fecond day after our arrival. All his pre-eminence feerhed
to confift in his drefs, which was more complete than that
of many of his people, who by choice, or through indolence,
go naked in a happy tropical climate, where, cloath-
ing is not wanted.
The next morning the captain went to the fame cove
again, but was much lefs fuceefsful than on the preceding
evening. The natives, who were not yet fufficiently acquainted
with the- excellence and durability of our iron
ware, refufed to take it any longer, and coveted a number
of articles, which it was not in our power to part with. In
the afternoon, therefore, we weighed the anchor, and flood
out of the harbour of Madre de Dios, where we had lain
fomething lefs than four days. We had provided a confi-
derable quantity of excellent water during that time, and
obtained a very falutary fupply of refrelhments from a
friendly and well-difpofed people. Our acquifitions in natural
hiftory had been but inconfiderable, from the great-
fimilarity of this ifland to Taheitee and the adjacent
group, and .on account of our very fhort flay. The fame
caufes had likewife prevented our forming a more perfeft
acquaintance with the natives, who feemed to be well
worth the contemplation of philofophic travellers. We
particularly regretted, that it had not been in Our power to
examine thofe enclofures on the fummits of the mountain,
which, as I (till fufpeft, haye fome connexion with
their
their religious rites. The Spaniards make mention of an
oracle *, which, from their accounts, feems to have been a
burying-place, like thofe of the Society Iflands; but we
were likewife unfortunate enough not to meet with any
thing of this kind. The number of thefe good people cannot
be very confiderable, on account of the fmall fize of the
iflands which they inhabit. Waitahoo, or St. Chriftina, is
about eight leagues in circuit; O-Heeva-roa f , or Dominica,
fifteen leagues ; Onateyo, or St. Pedro, three leagues; and
Magdalena, which we only faw at a great diftance, five
leagues, according to the Spanifh account. The natives of
thefe different iflands,. we have great reafon to believe, are
all of one and the fame tribe, like the people of Taheitee
and the Society Ifles ; we may at lead affirm it with certainty
of thofe of St. Chriftina and Dominica, having con-
verfed and traded with both. The ifland of Dominica, the
largeft of the Marquefas, is fo exceflively fleep and craggy
in many parts, that its inhabitants cannot be fo numerous
as thofe of St. Chriftina in proportion to its fize.. Such fpots
as are fit for culture-are very populous in thefe iflands ; but
as they are all very mountainous, and have many inacceflible
* See Mr. Dalrympie’s Collection of Voyages, vol. i. p„ 68..
t It is remarkable, that this name occurs in the lift o f iflands which Tupaya
and other natives o f the Society Ifles communicated to their Engiifh friends. T h e
people o f the Marquefas who could not pronounce th e r , always faid O-Heeva-oa.
VOL. II. F and