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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33 40 78 52 11 00 }end of the island
May }Juan Fernandes.
33 45 80 46 10 24 }Island of Massafuero.
28, P.M. 29 45 79 50 9 40 }
31, P.M. 26 26 82 15 8 10 }
June 1, P.M. 25 51 84 23 8 8 }
7, P.M. 27 23 97 16 5 45 }
8. A.M. 27 20 97 51 5 45 }
10. A.M. 26 30 98 25 5 40 }
12, P.M. 26 53 100 21 4 13 }In Crossing the South Sea
16, P.M. 28 11 111 15 2 00 }
17, A.M. 28 04 112 37 1 51 }
18. P.M. 28 07 113 55 2 00 }
20. A.M. 28 04 116 29 2 09 }
30. P.M. 26 00 130 55 2 32 }

July 2. P.M. 25 02 133 38 2 46 }Off Pitcairn's Island.

3, 25 00 136 16 2 30 }
4, A.M. 25 24 137 18 3 43 }
5, A.M. 24 56 137 23 5 24 }
6. A.M. 24 32 138 31 4 16 }
7, A.M. 24 10 139 55 5 12 }
P.M. 4 02 }
8. A.M. 23 46 139 55 5 56 }
10, P.M. 21 38 141 36 4 20 }
12, A.M. 20 36 145 39 4 40 }Crossing the South Sea.
20,38 146 00 5 00 }
13, P.M. 21 07 147 44 5 46 }
15, A.M. 21 46 150 50 6 23 }
16, P.M. 22 02 151 09 6 34 }
19, P.M. 19 50 153 59 6 08 }
20, P.M. 19 08 156 15 7 09 }
21, P.M. 18 43 158 27 7 38 }
1767. South. West. East.
July 23, P.M. 16 deg.22' 162 32' 6 05' }
24, P.M. 14 19 163 34 6 29 }
25, A.M. 12 13 164 50 9 30 }
P.M. - - - 9 40 }
26, A.M. 10 01 166 52 9 00 }
28, A.M. 9 50 171 26 9 04 }
30, A.M. 9 50 175 38 9 32 }
P.M. - - - 9 00 } Crossing the South Sea.
Aug. 1, A.M. 9 53 179 33 10 04 }
East. }
2, A.M. 10 09 178 58 10 30 }
4, A.M. 10 22 177 10 10 54 }
5, A.M. 10 35 175 50 11 14 }
P.M. - - - - 10 52 }
7, P.M. 10 52 172 23 11 17 }

8, P.M. 11 02 171 15 10 27
9, A.M. 10 56 171 00 10 02
11, P.M. 10 49 167 00 10 38
Cape Byron - 10 40 164 49 11 00 }N.E. end of Egmont, one of
}the Charlotte Islands.
18, P.M. 9 58 162 57 8 30
19, P.M. 8 52 160 41 8 30
20, A.M. 7 53 158 56 8 31
7 56 158 56 8 20 }Off Carterets's and
}Gowers's Isl.
22, P.M. 6 24 157 32 7 42
24, P.M. 5 07 155 08 6 25
26, P.M. 4 46 153 17 7 14
In sight and on the west side of } 6 30
Nova Britannia. }

C.Saint George. 5 00 152 19 5 20 }Nova Hibernia.

In St George's Channel 4 40 }Nova Britannia
}here the land
}seemed to have an
}effect on the needle.
Sept. 16, A.M. 2 19 145 31 6 30 }Off the Admiralty Islands.

