1767. the men, at which they expreffed much difappointment and
_1 vexation. While this traffic was carrying on, a man came
Thurfday 18. £e c r e t j y rouncj a rock, and diving down, took up the boat’s
grappling, and at the fame time, the people on ffiore who
held the warp, made an effort to draw her into the furf. As
foon as this was perceived by the people on board, they
fired a mufket Over the man’s head who had taken up the
grappling, upon which he inftantly let it go, with marks of
great terror and aftoniffiment; the people on Ihore alfo let
go the rope. The boats after this, lay fome time upon their
oars, but the officer finding that he could get nothing more,
returned on board. Mr. Fumeaux told me that both the
men and women were clothed, and he brought a piece of
their cloth away with him. The inhabitants appeared to
him to be more numerous than the ifland could fupport,
and for this reafon, efpecially as he faw fome large double
canoes upon the beach, he imagined there were iflands of
larger extent, not far diftant, whererefrefhmentsin greater
plenty might be procured, and hoped that they might be lefs
difficult o f accefs. As I thought this a reafonable conjecture,
I hoifted in the boats, and determined to run farther to the
Weftward. To this place, which is nearly circular, and
ofcairargh about two miles over, I gave the name o f O s n a b u r g h
Islan d, in honour of Prince Frederick, who is biffiop o f
that fee. It lies in latitude 17° 5 1' S. and longitude 147° 30'
W.; the variation here was 7° 10' E.
C H A P .
C H A P . V..
An Account of the Difcovery of King George the Third's
I f and, or Otaheite, and of feveral Incidents which happened
both on board the Ship, and on Shore.
A T two o’clock, the fame day, we bore away, and in 1767-
about half an hour, difcovered very high land in the —1.
W. S. W. At feven in the evening, Ofnaburgh Ifland bore Tllarfda),,8•
E. N. E. and the new difcovered land, from W. N. W. to W.
by S. As the weather was thick and fqually, we brought to
for the night, or at leaft till the fog ffiould break away. At
two in the morning, it being very clear, we made fail again; Friday 19.
at day-break we faw the land, at about five leagues diftance,
and fleered direCtly for i t b u t at eight o’clock, when we
were clofe under it, the fog obliged us again to lie to, and
when it cleared away, we were much furprifed to find our-
felves furrounded by fome hundreds of canoes. They were
o f different fixes, and had on board different numbers, from
one to ten, fo that in all o f them together, there could not
be lefs than eight hundred people. When they came within ,
piftol fhot of the fliip, they lay by, gazing at us with great
aftoniffiment, and by turns conferring, with each other. In
the mean time we ffiewed them trinkets o f various kinds,,
and invited them, on board, Soon after, they drew together,
and held a kind of council, to determine what ffiould be
done: then they all paddled round the ffiip, making figns.
o f friendffiip, and one o f them holding up a branch of the
plantain tree, made a fpeeeh,that.lafted:near a quarter o f an
6 hour,,