AH^ m \r 1^ ..^ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I 11.25 £f U£ |2.0 Uteb iiiSi u 1^ HiotDgraphic .Sciences Corporatioii 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. MSSO (716) t72-4S03 k A ^/ .♦* C v\ ^^5^ ;\ i. o i^/<> ^S CIHM/ICMH Microfiche Series. CIHM/ICMH Collection de microfiches. Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions / Institut Canadian de microreproductions historiques Technical and Bibliographic Notas/Notaa tachniquas at bibliographiquaa Tha Inatituta haa attamptad to obtain tha baat original copy availabia for filming. Faaturaa of thia copy which may ba bibllographically uniqua, which may altar any of tha imagaa In tha raproductlon, or which may aignificantly changa tha uaual mathod of filming, ara chaeicad balow. D D D D D Colourad covara/ Couvartura da coulaur I I Covara damagad/ Couvartura andommagte Covara raatorad and/or iaminatad/ Couvartura raataurte at/ou palllculAa Covar titia mlaaing/ La titra da couvartura manqua I I Colourad mapa/ Cartaa gtographiquaa an coulaur Colourad ink (i.a. othar than blua or black)/ Encra da coulaur (i.a. autra qua blaua ou noira) I I Colourad plataa and/or llluatrationa/ n Planchaa at/ou llluatrationa an coulaur Bound with othar matarial/ RaliA avac d'autraa documanta Tight binding may cauaa ahadowa or diatortlon along intarior margin/ La re llura aarrAa paut cauaar da I'ombra ou da la diatortlon la long da la marga IntAriaura Blank laavaa addad during raatoration may appear within tha text. Whenever poaaibla, tlieaa have been omitted from filming/ II ae peut que certalnaa pagea blanchaa ajoutiaa lore d'une reatauration apparaiaaent dana la texte, mala, loraque cela Atait poaaible, cea pagea n'ont pea At* filmtea. Additional commanta:/ Commentairea auppltmantairea; L'Inatltut a microf ilmA la mellleur exemplaire qu'il lui a AtA poaaible de ae procurer. Lea d4tal(<« da cat exemplaire qui aont peut-#tre uniquea du point de vue bibliogrephique, qui peuvent modifier une image reprodulte, ou qui peuvent exiger une modification dana la mithode normale de fllmage aont indiquAa cl-deaaoua. The tot D D D D B D D n Coloured pagea/ Pagea da coulaur Pagea damaged/ Pagea andommagtea Pagea reatored and/or laminated/ Pagea reataurAea at/ou palllculAea Pagea diacoloured, atainad or foxed/ Pagea dteoiortea, tachattea ou piqutea Pagea detached/ Pagea d^tachtea Showthrough/ Tranaparence Quality of print variaa/ Quality inAgale de I'impreaaion Includea auppiamentary material/ Comprend du matiriel auppMmantaire Only edition available/ Seuie Mition diaponible Pagea wholly or partially obacured by errata alipa, tiaauea, etc., have been ref limed to enaure the beat poaaible Image/ Lea pagea totalement ou partiellement obacurclea par un fauillet d'errata, une pelure, etc., ont 4tA filmtea A nouveau de fapon d obtenir la meiileure Image poaaible. The poa oft film Ori( beg the alor oth( firal alor or 11 The ahal TINI whii Mai dlff< enti begl righ requ met Thia item la filmed at the reduction ratio checked below/ Ce document eat film* au taux de reduction indiqu* ci-deaaoua. 10X 14X itx 22X 2BX 30X 1 / • 12X 16X aox MX 2tt( 32X lire d«tail« Lias du modifier l«r une filmag* Aes re The copy filmed here hat been reproduced thanica to the generosity of: Nationai Library of Canada The images appearing here are the best quality possible considering the condition and legibility of the original copy and in keeping with the filming contract specifications. Original copies in printed paper covers are filmed beginning with the front cover and ending on the last page with a printed or illustrated impres- sion, or the bacic cover when appropriate. All other original copies are filmed beginning on the first page with a printed or illustrated impres- sion, and ending on the last page with a printed or illustrated impression. The last recorded frame on each microfiche shall contain the symbol —^►(meaning. "CON- TINUED"), or the symbol V (meaning "END"), whichever applies. IMaps, plates, charts, etc., may be filmed at different reduction ratios. Those too large to be entirely included in one exposure are filmed beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to right and top to bottom, as many frames as required. The following diagrams illustrate the method: L'exemplaire film* fut reproduit grice A la gAnArositA de: BibliothAque nationaie du Canada Las images suivantes ont At4 reproduites avec le plus grand soin, compte tenu de la condition et de la nettet* de rexemplaire film*, et en conformity avec les conditions du contrat de fllmage. Les exemplaires originaux dont la couverture en papier est imprimte sont filmfo en commengant par le premier plat et en terminant soit par la dernlAre page qui comporte una empreinte d'impression ou d'iliustration, solt par le second plat, salon le cas. Tous les autres exemplaires originaux sont fiimto en commen9ant par la premiAre page qui comporte une empreinte d'impression ou d'iliustration et en terminant par la dernlAre page qui comporte une telle empreinte. Un des symboles suivants apparaltra sur la dernlAre image de cheque microfiche, selon le cas: le symbols — ► signifie "A SUIVRE", le symbols V signifie "FIN". Les cartas, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent Atre filmto A des taux de reduction diff Arents. Lorsque le documf^rit est trop grand pour Atre reproduit en un seul clichA, il est film* A partir da Tangle supArieur gauche, de gauche d droite, et de haut en baa, en prenant le nombre d'images nAcessaire. Les diagrammes suivants iilustrent la mAthode. i errata id to It le pelure, pon A n 32X 1 2 3 4 5 6 ''•Si)'*jr- ■-•'>mWffl^:^^ '^%i Mr "W »*■- *.*' J*^ f^. o * ..*« ■' • # o NEW VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD, IN THE YEARS 1823, 24, 25, AND 26. >. ' < ffl I s <5 BY OTTO VON KOTZEBUE, POST CAPTAIN IN THE RUSSIAN IMPERIAL NAVY. IN TWO VOLUMES. VOL. I. LONDON: HENRY COLBURN AND RICHARD BENTLEY, NEW BURLINGTON STREET. 1830. V y LoyoON: , PBIKTBD BIT SAMUEL BSITTLET, Dorsift Street, Fleet Street. TO HIS EXCELLENCY ADMIRAL VON KRUSENSTERN. THE FIRST RUSSIAK CIRCUMKAVIOATOR ; WHOSE NAME WILL BE IMMORTALIZED BY HIS ACTiN E AND BENEFICIAL PATRONAGE OF THE NAUTICAL SCIENCE: TO MY PATERNAL FRIEND, WHOM, WHILE STILL A BOY, I ACCOMPANIED ON HIS CELEBRATED EXPEDITION, AND UNDER WHOSE AUSPICES I RECEIVED MY EARLY EDUCATION AS A SEAMAN; THESE VOLUMES ARE DEDICATED WITH THE MOST AFFECTIONATE RESPECT. PREFACE. The flattering requisitions of those readers who found amusement in the narrative of my former voyage, independently of its scientific details, form an incentive to my present publi- cation. All mere nautical minutiae, which might be deemed tedious, with the exception of such as were indispensable, have been omitted. Va- rious contingencies have delav -'d the appearance of these Volumes ; but I si \f hope they will not have altogether lost the charm of novelty. With respect to my style, I rely upon the favour formerly shewn me. Devoted from my earliest youth to the sea-service, I have had no leisure for cultivating the art of authorship. - \ CONTENTS THE FIRST VOLUME. INTRODUCTION VOYAOK TO BRAZIL RIO-JANRIRO Page. 1 • • • . . 5 .27 1X)UBLIN0 OP CAPE HORN, AND RK8IDBNCE IN CHI^' 57 THE DANGEROUS ARCBIPELAOO . . 101 <*''^»AiTi 219 PITCAIRN ISLAND . . 225 navigators' ISLANDS .... 26] RAOACK ISLANDS . ggc) ) V- V c c N r.rST OF PLATES. Ueception of Captain Kotzebue at the Island of Otdia/'"' 1 Ian of Matana Bay and Village Chart of the Navigators' Islands Chart of the Islands of Radak and Kalik Nomahanna, Queen of the Sandwich Island,, To face Title of Vol. II. 200 251 389 -^ •.-i^. INTRODUCTION. In the month of March of the year 1823, I was appointed by his Imperial Majesty Alex- ander the First, of glorious memory, to the command of a ship, at that time unfinished, but named the Predpriatie (the Enterprise). She had been at first destined for a voyage pure- ly scientific, but circumstances having occur- red which rendered it necessary to change the object of the expedition, I was ordered to take in at Kronstadt a cargo to Kamschaika, and to sail from the latter place to the north- west coast of America, in order to protect the Russian American Company from the smug- gling carried on there by foreign traders. On this station my ship was to remain for one year, VOL. I. B INTRODUCTION. and then, being relieved by another, to return to Kronstadt. The course to be followed, both in going and returning, was left entirely to my own discretion. On the first of May, the ship, whose Russian name, Predpriatie, I shall for the future omit, was declared complete. She was the first vessel built in Russia under a roof, (a very excellent plan,) was the size of a frigate of a middling rank, and, that she might not be unnecessarily burdened, was provided with only twenty-four six-pounders. , v My crew consisted of Lieutenants Kordin- kofF, Korsakoff, Bordoschewitsch, and Pfeifer ; the Midshipmen Gekimoff, Alexander von Hol- ler, Golowin, Count Heiden, Tschekin, Mura- wieff, Wukotitsch, and Paul von MoUer ; the Mates, GrigoriefF, Gekimoff, and Simokoff, eight petty officers, and one hundred and fifteen sailors. We were accompanied by Professors Eschscholz and Lenz as Naturalists ; Messrs. Preus and Hoffman as Astronomer and Miner- alogist ; and Messrs. Victor and von Siegwald as Chaplain and Physician ; so that, in all, we reckoned one hundred and forty-five persons. INTRODUCTION. We were richly stored with astronomical and other scientific instruments : we possessed two pendulum apparatus, and a theodolite made expressly for our expedition by the celebrated Reichenbach. This valuable instrument was executed with wonderful precision, and was of the greatest use in our astronomical observa- tions on shore. In June the ship arrived at Kronstadt, and on the 14th of July (old style, according to which all reckonings will be made in this voy- age,) she lay in the harbour fully equipped and ready to sail. On that day the cannon of the fortress and of the fleet in the roads announced the arrival of the Emperor, whom we had the pleasure of receiving on board our vessel. His Majesty, after a close examination of the ship, honoured us by the assurance of his impe- rial satisfaction ; the sailors received a sum of money, and I and my officers a written expres- sion of thanks. With the gracious cordiality peculiar to him, the amiable monarch wished us a happy voy- age, and retired followed by our enthusiastic blessings. b2 ^ pi # INTRODUCTION. 1 We did not then anticipate that we had seen him for the last time. On our return, his lofty spirit had ascended to the regions of bliss : from whence he looks down on his beloved brother, rejoicing to be even surpassed by him in the virtues of a sovereign. ■ii --/t, LI '•.;;;:•;/•■ :-i::^X..^,'A'^y^ ^'r*:w\r,'Ml-'^ 't^.'-/': : . J&-ih ' "MW{- '' 5'y*t''^j' ' "M^;?k- " .0 ■■i-;'-5X'i*^5':-/ ii'i had seen his lofty ss: from brother, n in the ,.; i VOYAGE TO BRAZIL. VOYAGE TO BRAZIL. We remained in the roads of Kronstadt till the 28th of July, when, after a painful part- ing from a beloved and affectionate wife, the wind proving favourable, I gave the order to weigh anchor. - , ^ . ; The whole crew was in high spirits, and full of hope : the task of weighing anchor and aeU ting sail was executed with alertness and rapi- dity ; and as the ship began her course, cutting the foaming billows, the men joyfully embraced each other, and with loud huzzas expressed their hearty wishes for the success of our under- taking. To me this scene was highly gratify- ing. Such a disposition in a crew towards an enterprise from which toils and dangers must be I Hi !|:f^ ji.-! wy /' n A STORM. anticipated, afforded a satisfactory presumption that their courage and spirits would not fail when they should be really called into exercise. With a good ship and a cheerful crew the suc- cess of a voyage is almost certain. We fired a salute of seven guns, in reply to the farewell from the fortress of Kronstudt, and, the wind blowing fresh, soon lost sight of its towers. As far as Gothland all went well, and nothing disturbed the general cheerfulness ; but here a sudd(:n storm from the west attacked us so un- expectedly as scarcely to give time for the necessary precautions. Tossed to and fro by the swelling and boisterous waves, I was not, I must confess, altogether free from anxiety. \^Mth a new and untried ship, and men some- what out of practice, a first storm is naturally attended by many causes of disquiet not after- wards so seriously felt. In the present instance, however, these untoward circumstances were rather productive of the ludicrous than the terrific ; and whatever might be my solicitude as commander, I experienced but little sym- pathy from my officers. The strength and extent of the motion to which we were about ITS EFFECTS. 