Chapter VIII: Part 8

On Friday the 30th they arrived at Otahourou, where their old acquaintance Tootahah resided; he received them with great civility, and provided for them a good supper, and a convenient lodging; and notwithstanding they were so shamefully plundered the last time, they slept with this chief. They spent the night in the utmost security, none of their cloaths, or any other article, being missing in the morning.

On Saturday, July 1, they returned to the fort at Port Royal Harbour; having discovered the island, both peninsulas included, to be about one hundred miles in circumference. They were now very much in want of bread-fruit, owing to the scarcity of the season, and could obtain but a very small quantity upon their whole tour.

Their Indian friends crouded about them upon their return, and none of them came without provisions.

Monday the 3d, Mr. Banks made an excursion, with some Indian guides, to trace the river up the valley to its source, and observe to what extent its banks were inhabited. After meeting with houses for the space of six miles, they came up to one which was said to be the last that could be seen. The master of it presented them with cocoa-nuts and other fruits; and after a short visit, they continued their walk. In this tour they often passed under vaults, formed by rocky fragments, in which, they were informed, that those who were benighted often took refuge. They pursued the course of the river for about five or six miles further, and found it banked on both sides by rocks which were almost perpendicular, and near one hundred feet high, notwithstanding which, a way was to be traced up these dreadful precipices, and their Indian guides offered to conduct them by this path to the summit; but as it could not be effected without the utmost difficulty and danger, and there appeared nothing at the top to recompence them for the fatigue and hazard of the undertaking, they declined attempting it.

Mr. Banks during this tour had a fine opportunity of searching for minerals among the rocks, which were almost, on all sides, naked; he found, however, not the smallest appearance of any kind of mineral. The stones every where resembling those of Madeira, gave manifest signs of having been burnt. Scarce a single stone was found during their whole stay upon the island, which had not unquestionable marks of fire on it, except the hatchet stone, and some of these were not entirely free from it. There are also evident traces of fire in the clay upon the hills, both of this and the neighbouring islands.

Mr. Banks was engaged the 4th in planting on each side of the fort a great quantity of the seeds of water-melons, oranges, lemons, limes, and other plants and trees which he had brought from Rio de Janeiro. He gave of these seeds to the Indians in great plenty, and planted many of them in the woods: some of the melon-seeds, which had been planted soon after his arrival, had already produced plants which appeared to be in a very flourishing state.

They now began to make preparations for their departure; but before they set sail they had another visit from Oamo, Oberea, and their son and daughter. The young woman, whose name they understood to be _Toimata_, was very curious to see the fort, but Oamo would by no means permit her to come in. The son of Waheatua, sovereign of Tiarrabou, or the south-east peninsula, was also here at this time; and they received intelligence of the arrival of another guest, whose company they neither wished for nor expected; this was the Indian who had stolen the quadrant.

On Friday the 7th, the carpenters were ordered to take down the gates and pallisadoes of the fort, to be converted into firewood on board the Endeavour; and one of the Indians stole the staple and hook belonging to the gate: he was instantly pursued; but could not be found; and soon after this, their old friend Tubora Tumaida brought back the staple.

They continued on the 8th and 9th to pull down the fort, and their friends still visited them.

Captain Cook hoped now to quit the island, without any farther misunderstanding with the natives; but in this he was mistaken. Two foreign sailors having been out, one of them was robbed of his knife, and striving to recover it, the Indians attacked and wounded him in a dangerous manner with a stone; his companion also received a slight wound in the head. As Captain Cook would have been unwilling to have taken farther notice of the transaction, he was not sorry that the offenders had made their escape. Another affair equally disagreeable soon after happened. Between the 8th and 9th in the evening; two young marines retired secretly from the fort, and in the morning were not to be met with. Notice having been given for all the company to go on board the next day, and that the ship would sail that day or the day ensuing, Captain Cook began to fear that the marines intended to remain on shore. He was apprised, that no effectual steps could be taken to recover them, without risking the harmony and good fellowship which at present subsisted between the English and the natives; and therefore resolved to wait a day in hopes of their returning.

The 10th in the morning the marines not being returned, an enquiry was made after them, when the Indians declared they did not propose returning, having taken refuge in the mountains, where it was impossible to discover them, and that each had taken a wife. In consequence of which it was intimated to several of the Chiefs who were in the fort with their women, among whom were Tubora Tumaida, Tomio and Oberea, that they would not be suffered to quit it till the deserters were produced. Captain Cook thought this precaution necessary, as, by concealing them a short time, he might be compelled to go without them; they received the intimation with very little signs either of fear or discontent, assuring the Captain that the marines should be sent back. In the interim he sent Mr. Hicks in the pinnace to bring Tootahah on board the ship, which he executed without giving any alarm. Night coming on, Captain Cook judged it was not prudent to let the people, whom he had detained as hostages, remain at the fort, and he therefore ordered Tubora Tumaida, Oberea, and some others, to be brought on board. This gave an unusual alarm, and several of them, especially the females, testified their apprehensions with great agitation of mind, and floods of tears, when they were coming on board. Captain Cook went on board with them, Mr. Banks remaining on shore with some others, whom he thought it of less importance to detain.

