A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels, Vol. 12 by Robert Kerr

R >> Robert Kerr >> A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels, Vol. 12

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The habitations of these happy people I have described already; and
besides these, we saw several sheds inclosed within a wall, on the
outside of which there were several uncouth figures of men, women, hogs,
and dogs, carved on posts, that were driven into the ground. Several of
the natives were from time to time seen to enter these places, with a
slow pace and dejected countenance, from which we conjectured that they
were repositories of the dead. The area within the walls of these places
was generally well paved with large round stones, but it appeared not to
be much trodden, for the grass every where grew up between them. I
endeavoured with particular attention to discover whether they had a
religious worship among them, but never could find the least traces of
any.

The boats or canoes of these people are of three different sorts. Some
are made out of a single tree, and carry from two to six men: These are
used chiefly for fishing, and we constantly saw many of them busy upon
the reef: Some were constructed of planks, very dexterously sewed
together: These were of different sizes, and would carry from ten to
forty men. Two of them were generally lashed together, and two masts set
up between them; if they were single, they had an out-rigger on one
side, and only one mast in the middle. With these vessels they sail far
beyond the sight of land, probably to other islands, and bring home
plantains, bananas, and yams, which seem also to be more plenty upon
other parts of this island, than that off which the ship lay. A third
sort seem to be intended principally for pleasure and show: They are
very large, but have no sail, and in shape resemble the gondolas of
Venice: The middle is covered with a large awning, and some of the
people sit upon it, some under it. None of these vessels came near the
ship, except on the first and second day after our arrival; but we saw,
three or four times a week, a procession of eight or ten of them passing
at a distance, with streamers flying, and a great number of small canoes
attending them, while many hundreds of people run a-breast of them along
the shore. They generally rowed to the outward point of a reef which
lay about four miles to the westward of us, where they stayed about an
hour, and then returned. These processions, however, are never made but
in fine weather, and all the people on board are dressed; though in the
other canoes they have only a piece of cloth wrapped round their middle.
Those who rowed and steered were dressed in white; those who sat upon
the awning and under it in white and red, and two men who were mounted
on the prow of each vessel were dressed in red only. We sometimes went
out to observe them in our boats, and though we were never nearer than a
mile, we saw them with our glasses as distinctly us if we had been upon
the spot.

The plank of which these vessels are constructed, is made by splitting a
tree, with the grain, into as many thin pieces us they can. They first
fell the tree with a kind of hatchet, or adze, made of a tough greenish
kind of stone, very dexterously fitted into a handle; it is then cut
into such lengths as are required for the plank, one end of which is
heated till it begins to crack, and then with wedges of hard wood they
split it down: Some of these planks are two feet broad, and from fifteen
to twenty feet long. The sides are smoothed with adzes of the same
materials and construction, but of a smaller size. Six or eight men are
sometimes at work upon the same plank together, and, as their tools
presently lose their edge, every man has by him a cocoa-nut shell filled
with water, and a flat stone, with which he sharpens his adze almost
every minute. These planks are generally brought to the thickness of
about an inch, and are afterwards fitted to the boat with the same
exactness that would be expected from an expert joiner. To fasten these
planks together, holes are bored with a piece of bone that is fixed into
a slick for that purpose, a use to which our nails were afterwards
applied with great advantage, and through these holes a kind of plaited
cordage is passed, so as to hold the planks strongly together: The seams
are caulked with dried rushes, and the whole outside of the vessel is
paid with a gummy juice, which some of their trees produce in great
plenty, and which is a very good succedaneum for pitch.

The wood which they use for their large canoes, is that of the
apple-tree, which grows very tall and straight. Several of them that
were measured, were near eight feet in the girth, and from twenty to
forty to the branches, with very little diminution in the size. Our
carpenter said, that in other respects it was not a good wood for the
purpose, being very light. The small canoes are nothing more than the
hollow trunk of the bread-fruit tree, which is still more light and
spongy. The trunk of the bread-fruit tree is six feet in girth, and
about twenty feet to the branches.

Their principal weapons are stones, thrown either with the hand or
sling, and bludgeons; for though they have bows and arrows, the arrows
are only fit to knock down a bird, none of them being pointed, but
headed only with a round stone.

I did not see one turtle all the while I lay off this island; but, upon
shewing some small ones which I brought from Queen Charlotte's Island,
to the inhabitants, they made signs that they had them of a much larger
size. I very much regretted my having lost our he-goat, which died soon
after we left St Iago, and that neither of our she-goats, of which we
had two, were with kid. If the he-goat had lived, I would have put them
all on shore at this place, and I would have left a she-goat here if
either of them had been with kid; and I doubt not, but that in a few
years they would have stocked the island.

