and died upon the fpot. I had brought three turkey-hens
to thefe iflands. One was killed, as above mentioned ; and
the other, by an ufelefs dog belonging to one of the officers.
Thefe two accidents put it out of my power to leave a pair
here ; and, at the fame time, to carry the breed to Ota-
heite, for which ifland they were originally intended. I
was forry, afterward, that I did not give the preference to
Tongataboo, as the prefent would have been of more value
there than at Otaheite ; for the natives of thé former ifland,
I am perfuaded, would have taken more pains to multiply
the breed.
tFhurfday 3. The next day we took up our anchor, and moved the
fhips behind Pangimodoo, that we might be ready to take
the advantage of the firft favourable wind, to get through
the narrows. The king, who was one of our company,
this day, at dinner, I obferved, took particular notice of the
plates. This occafioned me to make him an offer o f one,
either of pewter, or of earthen ware. He chofe the firft ;
and then began to tell us the feveral ufes to which he intended
to apply it. Two of them are fo extraordinary, that
I cannot omit mentioning them. He faid, that, whenever
he ffiould have occafion to vifit any of the other iflands, he
would leave this plate behind him at Tongataboo, as a fort
o f reprefentative, in his abfence, that the people might pay
it the fame obeifance they do to himfelf in perfon, He
wâs aiked, what had been ufually employed for this pur-
pofe, before he got this plate ;• and we had the farisfaition
of learning from him, that this lingular, honour hail hitherto
been conferred on a wooden bowl in which he waffied
his hands. The other extraordinary üfe to which he meant
to apply it in the room of his Wooden bowl, was to difcover
a thief. He faid, that, when any thing was ftolen, and the
thief
thief could not, be found out, the people were all aflèmbled w -
together before him, when he waffied his hands in water in 1— —•
this veffel ; after which it was cleaned, and then the whole
multitude advanced, one after another, and touched it in the
fame manner that they touch his foot, when they pay him-
©beifanee. If the guilty perfon touched it, he died immediately
upon the fpot ; not by violence, but by the hand of
Providence ; and if any one refufed to touch it, his refufal- '
was a clear proof that he was the man.
In the morning of the yth, the day of the eclipfe, the Saturday ;,
weather was dark and cloudy, with ffiowers of rain ; fo ,
that we had little hopes of an obfervation. About nine
o’clock the fun broke out at intervals for about half an hour;
after, which it was totally obfcured, till within a minute òr
two of the beginning of the eclipfe. We were all at our
telefcopes, viz. Ml’. Bayly, Mr. King, Captain Clerke, Mr.
Bligh, and myfelf. I loft the obfervation, by not having a
dark glafs at hand, fuitable to the clouds that were continually
paffing over the fun; and Mr. Bligh had not got:
the fun into the field of his telefcope ; fo that the commencement
of the eclipfe was only obferved by fhe other
three gentlemen ; and by them, with an uncertainty of fe--
veral feconds, as follows :
II. M. S.-
By Mr. Bayly, at" 11 46 2341
Mr. King, at 11 46 28 I Apparent time. --
Capt. Clerke, at 11 47 5 J '
Mr. Bayly and Mr. King obferved, with the achromatic"
telefcopes, belonging to the hoard of longitude, of equal
magnifying powers ; and Captain Clerke obferved with one
of the refleClors. The fun appeared at intervals, till about
the middle of the eclipfe ; after which it was feen no more
♦ during