_The Discovery of an Island called Wateeoo.--Its Coasts
examined.--Visits from the Natives on board the Ships.--Mess. Gore,
Barney, and Anderson, with Omai, sent on Shore.--Mr Anderson's Narrative
of their Reception.--Omai's Expedient to prevent their being
detained.--His meeting with some of his Countrymen, and their
distressful Voyage.--Farther Account of Wateeoo, and of its
Inhabitants_.
After leaving Mangeea, on the afternoon of the 30th of March, we
continued our course northward, all that night, and till noon on the
31st; when we again saw land, in the direction of N.E. by N., distant
eight or ten leagues.
Next morning, at eight o'clock, we had got abreast of its north end,
within four leagues of it, but to leeward; and could now pronounce it to
be an island, nearly of the same appearance and extent with that we had
so lately left. At the same time, another island, but much smaller, was
seen right ahead. We could have soon reached this; but the largest one
had the preference, as most likely to furnish a supply of food for the
cattle, of which we began to be in great want.
With this view I determined to work up to it; but as there was but
little wind, and that little was unfavourable, we were still two leagues
to leeward at eight o'clock the following morning. Soon after, I sent
two armed boats from the Resolution, and one from the Discovery, under
the command of Lieutenant Gore, to look for anchoring-ground, and a
landing-place. In the mean time, we plyed up under the island with the
ships.
Just as the boats were putting off, we observed several single canoes
coming from the shore. They went first to the Discovery, she being the
nearest ship. It was not long after, when three of these canoes came
along-side of the Resolution, each conducted by one man. They are long
and narrow, and supported by outriggers. The stern is elevated about
three or four feet, something like a ship's stern-post. The head is flat
above, but prow-like below, and turns down at the extremity, like the
end of a violin. Some knives, beads, and other trifles were conveyed to
our visitors; and they gave us a few cocoa-nuts, upon our asking for
them. But they did not part with them by way of exchange for what they
had received from us. For they seemed to have no idea of bartering; nor
did they appear to estimate any of our presents at a high rate.
With a little persuasion, one of them made his canoe fast to the ship,
and came on board; and the other two, encouraged by his example, soon
followed him. Their whole behaviour marked that they were quite at their
ease, and felt no sort of apprehension of our detaining, or using them
ill.
After their departure, another canoe arrived, conducted by a man who
brought a bunch of plantains as a present to me; asking for me by name,
having learnt it from Omai, who was sent before us in the boat with Mr
Gore. In return for this civility, I gave him an axe, and a piece of red
cloth; and he paddled back to the shore well satisfied. I afterward
understood from Omai, that this present had been sent from the king, or
principal chief of the island.
Not long after, a double canoe, in which were twelve men, came toward
us. As they drew near the ship, they recited some words in concert, by
way of chorus,[151] one of their number first standing up, and giving
the word before each repetition. When they had finished their solemn
chant, they came along-side, and asked for the chief. As soon as I
shewed myself, a pig and a few cocoa-nuts were conveyed up into the
ship; and the principal person in the canoe made me an additional
present of a piece of matting, as soon as he and his companions got on
board.
[Footnote 151: Something like this ceremony was performed by the
inhabitants of the Marquesas, when Captain Cook visited them in 1774. It
is curious to observe, at what immense distances this mode of receiving
strangers prevails. Padillo, who sailed from Manilla in 1710, on a
voyage to discover the Palaos Islands, was thus received there. The
writer of the relation of his voyage says, "Aussitot qu'ils approcherent
de notre bord, ils se mirent à chanter. Ils regloient la cadence, en
frappant des mains sur leurs cuisses."--_Lettres Edifiantes &
Curieuses_, tom. xv. p. 323.--D.]
Our visitors were conducted into the cabin, and to other parts of the
ship. Some objects seemed to strike them with a degree of surprise; but
nothing fixed their attention for a moment. They were afraid to come
near the cows and horses; nor did they form the least conception of
their nature. But the sheep and goats did not surpass the limits of
their ideas; for they gave us to understand, that they knew them to be
birds. It will appear rather incredible, that human ignorance could ever
make so strange a mistake; there not being the most distant similitude
between a sheep or goat, and any winged animal. But these people seemed
to know nothing of the existence of any other land-animals, besides
hogs, dogs, and birds. Our sheep and goats, they could see, were very
different creatures from the two first, and therefore they inferred,
that they must belong to the latter class, in which they knew there is a
considerable variety of species.[152] I made a present to my new friend
of what I thought might be most acceptable to him; but, on his going
away, he seemed rather disappointed than pleased. I afterward understood
that he was very desirous of obtaining a dog, of which animal this
island could not boast, though its inhabitants knew that the race
existed in other islands of their ocean. Captain Clerke had received the
like present, with the same view, from another man, who met with from
him the like disappointment.