The climate here appears to be very good, and the island to be one of
the most healthy as well as delightful spots in the world. We saw no
appearance of disease among the inhabitants. The hills are covered with
wood, and the vallies with herbage; and the air in general is so pure,
that, notwithstanding the heat, our flesh meat kept very well two days,
and our fish one. We met with no frog, toad, scorpion, centipied, or
serpent of any kind: And the only troublesome insects that we saw were
ants, of which there were but few.

The south-east part of the island seems to be better cultivated and
inhabited than where we lay, for we saw every day boats come round from
thence laden with plantains and other fruit, and we always found greater
plenty, and a lower price, soon after their arrival, than before.

The tide rises and falls very little, and, being governed by the winds,
is very uncertain; though they generally blow from the E. to the S.E.,
and for the most part a pleasant breeze.

The benefit that we received while we lay off this island, with respect
to the health of the ship's company, was beyond our most sanguine
expectations, for we had not now an invalid on board, except the two
lieutenants and myself, and we were recovering, though still in a very
feeble condition.

It is certain that none of our people contracted the venereal disease
here, and therefore, as they had free commerce with great numbers of the
women, there is the greatest probability that it was not then known in
the country. It was, however, found here by Captain Cook, in the
Endeavour, and as no European vessel is known to have visited this
island before Captain Cook's arrival, but the Dolphin, and the Boudeuse
and Etoil, commanded by M. Bougainville, the reproach of having
contaminated, with that dreadful pest, a race of happy people, to whom
its miseries had till then been unknown, most be due either to him or to
me, to England or to France; and I think myself happy to be able to
exculpate myself and my country beyond the possibility of doubt.

It is well known that the surgeon on board his majesty's ships keeps a
list of the persons who are sick on board, specifying their diseases,
and the times when they came under his care, and when they were
discharged. It happened that I was once at the pay-table on board a
ship, when several sailors objected to the payment of the surgeon,
alleging, that although he had discharged them from the list, and
reported them to be cured, yet their cure was incomplete. From this
time, it has been my constant practice when the surgeon reported a man
to be cured, who had been upon the sick-list, to call the man before me,
and ask him whether the report was true: If he alleged that any symptoms
of his complaint remained, I continued him upon the list; if not, I
required him, as a confirmation of the surgeon's report, to sign the
book, which was always done in my presence. A copy of the sick-list on
board the Dolphin, during this voyage, signed by every man in my
presence, when he was discharged well, in confirmation of the surgeon's
report, written in my own hand, and confirmed by my affidavit, I have
deposited in the Admiralty; by which it appears, that the last man on
board the ship, in her voyage outward, who was upon the sick-list for
the venereal disease, except one who was sent to England in the
store-ship, was discharged cured, and signed the book on the 27th of
December, 1766, near six months before our arrival at Otaheite, which
was on the 19th of June, 1767; and that the first man who was upon the
list for that disease, in our return home, was entered on the 26th of
February, 1768, six months after we left the island, which was on the
26th of July, 1767; so that the ship's company was entirely free
fourteen months within one day, the very middle of which time we spent
at Otaheite; and the man who was first entered as a venereal patient, on
our return home, was known to have contracted the disease at the Cape of
Good Hope, where we then lay.

SECTION IX.

_Passage from Otaheite to Tinian, with some Account of several other
Islands that were discovered in the South Seas._

Having made sail from King George the Third's Island, we proceeded along
the shore of the Duke of York's Island, at the distance of about two
miles. There appeared to be good bays in every part of it, and in the
middle a fine harbour; but I did not think it worth while to go on
shore. The middle and west end is very mountainous, the east end is
lower, and the coast, just within the beach, is covered with cocoa-nut,
bread-fruit, apple, and plantain trees.

At daylight, the next morning, we saw land, for which we made sail, and
ran along the lee-side of it. On the weather-side there were very great
breakers, and the lee-side was rocky, but in many places there appeared
to be good anchorage. We saw but few inhabitants, and they appeared to
live in a manner very different from those of King George's Island,
their habitations being only small huts. We saw many cocoa-nut and other
trees upon the shore; but all of than had their heads blown away,
probably in a hurricane. This island is about six miles long, and has a
mountain of considerable height in the middle, which seems to be
fertile. It lies in latitude 17 deg. 28' S., and longitude, by our last
observation, 151 deg. 4' W. and I called it _Sir Charles Saunders's Island_.

