»774.
'April. Parre, we beheld one of the moft magnificent fights which it
is pofiible to be entertained with in the South Sea. This
was a very numerous fleet of great war-canoes, lying, arranged
along the (tore, completely fitted out, and manned
with rowers and warriors, drefled in their robes, targets, and
towering helmets. The (tores were lined with crouds of
people, and a kind of folemn filence prevailed among them.
We landed, and were met by Tee, one of the king s uncles,
who was going to lead captain Cook into the country, when;
the commander in chief of the fleet ftepped on (hore and met
them. At fight of him the common people exclaimed,
“ Towhah is coming,” and made room for him with a degree
of veneration which furprifed us. The chief advanced
to captain Cook, and taking him by the hand, called
him his friend, and defired him to. ftep into his canoe.- It
appeared to us at that time that Tee was uneafy, and did
not approve of captain Cook’s going, with Towhah ; there,-
fore, when we were juft abreaft of his canoe, which was
one of the larged, the captain flopped- (tort, and refuted to
go on board. Towhah left him very coolly,, and, to all
appearance hurt at the refufal, ftepped into one of the canoes.
We then walked down along the whole range of
veflels, whofe prows were turned to the (hore. All our
former ideas of the power and affluence of this ifland were
fo greatly furpafied by this magnificent fcene, that we were
perfectly left in admiration. We counted no lefs than one
hundred
61
hundred and fifty-nine great double war-canoes, from fifty ap” ?I.
to ninety feet long betwixt ftem and ftern. When we con-
fider the imperfeCt tools which thefe people are pofiefied of,
we can never fufficiently admire the patience and labour
with which they have cut down huge trees, dubbed the
plank, made them perfectly fmooth, and at Iaft brought-1
thefe unweildy veflels to the great degree of perfection in-
which we faw them. A hatcher, or, properly, an adze of.
(lone, a duffel, and a piece of coral, are their tools, to which
they only add the rough (kin of a ray, when they fmooth
or polifh their timber. All thefe canoes are double, that is,
t-wo joined together, fide by fide, by fifteen or eighteen ftrong-
tranfverfe timbers,which fometimes project a great way beyond-
both the hulls, being from twelve to four and twenty feet in
length, and about three feet.and a half afunder. When they
are fo long, they make a platform, fifty, fixty, or feventy feet-,
in length. On the outfide of each canoe there are, in that»
cafe, two or three longitudinal fpars, and between the two'
connected, canoes one fpar is fixed to the .tranfverfe beams.
The heads and fterns wereraifed feveral feet out of the w a -
ter, particularly the latter, which flood up. like long beaks,,
fometimes near twenty feet high, and.were cut into various-
fliapes. A white piece of cloth was commonly fixed between
the two beaks of each double canoe, in lieu of am
enfign, and the wind fwelled it out like a fail. Some had
Jikewife a ftriped cloth, with various red chequers, which,