others, if they are accufed of any offence committed in their
diftrift.
Having now given the beft defcription that I can of the
ifland in its prefent date, and of the people, with their customs
and manners, language and arts, I fhall only add a
few general obfervations, which may be of ufe to future navigators,
i f any of the fhips o f Great Britain fiiould receive
orders to vifit it. As it produces nothing that appears to be
convertible into an article of trade, and can be ufeful only by
affording refrefliments.to flapping in their pafiage through
thefe feas, it might be made to anfwer this, purpofc in a
much -greater degree, by tranfporting thither flteep, goats,
and horned cattle, with European garden-fluff; and other
ufeful vegetables, which there is the greateft reafon to fup-
pofe will flourifh in fo fine a climate, and fo rich a foil.
Though this, and the neighbouring iftands lie within the
tropick of Capricorn, yet the heat is not troublefome, nor
did the winds blow conftantly from the eaft. We had frequently
a frefh gale from the S. W. for two or three days,-,
and fometimes, though very feldom, from theN. W. Tupia-
reported, that fouth wefterly winds prevail in October, November,
and December, and we have no doubt of the fa ft'..
When the winds are variable, they are always accompanied);
by a fwell from the S, W. or W. S. W. ; there is al-lb a fwell
from the fame points when it is calm, and the atmofphere
loaded with clouds, which is a fure indication that the winds"
are variable, or weflerly out at fea, for with the fettled trade--
wind the weather is clear.
The meeting with wefterly winds, within the general limits
o f the eaftern trade, has induced.fome navigators to
fuppofe that they were near fome large track of land, o f
which, however, I think they are no indication,
i I t
It has been found, both by us and the Dolphin, that the
trade-wind, in thefe parts, does not fitend farther to the
fouth than twenty degrees, Beyond which, we generally
found a gale from the weftward; and it is reaforiable to
fuppofe, that when thefe winds blow ftfdrig’,- they will drive
back, the eafterly wind, and- corifequently incroa'ch upon the
limits Within which they conftantly blow, and thus necef-
ferily produce variable winds, as either happens' to prevail,
and a fouth wefterly fwell. This fuppofitibh is the more
probable,, as- it is well'known that the tfade-winWblbW but
faintly for fome! diftance within their* limit's,, arid thefefore-
may be more eafily flopped or repelled by a wind in the contrary
diredlion : it- is alfo well known, that the limits of the
trade-winds vary not only at different feafons of the year,
but fometimes at the fame feafon, in different years,.
There is therefore no-reafon tafuppofe that fouth wefterly
winds, within thefe limits, are caufed by the vicinity of
large tradls of land, efpecially as they are always accompanied
with a large fwell, in the fame direction in which;
they blow; and we find a much greater furf heating upon,
the fhores of the fouth. weft fide of the iftands that are fitu-
ated juft within the limits of the trade-wind, than upon any-
other part of them.
The tides about thefe iftands, are perhaps as inconfiderable
as in any part of the world. A fouth or S. by W. moon,
makes high water in the bay of Matavai at Otaheite; but
the water very feldom rifes perpendicularly above ten or
twelve inches.
The variation of the compaft, I found to be 40 46' eafterly,
this being the refult of a great number of trials made with
four o f Dr- Knight’s needles, adapted to azimuth compaffes.