On the 29th, the variation of the compass, by azimuth, was 7 deg. 52' E.;
and early the next morning, at day-break, we saw land bearing from N. by
E. to N.W. We stood for it, but could find no anchorage, the whole
island being surrounded by breakers. We saw smoke in two places, but no
inhabitants. A few cocoa-nut trees were growing on the lee-part of it,
and I called it _Lord Howe's Island_. It is about ten miles long, and
four broad, and lies in latitude 16 deg. 46' S., longitude, by observation,
154 deg. 13' W.

In the afternoon, we saw land bearing W. by N. and stood for it. At five
o'clock, we saw breakers running a great way out to the southward, and
soon after, low land to the S.W. and breakers all about it in every
direction.

We turned to windward all night, and as soon as it was light, crowded
sail to get round these shoals. At nine we got round them, and named
them _Scilly Islands_. They are a group of islands or shoals extremely
dangerous; for in the night, however clear the weather, and by day, if
it is hazy, a ship may run upon them without seeing land. They lie in
latitude 16 deg. 28' S. longitude 155 deg. 30' W.

We continued to steer our course westward, till daybreak on the 13th of
August, when we saw land bearing W. by S. and hauled towards it. At
eleven o'clock in the forenoon, we saw more land in the W.S.W. At noon,
the first land that we saw, which proved to be an island, bore W. 1/2 S.
distant about five leagues, and had the appearance of a sugar-loaf; the
middle of the other land, which was also an island, and appeared in a
peak, bore W.S.W. distant six leagues. To the first, which is nearly
circular, and three miles over, I gave the name of _Boscawen's Island_;
and the other, which is three miles and a half long, and two broad, I
called _Keppel's Isle_. Port Royal at this time bore E. 4 deg. 10' S.
distant 478 leagues.

At two o'clock, being about two miles distant from Boscawen's Island, we
saw several of the inhabitants; but Keppel's Isle being to windward, and
appearing more likely to afford us anchorage, we hauled up for it. At
six, it was not more than a mile and a half distant, and, with our
glasses, we saw many of the inhabitants upon the beach; but there being
breakers at a considerable distance from the shore, we stood off and on
all night.

At four o'clock the next morning, we sent off the boats to sound, and
visit the island; and as soon as it was light, we ran down and lay
over-against the middle of it. At noon, the boats returned, and reported
that they had run within a cable's length of the island, but could find
no ground: That seeing a reef of rocks lie off it, they had hauled round
it, and got into a large, deep bay which was full of rocks: That they
then sounded without the bay, and found anchorage from fourteen to
twenty fathom, with a bottom of sand and coral: That afterwards they
went again into the bay, and found a rivulet of good water, but the
shore being rocky, went in search of a better landing-place, which they
found about half a mile farther, and went ashore. They reported also,
that from the water to this landing-place, a good rolling-way might be
made for supplying the ship, but that a strong guard would be necessary,
to prevent molestation from the inhabitants. They saw no hogs, but
brought off two fowls and some cocoa-nuts, plantains, and bananas. While
the boats were on shore, two canoes came up to them with six men: They
seemed to be peaceably inclined, and were much the same kind of people
as the inhabitants of King George's Island, but they were clothed in a
kind of matting, and the first joint of their little fingers had been
taken off; at the same time about fifty more came down from the country,
to within about an hundred yards of them, but would advance no farther.
When our people had made what observations they could, they put off, and
three of the natives from the canoes came into one of the boats, but
when she got about half a mile from the shore, they all suddenly jumped
overboard, and swam back again.

Having received this account, I considered that the watering here would
be tedious, and attended with great fatigue: That it was now the depth
of winter in the southern hemisphere, that the ship was leaky, that the
rudder shook the stern very much, and that what other damage she might
have received in her bottom could not be known. That for these reasons,
she was very unfit for the bad weather which she would certainly meet
with either in going round Cape Horn, or through the streight of
Magellan: That if she should get safely through the streight, or round
the cape, it would be absolutely necessary for her to refresh in some
port, but in that case no port would be in her reach; I therefore
determined to make the best of my way to Tinian, Batavia, and so to
Europe by the Cape of Good Hope. By this route, as far as we could
judge, we should sooner be at home; and if the ship should prove not to
be in a condition to make the whole voyage, we should still save our
lives, as from this place to Batavia we should probably have a calm sea,
and be not far from a port.

