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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The people here brought us out several human bones, the flesh of which
they had eaten, and offered them to sale; for the curiosity of those
among us who had purchased them as memorials of the horrid practice,
which many, notwithstanding the reports of travellers, have professed
not to believe, had rendered them a kind of article of trade. In one
part of this village we observed, not without some surprise, a cross
exactly like that of a crucifix; it was adorned with feathers, and upon
our enquiring for what purpose it had been set up, we were told that it
was a monument for a man who was dead: We had before understood that
their dead were not buried, but thrown into the sea; but to our enquiry
how the body of the man had been disposed of, to whose memory this cross
had been erected, they refused to answer.

When we left these people, we went to the other end of the island, and
there taking water, crossed over to the main, where we saw several
houses but no inhabitants, except a few in some straggling canoes, that
seemed to be fishing. After viewing this place, we returned on board the
ship to dinner.

During our visit to the Indians this day, Tupia being always of our
party, they had been observed to be continually talking of guns, and
shooting people: For this subject of their conversation we could not at
all account; and it had so much engaged our attention, that we talked of
it all the way back, and even after we got on board the ship: We had
perplexed ourselves with various conjectures, which were all given up in
their turn; but now we learnt, that on the 21st one of our officers,
upon pretence of going out to fish, had rowed up to the Hippah, and that
two or three canoes coming off towards his boat, his fears suggested
that an attack was intended, in consequence of which three muskets were
fired, one with small shot, and two with ball, at the Indians, who
retired with the utmost precipitation, having probably come out with
friendly intentions, for such their behaviour both before and afterwards
expressed, and having no reason to expect such treatment from people who
had always behaved to them not only with humanity, but kindness, and to
whom they were not conscious of having given offence.

On the 25th, I made another excursion along the coast, in the pinnace,
towards the mouth of the inlet, accompanied by Mr Banks and Dr Solander,
and going on shore at a little cove, to shoot shags, we fell in with a
large family of Indians, whose custom it is to disperse themselves among
the different creeks and coves, where fish is to be procured in the
greatest plenty, leaving a few only in the Hippah, to which the rest
repair in times of danger. Some of these people came out a good way to
meet us, and gave us an invitation to go with them to the rest of their
party, which, we readily accepted. We found a company of about thirty,
men, women, and children, who received us with all possible
demonstrations of friendship: We distributed among them a few ribbands
and beads, and in return, received the kisses and embraces of both
sexes, both young and old: They gave us also some fish, and after a
little time we returned, much pleased with our new acquaintance.

In the morning of the 26th, I went again out in the boat, with Mr Banks
and Dr Solander, and entered one of the bays, which lie on the east side
of the inlet, in order to get another sight of the streight, which
passed between the eastern and western seas. For this purpose, having
landed at a convenient place, we climbed a hill of a very considerable
height, from which we had a full view of it, with the land on the
opposite shore, which we judged to be about four leagues distant; but as
it was hazy in the horizon, we could not see far to the south-east: I
resolved however to search the passage with the ship, as soon as I
should put to sea. Upon the top of this hill we found a parcel of loose
stones, with which we erected a pyramid, and left in it some
musket-balls, small shot, beads, and other things, which we happened to
have about us, that were likely to stand the test of time, and not being
of Indian workmanship, would convince any European who should come to
the place and pull it down, that other natives of Europe had been there
before him. When this was done we descended the hill, and made a
comfortable meal of the shags and fish which our guns and lines had
procured us, and which were dressed by the boat's crew in a place that
we had appointed: In this place we found another Indian family, who
received us, as usual, with strong expressions of kindness and pleasure,
shewing us where to procure water, and doing us such other good offices
as were in their power. From this place we went to the town, of which
the Indians had told us, who visited us on the 19th: This, like that
which we had seen before, was built upon a small island or rock, so
difficult of access, that we gratified our curiosity at the risk of our
necks. The Indians here also received us with open arms, carried us to
every part of the place, and shewed us all that it contained: This town,
like the other, consisted of between eighty and an hundred houses, and
had only one fighting-stage. We happened to have with us a few nails and
ribbands, and some paper, with which our guests were so gratified, that
at our coming away they filled our boat with dried fish, of which we
perceived they had laid up great quantities.