9 to be exposed had not been duly estimated, and the moveable articles in the cabins were generally ill secured. This was particularly the case in the state -cabin, occupied by twen- ty persons: not a table or a chair would re- main in its place; every thing rolling about in its own stupid way, in defiance of all rule and order. The frolicsome young officers were de- lighted with the confusion ; and even our sea- sick men of science could not refrain from laughter when a well-fed pig, which, disturbed by the inconvenience, had taken refuge on the hatchway, ventured from thence to intrude itself among them by a spring through the open window, and looked around in pitiable amaze- ment on finding that, amidst the general cla- mour, repose was no more attainable in a state- cabin than in its own humble abode. I was meanwhile occupied in narrowly observing the vessel that was to bear us through so many and long-enduring difficulties. Amidst the conflict of the elements, a commander becomes acquainted with his ship, as in the storms of life we learn duly to appreciate our friends. I weighed the defects of mine against its good qualities, and B 5 ^\ 10 STORM ABATES. rejoiced that the latter had greatly the prepon- derance. She was a friend on whom I might rely in case of need. Such a conviction is ne- cessary to the captain : through it alone can his actions acquire the decision and certainty so indispensable in time of danger, and so essential to success. In the course of four-and-twenty hours the storm abated ; a favourable wind again swelled our sails, and we enjoyed it doubly after the little troubles we had undergone. At daybreak on the 8th of August we left the island of Bomholm, and found ourselves surrounded by a Russian fleet cruising under the command of Admiral Crown. This meeting with our countrymen was an agreeable surprise to us: they could carry to our beloved homes the assurance, that thus far at least our voyage had been prosperous. We saluted the Admiral with nine guns, received a similar number in return, and continued our course with full sails. On the 10th of August we anchored opposite the friendly capital of Denmark, where we re- ceived on board the theodolite, which had been prepared for us at Munich by Reichenbach, and sent hither. Before the sun appeared ARRIVE AT PORTSMOUTH. 11 above the horizon on the 12th, we were again under sail, with a good wind and a tranquil sea. The sail along the Danish coast was interesting from its beautiful prospects, and numerous buildings illumined by the morning sun. We passed the Sound the same day, and en- tered the Categat. Here we were visited in the night by another violent storm. The sky, peal- ing with incessant thunder, hung heavy and black above us, and spread a fearful darkness over the sea, broken only by tremendous flashes of light- ning. The electric fluid, in large masses of fire, threatened us momentarily with destruction ; but thanks be to the strong attractive power of the sea, which forms so good a conductor for ships, — without it we had been lost ! In the North Sea our voyage was tedious, from the continuance of contrary winds; and in the English Channel dangerous, from the uninter- rupted fog. We however reached Portsmouth roads in safety on tlie 25th of August. Since it was my intention to double Cape Horn in the best season, namely January or February, it was necessary to lose no time in England. I therefore hastened to London, and 12 THE ENGLISH CHANNRL. ' ;' t It resisting all the allurements offered by the mag- nificence of the capital, immediately procured my charts, chronometers, and astronomical in- struments, and returned on board my ship on the 2d of September, to be in waiting for the first fair wind. The wind however chose, as it often does, to put our patience to the proof. Its perverseness detained us in the roads till the 6th ; and though a temporary change then enabled us to sail, we had scarcely reached Portland point when a strong gale again set in directly in our teeth. The English Channel, on account of its nu- merous shallows and strong irregular currents, is at all times dangerous: vessels overtaken there by storms during the night are in im- minent peril of wreck, and thus every year are great numbers lost. ^ ; v I myself, on my former voyage in the Ru- rik, should have infallibly suffered this fate, bad the day dawned only half an hour later. Warned therefore by experience, I resolved not to trust to the chance of the night ; and fortunately our English pilot, from whom we had not yet parted, was of the same opinion. — AN BNGLISII PILOT. IS This man, who had grown grey in his employ- ment, and v»as perfectly acquainted with these waters, advised oiir immediate return to Ports- mouth, and fhat every effort should be made to reach it before sunset. I therefore had the ship put about, and setting as much sail as the violence of the wind would allow, we fled towards our place of refuge, the storm continually in- creasing. Although we ran pretty quick, we had scarcely got half-way back, before it became so foggy and dark, that the land, which had hither- to been our guide, was no longer discernible. We could not see three hundred fathoms from the ship. The change in our pilot^s counte- nance showed that our situation had become critical. The little, stout, and hitherto phleg- matic fellow became suddenly animated by a new spirit. His black eyes lightened ; he ut- tered several times the well-known English oath which Figaro declares to be " le fond de la langue,''" rubbed his hands violently toge- ther, and at length exclaimed, " Captain ! I should like a glass of grog — Devil take me if I don''t bring you safe into Portsmouth yet !'' His wish was of course instantly complied with. |i THE NEEDLBS. Strengthened and full of courage, he seized the helm, and our destiny depended on his skill. It was now barely possible to reach Ports- mouth with daylight by taking the shortest way through the Needles, -^ narrow strait be- tween the Isle of Wight and the mainland, full of shallows, where even in clear weather a good pilot is necessary. The sun was already • near setting, when an anxious cry from the watch announced the neighbourhood of land, and in the same instant we all perceived, at about a hundred fathoms^ distance, a high fog- enveloped rock, against which the breakers raged furiously. . - » Our pilot recognised it for the western point of the Isle of Wight at the entrance of the Needles, and the danger we were in only ani- mated his spirits. He seized the helm with both hands, and guiding it with admirable dex- terity, the ship flew, amidst the storm, through the narrow and winding channels to which the shallows confined it, .often so close upon the impending rocks, that it seemed scarcely possible to pass them without a fatal collision. ' » A small vessel that had sailed with us for Lu A SHIPWRECK. 15 some time at this moment struck, and was in- stantly swallowed by the waves without a pos- sibility of saving her. This terrible sight, and the consciousness that the next moment might involve us in a similar fate, made every one on board gaze in silent anxiety on the direction we were taking: even the pilot said not a word. The twilight had nearly given way to total darkness when we reached Portsmouth roads ; the joy with which we hailed this haven of safety, and our mutual congratulations on our preservation, may be easily imagined ; our pilot now fell back into his former phlegm, and seat- ing himself with a glass of grog by the fireside, received our thanks and praises with equal in- difference. This equinoctial storm raged itself out during the night, and the first rays of the sun again brought us fine weather and a fair wind, which enabled us once more to quit the English har- bour. In no situation 'are the vicissitudes so striking as those experienced at sea. The wind, which had so lately attacked us with irresisti- ble fierceness, was now become too gentle, and 16 A CALM. we were detained nine days in the Channel by calms, before we could reach the Atlantic Ocean, i JiC.^'r. '" ■ ■ . .i .: i .^i-- "^'^ Here a fresh north wind occasioned near our track the appearance called a water-spout; which consists of a three-cornered mass of foaming water, with the point towards the sea, and the broad upper surface covered with a black cloud. — We now held a southerly course, and after encountering much rough weather, on the 22d of September reached the parallel of Lisbon, where we enjoyed the warmer tempera- ture, and congratulated ourselves on having left behind us the region of storms. We steered straight for the island of TenerifFe, where we intended providing ourselves with wine. A fresh trade- wind carried us rapidly and smooth- ly forward ; the whole crew was in fine health and cheered by one of the most beautiful morn- ings of this climate, when our pleasure in the near prospect of a residence on this charming is- land was most painfully interrupted by the ac- cident of a sailor falling overboard. The ra- pidity with which we were driving before the wind frustrated all our efforts to save him, and ISLAND OF TENBRIFFE. 17 the poor fellow met his death in the waves. Our cheerfulness was now perfectly destroyed ; and my regret for the accident was increased by the fear of the evil impression it might make on the minds of the other men. — Sailors are seldom free from superstition, and if mine should con- sider this misfortune as a bad omen, it might become such in reality by casting down the spi- rits so essential in a long and perhaps dange- rous voyage. A crew tormenting itself with idle fears will never lend that ready obedience to a commander which is necessary for its own preservation. The messmates of the unfortu- nate man continued to gaze mournfully towards the spot where he had sunk, till the sight of land, as we sailed about noon past the small rocky is- land of Salvages, seemed to divert their thoughts from the occurrence ; their former cheerfulness gradually returned, and my apprehensions sub- sided. .' • - ' ' ' V ; This evening the island of Teneriffe became perceptible amidst the mist and clouds which veiled its heights. During the night we reach- ed the high black rocks of lava which form its northern points ; and at break of day I detet- 18 VIEW OF THE TOWN, AND PEAK. mined to tack, in order to run into Santa Cruz, the only place in the island where ships can lie at anchor. The night was stormy, and the high land oc- casioned violent gusts of wind from various di- rections. Towards morning the weather improv- ed, but we found that the current had carried us twenty miles to the south-east.* These strong currents are common here in all seasons, and, to vessels not aware of them, may in dark nights produce injurious consequences. Having now passed the northern promontory, we steered southward for the roads of Santa Cruz. The shore here, consisting of high, steep masses of lava, presents a picturesque but desolate and sterile landscape, amidst which the eye seeks in vain for some spot capable of producing the rich wine of Teneriffe. Upon a point of rock about a thousand feet above the level of the sea, we saw a telegraph in full activity, probably an- nouncing our arrival. The town next came in sight, and with its numerous churches, con- * Namely English miles, of which sixty go to a degree, and four to a German mile. Whenever, in this V'oyage, miles are mentioned, English miles are to be understood. DBSCRIPTION OF THB PEAK. If vents, and handsome houses, rising in an am- phitheatre up the side of a mountain, would have offered a noble and pleasing prospect to eyes accustomed to the monotony of a sea view, but that the majestic Peak, that giant among mountains, rearing in the background its snow-crowned head 13,278 feet above the level of the sea, now stood clear and cloudless before us, enchaining all our faculties, the effect of its appearance i ndered still more striking by the sudden parting of the clouds which had pre- viously concealed it from us. This prodigious conical volcano is from its steepness difficult of- access, and the small crater on the summit is so closely surrounded by a wall of lava, that in some places there is scarcely room to stand. He who is bold enough to climb it, however, will find himself rewarded with one of the finest pro- spects in the world. Immediately beneath him, stretches the entire extent of the Teneriffe, with all its lovely scenery ; round it the other nineteen Canary Islands ; the eye then glances over an im- mense .expanse of waters, beyond which may be descried in the di stance the