[Footnote 152: "I would add," says Mr Stewart, in his Elements of the
Phil, of Hum. Mind, p. 154, 2d ed., "I would add to Cook's very
judicious remarks, that the mistake of these islanders probably did not
arise from their considering a sheep or a goat as bearing a more
striking resemblance to a bird, than to the two classes of quadrupeds
with which they were acquainted; but to the want of a generic word, such
as _quadruped_, comprehending these two species; which men in their
situation would no more be led to form, than a person, who had only seen
one individual of each species, would think of an appellation to express
both, instead of applying a proper name to each. In consequence of the
variety of birds, it appears that they had a generic name comprehending
all of them, to which it was not unnatural for them to refer any new
animal they met with."--This solution is very specious, but when
narrowly examined, will be found to rest on two suppositions not
altogether borne out by evidence, and also to be liable to yield a
conclusion not readily reconcileable with all the circumstances of the
case. In the first place, it is not proved that these islanders had no
generic word to comprehend the two species of quadrupeds with which they
were acquainted; and the reason given for their want of it, which, after
all, is merely a probable one, cannot be allowed much force. Its
weakness will appear from the consideration, that men in their
situation, having certainly an idea of number, must, according to Mr
S.'s own principles stated in the next page, have possessed the power of
attending separately to the things which their senses had presented to
them in a state of union, and have found it necessary to apply to all
of them one common name, or, in other words, "to have reduced them all
to the same genus." It is requisite, therefore, for the validity of Mr
S.'s reason, to shew that these islanders either were not able to
distinguish betwixt their hogs and dogs, or had never numbered them
together, which it is quite impossible to credit. Even the case of the
person who had seen only one individual of each species, which Mr S.
conceives similar to that we are considering, may be argued against in
the same manner, and besides this, will be found not analogous. The
reason is plain. He may or may not have been able, from a solitary
observation, to infer that the distinction he noticed betwixt them was a
radical difference, or, in the language of the schoolmen, was essential:
Whereas the islanders, from the constancy of the differences they
observed, must have been necessitated to form a classification of the
objects, the result of which would be, the use of one term for the
common properties or the resemblance, and two words for the comprehended
individuals. In the second place, it cannot otherwise be made appear,
that these islanders had a generic name comprehending the variety of
birds with which they were acquainted, than on such principles of
reasoning as we have now been considering, the proper inference from
which, as we have seen, is destructive of the foundation of Mr S.'s
solution. Here, it may be remarked, it is somewhat unfortunate that we
cannot depend implicitly on Captain Cook's account as to the words in
which the islanders conveyed the notions we have been commenting on;
because, as the reader will find at the end of this section, these
people, who, whatever rank they may be allowed to hold as logicians,
were at all events very dexterous thieves, stole the memorandum book in
which Mr Anderson had recorded a specimen of their language. But
admitting Mr S.'s suppositions, it then may be shewn, that not only the
sheep and the goats, but also the horses and cows, considered, in the
words of Mr S., as _new animals_, would have been referred by these
islanders to the same genus, and therefore considered as birds. The
circumstance of their greater size, or, indeed, any other discernible
difference, cannot here be pleaded as exceptive, without in reality
abandoning the principles on which the solution is constructed. On the
whole, perhaps, it may seem more correct to imagine, that these
islanders were struck with some fanciful and distant resemblance to
certain birds they were acquainted with, from which they hastily
inferred identity of nature, notwithstanding some very visible
discrepancies; whereas the remarkable dissimilarity betwixt the new
quadrupeds and those they were previously acquainted with, impressed
their minds with the notion of complete contrariety. In other words,
they concluded, from the unlikeness, that these animals were neither
dogs nor hogs, and, from the resemblance, that they were birds. It is
erroneous to say, with Cook, that there is not the most distant
similitude between a sheep or goat, and any winged animal. For the
classifications adopted in every system of natural history, proceed
upon the discovery of still more remote resemblances among the objects
of the science, than such as may be noticed in the present case; and it
will almost always be found, that there is greater difficulty in
ascertaining differences amongst those objects which are allied, than
similarity amongst those which are unconnected. The facility with which
ideas are associated in the mind, as Mr S. informs us, p. 295, is very
different in different individuals, and "lays the foundation of
remarkable varieties of men both in respect of genius and of character;"
and he elsewhere (p. 291) admits, "that things which have no known
relation to each other are often associated, in consequence of their
producing similar effects on the mind." With respect to the former
remark, the facility, it might be practicable to shew, that, in general,
it is proportioned to the ignorance and imperfect education, of the
individuals, hence children and the female sex (as Mr S. himself
asserts) exhibit most of it; and, in consistency with the latter
observation, we have but to imagine, that some effect having been
produced on the minds of these islanders by the sight of the animals in
question, similar to what they had previously experienced from some bird
or birds which they had occasionally seen, led them to the remarkable
association we have been considering. It would not be very difficult to
intimate how this might have happened, but the length of our note, the
reader may think, is much greater than its importance, and he may prefer
to amuse himself at another time, by following out the investigation.
Let it be our apology for entering on it at all, that it is only by
diligent reflection on such mysterious trains of thought, we can hope to
acquire any just conceptions of the faculties and operations of our own
minds.--E.]