One of the marines was brought back in the evening by some of the Indians, who reported, that the other, and the two people who were sent to fetch them back, would be detained whilst Tootahah was confined. Mr. Hicks was immediately dispatched in the long-boat, with several men, to rescue the English prisoners; at the same time Captain Cook told Tootahah, that it was incumbent on him to assist them with some of his people, and to give orders, in his name, that the men should be set at liberty, for that he should expect him to answer for the event. Tootahah immediately complied, and this party recovered the men without any opposition. About seven in the morning on the 11th they returned, but without the arms which had been taken from them when they were made prisoners: the arms were however brought on board soon after, and the Chiefs were allowed to return on shore.

At the time the Chiefs were set on shore from the ship, those at the fort were also released, and after remaining with Mr. Banks about an hour and a half, they all returned to their respective places of residence. When the deserters were examined, it was discovered, that the account which the Indians had given was no way false: they had become fond of two girls, and it was their design to keep themselves concealed till the ship had let sail, and continue upon the island.

Tupia, whose name has been often mentioned in this voyage, had been prime minister of Oberea, when she was at the pinnacle of her authority: he was also the principal priest of the island, and therefore intimately acquainted with the religion of the country. He was likewise deeply versed in navigation, and was thoroughly acquainted with the number, situation, inhabitants and produce of the adjacent islands. He had often testified a desire to go with them; and on Wednesday the 12th, in the morning, he came on board, with a boy about twelve years of age, his servant, named Taiyota, and requested the gentlemen on board, to let him go with them. As it was thought he would be useful to them in many particulars, they unanimously agreed to comply with his request. Tupia then went ashore for the last time to see his friends, and took with him several baubles to give them as parting tokens of remembrance.

Mr. Banks being willing to obtain a drawing of the Morai, in possession of Tootahah, at Eparre, Captain Cook accompanied him thither in the pinnace, together with Dr. Solander. They immediately, upon landing, repaired to Tootahah’s house, where they were met by Oberea, and several others. A general good understanding prevailed, and they promised to visit the gentlemen early the next day, to take leave of them, as they were told that the ship would then set sail. There also they met Tupia, who came back with them, and slept for the first time on board the ship.

Thursday the 13th of July, the ship was visited by a multitude of the gentlemen’s friends, and surrounded by numberless canoes, which contained the inferior natives. They weighed anchor about twelve, and the Indians took their leaves of the gentlemen on board, weeping in a friendly and affecting manner. Tupia supported himself in this scene with a becoming fortitude, tears flowed from his eyes, its true, but the effort that he made to conceal them did him additional honour. He went with Mr. Banks to the mast-head, where he continued waving his hand to the canoes as long as they remained visible.

The longitude of Port Royal Bay, as settled by Captain Wallis, was found to be within half a degree of its real situation. Point Venus, the northern extremity of the island, and the eastern point of the bay, lies in the longitude 149 degrees 30 minutes. Port Royal Bay, which is equal to any in Otaheite, may easily be discovered by a remarkable high mountain in the center of the island, bearing due south from Point Venus. The shore of the bay is a fine sandy beach, behind which runs a river of fresh water; any number of ships may water here without any inconvenience to each other. The only wood for firing, upon the whole island, is that of fruit-trees, which must be purchased of the natives, or it is impossible to live upon good terms with them.

According to Tupia’s account, the island could furnish above six thousand fighting men, whereby a computation of the number of inhabitants may easily be made.

The produce of Otaheite is bread-fruit, cocoa-nuts, bananas, plantains; a fruit not unlike an apple, potatoes, yams, cocoas, sugar-cane, and a variety of other fruits and vegetables.

They have no European fruits, garden stuff, or pulse, nor grain of any species. Their tame animals are hogs, dogs, and poultry; there is not a wild animal in the island, except ducks, pigeons, parroquets, and a few other birds; rats being the only quadruped, and there are no serpents. The sea however supplies them with great variety of excellent fish.

With regard to the people, they are in general rather of a larger make than Europeans. The males are tall, robust, and finely shaped. The females of the superior class are likewise generally above our common size; but those of the lower rank are rather below it, and some of them are remarkably little.

Their natural complexion is a fine clear olive, or what we call _brunette_, their skin is delicately smooth and agreeably soft. The shape of their faces is in general handsome, and their eyes are full of sensibility and expression, their teeth are likewise remarkably white and regular, and their breath intirely free from any disagreeable smell; their hair is for the most part black. The men, unlike the original inhabitants of America, have long beards, which they wear in various forms; and what is very remarkable, circumcision is almost universally practised among them, from a motive of cleanliness; having a peculiar term of reproach, with which they upbraid those who do not adopt this custom. Both sexes always eradicate the hair from their arm-pits, and they often reproached the English gentlemen with a want of cleanliness, for not making use of the same method. Their motions are easy and graceful, but not vigorous; their deportment is generous and open, and their behaviour affable and courteous. They appeared of a brave, noble, and candid disposition; equally strangers to the base and unworthy passions of cruelty, treachery, or revenge, and setting aside their violent prepensity to thieving, it may fairly be said, that their general characters would lose nothing in the comparison with those of the most civilized nation under the globe.

