l2 (‘l r«&lution not to accept them; and the cloth was, with
the fame Pertinacity, forced upon Dr. Solander, as a recom-
pence for the injury that had heen done him. He could not
avoid accepting the cloth, but infilled in his turn upon
giving anew piefent of beads to the woman. It will not
perhaps be ealy to account for all the Heps that were taken
>in the .recovery of this glafs and fnuff-box; but this- cannot
•he thought ftrange, confidering that the fcene of addon was
among a people whofe language, policy and connections
are even now hut imperfectly known; upon the whole,
however, they fliow an intelligence and influence which
would do honour to any fyflem of government, however
regular and improved. In the evening, about fix o’clock,
we returned to the Ihip.
1
CHAP .
C IT A P. IX.
A Place fix e d upon fo r an Obfervatory and Fort r an Ex~
curfion into the Woods-, and its Confequences. The Fort
ereSled: a V ifit from fe v e r a l Chiefs on board and at the
Fort, with fame Account o f the M ufic o f the N a tiv es,.
and. the Manner in which they difpofe o f their D ead.
ON the next morning, Saturday the 15th, feveral of the ,;6?..
Chiefs whom we had feen the day before, came on ^ A-P_r_ .
board, and brought with them, hogs, bread-fruit; and other Satardai,Is-
refrefhments,. for which we gave them hatchets and linen,
and Tuch things as feemed to be mod acceptable.
As in my excurfion to the weftward, I had not found any.
more convenient harbour, than that in which we lay, I de- -
termined to go on fliore and fix upon fome fpot, commanded:
by the {hip’s guns, where I might throw.up a fmall fort for
our defence, and. prepare, for making our aflronomical ob-,
fervation.
I therefore took a party of men, and landed without delay,
accompanied by Mr, Banks, Dr. Solander, and the aftrono-
mer, Mr. Green. We foon fixed upon „a part of the Tandy,
beach, on the N. E. point of the bay; which was in every.
refpeCt convenient, for our purpofe, and not near any habitation
of the natives. Having marked out the ground that
we intended to occupy, a fmall tent belonging to Mr. Banks-
was fet up, which had been brought on fhore for that purpofe
: by this time a great number of the people had gathered
about us; but, as it appeared, only to look on, there
not