The people in these canoes were in general of a middling size, and not
unlike those of Mangeea; though several were of a blacker cast than any
we saw there. Their hair was tied on the crown of the head, or flowing
loose about the shoulders; and though in some it was of a frizzling
disposition, yet, for the most part, that, as well as the straight sort,
was long. Their features were various, and some of the young men rather
handsome. Like those of Mangeea, they had girdles of glazed cloth, or
fine matting, the ends of which, being brought-betwixt their thighs,
covered the adjoining parts. Ornaments, composed of a sort of broad
grass, stained with red, and strung with berries of the nightshade, were
worn about their necks. Their ears were bored, but not slit; and they
were punctured upon the legs, from, the knee to the heel, which made
them appear as if they wore a kind of boots. They also resembled the
inhabitants of Mangeea in the length of their beards, and, like them,
wore a sort of sandals upon their feet. Their behaviour was frank and
cheerful, with a great deal of good-nature.
At three o'clock in the afternoon, Mr Gore returned with the boat, and
informed me, that he had examined all the west side of the island,
without finding a place where a boat could land, or the ships could
anchor, the shore being every where bounded by a steep coral rock,
against which the sea broke in a dreadful surf. But as the natives
seemed very friendly, and to express a degree of disappointment when
they saw that our people failed in their attempts to land, Mr Gore was
of opinion, that by means of Omai, who could best explain our request,
they might be prevailed upon to bring off to the boats, beyond the surf,
such articles as we most wanted; in particular, the stems of plantain
trees, which make good food for the cattle. Having little or no wind,
the delay of a day or two was not of any moment; and therefore I
determined to try the experiment, and got every thing ready against the
next morning.
Soon after day-break, we observed some canoes coming off to the ships,
and one of them directed its course to the Resolution. In it was a hog,
with some plantains and cocoa nuts, for which the people who brought
them demanded a dog from us, and refused every other thing that we
offered in exchange. One of our gentlemen on board happened to have a
dog and a bitch, which were great nuisances in the ship, and might have
been disposed of on this occasion for a purpose of real utility, by
propagating a race of so useful an animal in this island. But their
owner had no such views, in making them the companions of his voyage.
However, to gratify these people, Omai parted with a favourite dog he
had brought from England; and with this acquisition they departed highly
satisfied.
About ten o'clock, I dispatched Mr Gore with three boats, two from the
Resolution, and one from the Discovery, to try the experiment he had
proposed. And, as I could confide in his diligence and ability, I left
it entirely to himself, to act as, from circumstances, he should judge
to be most proper. Two of the natives, who had been on board,
accompanied him, and Omai went with him in his boat as an interpreter.
The ships being a full league from the island when the boats put off,
and having but little wind, it was noon before we could work up to it.
We then saw our three boats riding at their grapplings, just without the
surf, and a prodigious number of the natives on the shore, abreast of
them. By this we concluded, that Mr Gore, and others of our people, had
landed, and our impatience to know the event may be easily conceived. In
order to observe their motions, and to be ready to give them such
assistance as they might want, and our respective situations would admit
of, I kept as near the shore as was prudent. I was sensible, however,
that the reef was as effectual a barrier between us and our friends who
had landed, and put them as much beyond the reach of our protection, as
if half the circumference of the globe had intervened. But the
islanders, it was probable, did not know this so well as we did. Some of
them, now and then, came off to the ships in their canoes, with a few
cocoa nuts; which they exchanged for whatever was offered to them,
without seeming to give the preference to any particular article.
These occasional visits served to lessen my solicitude about our people
who had landed. Though we could get no information from our visitors,
yet their venturing on board seemed to imply, at least, that their
countrymen on shore had not made an improper use of the confidence put
in them. At length, a little before sun-set, we had the satisfaction of
seeing the boats put off. When they got on board, I found that Mr Gore
himself, Omai, Mr Anderson, and, Mr Burney, were the only persons who
had landed. The transactions of the day were now fully reported to me by
Mr Gore; but Mr Anderson's account of them being very particular, and
including some remarks on the island and its inhabitants, I shall give
it a place here, nearly in his own words.
"We rowed toward a small sandy beach, upon which, and upon the adjacent
rocks, a great number of the natives had assembled; and came to an
anchor within a hundred yards of the reef, which extends about as far,
or a little farther, from the shore. Several of the natives swam off,
bringing cocoa-nuts; and Omai, with their countrymen, whom we had with
us in the boats, made them sensible of our wish to land. But their
attention was taken up, for a little time, by the dog, which had been
carried from the ship, and was just brought on shore, round whom they
flocked with great eagerness. Soon after, two canoes came off; and, to
create a greater confidence in the islanders, we determined to go
unarmed, and run the hazard of being treated well or ill."
"Mr Burney, the first lieutenant of the Discovery, and I went in one
canoe, a little time before the other; and our conductors, watching
attentively the motions of the surf, landed us safely upon the reef. An
islander took hold of each of us, obviously with an intention to support
us in walking, over the rugged rocks, to the beach, where several of the
others met us, holding the green boughs of a species of _Mimosa_ in
their hands, and saluted us by applying their noses to ours."