Contrary to the custom of almost all other countries, the women of this island cut their hair quite short, whereas the men wear it long, sometimes hanging loose on their shoulders, and at others tied in a knot on the crown of their heads, in which they stick the feathers of birds of various colours.

Both sexes frequently wear a piece of cloth of the manufacture of the island tied round their heads in the form of a turban; and the women take no little pains in plaiting human hair into long strings, which being folded into branches, are tied on their foreheads by way of ornament.

There is a custom likewise prevalent among them of anointing their heads with an oil extracted from the cocoa-nut. The smell of which is not altogether agreeable, as the climate is hot, and they are not provided with any thing similar to a comb, their heads are not clear from vermin: it evidently appeared, however, to be more the effect of necessity than inclination, as those to whom they gave combs immediately got rid of these disagreeable companions.

They stain their bodies, by indenting or pricking the flesh with a small instrument made of bone, cut into short teeth; which indentures they fill with a dark blue or blackish mixture, prepared from the smoke of an oily nut, burnt by them instead of candles and water; this operation, which is called by the natives Tattaowing, is exceedingly painful, and leaves an indelible mark on the skin. It is usually performed when they are about ten or twelve years of age, and on different parts of the body; but those which suffer most severely are the breech and the loins, which are marked with arches, carried one above another a considerable way up their backs.

At the operation of _Tattaowing_, performed upon the posteriors of a girl about twelve years of age, Mr. Banks was present, it was executed with an instrument that had twenty teeth, and at each stroke, which was repeated every moment, serum mixed with blood issued. She bore it with great resolution for several minutes; but at length the pain became so violent, that she murmured and complained, and then burst into the most violent lamentations; but her operator was inexorable, whilst some females present chid, and even beat her. Mr. Banks was a spectator for near an hour, during which time it was performed only on one side, the other having undergone the ceremony sometime before; and the arches upon the loins, which are the most painful, but upon which they the most pique themselves, were yet to be made.

They cloath themselves in cloth and matting of various kinds; the first they wear in fair, the latter in wet weather. They are in different forms, no shape being preserved in them, nor are the pieces sewed together. The women of a superior class wear three or four pieces; one, which is of considerable length, they wrap several times round their waists, and it falls down to the middle of the leg. Two or three other short pieces, with a hole cut in the middle of each, are placed on one another, and their heads coming through the holes, the long ends hang before and behind, both sides being open, by which means they have the free use of their arms.

The mens dress is very similar, differing only in one instance, which is that part of the garment instead of falling below the knees, is brought between the legs. This dress is worn by all ranks of people, the only distinction being quantity in the superior class. At noon both sexes appear almost naked, wearing only the piece of cloth that is tied round the waist. Their faces are shaded from the sun with small bonnets, made of cocoa-nut leaves or matting which are constructed in a few minutes. The men sometimes wear a sort of wig, made of human or dogs hair, or of cocoa-nut strings, woven on a single thread, which is fastened under their hair, and hangs down behind. Both men and women wear ear-rings on one side, consisting of shells, stones, berries, or small pearls; but they soon gave the preference to the beads, brought by the Endeavour’s company.

The boys and girls go quite naked; the first till they are seven or eight years old; the latter till they are about five. Their houses, which have been described already, they seldom use but to sleep in, or to avoid the rain, as they eat in the open air, under the shade of a tree. Their clothes serve them at night for covering, and there are no divisions or apartments. The master and his wife repose in the middle, then the married people; next to these the unmarried females, and at a small distance the men who are unmarried; and the servants sleep in the open air in fair weather. The houses of the Chiefs, however, differ in some degree; there are some very small, and so built as to be carried in canoes: all sides of them are inclosed with the leaves of the cocoa-nut; the air, nevertheless, penetrates, in these the Chief and his wife alone sleep. There are also houses which are general receptacles for the inhabitants of a district. These are much larger, many being more than two hundred feet in length, forty in breadth, and seventy or eighty feet high. They are constructed at the common expence, and have an area on one side surrounded with low pallisades; but like the others have no walls.

When a Chief kills a hog, which is but seldom, he divides it equally among his vassals; dogs and fowls are more common.

When the bread-fruit in not in season, they are supplied by cocoa-nuts, bananas, plantains, &c.

Their cookery consists chiefly of baking, the manner of doing which has been already described. They bake their bread-fruit in the same way, which renders it something like a mealy potatoe; of this fruit three dishes are made, by beating it to a paste, and mixing it with bananas, plantains, or the sour paste, which the natives nominate _Mahie_.

This paste is made by taking bread-fruit, which is not thoroughly ripe, and laying it in heaps, covered with leaves, by which means it ferments, the core is then taken out, and the fruit put into a hole lined with grass; it is then again covered with leaves, upon which large stones are placed; this produces a second fermentation, after which it grows sour, and undergoes no change for a long time; they take it from this hole as they have occasion for it, and making it into balls, it is rolled up in plantain-leaves and baked; as it will keep for some weeks after it is dressed, they eat it both hot and cold.

