tiiM,'-we cSuld^notiwith propriety d&lay donger'herfe in fearch-cffi'an
iffl£e#tiiriiy; Where ’We" paflted'elhfilfwe-faw many inhabitants; and
mSve''TEfooddnbt' but that ‘they are all well- peopled j and theyjnjuft
be' ahdimprdvedf ’pedple rin‘ the ’Tavage'' -Rate,1 f©V. the natives-iof-,the
Friendly Iflancfe; who' 'are' unwilling to giverpiacefto any,-.‘acknowledge
that ^be Feejees excel thefai in ’manyt.ffi'genibusjwdrKs;; .that
they -poffefs^larger' (Snoesr; and'’are a brave, fighting peoptej" but
abhor them-’ for their.' deteftable pra&kelb£‘:'eating their; .-nnforfunate
?prifoners; They ufet' hbwsr and arrows' in' war;1 andbfrdm the hlack-
nets of-'their .cbnipfexion, and the. ‘difference- -of ’their -language, and
manners, ^theparejevidently, a. diAmbt'1 rafe irbnfjthe thofe
groups wheis miflions are riow eftaMifhed ;v; %
16th. We dbferved at noon in-latitude I3°‘i ^ {$.iahd at fiye P .M .
faw ther ifland o f Rotumah;' bearing N . W p by cW. '. - The w.ea|her
'being a t ’tiiiSj time fqually, with rain, weehove fto.'Jbr' the night.
•At'dayiSpMt next morning we bore away;.- and'at'hsdff^laft.'Sight
’Weae- oppofite the north-call end,1 'whdnffc>eral’ickntxes-carrte
cfiy containing' from- three- -to fix' and- feven perfofislhiclp > A f firft
they were fhy,t: and kept aloof; but preferitly foiiie bolder [than-the
■ ref® ventured alongffde, arid jonb with-a fotvl in his;hand,.faking ;hqld
©Ta-ropfe, dfbpped himfelf into'the water',rand hauled ;gaa bga^c^
He made fighs that he. 'wanted air'axe for the fowl, by«.wpjd bdi^
•immediately Knew that yhare-iSBiff have'been friendlyf-intefepurtibbei-
tween thetn -andHOipfein FHWards? o§\ the! Pandora, - who di-feoyered
.this ifland1 in Auguft 1/791 ; but ltis-probable thaftr?they have-beep
vifited b y none befides, .as they now beheld u s iw |th^ ttih fpip^fe
and Wonder.’ This .’’day happening to be Sunday* the ruldfjyddiad
conflantly obferved^S^Ailem this f|a prevented! tradpbetweehus and
.thefe people. Td&WeSret, this min received an axe, a few fifh-hooks,
and other things, which made him leap for'joy-.- Three others, encouraged
by his good fortune, ventured after him,, and fared equally
w e l l, and it appeared'that; many more, would have come, on board-,
had they an opportunity ; for ofefervihg that -wefteered rather-from
Sep,t.|
the ilkhd,^lfe.yp«Hted5.towardsIk bay, i as: iff defirous we Ihould come
^bofajicbor. As we' rap^'doyrnythe'north^ddjtheife appeared a g(k>d
bays heart tox the „wefti eddy« where,v? i f the ■ ahehorage» be life; fhlps
may ride »ifheltered. from all 'but northerly ;witids r and' perhaps a
iituation- ■ mi’ght;- be .'foiunnb'iQ fliefcip’^Re; fame tbay:fheltered..frQm -the®
alfcw a This »kay^lies j to>windward-^if'itbfef higheftf bluff hiUyt&n the
Weft'end'ofpthe;mdin, ifland ;..a-vHigl$ ifktrliesrdise.<^ybhbE)ih b f this
bluff Kill; rand they Bear' a'-great rejCerpblance to- each other/* being
bqfch 'ffeepeftibh ithe!'B.ortKi* fcda> 1 W^ftwayd-^ceS this rlaft'1^ three
mbre_ fihallkMets, the, lairgeft ‘pfL fy hichiiaplpeared • -to j bp -.fplit in th a
tnladley 'a s 'i f broken by an ekrthqtia'k©. ! -;}
That iriiffn ifkrid-faf exfeeds/!ih: pophlaufhefp, andcfertilify, a l l, that
had tfeeff inf this' Tea'jbfo'r flnr. aofpacqphofe'more .than/a! mflatin
;fegthwwe tenanted- about, tworhu-ndred^JalyCesr n@xtptH.fe beach, be-
-fides- what the.trees ’probablyjcbnceallEdt^opako.ur y-iew^jifthi's was; at .the
eaft'rencl';T§xtd there;was ieafon.to.'thiiik almoft everyipartlbfsit equally
Wellihhabiitedi>^'In ther fhape, .anA'fizerpfrttheir pecMrs we'coaid
d'ifiinguifh. n a di^erencdjibetween ;themu[a»d ,ther Friendly iflandejrk^
"eXcepe. that we^thought .them, o f a li^Hterjicb'lodr, ‘-and fojuia. difference
•in thegtittbsingp,having: here ibe- refemblance/s ©f-.i.birds! and .fifli’es;
.With cEfdtes. 'an'drdpots upon! their arm's -andiftoulders-: > the latter are
fe«anih^lysihteiid€d.'rto reprefent (the heavpnlyibfdies.'s-^Wcffnr threetof
the .wcpaernwhom vwe faw'.’were. tattooed insrfhis,-Jafl; way .•„'-•at Tonga-
tabba ‘ they keep A e 'u p p e r parts clean o f all ta#tqoing. f The wompn
here^wear their'}hair^long,-;vhay|: A d
witfedfpigMnt.ofi/tbeqfarfie, {rpa^ed, w ith 'cqdbaj-nut' oiK fKey
their neck> and 'bre'aff^i The men fwho were^an board", appeared lto
•have, rhuch x>¥ thet;fhrewdj manly-,>fer^jfp f ^|jS -aboye -„people, afid
many o f their cuA>Hffls. , OnefioS.them- nqg.dfe'ifi^>?l;#feab'if| qafe^of
mourning; they; cufi.tbejr - h^ads withrfharki! teeth’! beat;their checks
till they bled, and. wounded themljblyes - with(Tpears„}<.buf:; that, the
women only cut off. the little fwgersy the menacing exempt from it.i