"We were conducted from the beach by our guides, amidst a great crowd of
people, who flocked with very eager curiosity to look at us; and would
have prevented our proceeding, had not some men, who seemed to have
authority, dealt blows, with little distinction, amongst them, to keep
them off. We were then led up an avenue of cocoa-palms; and soon came to
a number of men, arranged in two rows, armed with clubs, which they held
on their shoulders, much in the manner we rest a musquet. After walking
a little way amongst these, we found a person who seemed a chief,
sitting on the ground cross-legged, cooling himself with a sort of
triangular fan, made from a leaf of the cocoa palm, with a polished
handle, of black wood, fixed to one corner. In his ears were large
bunches of beautiful red feathers, which pointed forward. But he had no
other mark, or ornament, to distinguish him from the rest of the people;
though they all obeyed him with the greatest alacrity. He either
naturally had, or at this time put on, a serious, but not severe
countenance; and we were desired to salute him as he sat, by some people
who seemed of consequence."
"We proceeded still amongst the men armed with clubs, and came to a
second chief, who sat fanning himself, and ornamented as the first. He
was remarkable for his size, and uncommon corpulence, though, to
appearance, not above thirty years of age. In the same manner, we were
conducted to a third chief, who seemed older than the two former, and,
though not so fat as the second, was of a large size. He also was
sitting, and adorned with red feathers; and after saluting him as we had
done the others, he desired us both to sit down, which we were very
willing to do, being pretty well fatigued with walking up, and with the
excessive heat we felt amongst the vast crowd that surrounded us."
"In a few minutes, the people were ordered to separate; and we saw, at
the distance of thirty yards, about twenty young women, ornamented as
the chiefs, with red feathers, engaged in a dance, which they performed
to a slow and serious air, sung by them all. We got up, and went forward
to see them; and though we must have been strange objects to them, they
continued their dance, without paying the least attention to us. They
seemed to be directed by a man who served as a prompter, and mentioned
each motion they were to make. But they never changed the spot, as we do
in dancing, and though their feet were not at rest, this exercise
consisted more in moving the fingers very nimbly, at the same time
holding the hands in a prone position near the face, and now and then
also clapping them together.[153] Their motions and songs were performed
in such exact concert, that it should seem they had been taught with
great care; and probably they were selected for this ceremony, as few of
those whom we saw in the crowd equalled them in beauty. In general, they
were rather stout than slender, with black hair flowing in ringlets down
the neck, and of an olive complexion. Their features were rather fuller
than what we allow to perfect beauties, and much alike; but their eyes
were of a deep black, and each countenance expressed a degree of
complacency and modesty, peculiar to the sex in every part of the world,
but perhaps more conspicuous here, where Nature presented us with her
productions in the fullest perfection, unbiassed in sentiment by custom,
or unrestrained in manner by art. Their shape and limbs were elegantly
formed. For, as their dress consisted only of a piece of glazed cloth
fastened about the waist, and scarcely reaching so low as the knees, in
many we had an opportunity of observing every part. This dance was not
finished, when we heard a noise, as if some horses had been galloping
toward us; and, on looking aside, we saw the people armed with clubs,
who had been desired, as we supposed, to entertain us with the sight of
their manner of fighting. This they now did, one party pursuing another
who fled."
[Footnote 153: The dances of the inhabitants of the Caroline Islands
have a great resemblance to those here described. See Lettres Edif. et
Curieuses, tom. xv. p. 315. See also, in the same volume, p. 207, what
is said of the singing and dancing of the inhabitants of the Palaos
Islands, which belong to the same group.--D.]
"As we supposed the ceremony of being introduced to the chiefs was at an
end, we began to look about for Mr Gore and Omai; and, though the crowd
would hardly suffer us to move, we at length found them coming up, as
much incommoded by the number of people as we had been, and introduced
in the same manner to the three chiefs, whose names were Otteroo, Taroa,
and Fatouweera. Each of these expected a present; and Mr Gore gave them
such things as he had brought with him from the ship, for that purpose.
After this, making use of Omai as his interpreter, he informed the
chiefs with what intention we had come on shore; but was given to
understand, that he must wait till the next day, and then he should have
what was wanted."
"They now seemed to take some pains to separate us from each other; and
every one of us had his circle to surround and gaze at him. For my own
part, I was, at one time, above an hour apart from my friends; and when
I told the chief, with whom I sat, that I wanted to speak to Omai, he
peremptorily refused my request. At the same time, I found the people
began to steal several trifling things which I had in my pocket; and
when I took the liberty of complaining to the chief of this treatment,
he justified it. From these circumstances, I now entertained
apprehensions, that they might have formed the design of detaining us
amongst them. They did not, indeed, seem to be of a disposition so
savage, as to make us anxious for the safety of our persons; but it was,
nevertheless, vexing to think we had hazarded being detained by their
curiosity. In this situation, I asked for something to eat; and they
readily brought to me some cocoa-nuts, bread-fruit, and a sort of sour
pudding; which was presented by a woman. And on my complaining much of
the heat, occasioned by the crowd, the chief himself condescended to fan
me, and gave me a small piece of cloth, which he had round his waist."