Such is the food of these people, their sauce to which never consists of any thing but salt water. As to their drink, it is generally confined to water, or the milk of the cocoa nuts, though there were instances in which some of them drank so freely of the English liquors, as to become quite intoxicated; this, however, seemed to proceed more from ignorance than design, as they were never known to repeat a debauch of this kind a second time. They were told indeed that the Chiefs sometimes became inebriated by drinking the juice of a plant called _Ava_, but of this they saw no instance during the time they remained on the island.

The Chiefs generally eat alone, unless when visited by a stranger, who is sometimes permitted to become a second in their mess; having nothing to supply the want of a table; they sit on the ground in the shade; leaves of trees being spread before them serve as a table-cloth; their attendants, who are numerous, having placed a basket by the Chiefs, containing their provisions, and a cocoa-nut shell of fresh and salt water, seat themselves round them; they then begin by washing their mouth and hands, after which they eat a mouthful of bread-fruit and fish, dipt in salt water alternately, till the whole is consumed, taking a sup of salt water likewise between almost every morsel. The bread-fruit and fish being all eaten, they next have either plantains or apples, which they never eat without being pared. During this time a soft paste is prepared from the bread-fruit, which they sup out of a cocoa-nut shell; this finishes the meal, and the hands and mouth are again washed as at the beginning.

It is astonishing how much food they eat at a meal; Mr. Banks and some other gentlemen were present when one man devoured three fish the size of a middling carp, four bread fruits as large as a common melon, thirteen or fourteen plantains seven or eight inches long, and above half as big round, and about a quart of the paste made of bread-fruit.

It is not a little surprizing, that the inhabitants of this island, who seemed exceedingly sensible of the pleasures of society, should have an universal aversion to the least intercourse with each other at their meals, and so rigid are they in the observance of this unusual custom, that even brothers and sisters have their separate baskets to contain their provisions, and generally sit some yards distance when they eat, with their backs turned towards each other, not exchanging a single word during the whole time of their repast; the middle aged of superior rank usually betake themselves to sleep after dinner, but what is remarkable, the older people are not so lazy; music, dancing, wrestling, and shooting with the bow, or throwing a lance, constitute a chief part of their diversions.

Flutes which have been mentioned before, and drums, are the only musical instruments among them; their drums are formed of a circular piece of wood, hollow at one end only, which is covered with the skin of a shark, and they are beaten with the hand instead of a stick. Their songs are extempore, and frequently in rhime, but consist of only two lines; these couplets are often sung by way of evening amusements, between sun-set and bed-time, during which time they are not destitute of lights, having candles which they make of an oily nut, fixing them one above another, upon a small stick run through the middle; some of these candles burn a long time, and afford a pretty good light.

Among their other amusements, they have a dance named _Timorodee_, which is performed by ten or a dozen young females, who put themselves into the most wanton attitudes that can possibly be imagined, keeping time during the performance with the greatest nicety and exactness, from these dances the women are immediately excluded on their becoming pregnant.

Many of the principal people of this island, of each sex, have united into an association, in which no woman confines her favours to any particular man; in this manner they obtain a perpetual variety, no one object ever gratifying them but a few days.

These societies are named _Arreoy_, the members of which have meetings where the men amuse themselves by wrestling; and notwithstanding the frequent intercourse which the women have with a variety of men, they dance the _Timorodee_ in such a manner, as they imagine will most excite the desires of the male sex, and which are often gratified upon the spot. There are yet much worse practices. In case any of the women prove with child, which in this manner of life seldom happens, they destroy the helpless infant as soon as it is brought into the world, that it may not be a burden to the father, nor interrupt the mother in the pursuit of her lascivious amusements. Natural affection, however, for the child sometimes happily produces a reformation in the mother, but when this happens, the child’s life is always forfeited, unless the mother can procure a man to adopt it as his child, in which case this inhuman murder is prevented, but both the man and woman are for ever expelled this society. The woman being particularized by the appellation of _Whannownow_, “bearer of children”, which among these people, is considered as a term of the greatest reproach.

Their personal cleanliness is an object that merits peculiar attention. Both sexes never omit to wash with water three times a day; when they rise, at noon, and before they go to rest. They also keep their cloaths extremely clean; so that in the largest communities no disagreeable effluvia ever arises, nor is there any other inconvenience than heat.

The chief manufacture of Otaheite is cloth; of this cloth there are three different sorts, which are made of the bark of as many different trees, viz. the mulberry, the bread-fruit, and a tree not very unlike the wild fig-tree, which is found in some parts of the West Indies. The mulberry-tree, which the Indians call _Aouta_, produces the finest cloth, which is seldom worn but by those of the first rank. The next sort, which is worn by the lower class of people, is made of the bread-fruit tree, and the coarsest of the tree resembling the fig-tree. This last sort, though more useful than the two former on account of its keeping out water, which neither of the others will, is exceedingly scarce, being manufactured but in small quantities.

The same method is used in manufacturing these three cloths, notwithstanding they are all different; a description therefore of their manner of making one, will suffice for the whole.