dark forests of the African coast, and even the yellow stripe 20 APPEARANCE OF HOSTILITY. M which marks the verge of the great Desert. With thoughts full of the enjoyments which awaited us, we approached the town. We planned par- ties to see the country and climb the Peak; and our scientific associates, holding themselves in readiness to land as soon as the boat could be lowered, already rejoiced over the new treasures of mineralogy and botany of which the island seemed to promise so ample a store : meanwhile we had made the usual signal for a pilot ; but having in vain waited his appearance, I resolved, as the road was not altogether unknown to me, to cast anchor without him ; when, just as we had made our preparations, a ball from the fortress struck the water not far from the ship. At the same time we perceived that all was bustle on the walls; the cannons were pointed, the matches lighted, and plenty of Spanish balls were ready for our reception. Our government being at peace with Spain, this hostile conduct was quite unintelligible to us ; but as I had no desire for a battle, I contented myself with drawing off the ship, and lying to beyond the reach of cannon shot, in the hope that a boat would be sent to us with some explanation <■■« SPANISH COWARDICE. of it. After, however, waiting a considerable time in vain, perceiving the continuance of war- like preparations on the walls, we were reluctant- ly obliged to renounce all hopes of visiting the island or the Peak, and to continue our voyage to Brazil, where we might reckon upon a kinder welcome. > Here, then, was an end to all our promised pleasures. The enrichment of our museum, the merry parties and the choice wine all for- feited to a simple misunderstanding! What- ever might be their motive, it was an incon- siderate action in the Spaniards wantonly to insult the Russian flag ; and even if they mis- took us for enemies, it was silly to be afraid of a single ship, considering that the renowned Nelson, with an English fleet, had found the fortifications impregnable. t After a few miles' sail we perceived a large three-masted ship endeavouring, with the wind against her, to reach the roads of Santa Cruz. We steered towards her, in hopes that we might obtain some information that should explain the riddle of the treatment we had received. But the ship seemed as much afraid of us as the INHABITANTS OP TBNERIPPB. ■•::5???: fortress ; and, as soon as she perceived our in- tention, made all possible haste to avoid us. It was really laughable enough, but it was also vexatious, that such peaceful people as we were should be considered so terrible. I sent a bullet after the ship, to induce her to stop ; she then hoisted the English flag, but never slack- ened her speed ; so that finding we could get no satisfaction, we thought it advisable to take ad- vantage of the fresh trade- wind, to bear away from TenerifFe as quickly as possible. On the following morning we could still see the Peak, a hundred miles off, among the clouds; and we called to mind, as we gazed upon it, the mysterious jaccounts of its aborigines, of whom it was said, from the resemblance of their teeth to those of grazing animals, that they could only live on vegetables. They embalmed corpses in the manner of the an- cient Egyptians, and preserved them in grot- toes in the rocks, where they are still to be found. The Spaniards, the first discoverers and appropriators of the island, have described in high terms the state of civilization, methods CAPE VBRD ISLANDS. of agriculture, and remarkably pure morality of these ancient inhabitants, who nevertheless were entirely exterminated by the tyranny and cruelty of their conquerorsT ' The trade- wind and continued fine weather brought us rapidly on our way towards Brazil. Dolphins, flying-fish, and the large and beau- tiful gold-fish, called by the Spaniards bonito, constantly surrounded the ship, and formed by day a relief from the tedium of gazing on the unvarying billows, as did during the dark- ness of the night the innumerable phospho- rescent animals of the muscle kind, which, stud- ding the black ocean with sparks of fire, pro- duced a dazzling and living illumination. Our naturalist. Professor Eschscholz, has already communicated to the world his microscopical observations upon these marine curiosities. • On the first of October we doubled the Cape Verd Islands, without however seeing the land, which is almost always lost in mist, and steered direct for the Equator. Our progress was now impeded by calms, and the heat began to be oppressive ; but care and precaution preserved ) t. M A WELCOME GUEST. r<'"j the crew in perfect health, an effect which strict cleanliness, order, and wholesome diet, will sel- dom fail to produce, even in long voyages. At five degrees North latitude, we took ad- vantage of a calm to draw up water from a depth of five hundred fathoms, by means of a machine invented by the celebrated Russian academician Parrot. We found the tempera- ture five degrees by Reaumur, while that of the water on the surface reached twenty-five de- grees. To us it appeared ice-cold, and we felt ourselves much refreshed by washing our heads and faces with it. The machine weighed forty pounds, and might contain about a moderate pail- full ; but the pressure of the column of water over it was such, that six sailors with a wind- lass were hardly able to draw it up. We made an attempt to sink it to a thousand fathoms' depth, but the line broke, and we lost the ma- chine; fortunately, however, we were provided with a second. While we were still more than a hundred miles from land, a swallow alighted on the deck. It is wonderful how far these little animals can fly without resting. At first, it seemed weary. CROSSING THE EQUATOR. 25 but soon recovered, and flew gaily about. When far out at sea, cut off from every other society than that of our shipmates, any guest from land, even a bird, is welcome. Ours soon became a general favourite, and was so tame, that it would hop on our hands and take the flies we offered him without any symptom of fear. He chose my cabin to sleep in at night ; and at sunrise flew again upon deck, where he found every one willing to entertain him, and catch flies for his subsistence. But our hospi- tality proved fatal to him ; he over-ate himself, and died of an indigestion, universally lamented. On the 11th of October we crossed the Equa- tor at twenty-five degrees W. longitude, reckon- ing from Greenwich.* Having saluted the Southern hemisphere by the firing of guns, our crew proceeded to enact the usual ceremonies. A sailor, who took pride in having frequently passed the Line, directed the performance witli much solemnity and decorum. He appeared as Neptune, attired in a manner that was meant to be terribly imposing, accompanied by his consort, * The longitude is always calculated from Greenwich, in this work. VOL. I. ^^W 26 BBNBPITS OP 0HBBRFULNB88. . seated on a gun-carriage instead of a shell, drawn by negroes, as substitutes for Tritons. In the evening, the sailors represented, amidst general applause, a comedy of their own composition. These sports, while they serve to keep up the spirits of the men, and make them forget the difficulties they have to go through, produce also the hiost beneficial influence upon their health ; a cheerful man being much more capa- ble of resisting a fit of sickness than a melan- choly one. It is the duty of commanders to use every innocent means of maintaining this temper in their crews; for in long voyages, when they are several months together wander- ing on an element not destined by nature for the residence of man, without enjoying even occasionally the recreations of the land, the mind naturally tends to melancholy, which of itself lays the foundation of many diseases, and some- times even of insanity. Diversion is often the best medicine, and, used ai a preservative, sel- dom fails of its effect Below the Equator, we met with a fresh south-east wind, and having also fine weather, we soon reached the coast of Brazil. IS. ell, drawn In the it general n position, p up the forget the produce pon their ore capa- a melan- inders to ning this voyages, * wander- Ature for ing even the mind of itself nd some- Dften the tive, sel- RIO JANEIRO. a fresh weather, c2 RIO JANEIRO. On the morning of the 1st of November, consequently in the spring of the Southern hemisphere, we perceived Cape Frio, and in the evening plainly distinguished, by its well-known conical mountain, the entrance to the Bay of Rio Janeiro. A dead calm deprived us of the pleasure of running into the port that night, so that we were compelled to drop our anchor before it ; but we found some compensation for our disappointment, in contemplating so much of this charming country as was visible from our ship. The magnificent scenery of Brazil has often been described, but no expression can do justice to its ravishing beauty. Imagination can scarcely picture the exquisite variety of ^^ li.*- (I !■ \^i i m ?4l^l'^' 1 ., 30 HORRORS OP SLAVE-SHIPS. form and colouring of the luxuriant and gigan- tic vegetation that thickly clothes the valleys and mountains even to the sea-shore. A breeze froin the land wafted to us the most delicious perfumes ; and crowds of beautiful insects, but- terflies, and birds, such as only the tropics pro- duce, hovered about us. Nature seems to have destined these lovely regions for the unmixed enjoyment of her creatures ; but, alas ! hard labour and a tyrant's whip have, to the unhappy Negro, transformed this Paradise into a place of torment. - - - '" ^ ' . The sight of two slave-ships formed a .revolt- ing contrast to the enchantment of the prospect : they had that day arrived from Africa, and lay near us at anchor. The trade in human flesh, tliat foul blot on civilized nations, of which most of them are already ashamed, yet flou- rishes here in detestable activity, and is carried on, with all the brutality of avarice, under the sanction of the laws. The ships employed in this abominable traffic are so over-crowded that the slaves have scarcely room to move. They are brought up by turns to inhale for a while tlie refreshing breeze, but the deck being only DEMONSTRATIONS OP JOY. 31 capable of accommodating a small portion at once, they are soon returned to the confined and pestilential atmosphere below. One third of the human cargo, as a necessary consequence, generally perishes on the voyage, and the re- mainder reach their place of destination in a state of miserable suffering. The decks of the ships I have just mentioned, were crowded with these unfortimate creatures, naked, fetter- ed, and diseased. Even mothers with infants at their breasts had not been spared by these speculators ! What still greater misery might not be concealed beneath the decks ! The darkness, which at once closed from our view all that had delighted and disgusted us, rendered visible an almost incessant flight of rockets, and we heard occasionally, throughout the night, the discharge of guns and musketry from the town. These demonstrations of re- joicing led to the supposition that some import- ant festival was celebrating, or that a great victory had probably been gained; we after- wards learnt, however, that they were occasion- ed only by the arrest of three ministers, accused of a conspiracy against the Emperor. . 