The Life of Captain James Cook/Chapter II

by Andrew Kippis

CHAPTER THE SECOND.

Continuation of the History of Captain Cook's Life, to

the End of his first Voyage round the World.

THERE is scarcely any thing from which the natural curiosity of man receives a higher gratification , than from the accounts of distant countries and nations. Nor is it curiosity only that is gratified by such accounts; for the sphere of human knowledge is hereby enlarged, and various objects are brought into view, an acquaintance with which greatly contributes to the improvement of life and the benefit of the world. With regard to information of this kind, the moderns have eminently the advantage over the ancients. The ancients could neither pursue their enquiries with the same accuracy, nor carry them on to the fame extent. Travelling by land was much more inconvenient and dangerous than it hath been in later times; and, as navigation was principally confined to coasting, it muss necessarily have been circumscribed within very narrow limits.

The invention of the compass, seconded by the ardent and enterprizing spirit of several able men, was followed by wonderful discoveries. Vasco di Gama doubled the Cape of Good Hope and a new way being thus found out to the East Indies, the countries in that part of the earth became more accurately and extensively known. Another world was discovered by Columbus; and, at length, Magalhaens accomplished the arduous and hitherto , unattempted task of failing round the globe. At different periods, he was succeeded by other circumnavigators, of whom it is no part of the present narrative to give an account.

The spirit of discovery, which was so vigorous during the latter end of the fifteenth and through the whole of the sixteenth century , began, soon after the commencement of the seventeenth century, to decline. Great navigations were only occasionally undertaken , and more from the immediate views of avarice or war, than from any noble and generous principles. But of late years they have been revived, with the enlarged and benevolent design of promoting the happiness of the human species.

A beginning of this kind was made in the reign of King George the Second , during which two voyages were performed ; the first under the command of Captain Middleton, and the next under the direction of Captains Smith and Moore, in order to discover a North - west passage, through Hudson's Bay ^[1]. It was reserved, however, for the glory of the present reign to carry the spirit of discovery to its height, and to conduct; it on the noblest principles; not for the purposes of covetousness or ambition; not to plunder or destroy the inhabitants of newly-explored countries ; but to improve their condition , to instruct them in the arts of life, and to extend the boundaries of science.

No sooner was peace restored, in 1763, than these laudable designs engaged his Majesty's patronage; and two voyages round the world had been undertaken, before Mr. Cook set out on his first command. The conductors of these voyages were the Captains Byron, Wallis, and Carteret ^[2], by whom several discoveries were made, which contributed, in no small degree, to increase the knowledge of geography and navigation. Nevertheless, as the purpose for which they were sent out appears to have had a principal reference to a particular object in the South Atlantic , the direct track they were obliged to hold, on their way homeward by the East Indies, prevented them from doing so much as might otherwise have been expected towards giving the world a complete view of that immense expanse of Ocean which the South Pacific comprehends^[3].

Before Captain Wallis and Captain Carteret had returned to great Britain, another voyage was resolved upon, for which the improvement of astronomical science afforded the immediate occasion. It having been calculated by astronomers , that a transit of Venus over the Sun's disk would happen in 1769 , it was judged that the best place for observing it would be in some part of the South Sea , either at the Marquesas, or at one of those islands which Tasman had called Amsterdam , Rotterdam , and Middleburg , and which are now better known under the appellation of the Friendly Islands ^[4]. This being a matter of eminent consequence in astronomy, and which excited the attention of foreign nations as well as of otir own, the affair was taken up by the Royal Society, with the zeal which has always been displayed by that learned body for the advancement of every branch of philosophical science. Accordingly, a long memorial was addressed to his Majesty, dated February the 15th, 1768, representing the great importance of the object, together with the regard which had been paid to it by the principal courts of Europe; and intreating, among other things, that a vessel might be ordered, at the expence of Government, for the conveyance of suitable persons, to make the observation of the transit of Venus at one of the places before mentioned. This memorial having been laid before the King by the Earl of Shelburne, (now the Marquis of Landsdown) one of the principal Secretaries of State, his Majesty graciously dignified his pleasure to the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty , that they should provide a ship for carrying over such observers as the Royal Society should judge proper to send to the South Seas; and, on the 3d of April, Mr. Stephens informed the Society, that a bark had been taken up for the purpose ^[5].

