aihore. The houfes 'o f thefe people were low mean hovels, thatched with
cocoa nut branches, but they were m o f t delightfully fituated in a fine grove of
ftately trees. They faw but little of the natives, except at a diftance; they
could, however, perceive that the women had a piece of cloth of feme kind
hanging from the waift as low as the knee; the men were naked.
They faw no venomous creature here; but the.flies were an intolerable
torment, as they covered them from head to foot, and filled not only the boats,
but the fhtps. Here were a great number of parrots and paroquets, and feVeral
other birds, with a beautiful kind of dove that was exceedingly tame. The
freih water- here is very good, but fcarce. That part of the ¡Hand where they
landed lies in latitude 14° 29’ fouth, longitude 148" 50 weft.
‘ Having procured what refrefhments they could here, particularly feveral
boat loads o f cocoa nuts, and a great quantity of fcurvy grafs, on the 12th they
failed for another ifland they had feen on the weftward of this. Here the natives,
on the approach of the (hips, filled the beach as before, and ran along lhore as
they proceeded. The heat of this climate being very great, they feemed to
fuffer much by running fo far in the fun; for they fometimes plunged into the
fea, and fometimes fell flat upon the fand, that the furf might break over them;
after which they renewed the race with great vigour.
Coming abreaft of a duller of houfes like thofe of the other ifland, to which
place the natives ftill followed, and were joined by others; the boats hauled
clofe into the furf, and the ihips brought to at a little diftance from the lhore.
Upon this, a ftout old man, with a long white beard, which -gave him a very
venerable appearance,’ came down from the houfes to the beach : he was attended
by a young man, and appeared to have the authority of a Chief or a King.
The reft of the Indians, at a fignal which he made, retired to a little diftance.
He then advanced to the water’s edge, bearing in one hand a green branch of
a tree, and grafpingwith the other his beard, which he prefled to his bofom:
having in this attitude pronounced a long oration, or rather fong, he walked
into the water, and throwing into, the boat the green branch, took up dome
trifling prefents that had been thrown on the ilrand for him. After this the
Datives
natives ihewed a friendly difpofition; and fome of them fwam off to the boats P*
with a few cocoa nuts, and a little frelh water; but as no anchorage could be
found for the ihips, an intercourfe could not be opened with them. -The principal
objeft of the boats being fent into fuch a furf, was to obtain fome pearls,
which, from the quantity of the pearl oyfters Ihells found on the coafts of thefe
¡Hands, mull be plenty here; but they could not make their inquiries under-
ftood by the natives.
To thefe two iflands Commodore Byron gave the name of King George’s Iflands, ?■
in honour of his Majefty. That which they laft vifited lies in latitude 14” 41’
fouth, longitude 149° 15’ weft.
The next day, June 13, purfuing their courfe to the weftward, they fell in p.
with a low and very narrow ifland, lying eaft and weft. It had a green and
pleafant appearance, but a dreadful furf breaks upon every part of it,
with foul ground at fome. diftance. They found it about twenty leagues in
length; and it appeared to abound with inhabitants, though they could only
get a tranfient glance of them as they pafied along. To this the Commodore
gave the name of the Prince of Wales’s Ifland. It lies in latitude 13" fouth,
and the weftermoft end o f j t in longitude 151” J3’ weft.
On the 21ft land was feen again, bearing W. S. W.-which had the appear- p.
ance of three iflands, with rocks and broken ground between them. Thefe.
iflands, on approaching them, appeared more fertile and beautiful than, any
they had feen before; and, like the reft, fwarmed with people. They faw
alfo a large veffel under fail at a little diftance from the lhore; but to their un-
fpeakable regret, they were obliged to leave the place without farther
examination: for it was furrounded in every'diretftion by rocks and breakers,
which rendered the hazard more than equivalent to every advantage they might
procure.
Thefe iflands, which lie nyarly in latitude io* 15’ fouth, and longitude 169* P-
28’ weft, Commodore Byron called, from their dangerous coafts, the Iflands of
Danger. At this time, he took them for part of the iflands named Solomon’s
Iflands |