A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels, Vol. 13 by Robert Kerr

R >> Robert Kerr >> A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels, Vol. 13

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On the 23d, the wind being contrary, we kept plying down the river, and
at seven in the evening, got without the N.W. point of the islands lying
on the west side of it. The weather being bad, night coming on, and
having land on every side of us, I thought it most advisable to tack,
and stretch in under the point, where we anchored in nineteen fathom. At
five in the morning of the 24th, we weighed, and made sail to the N.W.
under our courses and double-reefed top-sails, the wind being at S.W. by
W. and W.S.W. a strong gale and squally. As the gale would not permit us
to come near the land, we had but a slight and distant view of it from
the time when we got under sail till noon, daring a run of twelve
leagues, but we never once lost sight of it. At this time, our latitude,
by observation, was 36 deg. 15' 20", we were not above two miles from a
point of land on the main, and three leagues and a half from a very high
island, which bore N.E. by E.: In this situation we had twenty-six
fathom water: The farthest point on the main that we could see bore N.W.
but we could perceive several small islands lying to the north of that
direction. The point of land of which we were now a-breast, and which I
called _Point Rodney_, is the N.W. extremity of the river Thames; for
under that name I comprehend the deep bay, which terminates in the fresh
water stream, and the N E. extremity is the promontory which we passed
when we entered it, and which I called _Cape Colville_, in honour of the
Right Honourable Lord Colville.

Cape Colville lies in latitude 36 deg. 26', longitude 184 deg. 27'; it rises
directly from the sea, to a considerable height, and is remarkable for a
lofty rock, which stands to the pitch of the point, and may be
distinguished at a very great distance. From the south point of this
Cape the river runs in a direct line S. by E., and is no where less than
three leagues broad for the distance of fourteen leagues above the Cape,
and there it is contracted to a narrow stream, but continues the same
course through a low flat country, or broad valley, which lies parallel
with the sea coast, and the end of which we could not see. On the east
side of the broad part of this river the land is tolerably high and
hilly; on the west side it is rather low, but the whole is covered with
verdure and wood, and has the appearance of great fertility, though
there were but a few small spots which had been cultivated. At the
entrance of the narrow part of the river the land is covered with
mangroves and other shrubs; but farther, there are immense woods of
perhaps the finest timber in the world, of which some account has
already been given: In several places the wood extends to the very edge
of the water, and where it is at a little distance, the intermediate
space is marshy, like some parts of the banks of the Thames in England:
It is probable that the river contains plenty of fish, for we saw poles
stuck up in many places to set nets for catching them, but of what kinds
I do not know. The greatest depth of water that we found in this river
was six-and-twenty fathom, which gradually decreased to one fathom and a
half: In the mouth of the fresh-water stream it is from four to three
fathom, but there are large flats and sand-banks lying before it. A ship
of moderate draught may, notwithstanding, go a long way up this river
with a flowing tide, for it rises perpendicularly, near ten feet, and at
the full and change of the moon, it is high water about nine o'clock.

Six leagues within Cape Colville, under the eastern shore, are several
small islands, which, together with the main, seem to form good
harbours; and opposite to these islands, under the western shore, lie
other islands, by which it is also probable that good harbours may be
formed: But if there are no harbours about this river, there is good
anchoring in every part of it where the depth of water is sufficient,
for it is defended from the sea by a chain of islands of different
extent, which lie cross the mouth of it, and which I have, for that
reason, called _Barrier Islands_: They stretch N.W. and S.E. ten
leagues. The south end of the chain lies N.E. between two and three
leagues from Cape Colville; and the north end lies N.E. four leagues and
a half from Point Rodney. Point Rodney lies W.N.W. nine leagues from
Cape Colville, in latitude 36 deg.15' S. longitude 184 deg. 53' W.

The natives residing about this river do not appear to be numerous,
considering the great extent of the country. But they are a strong,
well-made, and active people, and all of them paint their bodies with
red ochre and oil from head to foot, which we had not seen before. Their
canoes were large and well-built, and adorned with carving, in as good a
taste as any we had seen upon the coast.

