gummy juice, which fome of their trees produce in great
plenty, and which is a very good fuccedaneuin for pitch.
The wood which they ufe for their large canoes, is that
of the apple tree, which grows very tall and ftrait. Several
of them that we meafured, were near eight feet in the
girth, and from 20 to 40 to the branches, with very little diminution
in the lize. Our carpenter faid, that in other re-
fpedts it was not a good wood for the purpofe, being very
light. The fmall canoes are nothing more than the hollowed
trunk of the bread-fruit tree, which is Hill more light
and fpongy. The trunk of the bread-fruit tree is fix feet in*
girth, and about 20 feet to the branches.
Their principal weapons are ftones, thrown either with
the hand or fling, and bludgeons; for though they have
bows and arrows, the arrows are only fit to knock down a
bird, none o f them being pointed, but headed only with a
round ftone.
I did not fee one turtle all the while I lay off this iflancl,
but upon fhewing fome fmall ones which I brought from
Queen Charlotte’s Ifland, to the inhabitants, they made figns
that they had them of a much larger fize. I very much regretted
my having loft our he-goat, which died foon after
we left Saint Iago, and that neither of our fhe-goats, of
which we had two, were with kid. I f the he-goat had lived,
I would have put them all on fhore at this place, and I
would have left a fhe-goat here i f either o f them had been
with kid; and I doubt not, but that in a few years they would
have flocked the ifland.
The climate here appears to be very good, and the ifland
to be one of the moft healthy as well as delightful fpots in
the world. We faw no appearance of difeafe among the inhabitants.
The hills are covered with wood, and the vallies
with
with herbage; and the air in general is fo pure, that, not-
withftanding the heat, our flefh meat kept very well two
days, and our fifh one. We met with no frog, toad, fcor-
pion, centipied; or ferpent of any kind: and the only trouble- ,
fome infedts that we faw-were ants, o f which there were butfew.
The fouth-eaft part o f the ifland feems' to be better cultivated
and inhabited than where we lay, for wè faw every
day boats come round from thence laden with plantains and'
other fruit, and we always found greater plenty, and a lower
price, foon after their arrival, than before.
The tide rifcs and'falls very little, and being governed by
the winds, is very uncertain ; though they generally blow from
the Ë. to the S. S', E. and for the moft part a pleafant breeze.
The benefit that we received while we lay off this ifland,
with refpedt to the health o f the fhip’s company, was beyond
our moft fanguine expedtations, for we had not now an in-"
valid on board, except the two Lieutenants and myfelf, and'
w e were recovering, though ftill in a very feeble condition.
It is certain that none o f our people contradfed the venereal
difeafe here, and therefore, as they had free commerce^
with great numbers of the women, there is the greateft probability
that it was not then known in the country. It was,
however, found here by Captain Cook, in the Endeavour,
and as no European veffel is known to have vifited this ifland'
before Gaptain Cook’s arrival, but the Dolphin, and the'
Boudeufe and Etoil, commanded by M. Bougainville, the reproach
of having contaminated with that dreadful pell, a
race of happy people, to whom its miferies had till then1
been unknown, muft be due either to him or to me, to England
or to France; and I think myfelf happy to be able to
exculpate myfelf and my country beyond the- poflibiiity o f
doubt.
It