"Mr Burney happening to come to the place where I was, I mentioned my
suspicions to him; and, to put it to the test, whether they were
well-founded, we attempted to get to the beach. But we were stopped,
when about halfway, by some men, who told us, that we must go back to
the place which we had left. On coming up, we found Omai entertaining
the same apprehensions. But he had, as he fancied, an additional reason
for being afraid; for he had observed, that they had dug a hole in the
ground for an oven, which they were now heating; and he could assign no
other reason for this, than that they meant to roast and eat us, as is
practised by the inhabitants of New Zealand. Nay, he went so far as to
ask them the question; at which they were greatly surprised, asking, in
return, whether that was a custom with us? Mr Burney and I were rather
angry that they should be thus suspected by him; there having, as yet,
been no appearances, in their conduct toward us, of their being capable
of such brutality."
"In this manner we were detained the greatest part of the day, being
sometimes together, and sometimes separated, but always in a crowd; who,
not satisfied with gazing at us, frequently desired us to uncover part
of our skin; the sight of which commonly produced a general murmur of
admiration. At the same time they did not omit these opportunities of
rifling our pockets; and, at last, one of them snatched a small bayonet
from Mr Gore, which hung in its sheath by his side. This was represented
to the chief, who pretended to send some person in search of it. But, in
all probability, he countenanced the theft; for, soon after, Omai had a
dagger stolen from his side, in the same manner, though he did not miss
it immediately."
"Whether they observed any signs of uneasiness in us, or that they
voluntarily repeated their emblems of friendship when we expressed a
desire to go, I cannot tell; but, at this time, they brought some green
boughs, and, sticking their ends in the ground, desired we might hold
them as we sat. Upon out urging again the business we came upon, they
gave us to understand, that we must stay and eat with them; and a pig
which we saw, soon after, lying near the oven, which they had prepared
and heated, removed Omai's apprehension of being put into it himself;
and made us think it might be intended for our repast. The chief also
promised to send some people to procure food for the cattle; but it was
not till pretty late in the afternoon, that we saw them return with a
few plantain-trees, which they carried to our boats."
"In the mean time, Mr Barney and I attempted again to go to the beach;
but when we arrived, we found ourselves watched by people, who, to
appearance, had been placed there for this purpose. For when I tried to
wade in upon the reef, one of them took hold of my clothes and dragged
me back. I picked up some small pieces of coral, which they required me
to throw down again; and, on my refusal, they made no scruple to take
them forcibly from me. I had gathered some small plants, but these also
I could not be permitted to retain. And they took a fan from Mr Barney,
which he had received as a present on coming ashore. Omai said we had
done wrong in taking up any thing, for it was not the custom here to
permit freedoms of that kind to strangers, till they had, in some
measure, naturalized them to the country, by entertaining them with
festivity for two or three days."
"Finding that the only method of procuring better treatment was to yield
implicit obedience to their will, we went up again to the place we had
left; and they now promised that we should have a canoe to carry us off
to our boats, after we had eaten of a repast which they had prepared for
us."
"Accordingly the second chief, to whom we had been introduced in the
morning, having seated himself upon a low broad stool of blackish hard
wood, tolerably polished, and, directing the multitude to make a pretty
large ring, made us sit down by him. A considerable number of cocoa-nuts
were now brought, and shortly after a long green basket, with a
sufficient quantity of baked plantains to have served a dozen persons. A
piece of the young hog, that had been dressed, was then set before each
of us, of which we were desired to eat. Our appetites, however, had
failed from the fatigue of the day; and though we did eat a little to
please them, it was without satisfaction to ourselves."
"It being now near sun-set, we told them it was time to go on board.
This they allowed, and sent down to the beach the remainder of the
victuals that had been dressed, to be carried with us to the ships. But,
before we set out, Omai was treated with a drink he had been used to in
his own country, which, we observed, was made here, as at other islands
in the South Sea, by chewing the root of a sort of pepper. We found a
canoe ready to put us off to our boats, which the natives did with the
same caution as when we landed. But even here their thievish disposition
did not leave them. For a person of some consequence among them, who
came with us, took an opportunity, just as they were pushing the canoe
into the surf, to snatch a bag out of her, which I had with the greatest
difficulty preserved all day, there being in it a small pocket-pistol,
which I was unwilling to part with. Perceiving him, I called out,
expressing as much displeasure as I could. On which he thought proper to
return, and swim with the bag to the canoe; but he denied he had stolen
it, though detected in the very act. They put us on board our boats,
with the cocoa-nuts, plantains, and other provisions, which they had
brought, and we rowed to the ships, very well pleased that we had at
last got out of the hands of our troublesome masters."
"We regretted much that our restrained situation gave us so little
opportunity of making observations on the country; for, during the whole
day, we were seldom a hundred yards from the place where we were
introduced to the chiefs on landing, and consequently, were confined to
the surrounding objects. The first thing that presented itself, worthy
of our notice, was the number of people, which must have been at least
two thousand. For those who welcomed us on the shore bore no proportion
to the multitude we found amongst the trees, on proceeding a little way
up."