19, A.M. 1 57 143 28 5 26 }
1 45 143 02 4 40 }
20, P.M. 1 33 142 22 4 40 }
21, A.M. 1 20 141 29 4 54 }
22, P.M. 0 52 139 56 4 30 }
23, P.M. 0 05 138 56 4 17 }
North. - - }From the Admiralty Islands
24, P.M. 0 05 138 41 3 09 }to the island of Mindanao.
27, A.M. 2 13 136 41 2 30 }
P.M. - - - - 2 09 }
2 50 136 17 2 00 }
30, A.M. 4 25 134 37 1 41 }
Oct. 3, A.M. 4 41 132 51 3 09 }
P.M. - - 3 14 }
5, P.M. 4 31 132 39 3 10 }
1767. North. West. West.
Oct. 6, A.M. 4 deg.21' 132 deg.45' 3 deg.33 }
8, A.M. 3 53 134 13 3 38 }
9, A.M. 4 03 134 04 3 11 }
12, P.M. 4 49 133 42 2 19 }From the Admiralty Islands
13, P.M. 5 12 133 27 2 20 }to the island of Mindanao.
16, A.M. 5 54 133 10 2 34 }
27, P.M. 6 35 127 56 2 10 }

Caps St Aug. 6 15 127 20 1 45 }Island of Mindanao.
South End 5 34 126 25 1 20 }Off the island Mindanao.

Nov. 6, A.M. 5 34 125 40 0 48 }
P.M. - - - - 0 49 }
7, P.M. 5 37 125 23 0 39 }
8, P.M. 5 30 124 41 0 50 }
14, A.M. 1 57 122 04 0 06 }From the island of Mindanao
26, P.M. 0 04 118 15 0 19 }to the Streights of
South. }Macassar.
27, A.M. 0 14 117 45 0 12 }
Dec. 7. 3 26 116 45 0 27 }

Bonthain 5 30 117 53 1 16 }At the Island of Celebes.

Island Tonikaky 5 31 117 17 1 00 }Off the S.E. end of the
1768. }Island Celebes.

May 29, P.M. 5 29 110 23 0 56
Off Madura - 0 30 }On the N.E. part of the
Batavia - - 0 25 }island of Java.
Sept.30,P.M. 7 41 101 36 0 51 }
Oct. 2, P.M. 10 37 97 19 2 06 }
4, P.M. 12 13 93 56 3 12 }
12, P.M. 19 50 76 40 3 30 }
14, P.M. 21 47 72 47 6 26 }
15, P.M. 22 53 70 47 8 09 }
17, A.M. 24 23 68 02 9 36 }
P.M. - - 11 20 }
18, P.M. 25 08 67 21 11 50 }
19, P.M. 25 08 67 08 12 49 }
20, A.M. 24 59 66 35 12 54 }
P.M. - - - - 11 48 }
24, A.M. 23 21 64 31 12 54 }From the Streights of Sunda
25, P.M. 23 23 63 35 12 39 }to the Cape of Good Hope.
26, A.M. 23 32 62 43 13 42 }
28, P.M. 24 52 60 14 16 10 }
30, P.M. 25 40 56 50 18 18 }
31, P.M. 26 31 54 49 18 24 }
Nov. 1, A.M. 27 05 52 57 20 12 }
P.M. - - - - 20 20 }
3, A.M. 27 40 50 55 20 58 }
P.M. - - - - 21 23 }
4, P.M. 27 42 50 10 21 15 }
5, P.M. 27 44 49 01 21 09 }
6, P.M. 28 58 46 23 22 38 }
1768. South. East. West.
Nov. 7, A.M. 29 deg.59' 43'55 24 deg.40 }
P.M. - - - - 24 55 }
8, P.M. 30 12 42 51 25 39 }
9, A.M. 30 19 41 97 25 50 }
10, P.M. 30 37 40 48 25 32 }
11, A.M. 32 02 38 47 25 08 }
12, P.M. 32 39 37 17 25 02 }From the Streights of Sunda
13, P.M. 33 21 35 27 25 05 }toThe Cape of Good Hope.
19, P.M. 35 17 28 38 22 32 }
20, P.M. 35 42 27 22 22 46 }
21, P.M. 35 46 27 00 22 18 }
22, P.M. 35 04 26 29 22 50 }
23, P.M. 34 57 25 46 21 39 }
24, P.M. 34 52 25 28 21 44 }
C. Good Hope. 34 24 18 30 19 40 }
1769.
Jan. 9, P.M. 30 37 13 08 19 20 }
14, P.M. 22 16 4 52 16 19 }
15, P.M. 21 04 3 54 16 81 }From the Cape to the island
18, P.M. 17 05 0 10 14 38 }of Saint Helena.
West. }
19, P.M. 16 06 1 38 13 46 }

