October, though he was the firft European that difcovered them.
Whether this behaviour was only a confequence of the intelligence
which the natives of Tonga-Tabboo and Ana-
mocka, (Anfterdam and Rotterdam Iflands,) might have received
from thofe of Cocos, Hope, and Horne Iflands, concerning
the fuperior ftrength of the llrangers and the ha-
vock which they had made ; or whether it was the natural
effeft of their peaceable difpofition, I cannot venture to determine,
though I am inclined to adopt the former opinion.
Captain Wallis probably faw Cocos and Traitors Iflands in
1767, which he called Bofcawen’s and Keppel’s Ifles ; but
his people did the natives no hurt, except frightening them
with the difcharge of a Angle mulket. M.de Bougainville
faw fome of the north-eaftermoft ifles belonging to this
group, of which the inhabitants had the fame general character.
.He called his difcovery the Ar.ch'tpel des Navigateurs, .juft-
ly enough, as many Ihips have fallen in with it. Since
Tafman s time, no other navigator has had any intefcourfe
with the ifle of Amfterdam, which he difcovered, previous
to our arrival. During a fpace, therefore, of one hundred
and thirty years, they have not materially changed their
manners, dreffes, way of living, difpofition, &c. &c. Our
ignorance of their language prevented our obtaining poli-
tive proof that they ftill preferved, by tradition, the memory
of former vifitors; but they poflefled fome nails, which
mult have been brought to the ifland in Tafman's time.
We
We purchafed one of rhefe nails, which was very fmall and octIWk.
almoft confirmed with ruft, but had been carefully preferved
by being fixed on a wgoden handle, probably to ferve
the purpefes 0f a googe or borer, and is now depofited in
the Brkifh Mufeum. We likewife bought fome fmall
earthen pots, perfeftly black with foot on the outfide, and
fufpedted them to be memorials of Tafman’s voyage; but
afterwards we rather believed that they were manufactured
by the natives tbemfelves. The accounts of Schouten, Tafman,
and M. de Bougainville agree with ours, in refpeft of
the agihty with which the natives committed petty thefts.
Tafman and captain Wallis have likewife obferved their
cuftom of cutting off the little finger; and according to
Schouten’s and Le Maire’s circumftantial narratives, the
natives of Horne Ifland were as fubmiffive to their king as
thofe of Tonga-Tabboo. The experience of the fhperior
power of the ftrangers, made them refpeftfuf even to fervi-
hty towards the Dutch ; their king proftrated himfelf before
a Dutch purfer, and their chiefs placed their necks under
his foot *. Thefe exceffive marks o f fubmiflibn feem
to border upon meannefi and cowardice; but never had
reafon to fuppofe them tinftured with thefe vices. Their
behaviour towards us was commonly accompanied with
that freedom and boldnefs which the reeftitude of intentions
V0 * n . e-epM4r;DaIrympIe’5 | H j Colleaionof V°7*ges in the Pacific Ocean,
infpires j