The gentleman who had originally been fixed upon to take the direction of the expedition, was Alexander Dalrymple, Esq; an eminent member of the Royal Society, and who , besides possessing an accurate knowledge of astronomy, had distinguished himself by his enquiries into the geography of the Southern Oceans, and by the collection he had published of several voyages to those parts of the world. Mr. Dalrymple being sensible of the difficulty, or rather of the impossibility , of carrying a ship through unknown seas, the crew of which were not subject to the military discipline of his Majesty's Navy, he made it the condition of his going, that he should have a brevet commission as Captain of the vessel , in the fame manner as such a commission had been granted to Dr. Halley in his voyage of discovery. To this demand Sir Edward Hawke , who was then at the head of the Admiralty, and who possessed more of the spirit of his profession than either of education or science, absolutely refund to accede. He said at the board, that his conscience would not allow him to trust any ship of his Majesty's to a person who had not regularly been bred a seaman. On being farther pressed upon the subject, Sir Edward declared , that he would suffer his right hand to be cut off, before he would sign any such commission. In this he was, in some degree, justified by the mutinous behaviour of Halley's crew , who refused to acknowledge the legal authority of their commander, and involved him in a dispute which was attended with pernicious consequences. Mr. Dalrymple, on the other hand, was equally steady in requiring a compliance with the terms he had proposed. Such was the state of things, when Mr. Stephens, Secretary to the Admiralty, whose discrimination of the numerous characters, with which by his station he is conversant, reflects as much credit on his understanding , as his upright and able conduct does on the office he has filled, for so many years, and under fo many administrations, with honour to himself and advantage to the public, observed to the board, that, since Sir Edward Hawke and Mr. Dalrymple were equally inflexible , no method remained but that of finding out another person capable of the service. He knew, he said, a Mr. Cook, who had been employed as Marina Surveyor of Newfoundland, who had been regularly educated in the Navy, in which he was a master, and whom he judged to be fully qualified for the direction of the present undertaking. 1768Mr. Stephens, at the same time, recommended it to the Board, to take the opinion of Sir Hugh Pallifer, who had lately been Governor of Newfoundland, and was intimately acquainted with Cook's character. Sir Hugh rejoiced in the opportunity of serving his friend. He strengthened Mr. Stephen's recommendation to the utmost of his power; and added many things in Mr. Cook's favour, arising from the particular knowledge which he had of his abilities and merit ^[6]. Accordingly, Mr. Cook was appointed to the command of the expedition by the Lords of the Admiralty; and, on this occasion, he was promoted to the rank of a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy, his commiffion bearing date on the twenty-fifth of May, 1768. ^[7]

1768When the appointment had taken place, the first object was to provide a vessel adapted to the purposes of the voyage. This business was committed to Sir Hugh Pallifer; who took Lieutenant Cook to his assistance, and they examined together a great number of the ships which then lay in the river Thames. At length, they fixed upon one , of three hundred and seventy tons, to which was given the name of the Endeavour ^[8].

While preparations were making for Lieutenant Cook's expedition, Captain Wallis returned from his voyage round the world. The Earl of Morton, President of the Royal Society, had recommended it to this gentleman, on his going out, to fix upon a proper place for observing the tranfit of Venus. He kept, accordingly, the object in view; and having discovered, in the course of his enterprise, an island, called by him George's Island, but which hath since been found to bear the name of Otaheite, he judged that Port Royal harbour in this island would afford an eligible situation for the purpose. Having, immediately on his return to England, dignified his opinion to the Earl of Morton, the Captain's idea was adopted by the Society, and an answer conformable to it was sent to the Commissioners of the Admiralty, who had applied for directions to what place the observers should be sent ^[9].

Mr. Charles Green , a gentleman who had long been assistant to Dr. Bradley at the royal observatory at Greenwich , was united with Lieutenant Cook in conducting the astronomical part of the voyage; and, soon after their appointment, they received ample instructions, from the Council of the Royal Society, with regard to the method of carrying on their enquiries ^[10]. The Lieutenant was also accompanied by Joseph Banks, Esq. ( now Sir Joseph Banks , Bart. ) and Dr. Solander, who, in the prime of life, and 1768 the first of them at great expence to himself, quitted all the gratifications of polished society, and engaged in a very tedious, fatiguing, and hazardous navigation , with the laudable views , of acquiring knowledge in general, of promoting natural knowledge in particular , and of contributing something to the improvement and the happiness of the rude inhabitants of the earth.

Though it was the principal, it was not the sole object of Lieutenant Cook's voyage to observe the transit of Venus. A more accurate examination of the Pacific Ocean was committed to him, although in subserviency to his main design; and, when his chief business was accomplished , he was directed to proceed in making farther discoveries in the great Southern Seas ^[11].

The complement of Lieutenant Cook's ship consisted of eighty-four persons, besides the Commander. Her victualling was for eighteen months; and there were put on board of her ten carriage and twelve swivel guns , together with an ample store of ammunition and other necessaries ^[12].

25 MayOn the 25th of May, 1768, Lieutenant Cook was appointed, by the Lords of the Admiralty, to the command of the Endeavour , in consequence of which he went on board on the 27th

27. and took charge of the ship. She then lay in the bason in Deptford-yard, where she continued to lie till she was completely fitted for sea. On the 30th of July she failed down the river, and 1768.30 JULY. on the 13th of August anchored in Plymouth August 13. Sound. The wind becoming fair on the 26th26. of that month, our navigators got under fail, and on the 13th of September anchored in Funchiale13 SEPT. Road, in the island of Madeira ^[13].

While Lieutenant Cook and his company were in this island , they were treated with the utmost kindness and liberality by Mr. Cheap, the English Consul there , and one of the most considerable merchants in the town of Funchiale. He insisted upon their taking possession of his house, and furnished them with every possible accommodation during their flay at Madeira. They received , likewise, great marks of attention and civility from Dr. Thomas Heberden, the principal physician of the island , and brother to the excellent and learned Dr. William Heberden, of London. Dr. Thomas Heberden afforded all the assistance in his power to Mr. Banks and Dr. Solander in their botanical enquiries ^[14].

