jggfe Otaheitf. The fruit \s. ex-a&ly o f the fame kipd,but not fo '
Aa9-'lsrj gopd. A bread-fruit of Timor,‘weighs half as much,more
**'' a? ■ me o f equal iize at Otaheite. It is not ufed here aS
bread, bat generally eaten with milk andfpgar. AtBacken-
nafly I law about ,twenty of the. trees, larger than any I
have feen at Otaheite ., Hereis alfo a fort of bread-fruit tree,
that produces: feed§, not unlike Windfor heaps* and equally
palatable, either bpiied or roafted. No ptfter part o f the
fruit is eatable; and though the tree, I am told* is,to all appearance.
the fame as. the other, the fruits have but little re-
femblance ? the frpit o f this being covered with projecting
points, nearly half an inch in length.
I received' a .prefent of feme fine plants, frppa the governor,
wbich;I was, afterwards un£ortunately;bbUg^ tofleaVe.
at Batavia, for want o f proper room to take pare. of. them,
in the packet by which I returned to, Europe,., Mrri - Wan-,
jon likewife r favoured.me with-tfomp: feeds fpr, his r&fa-
jefty’s garden at" Kew, which I had the. ;gpod fortune to.
deliver fafe, on my return: and f pmp o f fmo u n t a i n
rice, cultivated at Timor, on the dry land,,.which ;w:as
forwarded to his Majefty’s hotanh. garden at St. Vintont,
and to' oth^r parts in the.Weft Indies, t j
, A refemblance of language between the people , o f the
South Sea. iflands, and the inhabitants of many! o f the
iflands in the Eaft Indies, has been remarkedip Captain
Cook’s firft' voyage.. Here, the( refemblance appeared
ftronger than has yet been noticed ; particularly, in their
numerals. But befides the language, I obferved Jtom©;
cuftoms among 'the people o f Timor, ftill mpr^: fttdsang
for their fimilarity.' Theypra6tife the ^oog^-topge. * of
* The Totgc-tgoge described in Captain. Cook.’« laft voyage, Vol. I..page ^23».
and the Romth iji,ttjefame,voyage, y p tH . page 64. ‘ '•
the Friendly Iflands, whiph they c&M Toombock: and the | 9 gg!
Roomee of Otaheite,* which they call Ramas. I likewife —
faw, placed on their graves, offerings of balkets with tobacco
and beetle. • •
I left the governor, Mr. Van Efte, at the point o f
death. To this gentleman our moft grateful thanks are
due, for the humane *snd friendly treatment that we received
from him. HiS :ffl ftate of health only prevented
him from lhowing-us more particular marks of attention.
Unhappily, it is to his memory only that I now pay this
'tribute; • It was a fortunate dreumftance for us, that
Mf. Wanjohy the next in place to- the governor, was
equally humane and ready to relieve us.- His attention
was unremitting, and, When there was a doubt-about fup-
plying me with moneys to enable me to puTchafe a veffel,
he cheaffully. took it upon h-imfelf; without which, it was
evident, I Ihould have been too late at Batavia to have failed
fo r Europe with-the October fleet. * I can only return fuch:
1 fervioes -by ‘ever retaining i a grateful' remembrance o f
them'.'w ' ......
Mr/'Max,.the town furgeon, likewife-behaved to'us with .
the m®ft difintereffed humanity: he attended every one
' With the utmoft "care; for- which I could not prevaikon hiro
to receive* 3nyp2.yuient, or. to render me any£ account, or
othef anfwer, than that it Was his duty . |
C HAP.