whaoa : North-North-East.
Whaterretaah : North-North-East.
Whaneanea : North-North-East.
Ohevatoutua : East by North.
COLUMN 1: NAME OF THE ISLANDS NORTH-WEST QUARTER.
COLUMN 2: BEARINGS FROM OTAHEITE.
*Tethuroa : North by West.
Oonnah : North by West.
Obaha : North by West.
Maataah : North by West.
*Huiheine : Between the North and West.
*Ulietea : Between the North and West.
*Otaha : Between the North and West.
*Bolabola : Between the North and West.
*Tubai : Between the North and West.
*Maurua : Between the North and West.
Opoopooa : Between the North and West.
Opopatea : Between the North and West.
*Whennuaouda : Between the North by West and West.
*Motehea : Between the North by West and West.
*Oourio : Between the North by West and West.
*Orurutu : Between the North by West and West.
*Oateea : Between the North by West and West.
Oahooahoo : Between the North by West and West.
Oweha : Between the North by West and West.
Orotuma : Between the North by West and West.
Tenuna : Between the North by West and West.
Orevavie : Between the North by West and West.
Toutepa : Between the North by West and West.
Orarathoa : Between the North by West and West.
Oryvavai : Between the North by West and West.
Oahourou : Between the North by West and West.
The above list* was taken from a Chart of the Islands drawn by Tupia's
own hands. (* This list is hopeless. With the exception of the Society
Group (Huiheine, and the names that follow), Imao (Eimeo), Tapooamanuo,
Tethuroa, and Ohiteroa, all lying near Tahiti, none can be recognised.
Those north and east are no doubt names of the Paumotu Group, low coral
islands, disposed in rings round lagoons, whose innumerable names are
very little known to this day, and very probably the Tahitians had their
own names for them.) He at one time gave us an account of near 130
Islands, but in his Chart he laid down only 74; and this is about the
number that some others of the Natives of Otaheite gave us an account of;
but the account taken by and from different people differ sencibly one
from another both in names and numbers. The first is owing to the want of
rightly knowing how to pronounce the names of the Islands after them; but
be this as it may, it is very certain that there are these number of
Islands, and very Probably a great many more, laying some where in the
Great South Sea, the greatest part of which have never been seen by any
European.
[Historical Notes on New Zealand.]
NOTES ON NEW ZEALAND.
As already stated by Cook in the Journal, New Zealand was first
discovered by Abel Tasman, a Dutch navigator, in the year 1642. Sailing
from Tasmania, he sighted the northern part of the Middle island, and
anchored a little east of Cape Farewell in Massacre (Golden) Bay, so
called by him because the Maoris cut off one of his boats, and killed
three of the crew.
Tasman never landed anywhere, but coasted from Massacre Bay along the
western side of the North Island to the north point. He passed outside
the Three Kings, and thence away into the Pacific, to discover the
Friendly Group.
No European eye again sighted New Zealand until Cook circumnavigated and
mapped the islands.
The warlike character of the natives is well shown in this Journal. On
nearly every occasion they either made, or attempted to make, an attack,
even on the ships, and in self-defence firearms had constantly to be
used. Nevertheless, Cook's judgment enabled him to inaugurate friendly
relations in most places where he stopped long enough to enable the
natives to become acquainted with the strangers.
It was not so with other voyagers. De Surville, a Frenchman, who called
at Doubtless Bay very shortly after Cook left it, destroyed a village,
and carried off a chief. Marion de Fresne was, in 1772, in the Bay of
Islands, killed by the natives, with sixteen of his people, and eaten,
for violation of some of their customs, and illtreatment of some
individuals.
Other outrages followed, committed on both sides, and it is no wonder
that, though Cook represented the advantages of the island for
colonization, it was not considered a desirable place in which to settle.
The cannibalism of the Maoris especially made people shy of the country.
Intermittent communication took place between New Zealand and the new
Colony of New South Wales, and at last, in 1814, Samuel Marsden, a
clergyman of the Church of England, who had seen Maoris in New South
Wales, landed in the Bay of Islands with other missionaries. This
fearless and noble-minded man obtained the confidence of the Maoris, and
a commencement of colonization was made.
It was not, however, until 1840 that the New Zealand Company was formed
to definitely colonize. They made their station at Wellington.
In the same year Captain Hobson, R.N., was sent as Lieutenant-Governor.
Landing first at the Bay of Islands, he transferred his headquarters to
the Hauraki Gulf in September 1840, where he founded Auckland, which
remained the capital until 1876, when the seat of Government was
transferred to Wellington.
The North Island, in which all these occurrences took place, contained by
far the greater number of the natives, and it seems strange now that the
first efforts to settle were not made in the Middle Island, which has
proved equally suitable for Europeans, and where the difficulties of
settlement, from the existence of a less numerous native population, were
not so great. It is not necessary here to follow the complicated history
of New Zealand in later years, which unfortunately comprises several
bloody wars with the Maoris.
The present prosperous condition of this great colony is well known, but
it has not been effected without the rapid diminution of the natives, who
have met with the fate of most aborigines in contact with Europeans,
especially when the former were naturally bold and warlike.
The Maoris have retained the tradition of the original arrival of their
race in a fleet of canoes from a country called Hawaiki, which is by some
supposed to be Hawaii in the Sandwich Group. As we have seen, the
language was practically the same as that of Tahiti, and there is no
doubt that they came from some of the Polynesian islands. The date of the
immigration is supposed to be the fifteenth century.
Each canoe's crew settled in different parts of the North Island, and
were the founders of the different great tribes into which the New