It was not solely from the English that the Lieutenant and his friends experienced a kind reception. The fathers of the Franciscan convent displayed a liberality of sentiment towards them, which might not have been expected from Portuguese friars; and in a visit which they paid to a convent of nuns, the ladies expressed a particular pleasure in seeing them. At this visit the good nuns gave an amusing proof of the progress they had made in the cultivation of their understandings. Having heard that there were great philosophers among the English gentlemen, they asked them a variety of questions ; one of which was, when it would thunder, and another, whether a spring of fresh water, which was much wanted , was any where to be found within the walls of the convent. Eminent as our philosophers were, they were puzzled by these questions ^[15].

18 Sept.

Lieutenant Cook , having laid in a fresh stock of beef, water, and wine, set sail from the island of Madeira, in the night of the 18th of September , and proceeded on his voyage. 7 Nov.By the 7th of November, several articles of the ship's provisions began to fall short; for which reason the Lieutenant determined to put into Rio de Janeiro. This place he preferred to any other port in Brasil or to Falkland's Islands., because he could there be better supplied with what he wanted, and had no doubt of meeting with a friendly reception ^[16].

During the run between Madeira and Rio de Janeiro, Lieutenant Cook and the gentlemen in the Endeavour had an opportunity of determining a philosophical question. On the evening of the 29th of October, they observed that luminous appearance of the sea which hath so often been mentioned by navigators, and which has been ascribed to such a variety of causes. 29 OtoberFlashes of light appeared to be emitted, exactly resembling those of lightning, though without being so considerable; and such was the frequency of them that sometimes eight or ten were visible almost at the fame moment. It was the opinion of Mr. Cook and the other gentlemen, that these flashes proceeded from some luminous animal ; and their opinion was confirmed by experiment ^[17].

13 Nov.

At Rio de Janeiro, in the port of which Lieutenant Cook came to an anchor on the 13th of November, he did not meet with the polite reception that, perhaps, he had too sanguinely expected. His slay was spent in continual altercations with the Viceroy, who appeared not a little jealous of the designs of the English : nor were all the attempts of the Lieutenant to set the matter right, capable of producing any effect. The Viceroy was by no means distinguished either by his knowledge or his love of science; and the grand object of Mr. Cook's expedition was quite beyond his comprehension. When he was told that the English were bound to the southward, by the order of his Britannic Majesty, to observe a transit of the planet Venus over the sun, an astronomical phenomenon of great importance to navigation, he could form no other conception of the matter, than that it was the passing of the North star through the South Pole.

During the whole of the contest with the Viceroy, Lieutenant Cook behaved with equal spirit and discretion. A supply of water and other necessaries could not be refused him , 1 Dec. and these were gotten on board by the 1st of December. On that day the Lieutenant sent to the Viceroy for a pilot to carry the Endeavour to sea; but the wind preventing the ship from getting out, she was obliged to continue some time longer in the harbour. A Spanish packet having2 Dec. arrived at Rio de Janeiro on the 2d of December, with dispatches from Buenos Ayres for Spain, the commander, Don Antonio de Monte Negro y Velasco, offered, with great politeness, to convey the letters of the English to Europe. This favour Lieutenant Cook accepted, and gave Don Antonio a packet for the Secretary of the Admiralty, containing copies of all the papers that had passed between himself and the Viceroy. He left, also, duplicates with the Viceroy, that he might forward them, if he thought proper, to Lisbon.

5 Dec.

On the 5th of December, it being a dead calm, our navigators weighed anchor, and towed down the Bay; but, to their great astonishment, two shot were fired at them, when they had gotten abreast of Santa Cruz, the principal fortification of the harbour. Lieutenant Cook immediately cast anchor, and sent to the fort to demand the reason of this conduct; the answer to which was, that the Commandant had received no order from the Viceroy to let the ship pass; and that, without such an order, no vessel was ever suffered to go below the fort. It now became necessary to sent to the Viceroy, to enquire why the order had not been given; and his behaviour appeared the more extraordinary, as notice had been transmitted to him of the departure of the English, and he had thought proper to write a polite letter to Mr. Cook, wishing him a good voyage. The Lieutenant's messenger soon returned, with the information that the order had been written several days, and that its not having been sent had arisen from some unaccountable negligence. 7 Dec. It was not till the 7th of December that the Endeavour got under sail ^[18].

In the account which Lieutenant Cook has given of Rio de Janeiro, and the country around it, one circumstance is recorded, which cannot be otherwise than very painful to humanity. It is the horrid expence of life at which the gold mines are wrought. No less than forty thousand negroes are annually imported for this purpose, on the King of Portugal's account; and the English were credibly informed , that, in the year 1766, this number fell so short, that twenty thousand more were drafted from the town of Rio ^[19].

1769.
14 January.

From Rio de Janeiro Lieutenant Cook pursued his voyage, and, on the 14th of January, 1769, entered the Streight of Le Maire, at which 14 January, time the tide drove the ship out with so much violence, and raised such a sea off Cape St. Diego, that the frequenly pitched, so that the bowsprit was under water ^[20]. On the next day, the Lieutenant anchored, first before a small cove, which was understood to be Port Maurice, and afterwards in the Bay of Good Success. While the Endeavour was in this station, happened the memorable adventure of Mr. Banks, Dr. Solander, Mr. Monkhouse the Surgeon, and Mr. Green the astronomer, together with their attendants and servants, and two seamen, in ascending a mountain to search for plants. In this expedition, they were all of them exposed to the utmost extremity of danger and of cold ; Dr. Solander was seized with a torpor which had nearly proved fatal to his life; and two black servants actually died. When the gentlemen had , at length, on the second day of their adventure, gotten back to the ship, they congratulated each other on their safety, with a joy that can only be felt by those who have experienced equal perils; and Mr. Cook was relieved from a very painful anxiety. It was a dreadful testimony of the severity of the climate, that this event took place when it was the midst of summer in that part of the world ^[21], and at the close of a day the beginning of which was as mild and warm as the month of May usually is in England.