"We could also observe, that, except a few, those we had hitherto seen
on board were of the lower class; for a great number of those we now met
with had a superior dignity in their air, and were of a much whiter
cast. In general, they had the hair tied on the crown of the head, long,
black, and of a most luxuriant growth. Many of the young men were
perfect models in shape, of a complexion as delicate as that of the
women, and, to appearance, of a disposition as amiable. Others, who were
more advanced in years, were corpulent; and all had a remarkable
smoothness of the skin. Their general dress was a piece of cloth, or
mat, wrapped about the waist, and covering the parts which modesty
conceals. But some had pieces of mats, most curiously varied with black
and white, made into a sort of jacket without sleeves; and others wore
conical caps of cocoa-nut core, neatly interwoven with small beads, made
of a shelly substance. Their ears were pierced; and in them they hung
bits of the membranous part of some plant, or stuck there an odoriferous
flower, which seemed to be a species of _gardenia_. Some, who were of a
superior class, and also the chiefs, had two little balls, with a common
base, made from the bone of some animal, which was hung round the neck,
with a great many folds of small cord. And after the ceremony of
introduction to the chiefs was over, they then appeared without their
red feathers, which are certainly considered here as a particular mark
of distinction, for none but themselves, and the young women who danced,
assumed them."
"Some of the men were punctured all over the sides and back in an
uncommon manner; and some of the women had the same ornament on their
legs. But this method was confined to those who seemed to be of a
superior rank; and the men, in that case, were also generally
distinguished by their size and corpulence, unless very young. The women
of an advanced age had their hair cropped short; and many were cut in
oblique lines all over the fore-part of the body; and some of the
wounds, which formed rhomboidal figures, had been so lately inflicted,
that the coagulated blood still remained in them."
"The wife of one of the chiefs appeared with her child, laid in a piece
of red cloth, which had been presented to her husband, and seemed to
carry it with great tenderness, suckling it much after the manner of our
women. Another chief introduced his daughter, who was young and
beautiful, but appeared with all the timidity natural to the sex, though
she gazed on us with a kind of anxious concern, that seemed to struggle
with her fear, and to express her astonishment at so unusual a sight.
Others advanced with more firmness, and indeed were less reserved than
we expected, but behaved with a becoming modesty. We did not observe any
personal deformities amongst either sex, except in a few who had scars
of broad superficial ulcers remaining on the face and other parts. In
proportion to the number of people assembled, there appeared not many
old men or women; which may easily be accounted for, by supposing that
such as were in an advanced period of life, might neither have the
inclination nor the ability to come from the more distant parts of the
island. On the other hand, the children were numerous; and both these
and the men climbed the trees to look at us when we were hid by the
surrounding crowd."
"About a third part of the men were armed with clubs and spears; and
probably these were only the persons who had come from a distance, as
many of them had small baskets, mats, and other things, fastened to the
ends of their weapons. The clubs were generally about six feet long,
made of a hard black wood, lance-shaped at the end, but much broader,
with the edge nicely scolloped, and the whole neatly polished. Others of
them were narrower at the point, much shorter, and plain; and some were
even so small as to be used with one hand. The spears were made of the
same wood, simply pointed, and, in general, above twelve feet long;
though some were so short that they seemed intended to be thrown as
darts."
"The place where we were all the day was under the shade of various
trees, in which they preserved their canoes from the sun. About eight or
ten of them were here, all double ones, that is, two single ones
fastened together (as is usual throughout the whole extent of the
Pacific Ocean) by rafters lashed across. They were about twenty feet
long, about four feet deep, and the sides rounded with a plank raised
upon them, which was fastened strongly by means of withes. Two of these
canoes were most curiously stained, or painted, all over with black, in
numberless small figures, as squares, triangles, &c. and excelled by far
any thing of that kind I had ever seen at any other island in this
ocean. Our friends here, indeed, seemed to have exerted more skill in
doing this than in puncturing their own bodies. The paddles were about
four feet long, nearly elliptical, but broader at the upper end than the
middle. Near the same place was a hut or shed, about thirty feet long,
and nine or ten high, in which, perhaps, these boats are built; but at
this time it was empty."
"The greatest number of the trees around us were _cocoa-palms_, some
sorts of _hibiscus_, a species of _euphorbia_, and, toward the sea,
abundance of the same kind of trees we had seen at Mangeea Nooe
Nainaiwa, and which seemed to surround the shores of the island in the
same manner. They are tall and slender, not much unlike a cypress, but
with bunches of long, round, articulated leaves. The natives call them
_etoa_. On the ground we saw some grass, a species of _convolvulus_, and
a good deal of _treacle-mustard_. There are also, doubtless, other
fruit-trees and useful plants which we did not see; for, besides several
sorts of _plantains_, they brought, at different times, roots which they
call _taro_, (the _coccos_ of other countries,) a bread-fruit, and a
basket of roasted nuts, of a kidney shape, in taste like a chesnut, but
coarser."
"What the soil of the island may be farther inland we could not tell,
but toward the sea it is nothing more than a bank of coral, ten or
twelve feet high, steep and rugged, except where there are small sandy
beaches at some clefts, where the ascent is gradual. The coral, though
it has probably been exposed to the weather for many centuries, has
undergone no farther change than becoming black on the surface, which,
from its irregularity, is not much unlike large masses of a burnt
substance. But, on breaking some pieces off, we found that, at the depth
of two or three inches, it was just as fresh as the pieces that had been
lately thrown upon the beach by the waves. The reef, or rock, that lines
the shore entirely, runs to different breadths into the sea, where it
ends all at once, and becomes like a high, steep wall. It is nearly even
with the surface of the water, and of a brown or brick colour; but the
texture is rather porous, yet sufficient to withstand the washing of the
surf which continually breaks upon it."