Having stript off the bark of the trees, it is soaked in water for two or three days, they then take it out and separate the inner bark from the external coat, by scraping it with a shell, after which it is spread out on plantain-leaves, placing two or three layers one over another, and taking care to make it of an equal thickness in every part; it continues in this state till it is nearly dry, when it adheres together so firmly, that it may be taken from the ground without breaking. After this process it is laid on a smooth board, and beaten with an instrument made for that purpose, of a compact heavy wood, called by the natives _Etoa_. This instrument is about fourteen inches long, and seven in circumference; it is of a quadrangular shape, and each of the four sides is marked with longitudinal grooves or furrows, differing in this instance, that there is a regular gradation in the width and depth of the grooves on each of the sides, the coarser side containing not more than ten of these furrows, and the finest above sixty.

They begin to beat their cloth with that side of the mallet where the grooves are deepest and widest, and proceeding regularly with the others, finish with that which has the greatest number; by this beating it is extended in a manner similar to the gold which is formed into leaves by the hammer, and is marked with an appearance of little channels, not unlike those which are visible on paper, but rather deeper; it is in general beat very thin, and when they want it thicker than common, they take two or three pieces and paste them together with a kind of glue, prepared from a root called _Pea_.

This cloth becomes exceedingly white by bleaching, and is died of a red, yellow, brown, or black colour: the first of which is exceedingly beautiful, and equal, if not superior, to any in Europe. They make this red colour from a mixture of the juices of two vegetables, neither of which used separately has this effect.

Matting of various kinds is another considerable manufacture, in which they excel, in many respects, the Europeans. They make use of the coarser sort to sleep on, and in wet weather they wear the finer.

They greatly excel in the basket and wicker-work; both men and women employ themselves at it, and can make it of a great number of different patterns.

They make ropes and lines of all sizes of the bark of the _poerou_, and their nets for fishing are made of these lines: the fibres of the cocoa-nut they make thread of, such as they use to fasten together the several parts of their canoes; the forms of which are various, according to the use to which they are applied.

Their fishing-lines are esteemed the best in the world, made of the bark of the _Erowa_, a kind of nettle which grows on the mountains; they are strong enough to hold the heaviest and most vigorous fish, such as bonetas and albicores; in short, they are extremely ingenious in every expedient for taking all kinds of fish.

The tools which these people make use of for building houses, constructing canoes, hewing stone, and for felling, cleaving, carving and polishing timber, consist of nothing more than an adze of stone, and a chissel of bone, most commonly that of a man’s arm; and for a file or polisher, they make use of a rasp of coral, and coral sand.

The blades of their adzes are extremely tough, but not very hard; they make them of various sizes, those for felling weigh six or seven pounds; and others which are used for carving, only a few ounces; they are obliged, every minute, to sharpen them on a stone, which is always kept near them for that purpose.

The most difficult task they meet with in the use of these tools, is the felling of a tree, which employs a great number of hands for several days together.

The tree which is in general use is called _Avie_, the stem of which is strait and tall. Some of their smaller boats are made of the bread-fruit tree, which is wrought without much difficulty, being of a light spongy nature. Instead of planes, they use their adzes with great dexterity. Their canoes are all shaped with the hand, the Indians not being acquainted with the method of warping a plank.

They have two kinds of canoes, one they call _Ivahahs_, the other _Pahies_; the former is used for short voyages at sea, and the latter for longer ones. These boats do not differ either in shape or size; but they are in no degree proportionate, being from sixty or seventy feet to ten in length, and not more than the thirtieth part in breadth. Some are employed in going from one island to another, and others used for fishing. There is also the Ivahah, which serves for fighting; these are by far the longest, and the head and stern are considerably raised above the body. These Ivahahs are fastened together, side by side when they go to sea, at the distance of a few feet, by strong wooden poles, which are laid across them and joined to each side. A stage or platform is raised on the fore-part about ten or twelve feet long; upon which stand the fighting men, whose missile weapons are slings and spears. Beneath these stages the rowers sit, who supply the place of those who are wounded.

The fishing Ivahahs are from thirty or forty to ten feet in length; and those for travelling have a small house fixed on board, which is fastened upon the fore-part, for the better accommodation of persons of rank, who occupy them both day and night.

The Pahies differ also in size, being from sixty to seventy feet long, they are likewise very narrow, and are sometimes used for fighting, but chiefly for long voyages. In going from one island to another, they sometimes are out a month, and often at sea a fortnight or twenty days, and if they had convenience to stow more provisions, they could stay out much longer.

These vessels are very useful in landing, and putting off from the shore in a surf; for by their great length and high sterns they landed dry, when the Endeavour’s boats could scarcely land at all.

They are very curious in the construction of these boats, the chief parts or pieces whereof are formed separately without either saw, plane, chissel, or any other iron tool, which renders their fabrication more surprizing and worthy observation.

These parts being prepared, the keel is fixed upon blocks, and the planks are supported with props, till they are sewed or joined together with strong plaited thongs, which are passed several times through holes bored with a chissel of bone, such as they usually make use of; and when finished, they are sufficiently tight without caulking.

They keep these boats with great care in a kind of shed, built on purpose to contain them.