In the passage through the Streight of Le Maire, Lieutenant Cook and his ingenious associates had an opportunity of gaining a considerable degree of acquaintance with the inhabitants of the adjoining country. Here it was that they saw human nature in its lowest form. The natives appeared to be the most destitute and forlorn, as well as the most stupid, of the children of men. Their lives are spent in wandering about the dreary wastes that surround them; and their dwellings are no other than wretched hovels of slicks and grass , which not only admit the wind, but the snow and the rain. They are almost naked; and so devoid are they of every convenience which is furnished by the rudest art, that they have not so much as an implement to dress their food. Nevertheless, they seemed to have no wish for acquiring more than they possessed; nor did any thing that was offered them by the English appear acceptable but beads, as an ornamental superfluity of life. A conclusion is hence drawn by Dr. Hawkesworth, that these people may be upon a level with ourselves, in respect to the happiness they enjoy ^[22]. This , however , is a position which ought not hastily to be admitted. It is, indeed, a beautiful circumstance , in the order of Divine Providence, that the rudest inhabitants of the earth, and those example in doubling Cape Horn, by his accurate ascertainment of the latitude and longitude of the places he came to, and by his instructions to future voyagers performed the most essential services to this part of navigation ^[23].

It was on the 26th of January that the Endeavour took her departure from Cape Horn; and it appeared, that, from that time to the 1st of March , during a run of six hundred and sixty leagues, there was no current which affected the ship. Hence it was highly probable that our navigators had been near no land of any considerable extent , currents being always found when land is not remote ^[24].

In the prosecution of Lieutenant Cook's voyage from Cape Horn to Otaheite several islands were discovered, to which the names were given of Lagoon Island, Thrumb-cap , Bow Island, The Groups, Bird Island, and Chain Island. It appeared that most of these islands were inhabited; and the verdure , and groves of palm-trees, which were visible upon some of them, gave them the aspect of a terrestrial paradise to men who, excepting the dreary hills of Terra del Fuego , had seen nothing for a long time but sky and water ^[25].

On the 11th of April, the Endeavour arrived in sight of Otaheite , and on the 13th she came 1769 to an anchor in Port Royal Bay, which is called Matavai by the natives. As the stay of the English in the island was not likely to be very short, and much depended on the manner in which traffic should be carried on with the inhabitants, Lieutenant Cook , with great good sense and humanity, drew up a set of regulations for the behaviour of his people, and gave it in command that they should punctually be observed ^[26].

One of the first things that occupied the Lieutenant's attention , after his arrival at Otaheite, was to prepare for the execution of his 1769; grand commission. For this purpose, as in an excursion to the westward, he had not found any more convenient harbour than that in which the Endeavour lay, he determined to go on shore and fix upon some spot, commanded by the guns of the ship where he night throw up a small fort for defence , and get every thing ready for making the astronomical observation. Accordingly , he took a party of men, and landed, being accompanied by Mr. Banks, Dr. Solander and Mr. Green. They soon fixed upon a place very proper for their design and which was at a considerable distance from any habitation of the natives. While the gentlemen were marking out the ground which they intended to occupy, and seeing a small tent erected that belonged to Mr. Banks, a great number of the people of the country gathered gradually around them, but with no hostile appearance, as there was not among the Indians a single weapon of any kind. Mr. Cook, however, intimated that none of them were to come within the line he had drawn, excepting one, who appeared to be a chief, and Owhaw, a native who had attached himself to the English, both in Captain Wallis's expedition and in the present voyage. The Lieutenant endeavoured to make these two persons understand that the ground which had been marked out was only wanted to sleep upon for a certain number of nights , and that then it would be quitted. Whether his meaning was comprehended or not, he could not certainly determine; but the people behaved with a deference and respect that could scarcely have been expected , and which were highly pleasing. They sat down without the circle, peaceably and uninterruptedly amending to the progress of the business , which was upwards of two hours in completing.

This matter being finished, and Mr. Cook having appointed thirteen marines and a petty officer to guard the tent, he and the gentlemen with him set out upon a little excursion into the woods of the country. They had not, however, gone far, before they were brought back by a very disagreeable event. One of the Indians, who remained about the tent after the Lieutenant and his friends had left it, watched an opportunity of taking the centry at unawares, and snatched away his musquet. Upon this, the petty officer who commanded the party, and who was a Midshipman, ordered the marines to fire. With equal want of consideration, and, perhaps, with equal inhumanity, the man immediately discharged their pieces among the thickest of the flying crowd, who consisted of more than a hundred. It being observed that the thief did not fall, he was pursued, and shot dead. From subsequent information it happily appeared, that none of the natives besides were either killed or wounded.