25, P.M. 14 22 7 04 12 30 }From the island of Saint
26, P.M. 12 54 8 05 11 47 }Helena to the island of
27, P.M. 11 36 9 25 11 40 }Ascension.
28, P.M. 10 26 10 36 10 46 }

Feb. 2, P.M. 6 45 14 42 9 34 }
3, P.M. 5 04 15 45 9 04 }
4, A.M. 3 26 16 49 9 10 }
5, P.M. 2 01 17 34 8 58 }
6, P.M. 0 20 18 27 8 32 }
North. }
7, P.M. 0 58 19 24 8 37 }
8, A.M. 1 56 20 16 8 25 }
10, P.M. 2 39 28 58 7 21 }
15, P.M. 6 38 32 40 4 35 }From the island of
16, P M. 8 03 24 18 6 09 }Ascension to England.
19, P.M. 12 06 24 34 6 48 }
21, P.M. 14 39 27 15 6 12 }
26, A.M. 23 54 28 15 6 00 }
March 3,P.M. 32 33 23 35 13 26 }
4,A.M. 34 02 22 32 13 43 }
5,P.M. 35.30 21 56 14 53 }
6,A.M. 36 46 21 23 15 15 }
P.M. - - - - 14 58 }
etween the islands of Tercera } 13 36 }
and Saint Michael.
1769. North. West. West.

Mar. 28. P.M. 39 deg.09' 19 deg. 02' 16 deg. 46' From this day till my arrival
in England, the weather was
so bad that we had no
opportunity of making any
observation of the variation.

N.B. The ill sailing of the Swallow prevented me from getting a sufficient
number of soundings to make a separate Table.

CHAPTER IV.

AN ACCOUNT OF A VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD, IN THE YEARS 1768, 1769, 1770,
AND 1771, BY LIEUTENANT JAMES COOK, COMMANDER OF HIS MAJESTY'S BARK THE
ENDEAVOUR.

[In addition to Cook's papers, Dr Hawkesworth had the use of a journal
kept by Sir Joseph Banks, in drawing up the account of this voyage; a
favour which he has not neglected to specify in his introduction. That
introduction, however, and several references to plates, with some other
matters deemed of little or no import, or elsewhere given, are now
omitted.]

SECTION I.

_The Passage from Plymouth to Madeira, with tome Account of that
Island._

Having received my commission, which was dated the 25th of May 1768, I
went on board on the 27th, hoisted the pennant, and took charge, of the
ship, which then lay in the bason in Deptford yard. She was fitted for
sea with all expedition; and stores and provisions being taken on board,
sailed down the river on the 30th of July, and on the 13th of August
anchored in Plymouth Sound.

While we lay here waiting for a wind, the articles of war and the act of
parliament were read to the ship's company, who were paid two months'
wages in advance, and told that they were to expect no additional pay
for the performance of the voyage.

On Friday the 26th of August, the wind becoming fair, we got under sail,
and put to sea. On the 31st, we saw several of the birds which the
sailors call Mother Carey's Chickens, and which they suppose to be the
forerunners of a storm; and on the next day we had a very hard gale,
which brought us under our courses, washed overboard a small boat
belonging to the boatswain, and drowned three or four dozen of our
poultry, which we regretted still more.