32 A SKILFUL PILOT. At daybreak the chief pilot came on board. This little fat man, proud of his name of Vasco de Gama, which he professed to have inherited in a direct line from the celebrated navigator to the East Indies, was in many respects a good specimen of his countrymen. He was wholly uneducated, as they mostly are; and, next to his ancestr}', that in which he took the greatest pride was the independence of Brazil. This feeling, which is general among all classes, en- lists each individual personally in support of the existing government, and is its surest guarantee. Although our pilot had not attained to the renown of his great ancestor, I must do him the justice to say that he understood his busi- ness, and guided us very skilfully through the narrow mouth of the Bay. This small entrance, commanded by a fort on a height, is tolerably well secured from the approach of an enemy ; and might, by stronger batteries, be made wholly inaccessible, as the channel is so narrow, that a ship in working its way in must always be within half-shot distance. We anchored near the town, among numerous vessels of various SCEN£RY OF THE HAY. 33 nations, and set foot once more on terra-firma, after being fifty-two days at sea since leaving England. Beautiful as this country always appears to an European eye, it has perhaps no scene so strikingly splendid and picturesque as that which presents itself within this Bay. The rich and novel peculiarity of the landscape is contrasted with the handsome buildings of the town, rising amphitheatrically round the har- bour ; and these again derive a curious effect from the tall and slender palm-trees, which, thickly interspersed among them, throw their strongly defined and waving shadows upon the white surface of the contiguous houses ; and the whole is crowned by the numerous convents which are seen above the town, in the distance, clinging like swallows''-nests, to the precipitous sides of the mountains. v We had hardly reefed our sails, when the Russian Vice-Consul, Von Kielchen, and an officer of the Brazilian government, came on board to congratulate us on our arrival. The latter acquainted me with the order of his Go- vernment, that every ship of war coming in c5 ^9^' 34 AN UNPRECEDENTED ORDER. should salute the fortress vith one-and-twenty guns ; and in order to remove all doubt that the compliment was designed for the Brazilian flag, he had brought one which, during the salute, he requested us to hoist at the fore-mast. '^ ' New and unprecedented as this order was, from a state not yet acknowledged by our go- vernment, I determined, rather than risk any disagreement, to comply with it; and having fired the one-and-twenty guns, received from the fortress a similar number in return. Being very anxious not to lose the favourable season for doubling Cape Horn, I urged the Vice- Consul to expedite as much as possible the delivery of provisions and other necessaries to the ship ; for this purpose, however, a delay of four weeks was required, and this time I deter- mined to employ in astronomical observations. M. Von Kielchen procured me for this purpose a convenient country-house, situated on the romantic little bay of Botafogo, of which I took possession on the following day, accom- panied by our astronomer, M. Preus ; leaving the care of the ship to my officers. In the supposition that the history of Brazil ).' DISCOVERY OF BRAZIL. 35 may not be familiar to every reader, male and female, — for I hope to have many of the latter, ^I will preface the narration of my residence here with the following notices. This great empire in South America, called Brazil, from a wood which grows there in great abundance, resembling in colour a red- hot coal, (in the Portuguese " Brasa^^) is one of the richest and most fertile countries in the world. It was accidentally discovered in the year 1500, by a Portuguese named Cabral, who with a fleet bound for the East Indies, was thrown on these shores. The riches of the country being at first un- known, it was used as a place of banishment for criminals ; but subsequently, when the con- victs began to cultivate the su[rar-cane, and the gold and diamond mines were discoviered, Brazil acquired a higher value in the eyes of the Portuguese government. ' A Viceroy was therefore sent out, with the strongest injunctions to close the Brazilian ports against all foreign powers, in order to preserve to Portugal the exclusive trade in the diamonds and other precious stones with which 36 BRIGHTER PROSPECTS FOR BRAZIL. % it was now found that the country abounded. For a long time, this beautiful land, rich in all the gifts of nature, languished under the rule of Portuguese Viceroys, with a thinly-scattered population, poor, oppressed, and destitute of all mental culture. At length, the year 1807 opened to it a brighter prospect. Napoleon'^s ambitious views extending even to Portugal, forced the Royal Family to take refuge in the colonies. They were followed by fourteen thou- sand soldiers, and about twelve thousand other adherents. The presence of a court and govern- ment in the capital, Rio Janeiro, had the most beneficial influence on all the interests of the country. The ports were opened to all Eu- ropean ships, and commerce, wealth, and civili- zation advanced rapidly. ?' • Napoleon^s victories having found a final termination, in his banishment to St. Helena, the King of Portugal returned, in 1821, to his European dominions, leaving the Regency of Brazil to his son, the Crown Prince, Pedro, already married to an Austrian princess. But the example of the newly-established republics of America had a powerful effect on PEDRO THE FIRST. 37 the minds of the people ; the King's departure was a signal for the breaking out of revolu- tionary disturbances, which, tiiough the Crown Prince could not appease, he was, nevertheless, by means of a strong party he had gained over, enabled to direct. In the year 1822, he de- clared Brazil independent of the mother-coun- try, — promised the people a Constitution, — and was at last proclaimed Emperor, by the title of Pedro the First. From the day when the nation tendered its allegiance, the Emperor and all patriots have worn on the left arm a green cockade inscribed with the words, " Indepen- dence or Death."" At the coronation, the order of the Southern Cross was founded, and the new national flag hoisted : it is green, with a yellow square in the middle, on which is repre- sented the Earth, surrounded by thirteen stars (the number of the provinces), and leaves of cof- fee and tobacco, as the produce of the country. The government, at the time of our residence in Brazil, was nothing less than constitutional. This is sufficiently proved by the tumultuary arrest of the above-mentioned three Ministers, by the arbitrary dispersion of the Deputies 38 GOVERNMENT OF BRAZIL. from the provinces, called together expressly to form a Constitutional Assembly, and by the expression of the Emperor, that he required unconditional submission, even if he should choose, like Charles the Twelfth, to send his boot to them as his representative. It is pos- sible that the Emperor has been in some mea- sure forced to these violent proceedings by the contentions of the various parties, each of which seeks its own interest without concerning itself about the general welfare. His personal cha- racter is much praised. A captain of one of the Russian^ American Company's ships, who had been in Rio Janeiro, related to me the following anecdote of his be- nevolence. Two sailors belonging to his crew had been ashore, and having got drunk, were found lying senseless on the road to Corcovado. The Emperor and Empress happening to ride that way, attended only by a few servants, saw them, and supposed them to be sick. The Em- peror immediately dismounted, rubbed their temples with his own hand, and endeavoured to restore them to their senses, but in vain. He then sent for his own surgeon, and dispatched ANECDOTUS. 39 them under his care to the hospital, from whence on the following morning, having slept off their intoxication, they were dismissed as cured. — Another, and a different anecdote, I heard from a painter from Vienna, who was residing in Rio Janeiro. The Emperor, wishing to have a whole-length portrait of himself, sent for the painter to place his easel in a room in the palace, and commenced sitting. The first outline was scarcely made, when an officer, whose business it was to report the arrival of ships, entered with the list. The names of the ships and cap- tains, of various nations and languages with which the officer was unacquainted, puzzled him, and he read so stammeringly, and some- times almost unintelligibly, that the Emperor, enraged at his ignorance, seized a stick, and the officer, only by a rapid flight round the easel, in which he was at first pursued by the monarch, escaped the intended chastisement. We shall be less surprised at this conduct, if we consider the point of civilization to which the country had attained when this Prince first seized the helm. May he succeed in elevating it to what his government may make it, — the 4a THE BRAZILIAN FLRKT I- • the happiest, as well as the loveliest and most fruitful empire in the world ! The Brazilian fleet, then commanded by the celebrated Lord Cochrane, consisted of one ship of the line, two frigates, three brigs, and some smaller vessels. Inconsiderable as was this force, it was in good order, and under the direction of its skilful and heroic commander, had done wonders. Lord Cochrane had recently, with his single ship of the line and one frigate only, attacked and defeated a Portuguese squadron of two ships of the line and four frigates, pur- sued them to the port of Lisbon, and made prize of forty merchant vessels they were con- voying. For this exploit, he received from the Emperor tae appointment of Grand Admiral, and the title of Marquis of Marenham, after one of the provinces. He had before served the republic of Chili ; and, it is said, in the midst of his warlike ardour, he had not forgot- ten the care of his private finances. ' * , This was his first year in the Brazilian service. I was curious to see so celebrated a man, and soon found an opportunity of forming an ac- quaintance with him, which led to a frequent AND LORD COCHRANE. 41 intercourse. His external deportment is repul- sive rather than attractive; he is somewhat taciturn ; and it is difficult, in ordinary conver- sation, to discover the intelligence and informa- tion which he really possesses. He is turned of fifty years of age, tall and thin : his attitude is stooping, his hair red, his features strongly marked, and the expression of his countenance serious : his sparkling, lively eyes, concealed by overhanging eyebrows, are generally fixed on the ground, and seldom even raised to the person he is addressing. His lady forms a striking contrast with him : she is young, hand- some, lively in conversation, extremely amiable, and so devotedly attached to him, that she exposes her life to the greatest danger rather than leave his side, and has remained in his ship during all his battles in the South Ameri- can service. •• *^ - ' Cochrane frequently expressed to me a wish to enter the Russian service, in order to assist the Greeks, and fight the Turks. This object he has since attained by other means. War appears to be an indispensable necessity to his nature; and a dangerous struggle in a just 42 SCENERY OP BRAZIL. cause is his highest enjoyment. How this en- thusiasm can be united to the great love of money of which he is accused, it is not easy to imagme. • - • >->.....- My short residence in Brazil passed rapidly and agreeably in my necessary occupations, and the enjoyment of the charming environs of my country-house. The effect which so total a change of climate and scenery produces on European spirits, even when not experienced for the first time, is really astonishing. The eye can fix on no one object which is not directly the reverse of any thing to which it has been accustomed. The birds, insects, trees, flowers, all wear a foreign aspect, even to the blades of grass. By its strange forms and colour- ings, but especially by its overflowing abun- dance, all nature here demands attention. Throughout the day, myriads of the most beau- tiful butterflies, beetles, and humming-birds, display their various colours in the sun, which has scarcely set, before innumerable swarms of flre-flies illuminate the scene. I had seldom time for excursions; therefore, as it usually happens to sailors, I can say little of the interior. 1 ;# B0TAF060. 43 Botafogo, where, on account of the salubrity of the air, the richest and most distinguished of the inhabitants of Rio Janeiro have fixed their country-houses, is the most attractive spot in the immediate environs of the capital. Among the mountains which form the back-ground of the view from the Bay, is one solid rock, very re- markable from the resemblance of its figure to an enormous church-steeple ; it rises, according to a geometrical admeasurement of our scientific companion Lenz, to the height of fifteen hun- dred and eighty feet above the level of the sea. With infinite pains, a road has been conducted to the summit, where the space is so confined that a few persons only can be accommodated at the same time, but from whence the prospect is indescribably magnificent : it is called Cor- covado, and is a favourite ride with the Em- peror. From Botafogo the road to the capital is studded on both sides with pretty villas. The town derives its name, Rio Janeiro, or January river, from an error on the first discovery of the bay, which, owing to the narrowness of its mouth, was mistaken for a river, and named 44 RIO JANIERO. after the current month. Its interior by no means corresponds with its handsome appearance from the bay, the streets being narrow and dir- ty, and the buildings very tasteless. Clumsy churches and convents are found in plenty, but there is little worthy the attention of the tra- veller, except the Museum, which has a rich col- lection of rare natural curiosities, and valuable minerals. The extent of the town is considera- ble, and it contains about two hundred and fifty thousand inhabitants, of which however two- thirds are negroes, and the rest principally mu- lattoes and other people of colour. A white face is seldom to be seen in the streets; but the blacks are so numerous, that one might fancy oneself in Africa. ? Among these are a few free men ; but the greater part are slaves degraded to beasts of burden. The immense weights they carry are usually fastened on a plank, each end of which is borne by a negro, keeping time to his steps by a monotonous and melancholy song in his native language, and goaded by the whip to re- newed efforts, when the failing of his voice indi- cates almost utter exhaustion. They often carry FREE BLACKS AND MULATTOES. 