^793- die name o f V o l c an o H il l . It lies n . 26 w.,. about a league front
.. 1 , - ; the fouth point of Mowee, directly oppofite to the barren and uninhabited
iflet of Morokinney,' which lies fomething more than two miles.
From the fhore o f that bay. Here Mr. Broughton had found regular
foundings from 25 to 15 and.7 fathoms, within half a mile of the beach,
fandy bottom. The beach, about half a mile long, appeared very convenient
for landing upon; hut I was given to underhand, by our pilot.and
others of the natives, that good water was not to be procured even in
ftnall quantities within a conftderable diftance, and that its. neighbourhood
was very barren and thinly inhabited.
In this roadftead we were pretty well protected by the furrounding
land; excepting towards the. s. s .w . ; in which direffion the wind.feldom,
i f ever, blows violently. The Volcano hill bore by compafs s. 54>.
Morokinney s. 46 e.; Tahowrowa s. 35.E-. to s. 7 E.; Rannai S;. 54 w:
to n. 78 -w.; the wefternmoft part of Morotoi in.light n. 66 w . ; and of
two low projefting. points of land from the fhore of Mowee forming, the
points of the roadftead, the northernmoft bore N. 26,w-., diftant four
miles and a h a lf; the fouthernmoft, s. 64 e. diftant five m ile s a n d ..the
neareft lhore N. e. by e., half a league diftant.
The village of Raheina is. of fome extent towards the north-weft- part
of the roadftead; it feemed to be pleafantly fituated on a fpace.of low,
or rather gently elevated land, in the midft o f a grove of bread-fruit,
cocoa-nut, and other trees; to the eaftward, the country feemed nearly
barren and uncultivated, and the fliores, were bounded b,y a reef, on
which the furf feemed to break with fo much force a s: to preclude any
landing with our boats. In the village, the houfes feemed to be numerous,
and to be well inhabited. A few of the natives vilited the {hips;, thefe
brought but little-with them, and. m.oft of them .were in very fmall mife-
rable canoes. Thefe circumftances ftr.ongly indicated their poverty, and
proved what had been frequently afferted at Owhyhee, that Mowee, and
its neighbouring, iflands, were reduced-to great indigence by the. wars, in
which for many years they had been engaged,.
Our native pilot feemed very: proud of the-confidence we hadrepofed
On his.lliill, .in, conducing the {hip to this anchorage; and that the fituation.
tion he had chofen in the night now met our approbation. From the ^793-
moment of bis coming, on board, he had pleaded the caufe of Titeeree 1__ _,—
and Tdio with all his eloquence, and gave a pofitive contradiction to the
reports in circulation, of the. murders having been premeditated by them
at Woahoo, and committed by their exprefs orders, for the foie pur-
pofe of revenging a . difference that- had happened between them and
Mr. Ingraham. Thefe reports, he faid, he was well aware prevailed at
Owhyhee; but he denied them in the molt pofitive terms, and afferted,
that the conduct of the people at Woahoo, inftead of being fanftioned
by their chief, had incurred his higheft difpleafure; and that Titeeree on
being informed of the event, font immediate orders that the offenders
fliould be put to death; and that in confequence of thefe orders three
men, who were principally concerned, had been executed.
- This led me to inquire of Tomohomoho, if three people only had been
implicated in that barbarous tranlaftion ? T o this he replied, that there
were three or four more, confidered as equally guilty; but that thefe had
found means to. efcape, and had fled to the mountains, where they had
eluded their purfuers for. fuch a length o f time, that any further fearch
had been difeontinued, and the offence had blown over, and was nearly
forgotten.
I had underftood at Owhyhee, that three o f the principal offenders
concerned in the murder had been put to death by the orders of Titeeree;
and if we-revert to the circumftances attending our vilit in laft march; fe-
veral months fubfequent to the difpute with Mr. Ingraham, it is more than
probable,, that had any fuch fanguinary directions, as have been already
mentioned, been iffued by Titeeree, they muft have been equally in force
at the time we were there, as on the arrival of the Daedalus not long after
our departure. And though I muft. confefs, that our reception at
.Woahoo did not imprefs me with the moft exalted opinion of their
friendly and hofpitable intentions, yet, they did not appear to ufe any
means for carrying fuch orders into effeft; although they had frequent
opportunities in the courfe of our walks through the plantations, where
they could eafily have interrupted our retreat. But, admitting that the
people of Woahoo were under fuch injunctions, as fome have pretended,
. V.O l . II. A a and