1769- On Tuefday the 4th of April, about ten o’clock in the
April. .
\---------» morning, Mr. Banks’s fervant, Peter Bnfcoe, difcovered land,
jySSf 4 bearing fouth, at the diftanee o f about three or four leagues,
ifland. j immediately hauled up for it, and found it to be ah ifland
of an oval form, with a lagoon in the middle, which occupied
much the larger part of it; the border of' land which
circumfcribes the lagoon is in many places very low and
narrow, particularly on the fouth fide; where it confifts
principally of a beach or reef o f rocks: it has the fame appearance
al-foin three plaees on the north fide ; fo that, the
firm land being disjoined, the whole looks like many iflands
covered with wood. On the weft end of the ifland is a large
tree, or clump o f trees, that in appearance refembles a tower;
and about the middle are two cocoa-nut trees, which rife
above all the reft, and, as we came near to the ifland,
appeared like a flag. We approached it on the north fide,
and though we came within a mile, we found no bottom
with 130 fathom o f line, nor did there appear to be any
anchorage about it. The whole is covered with, trees of
different verdure, but we could diftinguifh none, even with
our glafles, except cocoa-nuts and palm-nuts. We faw
feveral of the natives upon the fhore, and counted four and
twenty. They appeared to be tail, and to have heads remarkably
large ; perhaps they had fomething wound round
them which we could not diftinguifh; they were of'a copper
colour, and had long black hair. Eleven of them walked
along the beach abreaft of the fhip, with poles or pikes in
their hands which reached twice as high as themfeives;
while they walked on the beach they feemed to be naked;
but foon after they retired, which they did as foon as the
fhip had pafled the ifland, they covered themfeives with
fomething that made them, appear of a light colour. Their
habitations were under fome clumps of palm-nut trees,
which
which at a diftanee appeared like high ground ; and to us
who for a long time had feen nothing but water and fky, c— --->
except the dreary hills of Terra del Fucgo, thefe groves 1 “e ^ 4'
feemed a terreftrial paradife. To this fpot, which lies in
latitude 18* 47" S. and longitude 139° 28'W. we gave the
name of Lagoon 1st and. The variation of the needle here
is 20 54' E.
About one o’clock we made fail to the weffward, and about Thrumb*
half an hour after three we faw land again to the N. W. We CaB"
got up with it at funfet, and it proved to be a low woody
ifland; of a circular form, and not much above a mile in
compafs. We difcovered no inhabitants, nor could we diftinguifh
any cocoa-nut trees, though we were within half a mile
©f the fhore. The land, however, was covered with verdure
of many hues. It lies in latitude 180 35' S. and longitude
139® 48' W. and is diftant from Lagoon Ifland, in the direction
of N. 62 W. about feven leagues. We called it T hrumb-
C a p . I difcovered, by the appearance of the fhore, that at
this place it was low-water; and I had obferved at Lagoon
Ifland, that it was either high-water, or that the fea neither
ebbed nor flowed: I infer, therefore, that a S. by E. or S.
moon makes high-water.
We went on with a fine trade-wind and pfeafant weather,, wedneft
and on the 5th, about three in the afternoon, we difcovered Bow a” "
land to the weftward. It proved to be a low ifland, of much
greater extent than either of thofe that we had feen before,
being about ten or twelve leagues in compafs. Several of
ms remained at the matt-head the whole evening, admiring;
its.extraordinary figure: it was fhaped exatftly like a bow,,
the arch and cord of which were land, and the fpace between
them water; the cord was a flat beach, without any figns of
vegetation, having nothing upon it but heaps of Tea-weed;,
4 which)