Mr. Banks and Dr. Solander were at a loss to find out their method of dividing time; they always made use of the term _Malama_, which signifies moon, whenever they spoke of time, either past or to come; they reckon thirteen of these moons, beginning again when they are expired. This proves that they have some idea of the solar year; but these gentlemen could not discover how they computed their months, so as to make thirteen of them equal to the year; for the natives say, that their month consists of twenty-nine days, one day, in which the moon is invisible, being included. They knew the fruits that would be in season, and even the prevailing weather of the months to come.

They divide the day into twelve parts, each consisting of two hours, six belonging to the day, and the other six to the night. They reckon from one to ten when they numerate, making use of their fingers, and changing hands till they come to the number which they intend to express, and in conversation they joined signs to their words, which were remarkably expressive of their meaning.

They are not so expert in measuring distances, as in computing numbers; for when they speak of the distance from one place to another, they are obliged to express it by the time that would be taken to pass it.

Their language is soft and musical, abounds with vowels, and is easy to be pronounced. But whether it is copious, Mr. Banks and Dr. Solander were not sufficiently acquainted with it to know. As very few either of their nouns or verbs are declinable, it must consequently be very imperfect. They found means, however, to be mutually understood without much difficulty.

The following specimen will possibly enable the reader to form some idea of their language.

Teine, _a brother_.
Tooaheine, _a sister_.
Tane, _a husband_.
Aree, _a chief_.
Midee, _a child_.
Aheine, _a woman_.
Erowroo, _the head_.
Matau, _the eyes_.
Eahoo, _the nose_.
Meyoooo, _the nails_.
Huaheine, _a wife_.
Oowhau, _the thighs_.
Kipoo a meemhee, _a chamber-pot_.
Oorè dehaiya, _a large nail_.
Oorè eeteea, _a small nail_.
Pahiè, _a ship_.
Aihoo, _a garment_.
Parawei, _a shirt_.
Tumatau, _a bonnet_.
Poe, _ear-rings_.
Epanoo, _a drum_.
Toonoah, _a mole in the skin_.
Hooare, _spittle_.
Epeènei, _an eccho_.
Mahana, _a day_.
Poa, _a night_.
Otaowa, _yesterday_.
Aouna, _to day_.
Oboboa, _to-morrow_.
Tatta te Hàmannee Màitài, _a good-natured person_.
Amawhattoo, _a shrew_.
Epehe, _a song_.
Teà, _white_.
Marroowhai, _dry_.
Myty, _good_.
Porai, _to talk_.
Mutee, _to kiss_.
Eàwow, _to scold_.
Emòto, _to box_.
Eei, _to eat_.
Matte roah, _to die_.
Mayneenee, _to tickle_.
Itopa, _to fall_.
Ainao, _take care_.
Eeyo, _look you_.
Neeheeo, _good night_.
Waow, _I_.
Tooanahoe, _you and I_.
Wahaa, _fire_.
Avy, _water_.

In respect to diseases, the natives are seldom afflicted with any, except sometimes an accidental fit of the cholic. They are subject to the erisypelas, attended with cutaneous eruptions, not unlike the leprosy; and if they have had it for any time to a certain degree, they are secluded from all society, and live alone in a small house, in some unfrequented part of the island.

Here the management of the sick falls to the lot of the priests, and their method of cure consists chiefly of prayers and ceremonies, which are repeated till the patients recover or die. If they recover, they attribute the cure to these remedies; if they die, like the medical tribe of this and every other country, they say the disease was incurable.

From their connection with the Europeans, they have entailed upon themselves that dreadful curse, the venereal disease; which, upon enquiry, evidently appeared to have been brought among them by the vessels under the command of Mons. Bougainville. It was called by a name somewhat similar, in meaning, to _rottenness_, but of a much stronger import; and they gave a most shocking account of the sufferings of those who were first infected with it; telling them, that their nails and hair fell off, and the flesh even rotted from their bones: and so greatly were they terrified at the dreadful effects of this alarming disease, that the infected person was forsaken even by his own relations, and left to perish by himself, in such a state of misery and pain as he had never before experienced.

The religion of these people appeared to be exceedingly mysterious; and as the language used on the occasion was different from that spoken in common, they were not able to obtain much information respecting it, but from what little they could learn from their friend Tupia, these Indians seemed to have adopted strange notions of the creation of the world; imagining that every thing was derived from procreation, and the conjunction of two persons. The supreme Deity, one of these two first Beings, they call TAROATAIHETOOMOO; and the other, TEPAPA. The year which is called TETTOWMATATAYO, is supposed to be the daughter of the two first. They also imagine, that there is an inferior race of Deities, whom they call EATUAS. They say, two of these Eatuas formerly inhabited the earth, and that the first man descended from them.

They emphatically stile the supreme Being, the _Causer of Earthquakes_; but their prayers are more generally addressed to _Tane_, supposed to be a son of the first progenitors of nature.

They believe in the existence of the soul in a separate state, and that there are two situations, differing in their degrees of happiness, which they consider as receptacles for different ranks, but not as places of reward and punishment; they suppose, that their Chiefs and principal people will have the preference to those of inferior rank, as they imagine their actions no way influence their future state, and that their Deities take no cognizance of them whatsoever.