We continued to stand along the shore till night, with the main land on
one side, and islands on the other, and then anchored in a bay, with
fourteen fathom, and a sandy bottom. We had no sooner come to an anchor,
than we tried our lines, and in a short time caught near one hundred
fish, which the people called sea-bream; they weighed from six to eight
pounds a piece, and consequently would supply the whole ship's company
with food for two days. From the success of our lines here, we called
the place _Bream Bay_: The two points that form it lie north and south,
five leagues from each other; it is every where of a good breadth, and
between three and four leagues deep: At the bottom of it there appears
to be a river of fresh water. The north head of the bay, called _Bream
Head_, is high land, and remarkable for several pointed rocks, which
stand in a range upon the top of it: It may also be known by some small
islands which lie before it, called the _Hen and Chickens_, one of which
is high, and terminates in two peaks. It lies in latitude 35 deg.46' S., and
at the distance of seventeen leagues and a half from Cape Colville, in
the direction of N. 41 W.

The land between Point Rodney and Bream Head, an extent of ten leagues,
is low, and wooded in tufts, with white sand-banks between the sea and
the firm lands. We saw no inhabitants, but many fires in the night; and
where there are fires there are always people.

At day break, on the 25th, we left the bay, and steered along the shore
to the northward: We found the variation of the compass to be 12 deg. 49' E.
At noon, our latitude was 35 deg. 36' S., Bream Head bore south, distant ten
miles; and we saw some small islands, to which I gave the name of the
_Poor Knights_, at N.E. by N. distant three leagues; the northernmost
land in sight bore N.N.W.: We were in this place at the distance of two
miles from the shore, and had twenty-six fathom water.

The country appeared low; but well covered with wood: We saw some
straggling houses, three or four fortified towns, and near them a large
quantity of cultivated land.

In the evening, seven large canoes came off to us, with about two
hundred men: Some of them came on board, and said that they had heard of
us. To two of them, who appeared to be chiefs, I gave presents; but when
these were gone out of the ship, the others became exceedingly
troublesome. Some of those in the canoes began to trade, and, according
to their custom, to cheat, by refusing to deliver what had been bought,
after they had received the price: Among these was one who had received
an old pair of black breeches, which, upon a few small shot being fired
at him, he threw into the sea. All the boats soon after paddled off to
some distance, and when they thought they were out of reach, they began
to defy us, by singing their song and brandishing their weapons. We
thought it advisable to intimidate them, as well for their sakes as our
own, and therefore fired first some small arms, and then round shot over
their heads; the last put them in a terrible fright, though they
received no damage, except by overheating themselves in paddling away,
which they did with astonishing expedition.

In the night we had variable light airs; but towards the morning a
breeze sprung up at S. and afterwards at S.E. with which we proceeded
slowly to the northward, along the shore.

Between six and seven o'clock two canoes came off, and told us that they
had heard of yesterday's adventure, notwithstanding which the people
came on board, and traded very quietly and honestly for whatever they
had: Soon after two canoes came off from a more distant part of the
shore; these were of a much larger size, and full of people: When they
came near, they called off the other canoes which were along side of the
ship, and after a short conference they all came up together. The
strangers appeared to be persons of a superior rank; their canoes were
well carved with many ornaments, and they had with them a great variety
of weapons: They had patoo-patoos both of stone and whalebone, upon
which they appeared to set a great value; they had also ribs of whale,
of which we had before seen imitations in wood, carved and adorned with
tufts of dog's hair. Their complexions were browner than those of the
people we had seen to the southward, and their bodies and faces were
more marked with the black stains which they call amoco: They had a
broad spiral on each buttock; and the thighs of many of them were almost
entirely black, some narrow lines only being left untouched, so that at
first sight they appeared to wear striped breeches. With respect to the
amoco, every different tribe seemed to have a different custom, for all
the men in some canoes seemed to be almost covered with it, and those in
others had scarcely a stain, except on the lips, which were black in all
of them without a single exception. These gentlemen, for a long time,
refused to part with any of their weapons, whatever was offered for
them; at last, however, one of them produced a piece of talc, wrought
into the shape of an axe, and agreed to sell it for a piece of cloth:
The cloth was handed over the ship's side, but his honour immediately
put off his canoe with the axe. We had recourse to our usual expedient,
and fired a musket-ball over the canoe, upon which it put back to the
ship, and the piece of cloth was returned; all the boats then went
ashore, without offering any further intercourse.