The 27th and 28th were spent in refitting the ship for the sea, fixing a
transom for the tiller, getting stones on board to put into the bottom
of the bread-room, to bring the ship more by the stern, in repairing the
casks, and catching fish.

On the 29th, we received a visit from our old man, whose name we found
to be _Topaa_, and three other natives, with whom Tupia had much
conversation. The old man told us, that one of the men who had been
fired upon by the officer who had visited their Hippah, under pretence
of fishing, was dead; but to my great comfort I afterwards discovered
that this report was not true, and that if Topaa's discourses were taken
literally, they would frequently lead us into mistakes. Mr Banks and Dr
Solander were several times on shore during the last two or three days,
not without success, but greatly circumscribed in their walks by
climbers of a most luxuriant growth, which were so interwoven together,
as to fill up the space between the trees about which they grew, and
render the woods altogether impassable. This day also I went on shore
again myself, upon the western, point of the inlet, and from a hill of
considerable height, I had a view of the coast to the N.W. The farthest
land I could see in that quarter, was an island which has been mentioned
before, at the distance of about ten leagues, lying not far from the
main: Between this island and the place where I stood, I discovered,
close under the shore, several other islands, forming many bays, in
which there appeared to be good anchorage for shipping. After I had set
off the different points for my survey, I erected another pile of
stones, in which I left a piece of silver coin, with some musket-balls
and beads, and a piece of an old pendant flying on the top. In my return
to the ship, I made a visit to several of the natives, whom I saw along
the shore, and purchased a small quantity of fish.

On the 30th, early in the morning, I sent a boat to one of the islands
for celery, and while the people were gathering it, about twenty of the
natives, men, women, and children, landed near some empty huts: As soon
as they were on shore, five or six of the women sat down, upon the
ground together, and began to cut their legs, arms, and faces, with
shells, and sharp pieces of talc or jasper, in a terrible manner. Our
people understood that their husbands had lately been killed by their
enemies; but while they were performing this horrid ceremony, the men
set about repairing the huts, with the utmost negligence and unconcern.
The carpenter having prepared two posts to be left as memorials of our
having visited this place, I ordered them to be inscribed with the
ship's name, and the year and month; one of them I set up at the
watering-place, hoisting the union flag upon the top of it; and the
other I carried over to the island that lies nearest to the sea, called
by the natives _Motuara_. I went first to the village or Hippah,
accompanied by Mr Monkhouse and Tupia, where I met with our old man, and
told him and several others, by means of Tupia, that we were come to set
up a mark upon the island, in order to show to any other ship which
should happen to come thither, that we had been there before. To this
they readily consented, and promised that they never would pull it down:
I then gave something to every one present; and to the old man I gave a
silver threepence, dated 1736, and some spike nails, with the king's
broad arrow cut deep upon them; things which I thought most likely to
remain long among them: I then took the post to the highest part of the
island, and after fixing it firmly in the ground, I hoisted upon it the
union-flag, and honoured this inlet with the name of _Queen Charlotte's
Sound_, at the same time taking formal possession of this and the
adjacent country, in the name and for the use of his majesty King George
the Third. We then drank a bottle of wine to her majesty's health, and
gave the bottle to the old man who had attended us up the hill, and who
was mightily delighted with his present.

While the post was setting up, we enquired of the old man concerning the
passage into the eastern sea, the existence of which he confirmed; and
then asked him about the land to the S.W. of the streight, where we were
then situated: This land, he said, consisted of two Whennuas or islands,
which might be circumnavigated in a few days, and which he called _Tovy
Poenammoo_; the literal translation of this word is, "the water of green
talc:" and probably, if we had understood him better, we should have
found that Tovy Poenammoo was the name of some particular place where
they got the green talc or stone of which they make their ornaments and
tools, and not a general name for the whole southern district: He said,
there was also a third Whennua, on the east side of the streight, the
circumnavigation of which would take up many moons: This he called
_Eaheinomauwe_; and to the lands on the borders of the streight he gave
the name of _Tiera Witte_. Having set up our post, and procured this
intelligence, we returned on board the ship, and brought the old man
with us, who was attended by his canoe, in which, after dinner, he
returned home.