In consequence of this resolution, at noon I bore away, and passed
Boscawen's Island without visiting it. It is a high round island,
abounding in wood, and full of people; but Keppel's Isle is by far the
largest and the best of the two.

Boscawen's Island lies in latitude 15 deg. 50' S. longitude 175 deg. W. and
Keppel's Isle in latitude 15 deg. 55' S. longitude 175 deg. 3' W.

We continued a W.N.W. course till ten o'clock in the morning of Sunday
the 16th, when we saw land bearing N. by E. and hauled up for it. At
noon, we were within three leagues of it: The land within shore appeared
to be high, but at the water-side it was low, and had a pleasant
appearance; the whole seemed to be surrounded by reefs, that ran two or
three miles into the sea. As we sailed along the shore, which was
covered with cocoa-nut trees, we saw a few huts, and smoke in several
parts up the country. Soon after we hauled without a reef of rocks, to
get round the lee-side of the island, and at the same time sent out the
boats to sound, and examine the coast.

The boats rowed close along the shore, and found it rocky, with trees
growing close down to the water-side. These trees were of different
sorts, many of them very large; but had no fruit: On the lee-side,
however, there were a few cocoa-nuts, but not a single habitation was to
be seen. They discovered several small rills of water, which, by
clearing, might have been made to run in a larger stream. Soon after
they had got close to the shore, several canoes came up to them, each
having six or eight men on board. They appeared to be a robust, active
people, and were quite naked, except a kind of mat that was wrapped
round their middle. They were armed with large maces or clubs, such as
Hercules is represented with, two of which they sold to the master for a
nail or two, and some trinkets. As our people had seen no animal, either
bird or beast, except sea-fowl, they were very desirous to learn of the
natives whether they had either, but could not make themselves
understood. It appears, that during this conference, a design was formed
to seize our cutter, for one of the Indians suddenly laid hold of her
painter, and hauled her upon the rocks. Our people endeavoured, in
vain, to make them desist, till they fired a musket cross the nose of
the man that was most active in the mischief. No hurt was done; but the
fire and report so affrighted them, that they made off with great
precipitation. Both our boats then put off, but the water had fallen so
suddenly that they found it very difficult to get back to the ship; for
when they came into deep water they found the points of rocks standing
up, and the whole reef, except in one part, was now dry, and a great sea
broke over it. The Indians probably perceived their distress, for they
turned back, and followed them in their canoes all along the reef till
they got to the breach, and then seeing them clear, and making way fast
towards the ship, they returned.

About six in the evening, it being then dark, the boats returned, and
the master told me, that all within the reef was rocky, but that in two
or three places, at about two cables' length without it, there was
anchorage in eighteen, fourteen, and twelve fathom, upon sand and coral.
The breach in the reef he found to be about sixty fathom broad, and
here, if pressed by necessity, he said a ship might anchor or moor in
eight fathom; but that it would not be safe to moor with a greater
length than half a cable.

When I had hoisted the boats in, I ran down four miles to leeward, where
we lay till the morning; and then, finding that the current had set us
out of sight of the island, I made sail. The officers did me the honour
to call this island after my name. _Wallis's Island_ lies in latitude
13 deg. 18' S. longitude 177 deg. W.

As the latitudes and longitudes of all these islands are accurately laid
down, and plans of them delivered in to the Admiralty, it will be easy
for any ship, that shall hereafter navigate these seas, to find any of
them, either to refresh or to make farther discoveries of their produce.

I thought it very remarkable, that although we found no kind of metal in
any of these islands, yet, the inhabitants of all of them, the moment
they got a piece of iron in their possession, began to sharpen it, but
made no such attempt on brass or copper.

We continued to steer N. westerly, and many birds were from time to
time seen about the ship, till the 28th, when her longitude being, by
observation, 187 deg.24'W. we crossed the Line into north latitude. Among
the birds that came about the ship, one which we caught exactly
resembled a dove in size, shape, and colour. It had red legs, and was
web-footed. We also saw several plantain leaves and cocoa-nuts pass by
the ship.

On Saturday the 29th, about two o'clock in the afternoon, being in
latitude 2 deg.50'N. longitude 188 deg.W. we crossed a great rippling, which
stretched from the N.E. to the S.W. as far as the eye could reach from
the mast-head. We sounded, but had no bottom with a line of two hundred
fathoms.