45 heavily laden baskets on their heads ; and even women are not exempt from this labour. On Sundays and holidays they also sing in time to thjir steps, as they stroll about, but the tune has a more lively character ; and they some- times accompany their voices on a little instru- ment composed of a few steel springs. They understand no other language than that of their distant country, and therefore, though the cere- mony of baptism is never omitted, ihey receive no instruction in the doctrines of Christianity ; thus, while an appearance of anxiety concerning the salvation of their souls is maintained, they continue sunk in the state of misery and dark- ness which hopeless bodily suffering is so cal- culated to produce. The few free blacks are cither manumitted slaves or their descendants : they are mostly mechanics engaged in trade. The mulattoes are generally of illegitimate birth, but are sometimes the offspring of marriages between blacks and the lowest class of whites. From their connexion with blacks or whites spring all the various gradations of colour met with among the inhabitants of Brazil. The mulattoes and free negroes form the middle m FOOD OF THE NEGROES. ■ •A. classes ; the few whites found among them being the worst of characters, ignorant and vicious to the last degree ; their repulsive exterior is worthy of their abandoned lives: they are usually retail slave dealers, and keep shops where these miserable beings are exposed to view, and may be examined and purchased like any other ware. About twenty thousand negroes are annually brought to Brazil ; the average price of a female is three hundred, and of a man six hundred piastres. The piincipal food of the negroes is a sort ' of thick paste called Manioc, which is prepared from Tapioca by kneading in hot water ; to an European palate it has a disagreeable flavour, but may be nutritious, as the slaves mostly look well-fed; I doubt, however, its being wholesome without a mixture of other food, and I even think it possible that it may be the original cause of a terrible disease to which the negroes alone are subject, and of which they know nothing in their own country. Large tu- mours appear on their faces and legs, which do not break, but increase in size till in some of the sufferers the human form can scarcely be recog- nised. A convent situated on a little island, ANNIVERSARY OF THE CORONATION. 47 called Dos Fradres, in the bay of Rio Janeiro, and not far from the town, contains a hospital, under the superintendence of the gjvernment, for sick negro slaves. I have not been able to learn whether this disease has been successfully treated here. The father of the Emperor, while he remained in Rio Janeiro, often visited the convent ; and a room is shown where he used to take refuge when it thundered, as he was exces- sively fearful in a storm, and, from some unknown cause, esteemed this chamber peculiarly safe. On the 19th of November, the celebration of the anniversary of the coronation, and the esta- blishment of the Order of the Southern Cross, attracted me to the capital. It was scarcely daybreak when the thunder of the cannon from all the batteries, and from the ships in the roads, recalled the remembrance of this happy event, which had taken place only the preceding 3Tar. The streets were filled with people ; soldiers in their dress-regimentals has- tened to their various places of rendezvous ; and the negroes, released from labour, formed a part of the cheerful throng. At eleven o'clock, the Emperor and Empress, in a magnificent carriage f 48 CEREMONIAL. drawn by eight horses, and escorted by a troop of guards in handsome uniforms, arrived at the principal church. A number of carriages, con- taining the suite of the Imperial pair, followed, all at a slow pace, that the people might have more time to enjoy the spectacle. ' At some distance from the door, the Emperor and Empress alighted, and entered the church in procession, surrounded by the Knights of the Southern Cross; they were met by the Bishop and the whole body of the clergy, and conducted with great pomp to a throne erected at the right side of the altar, which the Emperor ascended, while his consort took her place in a pew on the left. After the service, performed by a good choir to ex- cellent music, the Bishop came forward and de- livered a very long discourse, descriptive of the various virtues of the Emperor, comparing him to Peter the Great of Russia, and pointing out how he ought to administer the goveri|ment for the good of his subjects. The comparison he was pleased to institute between the monarch and his illustrious namesake is only so far just, as, in the uncultivated state of the two nations, both have had similar materials to work upon. Whe- > DON JOSB DE CURRADO. 49 ther Don Pedro, with much greater means, will effect as much as our immortal Peter, time will show. One of the hopes of Brazil is already extinguished by the death of the Empress, who in a short time had done much for science and the arts. When the sermon was over, their Majesties retumedf to the Palace, amidst an uninterrupted firing of cannon. They then re- ceived the congratulations of the court, and at four o'clock the Emperor reviewed in the great market-place, where a temple was erected for the imperial family, a body of four thousand five hundred troops, formed in a half circle round the temple. In their venerable commander, Don Jose de Currado, a field-marshal, of eighty years of age, I joyfully recognised the former governor of St. Katherine's, who, on my first voyage round the world, under the command of the present Admiral Krusenstein, received me so hospitablf^. The observations I had an oppor- tunity of making upon the soldiers, before the arrival of the Emperor, were not altogether un- favourable; though, it must be confessed, the good people seemed to have no very high notion of discipline ; smoking, and all kinds of irregula- VOL. I. D 50 A REVIEW. rities, being permitted even in the front ranks. Their uniform was handsome and suitable; that of the musicians chiefly attracted my atten- tion. Every colonel of a regiment has the right of dressing his band according to his fancy ; and as tastes are very various, so of course are these costumes, though the Asiatic predominates; some being attired as Turks, others as Indians. In one regiment, indeed, a quantity of coloured feathers, worn on the head and round the body, formed the only covering. As soon as the Emperor and Empress, both on horseback and surrounded by a splen- did court, were seen in the distance, the can- non sent forth its loudest roar, the soldiers threw away their cigars, the multitude waved their hats, the ladies in the balconies their white pocket-handkerchiefs, and all shouted ** Viva TEmperador." The cortege approached slowly ; the Emperor, from the superior rich- ness of his uniform, glittering amidst the splendid throng, like Syrius in the starry sky. His colossal figure seemed literally co- vered with gold lace ; his breast sparkled with diamonds, and his strong features were shaded THB UMPRRSS. 51 by a hat richly decorated with jewels. The Empress was more tastefully attired in a sim- ple black riding-dress, embroidered with gold. When she had taken her place in the temple, his Majesty assumed the command of the troops and paraded them before her. As soon as his powerful voice was heard, the thunder of the cannon again burst forth ; the Turks, In- dians, and above-mentioned Popinjays, blew their trumpets, while the shout from the people of ** Viva TEmperador^^ was loudest amidst the uproar. The columns of the military having several times defiled before the Empress, the parade terminated, and the Imperial family and their court repaired to the theatre. I had been seated in my box a few minutes before they en- tered the building, which was suffocatingly full, and I was surprised to find it as good in its architecture and arrangements as the gene- rality of European theatres. The boxes were occupied by whites only, and many female faces were there to be seen as fair as those of Northern Europe ; the tender red of the youthful check, the bright, black eye and jetty hair increased the attraction of these brilliant complexions ; D 2 52 GENTRY OF BRAZIL. but many of the ladies have brown, and even very light hair. Their dress was tastefully ar- ranged in the Parisian fashion : the art of the toilet appears indeed to be the only one they study, as their education does not always pro- ceed so far as reading and writing, although they are not deficient in natural capabilities; their conversation is often as graceful and pi- quant as that of European ladies. Nor is ge- neral information much more extended among the gentlemen, as the following anecdote will testify. When, in 1817, the Russian frigate Kamschatka anchored in the Port of Rio Ja- neiro, it was visited by many Brazilians of rank, and amongst others by an officer who expressed much surprise at finding a crucifix in the cabin. He knew, indeed, that the Russians professed the Greek religion, but was wholly ignorant that this church formed any part of the Chris- tiitn community. It is the custom here to pay visits in the theatre, which are indeed more highly prized than those made at their houses, as the atten- tion is more publicly manifested. On these occasions the animated intercourse between the ENTHUSIASM AT THE THEATRE. 53 young people of the different sexes is frequently accompanied by glances sufficiently expressive to betray its object. The pit presented a very singular appear- ance, from its assemblage of various com- plexions, including every possible shade from black to white, although the darker tints had greatly the preponderance. Nor was the dis- tinction of manners among the different por- tions of the audience less striking. No theatre in Europe can boast of more decorum and po- liteness than prevails here in the boxes ; but the noisy and coarse vulgarity of the pit would not be tolerated in a more refined nation. All eyes were eagerly directed towards the Impe- rial box, when its curtain, which before had been close drawn, was thrown open; their Majesties then appeared standing in the front, the back of the box being filled by Knights of the Southern Cross. Hats and handkerchiefs were now again waved, and on every side re- sounded "Viva FEmperador, TEmperadriza, la Monarchia !^ This enthusiasm having been rewarded by gracious acknowledgments, the drop curtain rose, and an actress came forward 54 LORD COCHRANE. to recite a prologue in praise of the Emperor. Then followed a piece of which I understood very little ; and the whole was concluded by a ballet, greatly superior to my expectations. During the performance, the Emperor gav<; au- dience in his box to many of his subjects, the interview always beginning with the homage of kissing hands on the bended knee. As soon as the curtain rose, the company in the pit became tolerably quiet, and much more attentive than those in the boxes ; the latter appearing to take more interest in conversation with their ac- quaintances than in the performance. I paid my respects to Lord Cochrane and his amiable wife in their box, and remained with them till the conclusion of the piece. He spoke much of Chili, and wore even on this day of ceremony, a Chilian uniform and a blue scarf, its honorary decoration. This sur- prised me the more, as he seemed dissatisfied with the Chilian government. His explanation was, that the Emperor had not yet decided what his Brazilian uniform should be, and con- sequently, that he was still obliged to wear that of Chili. The lady preferred Chili to Brazil, PARBWBLL TO BRAZIL. w and believed tliat the heat of this climate did not agree with her health. s On the 27th of November, all our stores being laid in, bidding a cordial farewell to Bra^ zil, I returned to my ship, intending to continue our voyage on the following day. Accordingly at five o^clock on the morning of the 28th we spread our sails, and the ebb-tide and a light breeze from the North, bore us slowly from this lovely coast. The wind soon slackened ; and we should have been greatly embarrassed but for a number of boats sent by the English squadron, then lying in the roads, to tow us out to sea, by which seasonable assistance we were enabled to clear the bay before evening. The heat of Brazil had not injured the health of our crew. Fresh provisions, much fruit and vegetables, good lemonade instead of the ordinary drink, and a sea bath every evening, were the means I employed for the prevention of sickness. The men were in the best spirits for encountering the storms of the Southern ocean ; and I destined the port of Conception, on the coast of Chili, for a resting-place, after having surmounted the difficulties of doubling Cape Horn. LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE. The result of our repeated observations on land, are as follows :— Latitude of Botafogo . . .21*' 56' 5* South. Medium Longitude from various observations . 