On the 31st, having completed our wooding, and filled all our water
casks, I sent out two parties, one to cut and make brooms, and another
to catch fish. In the evening, we had a strong gale from the N.W. with
such a heavy rain, that our little wild musicians on shore suspended
their song, which till now we had constantly heard during the night,
with a pleasure which it was impossible to lose without regret.

On the 1st, the gale increased to a storm, with heavy gusts from the
high land, one of which broke the hawser, that we had fastened to the
shore, and obliged us to let go another anchor. Towards midnight, the
gale became more moderate, but the rain continued with such violence,
that the brook which had supplied us with water overflowed its banks,
and carried away ten small casks which had been left there full of
water, and notwithstanding we searched the whole cove, we could never
recover one of them.

On the 3d, as I intended to sail the first opportunity, I went over to
the Hippah on the east side of the Sound, and purchased a considerable
quantity of split and half-dried fish, for sea stores. The people here
confirmed all that the old man had told us concerning the streight and
the country, and about noon I took leave of them: Some of them seemed to
be sorry, and others glad that we were going: The fish which I bought
they sold freely, but there were some who shewed manifest signs of
disapprobation. As we returned to the ship, some of us made an excursion
along the shore to the northward, to traffic with the natives for a
farther supply of fish; in which, however, they had no great success. In
the evening, we got every thing off from the shore, as I intended to
sail in the morning, but the wind would not permit.

On the 4th, while we were waiting for a wind, we amused ourselves by
fishing, and gathering shells and seeds of various kinds; and early in
the morning of the 5th, we cast off the hawser, hove short on the bower,
and carried the kedge-anchor out in order to warp the ship out of the
cove, which having done about two o clock in the afternoon, we hove up
the anchor and got under sail; but the wind soon failing, we were
obliged to come to an anchor again a little above Motuara. When we were
under sail, our old man Topaa came on board to take his leave of us, and
as we were still desirous of making farther enquiries whether any memory
of Tasman had been preserved among these people, Tupia was directed to
ask him whether he had ever heard that such a vessel as ours had before
visited the country. To this he replied in the negative, but said, that
his ancestors had told him there had once come to this place a small
vessel, from a distant country, called _Ulimaroa_, in which were four
men, who, upon their coming on shore, were all killed: Upon being asked
where this distant land lay, he pointed to the northward. Of Ulimaroa we
had heard something before from the people about the Bay of Islands, who
said that their ancestors had visited it; and Tupia had also talked to
us of Ulimaroa, concerning which he had some confused traditionary
notions, not very different from those of our old man, so that we could
draw no certain conclusion from the accounts of either.

Soon after the ship came to an anchor the second time, Mr Banks and Dr
Solander went on shore, to see if any gleanings of natural knowledge
remained, and by accident fell in with the most agreeable Indian family
they had seen, which afforded them a better opportunity of remarking the
personal subordination among these people, than had before offered. The
principal persons were a widow, and a pretty boy about ten years old:
The widow was mourning for her husband with tears of blood, according to
their custom, and the child, by the death of its father, was become
proprietor of the land where we had cut our wood. The mother and the son
were sitting upon matts, and the rest of the family, to the number of
sixteen or seventeen, of both sexes, sat round them in the open air, for
they did not appear to have any house, or other shelter from the
weather, the inclemencies of which, custom has probably enabled them to
endure without any lasting inconvenience. Their whole behaviour was
affable, obliging, and unsuspicious; they presented each person with
fish, and a brand of fire to dress it, and pressed them many times to
stay till the morning, which they would certainly have done if they had
not expected the ship to sail, greatly regretting that they had not
become acquainted with them sooner, as they made no doubt but that more
knowledge of the manners and disposition of the inhabitants of this
country would have been obtained from them in a day, than they had yet
been able to acquire during our whole stay upon the coast.

On the 6th, about six o'clock in the morning, a light breeze sprung up
at north, and we again got under sail, but the wind proving variable, we
reached no farther than just without Motuara; in the afternoon, however,
a more steady gale at N. by W. set us clear of the Sound, which I shall
now describe.