On Friday the 2d of September we saw land between Cape Finisterre and
Cape Ortegal, on the coast of Gallicia, in Spain; and on the 5th, by an
observation of the sun and moon, we found the latitude of Cape
Finisterre to be 42 deg. 53' north, and its longitude 8 deg. 46' west, our first
meridian being always supposed to pass through Greenwich; variation of
the needle 21 deg. 4' west.

During this course, Mr Banks and Dr Solander had an opportunity of
observing many marine animals, of which no naturalist has hitherto taken
notice; particularly a new species of the _oniscus_, which was found
adhering to the _medusa pelagica_; and an animal of an angular figure,
about three inches long, and one thick, with a hollow passing quite
through it, and a brown spot on one end, which they conjectured might be
its stomach; four of these adhered together by their sides when they
were taken, so that at first they were thought to be one animal; but
upon being put into a glass of water they soon separated, and swam about
very briskly. These animals are of a new genus, to, which Mr Banks and
Dr Solander gave the name of _Dagysa_, from the likeness of one species
of them to a gem. Several specimens of them were taken adhering together
sometimes to the length of a yard or more, and shining in the water with
very beautiful colours. Another animal of a new genus they also
discovered, which shone in the water with colours still more beautiful
and vivid, and which indeed exceeded in variety and brightness any thing
that we had ever seen: The colouring and splendour of these animals were
equal to those of an opal, and from their resemblance to that gem, the
genus was called _Carcnium Opalinum_. One of them lived several hours in
a glass of salt water, swimming about with great agility, and at every
motion displaying a change of colours almost infinitely various. We
caught also among the rigging of the ship, when we were at the distance
of about ten leagues from Cape Finisterre; several birds which have not
been described by Linnaeus; they were supposed to have come from Spain,
and our gentlemen called the species _Motacilla velificans_, as they
said none but sailors would venture themselves on board a ship that was
going round the world. One of them was so exhausted that it died in Mr
Banks's hand, almost as soon as it was brought to him.

It was thought extraordinary that no naturalist had hitherto taken
notice of the Dagysa, as the sea abounds with them not twenty leagues
from the coast of Spain; but, unfortunately for the cause of science,
there are but very few of those who traverse the sea, that are either
disposed or qualified to remark the curiosities of which nature has
made it the repository.

On the 12th we discovered the islands of Porto Santo and Madeira, and on
the next day anchored in Funchiale road, and moored with the
stream-anchor: But, in the night, the bend of the hawser of the
stream-anchor slipped, owing to the negligence of the person who had
been employed to make it fast. In the morning the anchor was heaved up
into the boat, and carried out to the southward; but in heaving it
again, Mr Weir, the master's mate, was carried overboard by the
buoy-rope, and went to the bottom with the anchor; the people in the
ship saw the accident, and got the anchor up with all possible
expedition; it was however too late, the body came up entangled in the
buoy-rope, but it was dead.

When the island of Madeira is first approached from the sea, it has a
very beautiful appearance; the sides of the hills being entirely covered
with vines almost as high as the eye can distinguish; and the vines are
green when every kind of herbage, except where they shade the ground,
and here and there by the sides of a rill, is entirely burnt up, which
was the case at this time.

