a ' c7£t wonderful phenomenon, though it was in continual agitation.
Some of the explofions refembled very violent claps,
of thunder, and a rumbling noife continued for half a minute
together. The whole air was filled with fmoky particles
and with allies,. which occafioned much pain when they
fell into the eye. The decks, rigging, and all parts of the
fhip were covered with black flierl allies in the fpace of a.
few hours, and the fame fand, mixed with fmall cinders«
and pumice ftones, covered the fea-fliore.. The difiance of:
this volcano from our harbour was five or fix miles ; but-
feveral hills lay between, fo that we only faw its fummir,,
which threw up the fmoke from a crater, confifting of feveral
ragged points.
Saturday fr. Early in the morning, the fhip was moored ftill more-
conveniently and nearer to the fliore. The natives appeared
at fun-rife coming out of their groves and confulting together
on the beach. In order to make the fequel more-
intelligible, it will be neceflary to give a flight fketch of the:
appearance of the country which enclofed the harbour.
The point which forms its eafiern fliore is very low and«
flat, but prefently riles into a level hill, about fifteen or,
twenty yards high, which is wholly laid out in plantations.
This encompafles the eafiern and fouthern fliore of the bay,,
■ being near three miles long, and extending feveral miles in- J
land to the fea on the other fide. Where this flat hill ends,,
a fine plain covered with planttaions runs to the fouthward,
bounded;
bounded by feveral ranges of pleafant hills, of which the August.
neareft are of eafy afcent. To the weft this plain, as well
as the whole bay itfelf, is enclofed by a fteep hill, three or
four hundred yards high, which is nearly perpendicular in
moft places. A narrow beach of large broken Ihingles and
ftones runs along the weftern fliore, but a perpendicular
rock feparates it from the fouthern beach. This laft is very
broad, and confifts of a firm black fand; it bounds the
plain, and is the fame where we cut wood and filled our
calks with water. A beach of coral rock and fliell fand
continues from thence along the foot of the flat hill quite
to the eafiern point of the harbour. The flat hill does nor
He clofe to this beach, but a fpace of level land, thirty or
forty yards wide, covered with groves of palms, extends to
its foot. The whole fouth-eaft corner of the bay is filled
with a flat reef of coral, which is overflowed at low water.
A few canoes put off one by one from the fliore, and«
each brought a eoco-nut or two and a clutter of bananas-
for fale, which they readily exchanged for Taheitee cloth.
As foon as the natives in them had difpofed of their cargo,,
they returned to the fliore and brought off another. Gne
of them offered captain Cook his club, and, having agreed«
to take a piece of cloth for it, it was let down into his canoe.
However, he had no fooner received this cloth, than
he took no farther trouble to fulfil his agreement. The-
captain fpoke to him feveral, times, by fudi figns as the
mam