43° T' 32' West. Every longitude which is given in the course of this voyage is reckoned by the distance from Greenwich, going from West to East. The variation of the needle amounted to 3" East, its inclination to 9° 28". As the longitude of Cape Frio has been variously laid down, I took much pains to ascertain it exactly. By a very good chronometer, I found the difference between Cape Frio and Botafogo 1" & 20'' ; so that the true longitude of Cape Frio from Greenwich must be 42° 1' 12." DOUBLING OF CAPE HORN, AND RESIDENCE IN CHILI. 11 d5 DOUBLING OF CAPE HORN, AVD RESIDENCE IN CHILI. We continu( 1 our course to the South very agreeably, with fine weather and a favourable wind. Under thirty-nine degrees of latitude, however, we could already perceive how much further the South pole extends its unfavourable- influence than the North. The sky was no longer clear, the wind became changeable and violent, the air much colder, and the frequent sight of the whale, and of a giant bird called the albatross, warned us that we were approach- ing the stormy region. We afterwards shot 60 A VIOLENT STORM. one of these birds on the coast of Chili, i;vhich measured twelve feet across the wings. In the parallel of Rio de la Plata, although two hundred miles from land, we v/ere daily car- ried by the current thirty-nine miles out of our course towards the south-west ; so great is the influence of this mighty river at the distance of two hundred and forty miles from its mouth. On the 15th of December, in the beginning of the southern summer, under forty-seven de- grees of latitude, where, if the temperature of both hemispheres were equal, the climate would have been that of the South of Germany, or the middle of France, we were overtaken by a violent storm, accompanied by hail and snow. It began from the south-west, but the wind, in the course of twenty-four hours, veered the whole round of the compass, and raised such high and furious billows, that our escape from destruction afforded ample proof, notwithstand- ing a considerable leak, of our ship^s strength, and her architect*s skill. From this time we continued our voyage with a fair wind and serene weather. ' Between Falkland Islands and the west of A NORTH-AMERICAN WHALER. 61 Patagonia, we saw great numbers of storm- birds, betokening the neighbourhood of land, and we sailed within speaking distance of a North- American whaler. The dirty ship, and the crew smeared with blubber, had indeed a dis- gusting appearance ; but if we consider to what toils and dangers these poor men are exposed during their voyages, which commonly last se- veral years, in the most tempestuous seas, some- times sailing about for months without seeing a fish, and suffering in the meanwhile from the want of wholesome food, yet pursuing their object with invincible perseverance, it is im- possible to deny them compassion, and even commendation. The North Americans display an industry and perseverance in their commer- cial undertakings, which is not exceeded even by the English : they are to be met with upon every sea, and in the most unfrequented re- gions, disdaining nothing, however trivial, from which they can derive profit. On the north- west coast of America, they barter with the savages all kinds of European trifles for the beautiful skin of the sea-otter, which they sell for a high price in China. Many of their ves- (' w 62 STAT BN-L AND AND sels take in cargoes of sandal-wood in the South- Sea Islands, for which they also find a good market in China, where it is in great estima- tion ; others pursue the spermaceti whale in the neighbourhood of Cape Horn, and carry on an important traffic in this article. On the morning of the 23d of December, we saw in the distance the snow-covered points of the mountains in the dreaded Staten-land. ^ A fresh breeze carried us so near to this inhos- pitable and desolate island, that we could plainly distinguish the objects on it, even with- out a telescope. What a contrast to the beauty of Brazil! There nature seems inexhaustible in her splendour and variety; here she has sparingly allowed a thin clothing of moss to the lofty masses of black rock. Seldom do the sun''s rays lighten this or the neighbouring island of Terra del Fuego. Vegetation is so blasted by the perpetual cold and fogs, that a few miserable stunted trees can scarcely find subsistence at the foot of the mountains. The sea-birds avoid these barren shores ; the very insects disdain them ; the dog, the faithful companion of man, and man himself, the inhabitant of every cli- ITS BARREN SHORES. 63 mate under heaven, can alone exist in this ; but the warmth of the sun is essential to the developement of his faculties. Here he is a mere animal, and of disgusting appearance; small, ill-shaped, with dirty copper-coloured skin, black bristly hair, and devoid of beard. He inhabits a miserable hut made of boughs covered with dried rushes, and appeases his hunger on the raw and often half-decayed flesh of the sea animals, whose skins furnish him with a scanty covering: this is the utmost extent to which his invention has yet led him, in providing defences against the roughness of the climate ; and the dreariness of hio existence is still unenlivened by any notion of amusement. Yet is this benumbing country situated in the same degree of southern latitude in which in the northern lies my beloved Esthonia, where every comfort of civilization may be enjoyed — the land of my birth, where in the charming form of woman is " garnered up'' the happiness of my life, and where I hope to rest at last in the haven of friendship and love, till I set out on that final voyage from which I shall never returo* I ' 64 TERRA DEL FUE60. We had so little wind, that we were only able on the following morning to double the eastern promontory of Staten-land, Cape John ; which our chronometers fixed, almost precisely, in the same longitude assigned to it by Captain Cook. I now steered a westerly course along the south coast of Staten-land, contrary to the usual practice of navigators, who run from hence to 60 degrees South, expecting in that latitude to meet with fewer impediments to their passage into the South Sea. Experience has taught me, moreover, that Cape Horn may be doubled with least loss of time by keeping near land, where in the summer months good east winds will often blow, when westerly winds prevail at a distance of forty miles to sea-ward. When we had passed Staten-land, the Terra del Fuego lay in equally fearful form to our right. We continued our course with a mode- rate north-east wind, and remarked a strong current to the north. On the noon of the following day we perceived the terrible Cape Horn at a distance of twenty- five miles, lying in the form of a high, round mountain before us. A calm, of which we took DOUBLING CAPB HORN. 65 advantage to shoot some albatrosses, delayed us for a few hours; but on Christmas-day we doubled the Cape without the slightest difficulty. In the evening, after sailing close alongside the little rocky island of Diego Ramirez, inhabited by immense numbers of sea-birds, we found ourselves in the South Sea. A favourable east wind swelling our sails, on the 28th of December, we did our best to clear the island of Terra del Fuego, before a west wind should impede our progress ; but in this we were disappointed, for a sudden storm drove us out of our course to latitude 69i°. Here, for a New Year's gift, we fell in with a fresh south wind, which helped us forward at the rate of eleven miles an hour, and continued to swell our sails, till on the 5th we lost sight of the Terra del Fuego, and joyfully continued our voyage northwards. At Cape Horn, Reaumur's thermometer stood at four degrees ; a temperature rendered very disa- greeable by our having so recently suflpered from oppressive heat. We now hailed with renewed enjoyment the daily increasing warmth. My sailors had heard much of the dreadful storms which raged at all seasons round Cape li \ ' A NAUTICAL PANTOMIME. Horn, and destroyed so many ships. One of them had recently read to his messmates the history of Lord Anson's unfortunate voyage : they were therefore not quite free from ap- prehension on approaching this dangerous point, and were agreeably surprised at passing it so quietly. In their joy they hit on the proud, poetical idea, that the very elements themselves respected the Russian flag. This bold ima- gination took such possession of their minds, that, in the elevation of their spirits, they resolved to represent it in a pantomime, to which I willingly assented, as my own cheer- fulness greatly depended on theirs. Accord- ingly, a throne was erected on the capstan, adorned with coloured flags and streamers, which we were to take for the extreme point of Gape Horn, upon which, shrouded in red drapery, with all becoming dignity and serious- ness of aspect, sat the hitherto unknown God Horn, (begotten and born of the sailors'* fancy,) the tremendous ruler of the winds and waves in this tempestuous ocean. In his strong right hand he held a large three-pronged oven fork, and in his left a telescope, with which he sur- A NAUTICAL PANTOMIME. •r veyed the watery expanse seeking for a sacri- fice. A grey beard smeared with tar, hung down to his knees, and, probably as a symbol of his marine dominion, instead of a crown, his head was decorated by a leathern pail. Before him lay a large open book, and a pen was stuck behind his ear, to write down the names of the ships which sailed by. The exact pur- pose of this I could not understand, but the effect was equally good. Upon the lower step of the throne stood two full-cheeked sailors, very much painted, holding bellows, to re- present the Winds ready to produce a raging whirlwind at the nod of their ruler. The God seemed in a very ill humour, till at the ap- pearance of a three-masted ship, made of some planks nailed together, his visage suddenly cleared. The crew of the vessel, which was in full sail, pointed to the Cape, and appeared to rejoice in the expectation of doubling it safely. Then did the God Horn give the omi- nous nod, and the bellows began to work. The ship took in her sails with all possible expe- dition, but was nevertheless terribly tossed about. The crew, in danger of perishing, of- BAY OP CONCBPTION. fered their supplications to the Ood, who at length relenting, commanded the winds to subside, and suffered the vessel to pass on in safety. Soon after another vessel appeared bearing our flag, which the God no sooner per- ceived than he descended from his throne, took the pail respectfully from his head, and made a profound obeisance, in token of homage to the Russian flag. The iEoiian attendants blew the gentlest gales, and we soon vanished with out- stretched sails behind our own main-mast. The piece concluded amidst universal applause, and a double portion of grog served to increase the general cheerfulness. Thus opened the year 1824.