12 a v o y a g e t o
ry79'. fubfiftence o f the crews, or o f re lin q u iih in g the fu r th e r
profeeution o f his difcoveries'. He therefore loft no opportun
ity o f ren ew in g his attempts, and the event anfwered
h is moft fan gu ine expectations.
T h e hogs, w h ich we made ufe o f fo r this purpofe, were
o f various fizes, w e ig h in g from fo u r to twe lve ftone *. T h e
time o f llau gh te rin g was a lways in the afternoon ; and as
foon as the hair was fcalded off, and the entrails removed,
the h o g was divided into pieces o f fo u r or e igh t pounds
e ach , and the bones o f the leg s and chine taken o u t ; and,
in the la rg e r fort, the ribs alfo.' E ve ry piece then b e in g
c a re fu lly wiped and examined, and the veins cleared o f the
coagulated blood, the y were handed to the falters, w hilft the
l e f l i remained ftill w arm. A fte r th e y had been w e ll ru bbed
w ith fait, th e y w ere placed in a heap, on a ftage raifed
in the open air, covered w ith planks, and prelied w ith the
heavieft weights w e could la y on them. In this fituation
th e y remained till the next e ven in g , w hen th e y were a g a in
, w e ll wiped and examined, and the fufpicious parts taken away.
' T h e y were then put into a tub o f ftrong pickle, w here they
w ere a lways looked over once or twice a day, and i f any
piece had not taken the fait, w h ich was readily difcovered
b y the fm e ll o f the pickle, they were immediately taken
out, re-examined, and the found pieces put to frefh pickle.-
T h is , however, after the precautions before ufed, feldom
happened. A fte r fix days, they were taken out, examined
fo r the laft time, and being again fligh tly prefled, the y were
packed in barrels, with a thin layer o f fait between them..
I brought home w ith me fome barrels o f this pork, which-
w as pickled at O whyhee in January 1779, and was tailed:
T H E P A C I F f C O C E A N .
b y feveral perfons in England about Chriftmas 1780, and
found perfe ctly found and wholefome *.
I ih a ll n ow return to ou r tranfacflions on ihore at the
obfervatory, where w e had not been lon g fettled,, before we
difcovered, in our neighbourhood, the habitations o f a fo-
ciety o f priefts, whofe re gu la r attendance at the Morai had
excited our curiofity. T h e ir hu ts flood round a pond o f
water, and were furrounded b y a grove o f cocoa-nut trees
w h ich feparated them from the beach and the reft o f the
village, and gave the place an air o f religious retirement.
On m y a cquainting Captain Cook w i th thefe circumftanCes,.
he refolved to pay them a v ilk ; and as he expected to be
received in the fame manner as before, he brou ght Mr.
Webber w ih him to make a drawing o f the ceremony f .
On his atrival at the beach, he was conducted to a facred
b u ild in g called Harre-no-Orono, or the h ou fe o f Orono, and;
feated before the entrance, at the foot o f a wooden idol, o f
the fame kin d w ith thofe on the.Morai, I was here again,
made to fupport one o f his arms, and after w rap p in g him:
in red cloth, Kaireekeea, accompanied by- twelve p riefts/
* Since, thefe papers were prepared for the prefs, I. have been informed by Mr.
Vancouver, who was one o f my Midihipmen in the Difcovery, and was afterward,
appointed .Lieutenant of the Martin iloop.of war, that he tried the . method here recommended,
both with Engliih and Spaniih pork, during a cruize on .the Spaniih Ma in,.
in the year 1782,. and. fucceeded to the utmoft of his expe&ations.. He alfo made the
experiment at Jamaica'with the beef ferved by.the vi&ualling office to the ihips, but
not with the fame fuccefs, which he attributes to the want o f the neceflary precautions
in killing and handling the beafts; fo their being hung up and opened before they had
fafficient time to bleed,..by which means the,blood-veflels were expofed to the air, and
the blood condenfed before j t had. time, to empty itfelf; and to their being hard driven ,
and bruifed.. He adds>. that having himfelf attended, to the killing o f an ox, which was -
carefully taken on board the Martin^ he falted a part o f it* which at the. end of the
week was found to have;taken the fait completely, and he has no doubt would have.. .
kept for any length o f time j but the experiment was not tried,.
f-: See Plate, Number LXL -
I mad£