At noon, the main land extended from S. by E. to N.W. by W. a remarkable
point of land bearing W. distant four or five miles; at three we passed
it, and I gave it the name of Cape Bret, in honour of Sir Piercy. The
land of this Cape is considerably higher than any part of the adjacent
coast: At the point of it is a high round hillock, and N.E. by N. at the
distance of about a mile, is a small high island or rock, which, like
several that have already been described, was perforated quite through,
so as to appear like the arch of a bridge. This Cape, or at least some
part of it, is by the natives called Motugogogo, and it lies in
latitude 35 deg. 10' 30" S. longitude 185 deg. 25' W. On the west side of it is
a large and pretty deep bay, lying in S.W. by W. in which there appeared
to be several small islands: The point that forms the N.W. entrance lies
W. 1/4 N. at the distance of three or four leagues from Cape Bret, and I
distinguished it by the name of Point Pococke. On the west side of the
bay we saw several villages, both upon islands and the main, and several
very large canoes came off to us, full of people, who made a better
appearance than any we had seen yet: They were all stout and well-made;
their hair, which was black, was tied up in a bunch on the crown of
their heads, and stuck with white feathers. In each of the canoes were
two or three chiefs, whose habits were of the best sort of cloth, and
covered with dog's skin, so as to make an agreeable appearance: Most of
these people were marked with the amoco, like those who had been
alongside of us before: Their manner of trading was also equally
fraudulent; and the officers neglecting either to punish or fright them,
one of the midshipmen, who had been defrauded in his bargain, had
recourse for revenge to an expedient which was equally ludicrous and
severe: He got a fishing line, and when the man who had cheated him was
close under the ship's side in his canoe, he heaved the lead with so
good an aim that the hook caught him by the backside; he then pulled the
line, and the man holding back, the hook broke in the shank, and the
beard was left sticking in the flesh.

During the course of this day, though we did not range more than six or
eight leagues of the coast, we had alongside and on board the ship
between four and five hundred of the natives, which is a proof that this
part of the country is well inhabited.

At eight o'clock the next morning we were within a mile of a group of
islands which lie close under the main, at the distance of
two-and-twenty miles from Cape Bret, in the direction of N.W. by W. 1/2
W. At this place, having but little wind, we lay about two hours, during
which time several canoes came off, and sold us some fish, which we
called cavalles, and for that reason I gave the same name to the
islands. These people were very insolent, frequently threatening us,
even while they were selling their fish; and when some more canoes came
up, they began to pelt us with stones. Some small shot were then fired,
and hit one of them while he had a stone in his hand, in the very
action of throwing it into the ship: They did not, however, desist, till
some others had been wounded, and then they went away, and we stood off
to sea.

The wind being directly against us, we kept plying to windward till the
29th, when we had rather lost than gained ground; I therefore bore up
for a bay which lies to the westward of Cape Bret; at this time it was
about two leagues to leeward of us; and at about eleven o'clock we
anchored under the south-west side of one of the many islands which line
it on the south-east, in four fathom and a half water; we shoaled our
water to this depth all at once, and if this had not happened I should
not have come to an anchor so soon. The master was immediately sent out
with two boats to sound, and he soon discovered that we had got upon a
bank, which runs out from the northwest end of the island, and that on
the outside of it there was from eight to ten fathom.

In the mean time the natives, to the number of near four hundred,
crowded upon us in their canoes, and some of them were admitted on
board: To one, who seemed to be a chief, I gave a piece of broad cloth,
and distributed some trifling presents among the rest. I perceived that
some of these people had been about the ship when she was off at sea,
and that they knew the power of our fire-arms, for the very sight of a
gun threw them into manifest confusion: Under this impression they
traded very fairly; but the people in one of the canoes took the
opportunity of our being at dinner to tow away our buoy: A musket was
fired over them, but without effect, we then endeavoured to reach them
with small shot; but they were too far off: By this time they had got
the buoy into their canoe, and we were obliged to fire a musket at them
with ball: This hit one of them, and they immediately threw the buoy
overboard: A round shot was then fired over them, which struck the water
and went ashore. Two or three of the canoes immediately landed their
people, who ran about the beach, as we imagined, in search of the ball.
Tupia called to them, and assured them that while they were honest they
should be safe, and with a little persuasion many of them returned to
the ship, and their behaviour was such as left us no reason to suspect
that they intended to give us any farther trouble.