On the 13th, about eleven o'clock in the forenoon, a boat, which our
sailors call the product boat, came on board from the officers of
health, without whose permission no person is suffered to land from on
board a ship. As soon as this permission was obtained, we went on shore
at Funchiale, the capital of the island, and proceeded directly to the
house of Mr Cheap, the English consul there, and one of the most
considerable merchants of the place. This gentleman received us with the
kindness of a brother, and the liberality of a prince; he insisted upon
our taking possession of his house, in which he famished us with every
possible accommodation during our stay upon the island: He procured
leave for Mr Banks and Dr Solander to search the island for such natural
curiosities as they should think worth their notice; employed persons to
take fish and gather shells, which time would not have permitted them to
collect for themselves; and be provided horses and guides to take them
to any part of the country which they should chuse to visit. With all
these advantages, however, their excursions were seldom pushed farther
than three miles from the town, as they were only five days on shore;
one of which they spent at home, in receiving the honour of a visit from
the governor. The season was the worst in the year for their purpose, as
it was neither that of plants nor insects; a few of the plants, however,
were procured in flower, by the kind attention of Dr Heberden, the chief
physician of the island, and brother to Dr Heberden of London, who also
gave them such specimens as he had in his possession, and a copy of his
Botanical Observations; containing, among other things, a particular
description of the trees of the island. Mr Banks enquired after the wood
which has been imported into England for cabinet-work, and is here
called Madeira mahogany: He learnt that no wood was exported from the
island under that name, but he found a tree called by the natives
Vigniatico, the _Laurus indicus_ of Linnaeus, the wood of which cannot
easily be distinguished from mahogany. Dr Heberden had a book-case in
which the vigniatico and mahogany were mixed, and they were no
otherwise to be known from each other than by the colour, which, upon a
nice examination, appears to be somewhat less brown in the vigniatico
than the mahogany; it is therefore in the highest degree probable, that
the wood known in England by the name of Madeira mahogany, is the
vigniatico.

There is great reason to suppose that this whole island was, at some
remote period, thrown up by the explosion of subterraneous fire, as
every stone, whether whole or in fragments, that we saw upon it,
appeared to have been burnt, and even the sand itself to be nothing more
than ashes: We did not, indeed, see much of the country, but the people
informed us that what we did see was a very exact specimen of the
rest.[62]

[Footnote 62: This opinion about the volcanic origin of the island of
Madeira, has found several advocates since the publication of this work.
The following quotation from a paper by the Hon. H.G. Bennet, contained
in the first volume of the Geological Society Transactions, may famish
the inquisitive reader with a short summary of the principal appearances
on which this opinion rests. "To my mind, the most interesting
geological facts, are, 1. The intersection of the lava, by dikes at
right angles with the strata.--2. The rapid dips which the strata make,
particularly the overlaying of that of the Brazen Head to the eastward
of Funchial, where the blue, grey, and red lavas are rolled up in one
mass, as if they had slipped together from an upper stratum.--3. The
columnar form of the lava itself, reposing on, and covered by beds of
scoria, ashes, and pumice, which affords a strong argument for the
volcanic origin of the columns themselves. And, 4. The veins of
carbonate of lime and zeolite, which are not found here in solitary
pieces, as in the vicinity of AEtna and Vesuvius, but are amid the lavas
and in the strata of pumice and tufa, and are diffused on the lava
itself, and occasionally crystallized in its cavities."--E.]

The only article of trade in this island is wine, and the manner in
which it is made is so simple, that it might have been used by Noah, who
is said to have planted the first vineyard after the flood: The grapes
are put into a square wooden vessel, the dimensions of which are
proportioned to the size of the vineyard to which it belongs; the
servants then, having taken off their stockings and jackets, get into
it, and with their feet and elbows, press out as much of the juice as
they can: The stalks are afterwards collected, and being tied together
with a rope, are put under a square piece of wood, which is pressed down
upon them by a lever with a stone tied to the end of it.

It was with great difficulty that the people of Madeira were persuaded
to engraft their vines, and some of them still obstinately refused to
adopt the practice, though a whole vintage is very often spoiled by the
number of bad grapes which are mixed in the vat, and which they will not
throw out, because they increase the quantity of the wine: An instance
of the force of habit, which is the more extraordinary, as they have
adopted the practice of engrafting with respect to their chestnut-trees,
an object of much less importance, which, however, are thus brought to
bear sooner than they would otherwise have done.[63]

[Footnote 63: The censure passed on the carelessness of the people of
Madeira as to the manufacture of their wine, does not now apply; for,
according to Mr Barrow, who touched here in his voyage to Cochin China,
(an account of which appeared in 1806) the care and pains used in
choosing the freshest and ripest grapes only for the wine-press, are
almost incredible. Madeira exports about 15,000 pipes of wine yearly, of
which not one-third part comes to England--about 5500 pipes are taken
out to India.--E.]

