1769.
I June.'
Saturday 3.
Sunday 4.
By this time, Tuboiirai Tamaide and Tomio joined them,:
from the obfervatory. Tomio faid, that Ihe was related to
Tarrao, and brought him a prefent of a long nail, at the
fame time complimenting Nuna with a fliirt.
The firft internal contaft of the planet with the fun being
over, Mr. Banks returned to the obfervatory, taking Tarrao,
Nuna, and fome of their principal attendants, among whom
were three very handfome young women, with him: he
fhowed them the planet upon the fun, and endeavoured to-
make them underhand that he and his companions had
come from their own country on purpofe to fee it. Soon
after, Mr. Banks returned with them to the ifland, where he
fpent the reft of the day in examining its produce, which he
found to be much the fame with that of Otaheite. The people
whom he faw there alfo cxadtly refembled the inhabitants
of that ifland, and many of them were perfons whom he.
had feen upon it ; fo that all thofe whom he had dealt with,
knew of what his trading articles confifted, and the value
they bore.
The next morning, having ftruck the tents, they fet out On
their return, and arrived at the fort before night.
The obfervation Was made with equal fuccefs by the perfons
whom I had fent to the eaftward, and at the fort, there-
hot being a cloud in the Iky from the riling to the fetting of
the fun, the whole pallage of the planet Venus over the-
fun’s difk was obferved with great advantage by Mr. Green,
Dr. Solander, and myfelf: Mr. Green’s telefcope and mine-
were of the fame magnifying power, but that of Dr. Solander
was greater. We all faw an atmofphere or dulky cloud
round the body of the planet, which very much difturbed
the times of contadt, efpecially of the internal ones'; and we
differed from each other in our accounts of the times of the
contadls
contacts much more than might have been expected. According
to Mr. Green,
The firft external contact, or firft appearance of Venus
op the Sun, was - - r
The firft internal contaft, or total immerfion, was
The fecond internal nontaA, or beginning o f the
einerficn, - - - -
The fecond external eontaftj or ;total emerfion -
Hours. Min. Sec.
V ,25 4Z(
9 44 ■ \\
3 f4 A 't) i
3 § 9 J 1° ') <
Th,e latitude of the obfervatory -was found to be i y° 29' 15" ;
and the longitude 1490 32' 30'” W. of Greenwich. A more
particular account will appear by the tables, for which the
Kader is referred to the Tranfactions of the Royal Society,
vol. lxi. part 2. page 397 8cfeq. where they are illuftrated by
a cut.
But if we had reafon to congratulate ourfelves upon the
fuccefs of our obfervation, we had fcarce lefs caufe to regret
the diligence with which that time had .been improved by
fome of our people to another purpofe. While the attention
of the officers w.as engroffed by the Tranfit of Venus, fome of
the fhip’s company broke into one of the ftore-rooms, and
ftole a quantity of fpike nails, amounting to no lefs than one
hundred weight: this was a matter of public and ferious
concern ; for thefe nails, if circulated by the people among
the Indians, would do us irreparable injury, by reducing the
value of iron, our ftaple commodity. One of the thieves
was detected, but only feven nails were found in his cuftody.
He was punilhed with two dozen laffites, but would impeach
none of his accomplices.
CHAP.