fore the wind, the yard' is taken out of the focket and;
fquared. It mu ft be obferved,. that all their failing veffels
are not rigged to fail in the fame manner. Some, and thofe-
of the largeft fize, are rigged fo-as to tack about.’ Thefe
have a fhort but pretty flout maft, which fteps on a kind of’
roller that- is fixed to the deck near the fore-part. It is made
to lean or incline very much forward; the head is forked ;
on the two points of which the yard re.fls, as on two pivots,.,
by means pf two ftrong cleats of wood- feeured to each fide
of the yard., at .about pne-third its length from the tack or
heel, which, when underfail, is confined down between the -
two canoes, by means,of two ftrong ropes, one .to and pailing
through a hole at the head of each canoe; for, it muft be
obferved; that all the failing veffels of this fort are double.
The tack being thus fixed, it is- plain that, in changing
tacks, the veffels muft be put about; the fail and boom on
the one tack will be clear of the maft,. and on the other it
will lie againft it, juft as a whole mizzen. However, I am
not fureif they do not fometimes unlace that part of the fail
from the yard which is between the tack and maft-h.ead, and
fo fhift both fail and hoom leeward of the maft. The drawings
which Mr. Hodges made of thefe veffels feem to favour
this fuppofition, and will not only illuftrate, but in a manner
make the defcription of them unneeeflary. The outriggers
and ropes ufed for fhrouds, &c. are all flout
and ftrong. Indeed, the fail, yard, and boom, are all together
of fuch an enormous weight, that ftrength is required.
The fummit of Amattafoa was hid in the clouds the whole
■ day, fo that we were not able to determine with certainty
whether there was a volcano or no; but every thing we
j could
could fee concurred to make us believe there was. This
'ifland is about five leagues in circuit. Oghao is not fo much;
but more round and peaked. They lie in the direction of
N. N. W. 4 W. from Anamocka, eleven or twelve leagues
diftant; they are both inhabited ; but neither o f them feemed
fertile.
Thurfday 30;
We were hardly through the paffage before we got a frefli
breeze at South. That moment, all the natives made hafte
to be gone, and we fleered to the Weft, all fails fet. 1 had
fome thoughts o f touching at Amfterdam, as it lay not much
out of the way ; but, as the wind was now, we could not
fetch it; and this was the occafion of my laying my defign
afide altogether.
Let us now return to Anamocka, as it is called by the
natives. It is fituated in the latitude of sa° 15' South, longitude
174° 31' Weft, and was firft difcovered by Tafman and
by him named Rotterdam, i t is of a triangular form, each
fide whereof is about three and a half or four miles. A fak
'water lake in the middle of it, occupies not a litde'of its fur-
face, and in a manner cuts off the S.'E. angle. Round the
ifland, that is from the N. W. to the South, round by the
North and Eaft, lie fcattered'a number of fmall ifles, fand-
banks, and breakers. We could fee no end to their extent
to the North ; and it is not impoffible that they reach as far
South as Amfterdam, or Tongatabu. Thefe, together with
Middleburg or Eaoowee, and Pylftart, make a group, containing
about three degrees o f latitude and two of longitude,
which I have named the Friendly Ifles or Archipelago, as a
firm alliance and friendfhip feèms to fubfift among their inhabitants,
and their courteous behaviour to ftrangers intitles
them to that appellation; under which we might perhaps ex-
D 2 tend