We saw no wheel-carriages of any sort in the place, which perhaps was
not more owing to the want of ingenuity to invent them, than to the want
of industry to mend the roads, which, at that time, it was impossible
that any wheel-carriage should pass: The inhabitants had horses and
mules indeed, excellently adapted to such ways; but their wine,
notwithstanding, was brought to town from the vineyards where it was
made, in vessels of goat-skins, which were carried by men upon their
heads. The only imitation of a carriage among these people was a board,
made somewhat hollow in the middle, to one end of which a pole was tied,
by a strap of whit-leather: This wretched sledge approached about as
treat to an English cart, as an Indian canoe to a ship's long-boat; and
even this would probably never have been thought of, if the English had
not introduced wine vessels, which are too big to be carried by hand,
and which, therefore, were dragged about the town upon these machines.

One reason, perhaps, why art and industry have done so little for
Madeira is, nature's having done so much. The soil is very rich, and
there is such a difference of climate between the plains and the hills,
that there is scarcely a single object of luxury that grows either in
Europe or the Indies, that might not be produced here. When we went to
visit Dr Heberden, who lived upon a considerable ascent, about two miles
from town, we left the thermometer at 74; and when we arrived at his
house, we found it at 66. The hills produce, almost spontaneously,
walnuts, chesnuts, and apples in great abundance; and in the town there
are many plants which are the natives both of the East and West Indies,
particularly the banana, the guava, the pineapple or anana, and the
mango, which flourish almost without culture. The corn of this country
is of a most excellent quality, large-grained and very fine, and the
island would produce it in great plenty, yet most of what is consumed by
the inhabitants is imported. The mutton, pork, and beef are also very
good; the beef in particular, which we took on board here, was
universally allowed to be scarcely inferior to our own; the lean part
was very like it, both in colour and grain, though the beasts are much
smaller, but the fat is as white as the fat of mutton. The town of
Frunchiale derives its name from _Funcho_, the Portuguese name for
fennel, which grows in great plenty upon the neighbouring rocks; by the
observation of Dr Heberden, it lies in the latitude of 32 deg. 35' 33" N.
and longitude 16 deg. 49' W. It is situated in the bottom of a bay, and
though larger than the extent of the island seems to deserve, is very
ill built; the houses of the principal inhabitants are large, those of
the common people are small, the streets are narrow, and worse paved
than any I ever saw. The churches are loaded with ornaments, among which
are many pictures, and images of favourite saints, but the pictures are
in general wretchedly painted, and the saints are dressed in laced
clothes. Some of the convents are in a better taste, especially that of
the Franciscans, which is plain, simple and neat in the highest degree.
The infirmary in particular drew our attention as a model which might be
adopted in other countries with great advantage. It consists of a long
room, on one side of which are the windows, and an altar for the
convenience of administering the sacrament to the sick: The other side
is divided into wards, each of which is just big enough to contain a
bed, and neatly lined with gally-tiles; behind these wards, and parallel
to the room in which they stand, there runs a long gallery, with which
each ward communicates by a door, so that the sick may be separately
supplied with whatever they want without disturbing their neighbours. In
this convent there is also a singular curiosity of another kind; a small
chapel, the whole lining of which, both sides and ceiling, is composed
of human sculls and thigh-bones; the thigh-bones are laid across each
other, and a scull is placed in each of the four angles. Among the
sculls one is very remarkable; the upper and the lower jaw, on one side,
perfectly and firmly cohere; how the ossification which unites them was
formed, it is not perhaps very easy to conceive, but it is certain that
the patient must have lived some time without opening his mouth: What
nourishment he received was conveyed through a hole which we discovered
to have been made on the other side, by forcing out some of the teeth,
in doing which the jaw also seems to have been injured.