The entrance of Queen Charlotte's Sound is situated in latitude 41 deg. S.
longitude 184 deg. 45' W. and near the middle of the south-west side of the
streight in which it lies. The land of the south-east head of the Sound,
called by the natives _Koamaroo_, off which lie two small islands and
some rocks, makes the narrowest part of the streight. From the
north-west head a reef of rocks runs out about two miles, in the
direction of N.E. by N.; part of which is above the water, and part
below. By this account of the heads, the Sound will be sufficiently
known: At the entrance, it is three leagues broad, and lies in S.W. by
S.S.W. and W.S.W. at least ten leagues, and is a collection of some of
the finest harbours in the world, as will appear from the plan, which is
laid down with all the accuracy that time and circumstances would admit.
The land forming the harbour or cove in which we lay, is called by the
natives _Totarranue_: The harbour itself, which I called _Ship Cove_, is
not inferior to any in the Sound, either for convenience or safety: It
lies on the west side of the Sound, and is the southermost of three
coves, that are situated within the island of Motuara, which bears east
of it. Ship Cove may be entered, either between Motuara and a long
island, called by the natives _Hamote_, or between Motuara and the
western shore. In the last of these channels are two ledges of rocks,
three fathom under water, which may easily be known by the sea-weed that
grows upon them. In sailing either in or out of the Sound, with little
wind, attention must be had to the tides, which flow about nine or ten
o'clock at the fall and change of the moon, and rise and fall between
seven and eight feet perpendicularly. The flood comes in through the
streight from the S.E. and sets strongly over upon the north-west head,
and the reef that lies off it: The ebb sets with still greater rapidity
to the S.E. over upon the rocks and islands that lie off the south-east
head. The variation of the compass we found from good observation to be
13 deg. 5' E.

The land about this Sound, which is of such a height that we saw it at
the distance of twenty leagues, consists wholly of high hills and deep
vallies, well stored with a variety of excellent timber, fit for all
purposes except masts, for which it is too hard and heavy. The sea
abounds with a variety of fish, so that without going out of the cove
where we lay, we caught every day, with the seine and hooks and lines, a
quantity sufficient to serve the whole ship's company: And along the
shore we found plenty of shags, and a few other species of wild-fowl,
which those who have long lived upon salt provisions will not think
despicable food.

The number of inhabitants scarcely exceeds four hundred, and they live
dispersed along the shores, where their food, consisting of fish and
fern roots, is most easily procured; for we saw no cultivated ground.
Upon any appearance of danger, they retire to their Hippahs, or forts;
in this situation we found them, and in this situation they continued
for some time after our arrival. In comparison of the inhabitants of
other parts of this country, they are poor, and their canoes are without
ornament; the little traffic we had with them was wholly for fish, and
indeed they had scarcely any thing else to dispose of. They seemed,
however, to have some knowledge of iron, which the inhabitants of some
other parts had not; for they willingly took nails for their fish, and
sometimes seemed to prefer it to every thing else that we could offer,
which had not always been the case. They were at first very fond of
paper; but when they found that it was spoiled by being wet, they would
not take it: Neither did they set much value upon the cloth of Otaheite;
but English broad-cloth, and red kersey, were in high estimation; which
shewed that they had sense enough to appreciate the commodities which we
offered by their use, which is more than could be said of some of their
neighbours, who made a much better appearance. Their dress has been
mentioned already, particularly their large round head-dresses of
feathers, which were far from being unbecoming.

As soon as we got out of the Sound I stood over to the eastward, in
order to get the streight well open before the tide of ebb came on. At
seven in the evening, the two small islands which lie off Cape Koamaroo,
the south-east head of Queen Charlotte's Sound, bore east, distant about
four miles: At this time it was nearly calm, and the tide of ebb setting
out, we were, in a very short time, carried by the rapidity of the
stream close upon one of the islands, which was a rock rising almost
perpendicularly out of the sea: We perceived our danger increase every
moment, and had but one expedient to prevent our being dashed to pieces,
the success of which a few minutes would determine. We were now within
little more than a cable's length of the rock, and had more than
seventy-five fathom water; but upon dropping an anchor, and veering
about one hundred and fifty fathom of cable, the ship was happily
brought up: This, however, would not have saved us, if the tide which
set S. by E. had not, upon meeting with the island, changed its
direction to S.E. and carried us beyond the first point. In this
situation, we were not above two cables' length, from the rocks; and
here we remained in the strength of the tide, which set to the S.E.
after the rate of at least five miles an hour, from a little after seven
till near midnight, when the tide abated, and we began to heave. By
three in the morning the anchor was at the bows, and having a light
breeze at N.W. we made sail for the eastern shore; but the tide being
against us, we made but little way: The wind however afterwards
freshened, and came to N. and N.E. with which, and the tide of ebb, we
were in a short time hurried through the narrowest part of the straight,
and then stood away for the southermost land we had in sight, which bore
from us S. by W. Over this land appeared a mountain of stupendous
height, which was covered with snow.