The office of priest is hereditary; there are several of them, and of all ranks; the Chief is respected next to their Kings, and they are superior to the rest of the natives not only in point of divine knowledge, but also in that of navigation and astronomy.

The priests here are no way concerned with the ceremony of marriage, it being a simple agreement between the man and woman; and when they chuse to separate, it is done with as little ceremony as that of their marriage.

These people do not seem to be any way guilty of idolatry, as they worship no kind of images whatever. They enter their morais with great reverence and humility, and when they bring their offering to the altar, their body is uncovered to the waist.

There is a subordination among them, that much resembles the early state of every nation in Europe under the feudal system, which secured, to a small number, the most unrestrained liberty, while the rest were abject slaves.

Their ranks or orders are, _Earee rahie_, which signifies King; _Earee_, Baron; _Manahouni_, Vassal; and _Toutou_, Villain. The Earee rahie, of which there are two, one belonging to each of the peninsulas of which this island consists, had great respect shewn them by all ranks. The Earees are Lords of one or more of the districts, into which each of the peninsulas is divided; and they separate their territories into lots, which are given to the _Manahounies_, who respectively cultivate that share which they hold under the baron. But they are only nominal cultivators, this as well as all other laborious work being done by the _Toutous_, or lower class of people.

The Sovereign or Earee rahie, and the Baron or Earee, are succeeded in titles and honours by their children as soon as they are born, the fathers being immediately divested of them; but they remain possessors and managers of their estates.

In case of a general attack upon the island, every district, under the command of an Earee, furnishes a proportionate number of fighting men for the defence of the common cause, and they are commanded in chief by the Earee rahie.--According to Tupia’s account, the number furnished by the principal districts amounted to six thousand and upwards.

Slings, with which they are very dextrous, pikes headed with stone, and long clubs made of wood, remarkably hard and heavy, constitute their weapons. With these they fight with great obstinacy and cruelty, giving no quarter to either man, woman or child, if they fall into their hands in time of battle.

During the stay of the Endeavour, there was a perfect good understanding between the Earee rahies of the two peninsulas, though the Earee rahie of Tiarreboo, arrogated to himself the title of King of the whole island; which the other considered, as it really was, a mere nominal claim, and only a feather in his cap. There is nothing among them substituted for money, or a general medium, by which every object may be purchased or procured; neither can any permanent good be unlawfully obtained by force or fraud; and the general commerce with women, sets aside almost every excitement for committing adultery. In a word, in a government so little polished, though distributive justice cannot be regularly administered; as there can at the same time be but few crimes for the exercise of it, the want of this justice is not so severely felt, as it would be in more civilized societies.

Thursday July the 13th, after leaving the island of Otaheite, they sailed with a gentle breeze and clear weather; and were informed by Tupia, that four islands, which he called Huaheine, Ulietea, Otaha, and Bolabola, were at the distance of about one or two days sail, and that hogs, fowls, and other refreshments, which had lately been scarce, were to be got there in abundance. They accordingly steered their course in search of these islands, and on Saturday the 15th, discovered the island of Huaheine; and on the 16th, in the morning, they sounded near the north-west part of the island, but found no bottom with seventy fathom. Several canoes immediately put off, but they appeared fearful of coming near the ship, till they saw Tupia, which totally removed their apprehensions,and they ventured to come alongside, and upon assurances of friendship, the King of Huaheine and his Queen went on board. Astonishment was testified by their Majesties at every thing that was shewn them; yet they made no researches, and appeared satisfied with what was presented to their observation, making no enquiry after any other objects, though it was reasonable to suppose, that a building of such novelty and extent as the ship must have afforded many curiosities. The King, whose name was _Oree_, made a proposal to exchange names with Captain Cook, which was readily assented to. The custom of exchanging names is very prevalent in this island, and is considered as a mark of friendship. They found the people here nearly similar to those of Otaheite in almost every circumstance, except, if Tupia might be credited, they were not addicted to thieving. Having come to an anchor in a small but fine harbour, on the west side of the island, Captain Cook went ashore, accompanied by Mr. Banks and some other gentlemen, with Tupia and the King. The instant they landed, Tupia uncovered himself as low as his waist, and desired Mr. Monkhouse to follow his example. Being seated, he now begun a speech, which lasted about twenty minutes; the King, who stood opposite to him, answering in what seemed to be set replies. During this discourse he delivered, at different times, a handkerchief, a black silk neckcloth, some beads and plantains, as presents to their Eatua, or Deity. He received in return for the Eatua, of the English, a hog, some young plantains, and two bunches of feathers, which were carried on board. These ceremonies were considered as a kind of ratification of a treaty between the English and the King of Huaheine.

On the 17th they went again on shore, and walked up into the country, the productions of which greatly resembled those of Otaheite; the rocks and clay seemed, however, more burnt; the boat-houses were large, and the other houses neat. The level part of the country affords the most beautiful landscapes that the imagination can possibly form an idea of; the soil is exceedingly fertile, and the shores are lined with fruit trees of different kinds, particularly the cocoa-nut, which was seen in great abundance.