Lieutenant Cook, who was highly displeased with the conduct of the petty officer, used every method in his power to dispel the terrors and apprehensions of the Indians, but not immediately with effect. The next morning but few of the inhabitants were seen upon the beach, and not one of them came off to the ship. What added particularly to the regret of the English was that even Owhaw, who had hitherto been so constant in his attachment, and who the day before had been remarkably active in endeavouring to renew the peace which had been broken , did not now make his appearance. In the evening, however, when the Lieutenant went on shore with only a boat's crew and some of the gentlemen, between thirty and forty of the natives gathered around them, and trafficked with them, in a friendly manner, for cocoa-nuts and other fruit ^[27].

17 April.On the 17th, Mr. Cook and Mr. Green set up a tent on shore, and spent the night there, in order to observe an Eclipse of the first satellite of Jupiter; but they met with a disappointment, in consequence of the weather's becoming cloudy. The next day, the Lieutenant, with as many of 11, his people as could possibly be spared from the ship, began to erect the fort. While the English were employed in this business, many of the Indians were so far from hindering, that they voluntarily assisted them, and with great alacrity brought the pickets and fascines?? from the wood where they had been cut. Indeed , so scrupulous had Mr. Cook been of invading their property, that every flake which was used was purchased, and not a tree was cut down till their consent had first been obtained ^[28].

On the 26th, the Lieutenant mounted six swivel guns upon the fort, on which occasion he saw, with concern, that the natives were alarmed and terrified. Some fishermen, who lived upon the point, removed to a greater distance ; and Owhaw informed the English , by signs, of his expectation that in four days they would fire their great guns.

The Lieutenant, on the succeeding day, gave a striking proof of his regard to justice, and of his care to preserve the inhabitants from injury and violence , by the punishment he inflicted on the butcher of the Endeavour, who was accused of having threatened , or attempted, the life of a woman that was the wife of Tubourai Tomaide, a chief remarkable for his attachment to our navigators. The butcher wanted to purchase of her a stone hatchet for a nail. To this bargain she absolutely refused to accede; upon which the fellow catched up the hatchet, and threw down the nail; threatening, at the same time, that if she made any resistance , he would cut her throat with a reaping-hook which he had in his hand. The charge was so fully proved in the presence of Mr. Banks, and the butcher had so little to say in exculpation of himself, that not the least doubt remained of his guilt. The affair being reported by Mr. Banks to Lieutenant Cook, he took an opportunity, when the Chief and his women, with others of the natives, were on board the ship, to call up the offender, and, after recapitulating the accusation and the proof of it, to give orders for his immediate punishment. While the butcher was stripped , and tied up to the rigging , the Indians preserved a fixed attention , and waited for the event in silent suspence. But as soon as the first stroke was inflicted, such was the humanity of these people, that they interfered with great agitation, and earnestly intreated that the rest of the punishment might be remitted. To this, however, the Lieutenant, for various reasons, could not grant his consent; and, when they found that their intercessions were ineffectual, they manifested their compassion by tears ^[29].

On the first of May, the observatory was set up, and the astronomical quadrant, together with some other instruments , was taken on shore. When, on the next morning, Mr. Cook and Mr. Green landed for the purpose of fixing the quadrant in a situation for use , to their inexpressible surprize and concern it was not to be found. It had been deposited in a tent reserved for the Lieutenant's use, where no one had slept : it had never been taken out of the packing-case, and the whole was of considerable weight: none of the other instruments were missing; and a centinel had been ported the whole night within five yards of the tent. These circumstances induced a suspicion that the robbery might have been committed by some of our own people , who having seen a deal box, and not knowing the contents, might imagine that it contained nails , or other articles for traffic with the natives. The most diligent search, therefore , was made , and a large reward was offered for the finding of the quadrant, but with no degree of success. In this exigency , Mr. Banks was of eminent service. As this gentleman had more influence over the Indians than any other person on board the Endeavour, and as there could now be little doubt of the quadrant's having been conveyed away by some of the natives, he determined to go in search of it into the woods; and it was recovered in consequence of his judicious and spirited exertions. The pleasure with which it was brought back was equal to the importance of the event; for the grand object of the voyage could, not otherwise have been accomplished ^[30].

Another embarrassment, though not of so serious a nature , was occasioned , on the very same day, by one of our officers having inadvertently taken into custody Tootahah , a chief who had connected himself in the most friendly manner with the English. Lieutenant Cook, who had given express orders that none of the Indians should be confined , and who, therefore, was equally surprized and concerned at this transaction, instantly set Tootahah at liberty. So strongly had this Indian been possessed with the notion that it was intended to put him to death , that he could not be persuaded to the contrary till he was led out of the fort. His joy at his deliverance was so great, that it displayed itself in a liberality which our people were very unwilling to partake of, from a consciousness that on this occasion they had no claim to the reception of favours. The impression, however, of the confinement of the chief operated with such force upon the minds of the natives, that few of them appeared; and the market was so ill supplied, that the English were in want of necessaries. At length, by the prudent exertions of Lieutenant Cook , Mr. Banks , and Dr. Solander , the friendship of Tootahah was completely recovered, and the reconciliation worked upon the Indians like a charm ; for it was no sooner known that he had gone voluntarily on board the Endeavour, than bread-fruit, cocoa-nuts, and other provisions, were brought to the fort in great plenty ^[31].

The Lieutenant and the rest of the gentlemen had hitherto , with a laudable discretion , bartered only beads for the articles of food now mentioned. But the market becoming slack, they were obliged for the first time, on the eighth of May, to bring out their nails; and such was the effect of this new commodity, that one of the smallest size, which was about four inches long, procured twenty cocoa-nuts, and bread-fruit in proportion ^[32].