After the ship was removed into deeper water, and properly secured, I
went with the pinnace and yawl, manned and armed, accompanied by Mr
Banks and Dr Solander, and landed upon the island, which was about three
quarters of a mile distant: We observed that the canoes which were about
the ship, did not follow us upon our leaving her, which we thought a
good sign; but we had no sooner landed than they crowded to different
parts of the island and came on shore. We were in a little cove, and in
a few minutes were surrounded by two or three hundred people, some
rushing from behind the heads of the cove, and others appearing on the
tops of the hills: They were all armed, but they came on in so confused
and straggling a manner that we scarcely suspected they meant us any
harm, and we were determined that hostilities should not begin on our
part. We marched towards them, and then drew a line upon the sand
between them and us, which we gave them to understand they were not to
pass: At first they continued quiet, but their weapons were held ready
to strike, and they seemed to be rather irresolute than peaceable. While
we remained in this state of suspence, another party of Indians came up,
and now growing more bold as their number increased, they began the
dance and song which are their preludes to a battle: Still, however,
they delayed the attack, but a party ran to each of our boats, and
attempted to draw them on shore; this seemed to be the signal, for the
people about us at the same time began to press in upon our line: Our
situation was now become too critical for us to remain longer inactive,
I therefore discharged my musket, which was loaded with small shot, at
one of the forwardest, and Mr Banks and two of the men fired immediately
afterwards: This made them fall back in some confusion, but one of the
chiefs, who was at the distance of about twenty yards, rallied them, and
running forward waving his patoo-patoo, and calling loudly to his
companions, led them to the charge. Dr Solander, whose piece was not yet
discharged, fired at this champion, who stopped short upon feeling the
shot, and then ran away with the rest: They did not, however, disperse,
but got together upon a rising ground, and seemed only to want some
leader of resolution to renew their attack. As they were now beyond the
reach of small shot, we fired with ball, but as none of them took place
they still continued in a body, and in this situation we remained about
a quarter of an hour: In the mean time the ship, from whence a much
greater number of Indians were seen than could be discovered in our
situation, brought her broad-side to bear, and entirely dispersed them,
by firing a few shot over their heads. In this skirmish only two of the
Indians were hurt with the small-shot, and not a single life was lost,
which would not have been the case if I had not restrained the men, who,
either from fear or the love of mischief, shewed as much impatience to
destroy them as a sportsman to kill his game.[64] When we were in quiet
possession of our cove, we laid down our arms and began to gather
celery, which grew here in great plenty: After a little time we
recollected to have seen some of the people hide themselves in a cave of
one of the rocks, we therefore went towards the place, when an old
Indian, who proved to be the chief that I had presented with a piece of
broad-cloth in the morning, came out with his wife and his brother, and
in a supplicating posture, put themselves under our protection. We spoke
kindly to them, and the old man then told us that he had another
brother, who was one of those that had been wounded by the small shot,
and enquired with much solicitude and concern if he would die. We
assured him that he would not, and at the same time put into his hand
both a musket-ball and some small shot, telling him, that those only who
were wounded with the ball would die, and that the others would recover;
at the same time assuring him, that if we were attacked again, we should
certainly defend ourselves with the ball, which would wound them
mortally. Having now taken courage, they came and sat down by us, and,
as tokens of our perfect amity, we made them presents of such trifles as
we happened to have about us.