On Thursday the 3d of September, at five o'clock in the morning, we saw
land bearing E.N.E. distant about five miles: In about half an hour we
saw more land in the N. W. and at six, saw in the N.E. an Indian proa,
such as is described in the account of Lord Anson's voyage. Perceiving
that she stood towards us, we hoisted Spanish colours; but when she came
within about two miles of us, she tacked, and stood from us to the
N.N.W. and in a short time was out of sight.

At eight o'clock, the islands which I judged to be two of the
Piscadores, bore from S.W. by W. to W. and to windward, from N. by E. to
N.E. and had the appearance of small flat keys. They were distant about
three leagues; but many others, much farther off, were in sight. The
latitude of one of those islands is 11 deg.N. longitude 192 deg.30' W.; and the
other 11 deg.20'N., longitude 192 deg.58'W.

On the 7th, we saw a curlieu and a pewit, and on the 9th we caught a
land-bird, very much resembling a starling.

On the 17th, we saw two gannets, and judged the island of Tinian to bear
west, at about one-and-thirty leagues distance; our latitude being
15 deg.N., and our longitude 212 deg. 30'W. At six o'clock the next morning, we
saw the island of Saypan, bearing W. by N. distant about ten leagues. In
the afternoon, we saw Tinian, and made sail for the road; where, at nine
o'clock in the morning, of Saturday the 19th, we came to an anchor in
two-and-twenty fathom, sandy ground, at about a mile distant from the
shore, and half a mile from the reef.

SECTION X.

_Some Account of the present State of the Island of Tinian, and our
Employment there; with what happened in the Run from thence to Batavia._

As soon as the ship was secured, I sent the boats on shore to erect
tents, and bring off some refreshments; and about noon they returned,
with some cocoa-nuts, limes, and oranges.

In the evening, the tents being erected, I sent the surgeon and all the
invalids on shore, with two months provisions, of every kind, for forty
men, the smith's forge, and a chest of carpenter's tools. I then landed
myself, with the first lieutenant, both of us being in a very sickly
condition, taking with us also a mate, and twelve men, to go up the
country and hunt for cattle.

When we first came to an anchor, the north part of the bay bore N. 39 deg.
W. Cocoa point N. 7 deg. W. the landing-place N.E. by N. and the south end
of the island S. 28 deg. E.; but next morning, the master having sounded all
the bay, and being of opinion that there was a better situation to the
southward, we warped the ship a little way up, and moored with a cable
each way.

At six in the evening, the hunters brought in a fine young bull, of near
four hundred weight: Part of it we kept on shore, and sent the rest on
board with bread-fruit, limes, and oranges.

Early the next morning, the carpenters were set at work to caulk the
ship all over, and put every thing in repair as far as possible. All the
sails were also got on shore, and the sail-makers employed to mend them:
The armourers at the same time were busy in repairing the iron-work, and
making new chains for the rudder. The number of the people now on shore,
sick and well, was fifty-three.

In this place we got beef, pork, poultry, papaw apples, bread-fruit,
limes, oranges, and every refreshment that is mentioned in the account
of Lord Anson's voyage. The sick began to recover from the day they
first went on shore: The air, however, was so different here from what
we found it in King George's Island, that flesh meat, which there kept
sweet two days, could here be scarcely kept sweet one. There had been
many cocoa-nut trees near the landing-place, but they had been all
wastefully cut down for the fruit, and none being grown up in their
stead, we were forced to go three miles into the country before a single
nut could be procured. The hunters also suffered incredible fatigue, for
they were frequently obliged to go ten or twelve miles through one
continued thicket, and the cattle were so wild that it was very
difficult to come near them, so that I was obliged to relieve one party
by another; and it being reported that cattle were more plenty at the
north end of the island, but that the hunters being quite exhausted with
fatigue when they got thither, were not able to kill them, much less to
bring them down, I sent Mr Gore, with fourteen men, to establish
themselves in that part of the island, and ordered that a boat should go
every morning, at day-break, to bring in what they should kill. In the
mean time the ship was laid by the stern to get at some of the copper
sheathing which had been much torn; and in repairing the copper, the
carpenter discovered and stopped a large leak under the lining of the
knee of the head, by which we had reason to hope most of the water that
the vessel had lately admitted in bad weather, came in. During our stay
here, I ordered all the people on shore by turns, and by the 15th of
October, all the sick being recovered, our wood and water completed, and
the ship made fit for the sea, we got every thing off the shore, and
embarked all our men from the watering-place, each having, at least,
five hundred limes, and there being several tubs full on the
quarter-deck, for every one to squeeze into his water as he should think
fit.