It was not till the tenth of the month that our voyagers learned that the Indian name of the island was OTAHEITE , by which name it hath since been always distinguished ^[33].

On Sunday the fourteenth, an instance was exhibited of the inattention of the natives to our modes of religion. The Lieutenant had directed that divine service should be performed at the fort; and he was desirous that some of the principal Indians should be present. Mr. Banks secured the attendance of Tubourai Tamaide and his wife Tomio , hoping that it would give occasion to some enquiries on their part, and to some instruction in return. During the whole service , they very attentively observed Mr. Banks's behaviour, and stood, sat, or kneeled, as they saw him do ; and they appeared to be sensible that it was a serious and important employment in which the English were engaged.

But when the worship was ended, neither of them asked any questions, nor would they attend to any explanations which were attempted to be given of what had been performed ^[34].

As the day approached for executing the grand purpose of the voyage, Lieutenant Cook determined, in consequence of some hints which he bad received from the Earl of Morton , to send out two parties, to observe the transit of Venus from other situations. By this means he hoped that the success of the observation would be secured, if there should happen to be any failure at Otaheite. Accordingly, on Thursday the first of June, he dispatched Mr. Gore in the long-boat to Eimeo , a neighbouring island , together with Mr. Monkhouse, and Mr. Sporing, a gentleman belonging to Mr. Banks. They were furnished by Mr. Green' with proper instruments. Mr. Banks himself chose to go upon this expedition, in which he was accompanied by Tubourai Tamaide and Tomio , and by others of the natives. Early the next morning, the Lieutenant sent Mr. Hicks, in the pinnace, with Mr. Clerk and Mr. Pickersgill, and Mr. Saunders, one of the midshipmen, ordering them to fix upon some convenient spot to the eastward, at a distance from the principal observatory, where they also might employ the instruments they were provided with for observing the transit.

The anxiety for such weather as would be favourable to the success of the experiment, was powerfully felt by all the parties concerned. They could not sleep in peace the preceding , night : but their apprehensions were happily removed by the sun's rising, on the morning of the third of June, without a cloud. The weather continued with equal clearness through the whole of the day; so that the observation was successfully made in every quarter. At the fort, where Lieutenant Cook, Mr. Green, and Dr. Solander were stationed, the whole passage of the planet Venus over the sun's disk was observed with great advantage. The magnifying power of Dr. Solander's telescope was superior to that of those which belonged to the Lieutenant and to Mr. Green. They all saw an atmosphere or dusky cloud round the body of the planet; which much disturbed the times of contact, and especially of the internal ones; and, in their accounts of these times , they differed from each other in a greater degree than might have been expected.

According to Mr. Green,
The firft external contact, or h. min.
firft appearance of Venus
on the fun , was - - 9
The firft internal contad, or
total immerfion , was -
The fecond internal contact,
or beginning of the emer-
fion, was T - - 3
The fecond external contact,
or total emerfion,. was - 3 32

The latitude of the observatory was found to be 17° 29' 15"; and the longitude 149° 32' 3O"; west of Greenwich.

A more particular account of this great astronomical event , the providing for the accurate observation of which reflects so much honour on his Majesty's munificent patronage of science, may be seen in the sixty-first volume of the Philosophical Transactions ^[35].

The pleasure which Lieutenant Cook and his friends derived from having thus successfully accomplished the first grand object of the voyage, was not a little abated by the conduct of some , of the ship's company, who, while the attention of the officers was engrossed by the transit of Venus , broke into one of the store-rooms , and stole a quantity of spike nails, amounting to no less than an hundred weight. This was an evil of a public and serious nature; for these nails, if injudiciously circulated among the Indians, would be productive of irreparable injury to the English , by reducing the value of iron, their staple commodity. One of the thieves, from whom only seven nails were recovered , was detected; but, though the punishment of two dozen lashes was inflicted upon him, he would not impeach any of his accomplices ^[36].

Upon account of the absence of the two parties who had been sent out to observe the transit, the King's birthday was celebrated on the fifth, instead of the fourth of June ^[37]; and the festivity of the day must have been greatly heightened by the happy success with which his Majesty's liberality had been crowned.

On the twelfth, Lieutenant Cook was again reduced to the necessity of exercising the severity of discipline. Complaint having been made to him, by certain of the natives, that two of the seamen had taken from them several bows and arrows, and some strings of plated hair, and the charge being fully supported, he punished each of the criminals whichwith two dozen of lashes.

On the same day it was discovered , that Otaheite, like other countries in a certain period of society, has its bards and its minstrels. Mr. Banks , in his morning's walk, had met with a number of natives , who appeared, upon enquiry, to be travelling musicians ; and having learned where they were to be at night, all the gentlemen of the Endeavour repaired to the place.

The band consisted of two flutes and three drums; and the drummers accompanied the music with their voices. To the surprize of the English gentlemen , they found that themselves were generally the subject of the song, which was unpremeditated. These minstrels were continually going about from place to place; and they were rewarded, by the master of the house and the audience, with such things as they wanted.