[Footnote 64: This is a very candid admission, and quite characteristic
of the ordinary race of sailors. They who freely expose their own lives,
as a principle of professional expediency, are not by any means
solicitously sparing of the lives of others, who may happen to disagree
with them on questions of interest and advantage. Even the inferior
officers, and especially those who wish to attract notice in whatever is
reputable, as the means of obtaining promotion, do not in general differ
essentially from the common men. The ingenious midshipman who contrived
so very dexterously to hook the poor savage's backside, would have had
very little difficulty in bringing himself to act the sportsman as a
hunter or shooter as well as a fisher. Indeed there seems much stronger
evidence than mere imagination can supply, for the opinion of Hobbes,
that war is the state of nature to mankind. It is certain at least, that
the love of mischief is very congenial to that part of it, which, on the
whole, receives the least modification of what is natural, from the
restraints of education. The darling dreams of Rousseau, alas! have no
prototype in the history of our species.--E.]

Soon after we re-embarked in our boats, and having rowed to another cove
in the same island, climbed a neighbouring hill, which commanded the
country to a considerable distance. The prospect was very uncommon and
romantic, consisting of innumerable islands, which formed as many
harbours, where the water was as smooth as a mill-pool: We saw also many
towns, scattered houses, and plantations, the country being much more
populous than any we had seen. One of the towns was very near us, from
which many of the Indians advanced, taking great pains to shew us that
they were unarmed, and in their gestures and countenances, expressing
great meekness and humility. In the mean time, some of our people, who,
when the Indians were to be punished for a fraud, assumed the inexorable
justice of a Lycurgus, thought fit to break into one of their
plantations, and dig up some potatoes: For this offence I ordered each
of them to be punished with twelve lashes, after which two of them were
discharged; but the third, insisting that it was no crime in an
Englishman to plunder an Indian plantation, though it was a crime in an
Indian to defraud an Englishman of a nail, I ordered him back into his
confinement, from which I would not release him till he had received six
lashes more.

On the 30th, there being a dead calm, and no probability of our getting
to sea, I sent the master, with two boats; to sound the harbour; and all
the forenoon had several canoes about the ship, who traded in a very
fair and friendly manner. In the evening we went ashore upon the main,
where the people received us very cordially; but we found nothing worthy
of notice.

In this bay we were detained by contrary winds and calms several days,
during which time our intercourse with the natives was continued in the
most peaceable and friendly manner, they being frequently about the
ship; and we ashore, both upon the islands and the main. In one of our
visits to the continent, an old man shewed us the instrument they use in
staining their bodies, which exactly resembled those that were employed
for the same purpose at Otaheite. We saw also the man who was wounded in
attempting to steal our buoy: The ball had passed through the fleshy
part of his arm, and grazed his breast; but the wound, under the care of
nature, the best surgeon, and a simple diet, the best nurse, was in a
good state, and seemed to give the patient neither pain nor
apprehension.[65] We saw also the brother of our old chief, who had been
wounded with small shot in our skirmish: They had struck his thigh
obliquely, and though several of them were still in the flesh, the wound
seemed to be attended with neither danger nor pain. We found among their
plantations the _morus papyrifera_, of which these people, as well as
those of Otaheite, make cloth; but here the plant seems to be rare, and
we saw no pieces of the cloth large enough for any use but to wear by
way of ornament in their ears.

[Footnote 65: Dr Hawkesworth is much given to this silly sort of cant,
more gratifying to vulgar prejudice, than becoming a scholar, or a man
of science. One knows not how to show its absurdity better than, by
merely directing the reader to consider for a moment, the things that
are put in contrast or compared together. If he cannot be at the trouble
of this, or, if attempting it, he finds his optics will not penetrate
the mist, let him ask himself whether dame Nature is a good setter of
bones, or is very expert in stopping dangerous bleedings from wounded
arteries;--or if a simple diet, say for example hasty-pudding and
water-gruel, personified by any fertility of poetic fancy, can smooth
one's pillow when his head aches, or bathe one's body when burning with
fever? No good surgeon _pretends_ to heal wounded parts, but he _is_
positively useful nevertheless, by placing them so as to render the
efforts of nature efficient towards healing: And no nurse, however
conceited, ever had the least inclination to be stewed down into jelly,
or made a fricasee of, for the nourishment of her patient, though she
can _help_ him to his candle and wine very delectably! But, to be sure,
where a wound gave neither pain nor apprehension, as is mentioned in the
text, it is very likely, that both nature and diet are quite different
beings from what are so called in our corner of the world. If so, Dr H.
ought to have given their history, as a _genus incognitum_. But this is
idle.--E.]