^The crew be- lieved that, with the passage of Cape Horn, the greatest danger of the voyage was over, and were full of life and spirits. On the 15th of January we saw far off the Island of St. Maria, and on the following morning knew, by the two high mountains called Biobio^s Bosom, from the river which flows between them, that we were approaching the Bay of Conception. As soon as these hills are clearly distinguished, the tk, A CALM. entrance to the bay is easily found. — In fine weather they are excellent guides. A brisk south wind carried us swiftly to- wards the land, which, far from charming the eye with the picturesque beauty of Brazil, pre- sents an almost undeviating straight line. — The round sides of the mountains are but sparingly covered with vegetation, and in this dry season had a sterile appearance. At noon, having doubled the Island of Quiquirino, at the the mouth of the bay, we found ourselves in a smooth and spacious sheet of water, surrounded by crowds of sea-dogs, dolphins, whales, and water-birds, which abound on the coasts of Chili. This part of the country is but thinly inhabited, and a few poor and scattered huts only are visible. During the centuries that it has been in possession of the Spaniards, it has advanced as little as their other colonies in cul- tivation or civilization. . The calm made it impossible on that day to reach the village of Talcaguana, where ships usually lie at anchor, and we were consequently obliged in the evening to lay- to at some miles distance. in USELESS PRECAUTIONS. II I At twelve o'clock at night, the watch on deck observed a large boat approaching with cau- tion to within reach of musket-shot. This slink- ing about in the dark had a suspicious ap- pearance, especially as the colony having re- volted against the mother-country, was in a state of war. Want of light prevented our learning the strength of the boat^s crew, or what arms it carried ; but we prepared to repel an attack, in which, however, it was manifest the advantage would be greatly on our side. I ordered the watch to hail the boat, which in return addressed us through a trumpet, first in Spanish, and immediately afterwards in Eng- lish, inquiring to what nation we belonged, and whence, and for what purpose, we were come. Upon our reply that we were Russians and good friends, the boat came nearer, and an officer, well armed with sword and pistols, came on deck, but was so alarmed on perceiving our state of warlike preparations, that he did not utter a word till he had satisfied himself that we were really Russians, and had no hostile in- tentions. The cause of his fear lay in the report of a 3 i THB SIGNAL OF PEACE. 71 Spanish frigate having been seen cruising on the coast. This officer was an Englishman, in the service of the republic of Chili, and lieute- nant of a corvette lying before Talcaguana. He left us with a request, (which was imme< diately complied with,) that we would hoist a lantern at our fore-mast, as a signal of peace to the inhabitants of Talcaguana, among whom our appearance had spread the greatest anxiety. Early in the morning I sent an officer ashore to notify our arrival in proper form to the com- mandant of the place, and to request his per- mission to furnish ourselves with water and fresh provisions, which was granted in the most courteous manner possible. Sure of a favourable reception, I immediately weighed anchor, and, having a good wind, dropped it again at noon, at the distance of a musicet-shot from Talcaguana, in a depth of five and a half fathoms, after having been fifty days on the voyage from Rio Janeiro, during the whole of which time the crew had enjoyed the most perfect health. Besides our own ship, and the abovementioned corvette, commanded CHILI. by Captain Simson, three merchant ships under Chilian, and three whalers under English co- lours also lay here. In the afternoon I went ashore myself, and paid the Commandant a visit ; I was received in the most friendly man- ner, but with a good deal of Spanish etiquette, by an old man, who was evidently a zealous republican. He told me, that the first Presi- dent of the Republic, Freire, whose authority, he gave me to understand, would be very in- strumental in furthering his efforts to assist us, was at that moment in the town of Conception. Thither, therefore, I determined to proceed, hoping to see the President, and procure from him a written order for our accommodation. And here, though it interrupt the course of my narrative, I apprehend some particulars con- cerning this country may be agreeable to such of my readers as are strangers to it. The fruitful Chili is a long and narrow strip of coast-land, bathed on the West by the Great Ocean, so falsely called the Pacific ; divided on the North from Peru by the desert tract of Aiacoma ; and on the East, from Buenos Ayres, by the chain of the Cordilleras, or Andes, whose THE ARAUCANIANS. n snow-covered summits are diversified by the columns of fire continually emitted from nu- merous volcanoes ; on the South it extends as far as the Straits of Magellan, and indeed also claims the wholly useless island of Terra del Fuego, which is rarely, if ever, visited by a Chilian. The Spaniard Valdivia may be considered as the real discoverer of Chili. He established here the first Spanish settlement, the present capital, St. Jago, and subsequently, the town of Concep- tion. For a long time the Spaniards were engag- ed in bloody and uninterrupted war with the ori- ginal inhabitants of the country, called Arauca* nians. This strong and enterprising people with- drew into the mountains, where they were invin- cible, and from whence they have cordnued, to the present day, to aimoy the descendants of the '.itruders, who acknowledge and have hitherto respected their independence. They still pre- i^rve in their mountains and fastnesses their an- cient mode of living, and remain faithful to the religion and manners of their ancestors. Un- luckily for the Spaniards, they have become very dangerous neighbours by providing themselves VOL. I. E u PARISIAN FASHIONS IN CHILI. with horses, which, as they are skilful riders, enable them to execute their predatory expedi- tions with a rapidity that renders them almost always successful. A few of them have settled in the valleys, at the foot of the mountains, and adopted the Christian religion, without however amalgamating with the Spaniards, or losing their freedom. The lower class of the present inhabitants of Chili is a mixed race, sprung from the union of Spaniards with Araucanian women : they are well grown, of a dark brown complexion, and have a lively red in their cheeks. The men are all good riders, and have brought to great per- fection the art of catching wild animals with the lasso. The upper classes have preserved tlieir Spanish blood pure : they are also very well formed, the females nearly always hand- some, and some of them remarkably beautiful. Ija Perouse found them decorated with metul rings ; they now adorn themselves with much taste in Parisian fashions, which reach them by the way of Peru : their manners, though they do not approach so nearly to the forms of Eu- ropean society as do those of the up])er ranks CLIMATE OF CHILI. 75 in Rio Janeiro, are nevertheless not deficient in refinement. The climate resembles that of the middle of France, and vegetation thrives abundantly in its fertile soil. Among many kinds of native animals, the wild goats are the most numerous, and are scarcely ever tamed. Chili is particu- larly rich in beautiful birds ; troops of parrots are seen on the wing ; humming-birds, and but- terflies of all kinds, hover round the flowers, and swarms of lantern-flies sparkle through the night; while venomous insects and snakes are unknown. This fine country has been long neglected. Spanish jealousy allowed no trade with foreign nations; and the introduction of the Inquisition was sufficient to prevent all mental advance- ment. The inhabitants are also justly accused of idleness, in not having taken more advantage of the productiveness of their soil. Now, how- ever, that they have thrown off* the yok<.> undier which their industry was oppressed, and burst the fetters of the Inquisition, which bowed down their minds, they begin to be ashamed of the low grade of civilization on which they stand, E 2 76 THE BAY OF CONCEPTION. in comparison with other nations, and are ex- erting themselves to attain a more respectable station in the scale. The Chilians are chiefly indebted for their independence to the well-known General San Martin. In the year 1817, he made the cele- brated campaign over the Andes from Buenos Ayres, attacked and completely defeated the Spaniards, and laid the foundation of the free- dom of Chili. It is now governed by plenipo- tentiaries from all the provinces, under the presidency of General Freire. The Bay of Conception is a most eligible resting-place for the voyager in these seas to touch at, on account of its safe and commodious harbour, its abundant supply of provisions, and the healthiness of its climate. Evidently des- tined by nature for the central point of Chilian commerce, it must certainly supersede the unsafe roads of Valparaiso. Freire has already determined to establish an Admiralty in the neighbourhood of Talcaguana, and as much as possible to encourage the population of that part of the country. The village of Talcaguana, DISBMBARKATION AT TALCAGUANA. 77 consisting of about fifty small and poor houses, and another still smaller, called Pencu, have Ijecn the only settlements on this bay since the destruction, in the year 1751, of the old town of Conception by an earthquake — no uncommon occurrence in these regions. The new town of this name has been built farther inland, on the banks of the beautiful river Biobio, and is seven miles distant from Talcaguana. * Early in the morning on the 18th of January, I went with Dr. Eschscholtz to Talcaguana, where horses were in waiting to take us to Con- ception. The heavy, clumsy cars drawn by oxen, which I believe I described in my former voyage, are the only kind of carriage known here; and as even the ladies use these only on state occasions, they perform all their jour- neys, as in days of old, on horseback. The Russian flag having waved here but twice since the fo-nidation of the world, curiosity had brought a great crowd to witness my disembark- ation; and as it was now ascertained that theCap- tain was the same who, eight years before, had so much delighted the inhabitants with a ball, many 78 THE CONSEQUENCES OF WAR. of my old acquaintances and guests had assem- bled to welcome me. I could not resist their kind . and pressing invitations to visit them once more, before going to Conception. I was received with the greatest cordiality, and all possible pains were taken to entertain me; but they complained sadly of the ravages of war, which had brought its usual concomitants, poverty and ruin, in its train. A melancholy change had taken place since my former visit ; some of the wealthiest families had removed from Lima, and a striking difference was perceptible in the establishments of those that remained; while the silver utensils which formerly had been so common even among the poorer inhabitants, had wholly disappeared, and were replaced by a bad description of stone ware. The same traces of desolation were visible , along the once beautiful road to Conception, whither we proceeded on spirited horses, as soon as we liad paid the required visits. In- stead of the numerous flocks and herds which once adorned the meadows, burnt villages, uncultivated fields, devastated orchards, and swanns of beggars, presented a painful picture .1. AN UNKXPKCTP.D PILLAGE. 79 of universal want and misery. Such are the heavy sacrifices with which Chili has purchaseil her independence. May she enjoy their fruits under a government sufficiently wise and pow- erful to restore her prosperity ! Our two hours'* ride afforded ample time and scope for these reflections ; and on reaching the town, we were concerned to find similar symp- toms of misfortune. A great part of it lay in ruins ; and the houses yet standing were occu- pied, not by useful citizens, or active, speculating merchants, but by soldiers. The former have, with few exceptions, withdrawn from Concep- tion to Mexico and Peru. But the war of the Revolution is not chargeable with all the deso- lation which has befallen this unhappy town. A year before it broke out, a great horde of wild Araucanians, availing themselves of an opportunity when the Chilian troops were elsewhere employed, fell so suddenly upon the town during the night, that the inhabitants, who had not the slightest warning till the enemy was within their walls, were unable to defend themselves. Well knowing that they could not maintain their post, the Araucanians were active uo 8KILPUL HORSIiMEN. in the work of rapine and murder, and at length withdrew to their mountains laden with rich booty. These Arauc^nians, among >vhom such expe- ditions are not unfrequent, are, according to the accounts of officers here, a very warlike peo- ple, well armed with bows, arrows, and lances : they make their onset in great hordes, with a wild yell, and with such fury and rapidity that it is not easy even for regular troops to resist. If this, however, can be firmly withstood, they are in a few minutes defeated and put to flight. When pursued, they escape shots and sabre strokes by the dexterity with which they fling themselves on either side of their horses ; some- times even hanging under the horse's belly while it is going at full gallop. When escape is impossible, they defend themselves to the last, preferring death to captivity. From Rio Janeiro I had brought a letter of introduction to a once rich and still prosperous merchant in Conception, named Mendiburu ; I immediately sought him out, and was received and entertained with the kindest hospitality. His house proved to be the same which, on my GKNERAL PREIRE. HI former visit to Conception, the then Governor had appointed for my accommodation. At that time many discontented spirits had already shown themselves, had assumed the appellation of patriots, and were persecuted by the Govern- ment ; Mendiburu was one of these, and having made his escape, the Government, till its over- throw, had kept possession of his house. My complaisant host, a little man, rather advanced in years, who in many respects was extremely useful to us, accompanied us, as soon as we had arranged our dress, to the President Freire. The latter received us in the full luii- form of a general officer, with the most cere- monious politeness, but still kindly, although something of distrust might be perceived in his deportment. ?