The narrowest part of the streight, through which we had been driven
with such rapidity, lies between Cape Tierawitte, on the coast of
Eaheinomawe, and Cape Koamaroo: The distance between them I judged to be
between four or five leagues, and notwithstanding the tide, now its
strength is known, may be passed without much danger. It is however
safest to keep on the north-east shore, for on that side there appeared
to be nothing to fear; but on the other shore there are not only the
islands and rocks which lie off Cape Koamaroo, but a reef of rocks
stretching from these islands six or seven miles to the southward, at
the distance of two or three miles from the shore, which I had
discovered from the hill when I took my second view of the streight from
the east to the western sea. The length of the streight we had passed I
shall not pretend to assign, but some judgment may be formed of it from
a view of the chart.

About nine leagues north from Cape Tierawitte, and under the same shore,
is a high and remarkable island which may be distinctly seen from Queen
Charlotte's Sound, from which it is distant about six or seven leagues.
This island, which was noticed when we passed it on the 14th of January,
I have called _Entry Isle_.

On the east side of Cape Tierawitte, the land trends away S.E. by E.
about eight leagues, where it ends in a point, and is the southermost
land on Eaheinomawe. To this point I have given the name of _Cape
Palliser_, in honour of my worthy friend Captain Palliser. It lies in
latitude 41 deg. 34,' S. longitude 183 deg. 56' W. and bore from us this day at
noon S. 79 E. distant about thirteen leagues, the ship being then in the
latitude of 41 deg. 27' S.; Koamaroo at the same time bearing N. 1/2 E.
distant seven or eight leagues. The southermost land in sight bore S. 16
W. and the snowy mountain S.W. At this time we were about three leagues
from the shore, and abreast of a deep bay or inlet, to which I gave the
name of _Cloudy Bay_, and at the bottom of which there appeared low land
covered with tall trees.

At three o'clock in the afternoon we were abreast of the southermost
point of land that we had seen at noon, which I called Cape Campbell; it
lies S. by W. distant between twelve and thirteen leagues from Cape
Koamaroo, in latitude 41 deg. 44' S. longitude 185 deg. 45' W.; and with Cape
Palliser forms the southern entrance of the streight, the distance
between them being between thirteen and fourteen leagues W. by S. and E.
by N.

From this cape we steered along the shore S.W. by S. till eight o'clock
in the evening, when the wind died away. About half an hour afterwards,
however, a fresh breeze sprung up at S.W. and I put the ship right
before it. My reason for this was a notion which some of the officers
had just started, that Eaheinomauwe was not an island, and that the
land might stretch away to the S.E. from between Cape Turnagain and Cape
Palliser, there being a space of between twelve and fifteen leagues that
we had not seen. I had indeed the strongest conviction that they were
mistaken, not only from what I had seen the first time I discovered the
streight, but from many other concurrent testimonies that the land in
question was an island; but being resolved to leave no possibility of
doubt with respect to an object of such importance, I took the
opportunity of the wind's shifting, to stand eastward, and accordingly
steered N.E. by E. all the night. At nine o'clock in the morning we were
abreast of Cape Palliser, and found the land trend away N.E. towards
Cape Turnagain, which I reckoned to be distant about twenty-six leagues:
However, as the weather was hazy, so as to prevent our seeing above four
or five leagues, I still kept standing to the N.E. with a light breeze
at south; and at noon Cape Palliser bore N. 72 W. distant about three
leagues.