*773»
- NOVEMBER,
JThurfday 4.
hemp, was however in flower, together with fome other
early fpecies. We collected all we could find, gathered a
quantity of celery and fcurvy-grafs, and Ihot fome water-
fowl, with all which we returned on board in the evening.
We immediately made drawings and defcriptions of all that
was new to us, and particularly of the flag, (pbonnium tenax.)
which, on account of the excellent flax that may be prepared
from it, deferves to be more univerfally known. De-
firous to promote every improvement which may turn out
a real benefit to mankind, we did not hefitate a moment to
permit an engraving to be made from our drawing, at the
requeft of the Earl of Sandwich, which is intended to ornament
captain Cook’s account of this voyage.
The natives returned the next morning in more canoes
than the preceding day, and among them was Teiratu, the
chief, who had made acquaintance with us on the fourth
of June, and had pronounced a long harrangue that day.
He was now in his old clothes, or what the polite world
would call dejhabille ; quite deftitute of the finery of chequered
mats edged with dog-fkin, and his hair carelefsly
tied in a bunch, inftead of being combed fmooth, and
d.eleftably greafed with {linking oil. In fliort, from being
the orator and leader of a troop of warriors, he feemed to be
degraded to a Ample filhmonger. It was with fome difficulty
that we recognized his features under this difguife,
upon which he was taken into the cabin, and prefented
with
With fome nails. Our iron ware, and our provifion of Ta- if ’” 3'
heitee cloth, were articles of fuch importance to Teiratu
and his people, that they refolved to eftablifh tbemfelves
near us, in order to be the firft to profit by our commerce^
and perhaps to lofe no opportunity of laying their hands
on any thing which belonged to us- Our {hip lay very
near the beach where we intended to fill our empty calks
With frelh water- Here we had already fee up a tent for
the people who were employed in this branch of cur preparations
; another for our wood- cutters, and the aftrono-
mical obfervatory. We went on fliore at this place, both
before and after-noon, and made our way through a labyrinth
of climbers which croffed from one tree to another,
Mahine (or Hedeedee) likewife came on fhore with us, and.
roamed through its intricate forefts, furpri'fed at the number
of different birds, their fweet melody, and their beautiful
plumage. One of our gardens where the radifhes and.
turneps were in flower, was remarkably full of fmall birds,
which fucked the neftareous juices of the blolToms, and not
feldom plucked them from the ftalk. We foot feveral o f themr
and Mabine, who had never made ufe of fire-arms in his.
life before, killed his bird at the firft difeharge. The fenfes
of all nations, not more- polifhed than- his countrymen, are.
infinitely more acute than ours, which a thoufand accidents.
tend to impair. We never were more clearly convinced of
this, than at Taheitee ; it was very ufual for the natives
there, to point out fmall birds to us in the thickeft trees,.