The repeated thefts which were committed by the inhabitants of Otaheite brought our voyagers into frequent difficulties, and it required all the wisdom of Lieutenant Cook to conduct himself in a proper manner. His sentiments on the subject displayed the liberality of his mind. He thought it of consequence, to put an end, if possible, to thievish practices at once, by doing something that should engage the natives in general to prevent them, from a regard to their common interest. Strict orders had been given by him, that they should not be fired upon, even when they were detected in attempting to steal any of the English property. For this the Lieutenant had many reasons. The common centinels were in no degree fit to be entrusted with a power of life and death; neither did Mr. Cook think that the thefts committed by the Otaheitans deserved so severe a punishment. They were not born under the law of England; nor was it one of the conditions under which they claimed the benefits of civil society, that their lives should be forfeited , unless they abstained from theft.

As the Lieutenant was not willing that the natives should be exposed to fire-arms loaded with shot, neither did he approve of firing only with powder, which, if repeatedly found to be harmless , would at length be despised. At a time when a considerable robbery had been committed, an accident furnished him with what he hoped would be a happy expedient for preventing future attempts of the time kind. Above twenty of the failing canoes of the inhabitants came in with a supply of fish. Upon these Lieutenant Cook immediately seized, and, having brought them into the river behind the fort, gave notice, that unless the things which had been stolen were returned, the canoes should be burnt. This menace, without designing to put it into execution, he ventured to publish , from a full conviction that, as restitution was thus made a common cause, the stolen goods would all of them speedily be brought back. In this, however, he was mistaken. An iron coal - rake , indeed, was restored ; upon which great felicitation was made for the release of the canoes; but he still insisted on his original condition. When the next day came, he was much surprized to find that nothing farther had been returned; and, as the people were in the utmost distress for the fish, which would in a short time be spoilt, he was reduced to the disagreeable alternative, either of releasing the canoes, contrary to what he had solemnly and publicly declared, or of detaining them, to the great damage of those who were innocent. As a temporary expedient, he permitted the natives to take the fish, but still detained the canoes. So far was this measure from being attended with advantage, that it was productive of new confusion and injury; for as it was not easy at once to distinguish to what particular persons the several lots of fish belonged , the canoes were plundered by those who had no right to any part of their cargo. At length, most pressing instances being still made for the federation of the canoes, and Lieutenant Cook having reason to believe, either that the things for which he detained them were not in the island, or that those who suffered by their detention were absolutely incapable of prevailing upon the thieves to relinquish their booty, he determined, though not immediately, to comply with the solicitations of the natives. Our commander was, however, not a little mortified at the ill success of his project ^[38].

About the same time, another accident occurred, which, notwithstanding all the caution of our principal voyagers, was very near embroiling them with the Indians. The Lieutenant having sent a boat on shore to get ballast for the ship, the officer, not immediately finding stones suitable to the purpose, began to pull down some part of an inclosure in which the inhabitants had deposited the bones of their dead. This action a number of the natives violently opposed; and a messenger came down to the tents, to acquaint the gentlemen that no such thing would be suffered. Mr. Banks directly repaired to the place , and soon put an amicable end to the contest, by sending the boat's crew to the river, where a sufficient quantity of stones might be gathered without a possibility of giving offence. These Indians appeared to be much more alarmed at any injury which they apprehended to be done to the dead than to the living. This was the only measure in which they ventured to oppose the English: and the only insult that was ever offered to any individual belonging to the Endeavour was upon a similar occasion ^[39]. It should undoubtedly be the concern of all voyagers , to abstain, from wantonly offending the religious prejudices of the people among whom they come.

To extend the knowledge of navigation and the sphere of discovery, objects which we need not say that Lieutenant Cook kept always steadily in view, he set out, in the pinnace, on the twenty-sixth of June, accompanied by Mr. Banks, to make the circuit of the island. The particulars of this circuit, in which the Lieutenant and his companions were once thrown into great alarm by the apprehended lots of the boat, are fully related in Dr. Hawkesworth's Narrative. By this expedition Mr. Cook obtained an acquaintance with the several districts of Otaheite, the chiefs who presided over them, and a variety of curious circumstances respecting the manners and i July, customs of the inhabitants. On the first of July, he got back to the fort at Matavai, having found the circuit of the island , including the two peninsulas of which it consisted , to be about thirty leagues ^[40].

The circumnavigation of Otaheite was followed by an expedition of Mr. Banks's to trace the river up the valley from which it issues , and examine how far its banks were inhabited.

During this excursion, he discerned many traces of subterraneous fire. The stones, like those of Madeira , displayed evident tokens of having been burnt; and the very clay upon the hills had the same appearance.

Another valuable employment of Mr. Banks was the planting of a great quantity of the seeds of water-melons, oranges , lemons , limes, and other plants and trees which he had collected at Rio de Janeiro. For these he prepared ground on each side of the fort , and selected as many varieties of soil as could be found. He gave, also, liberally of these feeds to the natives, and planted many of them in the woods ^[41].