Though the landing of our gentlemen proved the means of enriching my
journal with the foregoing particulars, the principal object I had in
view was, in a great measure, unattained; for the day was spent without
getting any one thing from the island worth mentioning. The natives,
however, were gratified with a sight they never before had, and
probably will never have again. And mere curiosity seems to have been
their chief motive for keeping the gentlemen under such restraint, and
for using every art to prolong their continuance amongst them.
It has been mentioned that Omai was sent upon this expedition; and
perhaps his being Mr Gore's interpreter was not the only service he
performed this day. He was asked by the natives a great many questions
concerning us, our ships, our country, and the sort of arms we used;
and, according to the account he gave me, his answers were not a little
upon the marvellous. As, for instance, he told them that our country had
ships as large as their island, on board which were instruments of war
(describing our guns) of such dimensions that several people might sit
within them, and that one of them was sufficient to crush the whole
island at one shot. This led them to enquire of him what sort of guns we
actually had in our two ships. He said, that though they were but small
in comparison with those he had just described, yet, with such as they
were, we could, with the greatest ease, and at the distance the ships
were from the shore, destroy the island, and kill every soul in it. They
persevered in their enquiries, to know by what means this could be done;
and Omai explained the matter as well as he could. He happened luckily
to have a few cartridges in his pocket. These he produced; the balls,
and the gunpowder which was to set them in motion, were submitted to
inspection; and, to supply the defects of his description, an appeal was
made to the senses of the spectators. It has been mentioned above, that
one of the chiefs had ordered the multitude to form themselves into a
circle. This furnished Omai with a convenient stage for his exhibition.
In the centre of this amphitheatre, the inconsiderable quantity of
gunpowder collected from his cartridges was properly disposed upon the
ground, and, by means of a bit of burning wood from the oven, where
dinner was dressing, set on fire. The sudden blast and loud report, the
mingled flame and smoke, that instantly succeeded, now filled the whole
assembly with astonishment. They no longer doubted the tremendous power
of our weapons, and gave full credit to all that Omai had said.
If it had not been for the terrible ideas they conceived of the guns of
our ships, from this specimen of their mode of operation, it was thought
that they would have detained the gentlemen all night. For Omai assured
them, that if he and his companions did not return on board the same
day, they might expect that I would fire upon the island. And as we
stood in nearer the land in the evening, than we had done any time
before, of which position of the ships they were observed to take great
notice, they probably thought we were meditating this formidable attack,
and, therefore, suffered their guests to depart; under the expectation,
however, of seeing them again on shore next morning. But I was too
sensible of the risk they had already run, to think of a repetition of
the experiment.
This day, it seems, was destined to give Omai more occasions than one of
being brought forward to bear a principal part in its transactions. The
island, though never before visited by Europeans, actually happened to
have other strangers residing in it; and it was entirely owing to Omai's
being one of Mr Gore's attendants, that this curious circumstance came
to our knowledge.
Scarcely had he been landed upon the beach, when he found, amongst the
crowd there assembled, three of his own countrymen, natives of the
Society Islands. At the distance of about 200 leagues from those
islands, an immense, unknown ocean intervening, with such wretched
sea-boats as their inhabitants are known to make use of, and fit only
for a passage where sight of land is scarcely ever lost, such a meeting,
at such a place, so accidentally visited by us, may well be looked upon
as one of those unexpected situations with which the writers of feigned
adventures love to surprise their readers, and which, when they really
happen in common life, deserve to be recorded for their singularity.
It may easily be guessed with what mutual surprise and satisfaction Omai
and his countrymen engaged in conversation. Their story, as related by
them, is an affecting one. About twenty persons in number, of both
sexes, had embarked on board a canoe at Otaheite, to cross over to the
neighbouring island Ulietea. A violent contrary wind arising, they could
neither reach the latter nor get back to the former. Their intended
passage being a very short one, their stock of provisions was scanty,
and soon exhausted. The hardships they suffered, while driven along by
the storm they knew not whither, are not to be conceived. They passed
many days without having any thing to eat or drink. Their numbers
gradually diminished, worn out by famine and fatigue. Four men only
survived when the canoe overset, and then the perdition of this small
remnant seemed inevitable. However, they kept hanging by the side of
their vessel during some of the last days, till Providence brought them
in sight of the people of this island, who immediately sent out canoes,
took them off their wreck, and brought them ashore. Of the four who were
thus saved, one was since dead. The other three, who lived to have this
opportunity of giving an account of their almost miraculous
transplantation, spoke highly of the kind treatment they here met with.