They also went on shore on the 18th without Tupia, but his boy, whose name was Tayota, accompanied them, and Mr. Banks proposed taking a more perfect view of a kind of chest, or ark, which he had before observed; the lid of this ark was sewed on in a peculiar manner, and thatched with palm-nut leaves. It was placed upon two poles, and sustained on small carved arches of wood, the poles served to remove it from one place to another, in the manner of a sedan chair; it is very surprising, that this chest was of a form greatly resembling the ark of the Lord among the Jews; but what was still more extraordinary, the boy informed them, that it was called _Ewharre no Eatua_, _the house of the God_, but he could give no account of its meaning or utility: with some difficulty they negotiated for eleven pigs, and were not without hopes of obtaining more the next morning.

Wednesday the 19th, they carried some hatchets with them, with which they procured three very large hogs. As they proposed to sail in the afternoon, the King, accompanied by some others of the natives, came on board to take his leave, when his Majesty received from Captain Cook a small pewter plate, with the following inscription. “His Britannic Majesty’s ship Endeavour, Lieutenant Cook Commander, 16 July, 1769.” He also was presented with some medals, or counters, resembling the coin of England, and a few other trifles.

This island is situated in the latitude of 16 degrees 43 minutes south, and longitude 150 degrees 52 minutes west; it is distant from Otaheite about thirty leagues, and is about twenty miles in circumference.

The productions of Huaheine, seem to be a month forwarder than those of Otaheite, as they found by several of the fruits, &c. Mr. Banks met with only a few new plants, but found a species of scorpion which he had not seen before.

The people are of a very lazy disposition, though they are stouter and larger made than those of Otaheite.

The women are much fairer than those of that island, and in general exceedingly handsome: both men and women seemed less susceptible of fear, and not so desirous of information.

From Huaheine they sailed for the island of Ulietea, and in the afternoon came within a league or two of the shore. The next morning, being the 20th, by the direction of Tupia, they anchored in a bay, which is formed by a reef, on the north side of the island; two canoes of natives soon came off from the shore, and brought with them two small hogs, which they exchanged for some nails and beads. The Captain, Mr. Banks, and some other gentlemen, now went on shore, accompanied by Tupia, who introduced them with the same kind of ceremonies that had taken place on their landing at Huaheine; after which, Capt. Cook took possession of this and the adjacent islands in the name of the King of Great Britain.

They then walked to a large Morai, which the natives called _Tapodeboatea_; they found that it differed considerably from the Morais of Otaheite, being composed of four walls, about eight or nine feet in height, built of very large coral-stones, which surrounded an area about thirty yards square: at a small distance they discovered an _Ewhatta_, or altar, upon which, as an oblation, was placed a whole hog, about a hundred pounds weight. At the front of this Morai, facing the sea, there was a kind of amphitheatre. There were likewise three or four _Ewharee no Eatua_, or houses of God, of the same kind as that which they saw at Huaheine.

On Friday the 21st, the Master was sent in the long-boat to inspect the coast on the south part of the island, and a Lieutenant was dispatched in the yawl, to sound the harbour where the Endeavour lay, while the Captain went in the pinnace to take a view of the coast on the north part of the island; in their return they saw a tree, of the same kind as that seen by Mr. Green at Otaheite, the circumference of the trunk, or rather congeries of the roots of which measured about forty yards.

On the 22d and 23d it being hazy weather with brisk gales, Captain Cook judged it rather unsafe to put to sea. On they 24th they got under sail, and steered to the northward within the reef, towards an opening five or six leagues distant; in effecting this, he was in the greatest danger of striking on a rock; the man who sounded, crying out on a sudden, two fathom, at which they were much alarmed, but happily got clear without receiving any damage.

The bay in which the Endeavour lay at anchor is called _Oopoa_; it is large enough to contain a great number of shipping, and is secured from the sea by a reef of rocks. It lies off the eastermost point of the island, and may be distinguished by a low woody island which lies to the south-east of it.

The provisions of this island consist chiefly of cocoa-nuts, yams, plantains, and a few hogs and fowls: that part of the country where they landed is not so fruitful as either Otaheite or Huaheine.

On the 25th they were within a league or two of the island of Otaha, but the wind continuing contrary, they could not get near enough to land till the 28th in the morning, when Mr. Banks and Dr. Solander went in the long-boat, with the Master, to sound a harbour on the east side of the island, which they found safe and convenient, with good anchorage. They then went on shore, and purchased some hogs and fowls, and a large quantity of yams and plantains.

This island appeared to be more barren than Ulietea, but the produce was much the same. The natives paid them the compliment they used towards their own Kings, by uncovering their shoulders, and wrapping their cloaths round their bodies; taking care no one should omit doing the same.

On the 29th they made sail to the northward, and at eight o’clock next morning they were close under the high craggy peak of the island of Bolabola. The island was inaccessible in this part, and they found it impossible to weather the south end of it till late at night. The next morning, Sunday the 30th, they discovered an island, which Tupia called Maurua, who said it was small, surrounded by a reef, and without any commodious harbour, but inhabited, and yielded nearly the same produce as the adjacent islands. In the middle is a high round hill, which may be seen at eleven or twelve leagues distance.