Lieutenant Cook now began to prepare for his departure. On the seventh of July, the carpenters were employed in taking down the gates and pallisadoes of the fortification; and it was continued to be dismantled during the two following days. Our Commander and the rest of the gentlemen were in hopes that they should quit Otaheite without giving or receiving any farther offence; but in this respect; they were unfortunately disappointed. The Lieutenant had prudently overlooked a dispute of a smaller nature between a couple of foreign seamen and some of the Indians, when he was immediately involved in a quarrel which he greatly regretted, and which yet it was totally out of his power to avoid. In the middle of the night, between the eighth and the ninth, Clement Webb and Samuel Gibson , two of the marines, went privately from the fort. As they were not to be found in the morning, Mr. Cook was apprehensive that they intended to stay behind; but, being unwilling to endanger the harmony and good-will which at present subsisted between our people and the . natives, he determined to wait a day for the chance of the men's return. As, to the great concern of the Lieutenant, the marines were not come back on the morning of the tenth, enquiry was made after them of the Indians, who acknowledged that each of them had taken a wife, and had resolved to become inhabitants of the country. After some deliberation, two of the natives undertook to conduct such persons to the place of the deserters' retreat as Mr. Cook should think proper to send ; and accordingly he dispatched with the guides a petty officer, and the corporal of the marines. As it was of the utmost importance to recover the men, and to do it speedily , it was intimated to several of the chiefs who were in the fort with the women, among whom were Tubourai Tomaide, Tomio, and Oberea, that they would not be permitted to leave it till the fugitives were returned; and the Lieutenant had the pleasure of observing that they received the intimation with very little indications of alarm, and with assurances that his people should be secured and sent back as soon as

Footnotes

1. Introduction to Capt. Cook's Voyage to the Pacific Ocean, vol. I. p. i.
2. The Captains Wallis and Carteret went out together upon the same expedition; but the vessels they commanded having accidentally parted company, they proceeded and returned by a different route. Hence their voyages are distinctly related by Dr. Hawkesworth.
3. Introduction to Capt. Cook's Voyage to the Pacific Ocean, vol I. p. xviii.
4. Introduction to Capt. Cook's second voyage, vol. I. p. xx. fourth edition.
5. From the minutes of the Council of the Royal Society.
6. From the information of Philip Stephens, Esq; communicated by Sir Jofeph Banks.
7. From the books of the Admiralty.
8. From Sir Hugh Pallifer's communications.
9. General Introduction to Hawkesworth's Voyages , vol. I. p. iii.
10. Minutes of the Council.
11. Hawkesworth , ubi supra, p. iv.
12. ibid.
13. Hawkesworth's Voyages, vol ii. p. i. 3.
14. Ibid, Voyages, p. 4, 5.
15. Hawkesworth's Voyages , vol. ii. p. 9.
16. Ibid. p. 11, 16
17. Hawkefworth's Voyages, Vol. ii. p, 15. 16
18. Hawkesworth's Voyages, ubi supra, p. 18 — 37.
19. Ibid. p. 34.
20. Hawkesworth, ubi supra, p. 4.1, 42.
21. Ibid, ubi fupra p. 45, 46— 53.
22. Hawkesworth, ubi supra, p. 59.
23. Hawkefworth, ubi fupra, p. 67, 68.
24. Ibid. p. 66, 69.
25. Ibid. p. 72 - 78 - Lagaon Island lies in latitude 18° 47" S. and longitude 139° 28' W. ; the Thrumb-cap, in latitude 18° 35 S. and longitude 139° 48' W. ; Bow Island, in latitude 18° 23' S and longitude 141° 12' W.; the south-easternmost of the Groups, in latitude 18° 12' S. and longitude 142° 42' W.; Bird Island , in latitude 17° 48' S. and longitude 143° 35' W.; and Chain Island, in latitude. 17° 23' S. and longitude 145° 54' W.
26. Hawkefworth , ubi supfa, p. 79 - 82; The rules were as follows: "I. To endeavour, by every fair means, to cultivate a friendship with the natives; and to treat them with all imaginable humanity. II. A proper person, or persons , will be appointed to trade with the natives for all manner of provisions , fruit, and other productions of the earth; and no officer or seaman, or other person belonging to the ship, excepting such as are so appointed, shall trade, or offer to trade, for any sort of provision, fruit, or other productions of the earth, unless they have leave so to do. III. Every person employed on shore on any duty whatsoever, is strictly to attend to the same; and if by any neglect he loseth any of his arms, or working tools, or suffers them to be stolen, the full value thereof will be charged against his pay, according to the custom of the Navy in such cases, and he shall receive such farther punishment as the nature of the offence may deserve. IV. The same penalty will be inflicted on every person who is found to embezzle, trade, or offer to trade, with any part of the ship's stores, of what nature soever. V. No sort of iron, or any thing that is made of iron, or any sort of cloth, or other useful or necessary articles, are to be given in exchange for any thing but provision.
27. Hawkesworth, ubi supra, p. 89 - 93.
28. Hawkesworth, ubi fupra, p. 93, 94.
29. Hawkesworth, ubi supra , p. 102,103.
30. Hawkesworth, ubi supra, p. 111 - 114.
31. Hawkefworth, ubifupra, p. 114 - 121
32. Hawkefworth, ubi fupra, p. 122.
33. Ibid. p. 123.
34. Hawkesworth, ubi fupra, p. 127.
35. Hawkesworth , ubi supra, 137 - 141. Transactions, vol. lxi. p. 397.
36. Hawkesworth, ubi supra, p. 141.
37. Hawkesworth', ubi fupra, p. 143.
38. Hawkesworth, ubi supra, p. 147 - 150
39. Hawkesworth, ubi fupra, p. 150, 151.
40. Ibid. p. 155 - 169.
41. Hawkesworth, ubi supra . p. 172 - 175