And so well satisfied were they with their situation, that they refused
the offer made to them by our gentlemen, at Omai's request, of giving
them a passage on board our ships, to restore them to their native
islands. The similarity of manners and language had more than
naturalized them to this spot; and the fresh connexions which they had
here formed, and which it would have been painful to have broken off
after such a length of time, sufficiently account for their declining to
revisit the places of their birth. They had arrived upon this island at
least twelve years ago. For I learnt from Mr Anderson, that he found
they knew nothing of Captain Wallis's visit to Otaheite in 1765, nor of
several other memorable occurrences, such as the conquest of Ulietea by
those of Bolabola, which had preceded the arrival of the Europeans. To
Mr Anderson I am also indebted for their names, Orououte, Otirreroa, and
Tavee; the first born at Matavai in Otaheite, the second at Ulietea, and
the third at Huaheine.
The landing of our gentlemen on this island, though they failed in the
object of it, cannot but be considered as a very fortunate circumstance.
It has proved, as we have seen, the means of bringing to our knowledge a
matter of fact, not only very curious, but very instructive. The
application of the above narrative is obvious. It will serve to explain,
better than a thousand conjectures of speculative reasoners, how the
detached parts of the earth, and, in particular, how the islands of the
South Sea, may have been first peopled, especially those that lie remote
from any inhabited continent, or from each other.[154]
[Footnote 154: Such accidents as this here related, probably happen
frequently in the Pacific Ocean. In 1696, two canoes, having on board
thirty persons of both sexes, were driven by contrary winds and
tempestuous weather on the isle of Samal, one of the Philippines, after
being tossed about at sea seventy days, and having performed a voyage
from an island called by them Arnorsot, 300 leagues to the E. of Samal.
Five of the number who had embarked died of the hardships suffered
during this extraordinary passage. See a particular account of them, and
of the islands they belonged to, in Lettres Edifiantes et Curieuses,
tom. xv. from p. 196 to p. 215. In the same volume, from p. 282 to p.
320, we have the relation of a similar adventure in 1721, when two
canoes, one containing twenty-four, and the other six, persons, men,
women, and children, were driven from an island they called Farroilep,
northward to the Isle of Guam, or Guahan, one of the Ladrones or
Mariannes. But these had not sailed so far as their countrymen who
reached Samal, as above, and they had been at sea only twenty days.
There seems to be no reason to doubt the general authenticity of these
two relations. The information contained in the Letters of the Jesuits
about these islands, now known under the name of the Carolines, and
discovered to the Spaniards by the arrival of the canoes at Samal and
Guam, has been adopted by all our later writers. See President de
Brosse's Voyages aux Terres Australes, tom. ii. from p. 443 to p. 490.
See also the Modern Universal History.--D.]
This island is called Wateeoo by the natives. It lies in the latitude of
20° 1' S. and in the longitude 201° 45' E., and is about six leagues in
circumference. It is a beautiful spot, with a surface composed of hills
and plains, and covered with verdure of many hues. Our gentlemen found
the soil, where they passed the day, to be light and sandy. But farther
up the country, a different sort perhaps prevails, as we saw from the
ship, by the help of our glasses, a reddish cast upon the rising
grounds. There the inhabitants have their houses; for we could perceive
two or three, which were long and spacious. Its produce, with the
addition of hogs, we found to be the same as at the last island we had
visited, which the people of this, to whom we pointed out its position,
called Owhavarouah, a name so different from Mangeea Nooe Nainaiwa,
which we learnt from its own inhabitants, that it is highly probably
Owhavarouah is another island.
From the circumstances already mentioned, it appears that Wateeoo can be
of little use to any ship that wants refreshment, unless in a case of
the most absolute necessity. The natives, knowing now the value of some
of our commodities, might be induced to bring off fruits and hogs to a
ship standing off and on, or to boats lying off the reef, as ours did.
It is doubtful, however, if any fresh water could be procured; for,
though some was brought in cocoa-nut shells to the gentlemen, they were
told that it was at a considerable distance; and, probably, it is only
to be met with in some stagnant pool, as no running stream was any where
seen.
According to Omai's report of what he learnt in conversation with his
three countrymen, the manners of these islanders, their method of
treating strangers, and their general habits of life, are much like
those that prevail at Otaheite, and its neighbouring isles. Their
religious ceremonies and opinions are also nearly the same. For, upon
seeing one man who was painted all over of a deep black colour, and
enquiring the reason, our gentlemen were told that he had lately been
paying the last good offices to a deceased friend; and they found, that
it was upon similar occasions the women cut themselves, as already
mentioned. From, every circumstance, indeed, it is indubitable, that the
natives of Wateeoo sprung originally from the same stock, which hath
spread itself so wonderfully all over the immense extent of the South
Sea. One would suppose, however, that they put in their claim to a more
illustrious extraction; for Omai assured us, that they dignified their
island with the appellation of _Wenooa no te Eatooa_, that is, A land of
gods; esteeming themselves a sort of divinities, and possessed with the
spirit of the Eatooa. This wild enthusiastic notion Omai seemed much to
approve of, telling us there were instances of its being entertained at
Otaheite, but that it was universally prevalent amongst the inhabitants
of Mataia, or Osnaburg Island.
The language spoken at Wateeoo was equally well understood by Omai, and
by our two New Zealanders. What its peculiarities may be, when compared
with the other dialects, I am not able to point out; for, though Mr
Anderson had taken care to note down a specimen of it, the natives, who
made no distinction of the objects of their theft, stole the memorandum
book.