>774*
A v g u s t .
Saturday ao.
gotten, or at leaft they feemed to have forgiven it in their
hearts.' My father, with Dr. Sparrman and myfelf, walked
about on the plain, and fhot fome birds. We only met a
Angle native, wha at figh.t of us immediately ftruck into a
different path, and walked very fwiftly to efcape vis. We
called to him, and making all the friendly figns which we
could invent, at laft prevailed ©n him to turn back. He
approached us with diftruft- and apprehenfion, marked ia
every geflure; however, by making; him fome prefents, his
fears were removed-, mutual confidence took place, and we
parted very good friends. It was late in the evening when
we left the fhore with all our people..
Early in the morning feveral canoes of the natives got
under fail, and went out of the harbour. Their form re-
fembled that of the canoes at the Friendly Iflands, but with
this difference, that the workmanfhip was very inferior at
Tanna. They have out-riggers to all their canoes, and
fome may contain twenty people. Their fails were low
triangular mats, of which the broadeft part is uppermoft,
and the fharp angle below. A long, piece of timber, hollowed.
out in the middle, forms the bottom of the canoe,
and upon this one or two- planks are fixed, forming the
two fides, by means-of ropes of the coco-nut fibres. Thefe
ropes are drawn through the round holes in feveral knobs
on the infide of the planks, by which means the latter are
not pierced with a fingle hole. Their oars are ill-fhaped,
and
and very clumfily made. It feems the fabrick of a boat is
fo tedious an enterprize to people who are in a continual
Rate of warfare, that they cannot fpend much time in po-
lifhing the timbers, and giving them that perfedtion and
elegance, which is confpicuous in the manufactures of the
Friendly Iflands.
The wind being favourable to our departure at prefen t,
we weighed the anchor, and fet fail, after a flay of fixteen
days. The ifland of Tanna is fituated in i 90 3 ° S. lat. and
1 69° 38* E. long, and I believe does not exceed twenty-
four leagues in circuit. A clayey fort of ftone, mixed with
pieces of chalk-ftones, forms moft of the rocks which we
examined. It is commonly of a brownifh or yellowifh
colour, and lies in ftrata nearly horizontal, about fix inches
thick. In a few places we obferved a foft black ftone,
eompofed of the allies and fherls thrown up by the volcano,
mixed with clay, or with a fort of tripoly, which is called
fotten-ftone by fome miners. This fubftance fometimes
forms alternate ftrata with the black ftone. The fame volcanic
fand, mixed with vegetable mold, forms the rich foil
of this ifland, on which, as I have already mentioned, all
vegetables thrive with uncommon luxuriance. The volcano
which burns on the ifland, doubtlefs works a great
change in its mineral productions, and might perhaps have
afforded fome new obfervations, if the jealoufy of the natives
had not continually prevented our examining it. We
Z z 2 found
1774'
A ugust *