- Our circumstances with respect to Spain were known ; and, as I afterwards learned, it was absurdly enough imagined, that Russia had designs upon Chili, and that these formed the secret motive of our visit. Freire, who had al- ready distinguished himself as a general, is a stately -looking man, at that time about forty- five years of age, and of a very agreeable cxte- £5 '> IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) «♦ / ^Z^ ^4^ 1.0 US 2.2 I.I Ij4 1^ HI ■U u IM 2.0 Hi& ||||L25 I i.4 1 1^ < 6" tf FhotogFaphic Sciences CorporatiGn 4^ 23 WBT MAIN STRIIT WIBSTIt,N.Y. 14SM (716)t7a-4S03 ■^ 82 GOLD AND SILVER MINES. rior; he was born in Talcaguana, of very poor parents, and, without enjoying any particular advantage of education, has raised himself, by his own merit alone, to thehigh rank he occupies. After an unmeaning sort of conversation, con- sisting of little else than civilities, I endeavour- ed to procure the permission of the President for our naturalist and mineralogist to make a jour- ney into the Cordilleras, which he, however, politely but positively refused, on the ground that the Chilians were at war with the people in the mountains. I afterwards learnt from Mendiburu, that this was merely a pretence, as the President had already succeeded in esta- blishing peace and an amicable league with the Araucanians. A small military escort would therefore have been amply sufficient to protect the travellers from all danger of annoyance ; but here the weakness of the newly established government betrayed itself. They are distrust- ful of strangers, and act upon the old Spa- nish maxim,— to close the interior of the country against them. The recent disco- very of gold and silver mines in the mountains, which was still kept secret, fronn the fear that V •>* COMPLAISANCE OP OUR HOST. 83 foreign powers might covet these treasures, probably, also, contributed to a refusal which has undoubtedly proved, for the present, a seri- ous loss to science. All the arguments I could urge to obviate the President's objections were ineffectual : all I could obtain for our learned associates was permission to travel round the bay of Conception and the environs of Talcaguana, for which a passport was made out ; and a subal- tern officer was appointed to accompany them, who in all probability had also his private in- structions to see that the journey extended no ^rther. ,, Overwhelmed with courtesies and promises to make our residence here as agreeable as pos- sible, we left the President, and concluded the day in pleasant society at the house of our host Mendiburu, who on the following morn- ing accompanied us back to Talcaguana. He had the complaisance to surrender for our ac- commodation and the convenience of our astro- nomical observations, a large house belonging to him in Talcaguana, which had once been inha- bited by La Perouse. I took immediate pos- session of it, and our time was now very agree- 84 THE CHILIAN ARMY. >'j ably divided between the necessary attention to the repairs and provisioning of the ship, scien- tific observations, and the society of the hospi- table natives. » .,.,., ^^*...v The little town was soon filled with warlike tumult. A grenadier regiment from Concep- tion marched in with drums beating and a very good band playing. The uniform was in the French fashion, clean and substantial ; the mus- kets were in the best order. , Freire has most zealously exerted himself to raise a respectable army ; but to bring a rabble of adventurers from all nations into proper dis- cipline is no easy task, especially where there is not money enough to pay them punctually ; even the officers are mostly foreigners, and, with few exceptions, ignorant and stupid beyond all belief. With such a soldiery, patriotism or enthusiasm in the cause is of course out of the question. The Chilian soldier fights like a robber, for the sake of the booty he hopes to acquire ; and covetousness will form the foun- dation of his valour, till increase of population shall permit the organization of a national militia. i^ A NEW CONSTITUTION PROCLAIMED. 85 A few regiments had been sent over to the island of Quiquirino, perhaps in order to render desertion more difficult : here they had formed a camp, and were exercised in various manoeu- vres. The whole force, consisting of three thousand men, was destined, under the com- mand of the President, to attack the island of Chiloe, the only spot still remaining in posses- sion of the Spaniards. They were now waiting the arrival of the requisite vessels from Valpa- raiso. ^» ^ On the 20th of January, amidst the thunder of the artillery, a new Constitution was proclaimed at Conception, signed there in great form by Freire, and afterwards read in many other towns of the Republic. Some of the inhabitants re- ceived it with enthusiasm, but it by no means gave satisfaction to all. In Talcaguana, opinions were much divided, and loudly and undis- guisedly expressed. - In every company the new Constitution became the chief subject of conver- sation, and often gave occasion to violent dis- putes. Even the ladies were not exempt from this political mania : they gave their opinions with unhesitating confidence and decision, and, 86 A COLLATION GIVEN ON BOARD. in fact, often appeared fully as capable of form- ing a correct judgment as the men. Without entering into these criticisms, I shall only remark, that one regulation of the Chilian Constitution must certainly be disad- vantageous — the public exercise of any other religion than the Catholic is forbidden ; Catho- lics only can fill civil offices (with the military such strictness is impracticable) ; nor is any one permitted to carry on a mechanical trade who does not belong to this Church. ,. If the advantage of universal toleration is so evident in the most flourishing states, how much more desirable must it be for one so thinly peopled, and where industry and knowledge are so little advanced. We frequently received visits on board from the ladies and gentlemen of Chili ; and once from an Araucanian chief, accompanied by his daughter and some attendants. A collation was prepared for the Araucanians, of which they heartily partook ; and despising the knife and fork, helped themselves plentifully with their fingers. The meal being concluded, we made them some trifling presents, with which DRESS OP THE ARAUCANIAN8. 87 they were much delighted ; the chief also begged a piastre, and his daughter (a true woman, though a savage,) a looking-glass. After she had contemplated her features for some time with much satisfaction, the treasure was passed from hand to hand among her people, who all appeared extremely well content with the reflec- tion of their own faces, although, according to our ideasof beauty; none of them had any cause for vanity. They are of the middle stature, strongly built, and of dark complexions. Their hair is black, and hangs loosely over their shoul- ders ; and their little Chinese eyes, and promi- nent cheek-bones, seemed to indicate an Asiatic origin. The expression of their faces is good- natured, lively, and rather intelligent. Their dress is very simple, consisting merely of a piece of many-coloured striped woollen stuff of their own manufacture: in shape, it is an oblong square, with a hole in the centre through which the head is passed, the longer ends hanging down to the knee before and behind, the shorter at each side falling over the shoulders, and the lower part of their limbs remaining bare. The Spanish Chilians call this garment a pancho. 88 THE FANDANGO. and often use it in winter as a surtout : among the common people it makes the daily, and sometimes even the only clothing. The officers of the regiment stationed here politely gave a ball in our honour, which, as might be expected in this poor village, did not prove very brilliant ; but as my young officers found plenty of pretty and agreeable partners, they were perfectly satisfied. The old custom of opening a ball with a minuet is still practised here, and the Chilians dance it remarkably well. Besides the dances common among us, a sort of fandango is a favourite here : it is expressly adapted to display the graces of a fine figure to the best advantage, and is danced by two per- sons, whose picturesque attitudes and motions are accompanied on the guitar, and by tender songs, according in expression with the panto- mimical representations of the dance. ? We determined to return the complaisance of the natives by giving a ball on board our ship to our acquaintances in Talcaguana, and some from Conception. My officers made every effort to surpass the Chilians in the elegance of their entertainment ; and having been detained on A BALL ON BOARD SHIP. a9 shore during their preparations, and till the hour appointed for the ball, I was really asto- nished to see how much they had been able to achieve. The deck was changed into a large illuminated saloon, decorated with fine myrtle trees, luxuriant garlands, and bouquets of flow- ers of every colour, exhaling the sweetest per- fumes, and appropriate transparencies in the background opposite the entrance. The cabins had been cleared for refreshment-rooms ; an i the musicians, concealed behind a curtain, were to pour forth their animating strains unseen by the dancers. The cheerful scene was rapidly filled with cheerful faces; graceful figures moved in the lively dances ; and love and beauty alone seemed to preside within the joyous precincts. But suddenly a universal confusion and panic terror was spread among the coi r.-ny, and chiefly among the ladies. Some suspicious simpleton or mischievous wag had whispered that we had a design of secretly weighing an- chor during this festivity, and sailing away with our beautiful prisoners. My friend Mendiburu, however, at length succeeded in banishing this ridiculous apprehension, and restoring tranquil- VISIT TO THK OLD lity. Pleasure and contiJence again reigned over the revels, till the sun stood high in the heavens; and like every other earthly enjoy- ment, even our ball drew to a close, though it bade fair to linger long in the recollection as well of our returning guests as of some of the young entertainers. , . : The delightful weather tempted us, soon after this, to make an excursion to the opposite shores of the bay, and visit the ruins of the old town of Conception. Mendiburu was of the party, as were all of our scientific brethren, and as many of the officers as duty permitted to be absent. Very early, on a beautiful morning, we distributed our party in three large boats, and rowed, in two hours, to the destined point. We landed at the village of Pencu, which, like Portici upon Herculaneum, is built upon the ruins of the former town of Conception, and whose inhabitants live quietly and cheerfully over the graves of their unfortunate predeces- sors, and disturb themselves little with the thought, that the same fate may bury them one day in a living tomb. . About fifteen houses, surrounded by gardens, TOWN OP CONCEPTION. 91 lie scattered here over a lovely plain, watered by the small river St. Peter. Nature here appears more luxuriant and productive than at Talcaguana. The mountains which encircle this valley rise gently to a moderate height, and de- light the eye by the freshness of the shrubs with which they are covered. While we gave chase to many kinds of birds and insects for the improvement of our collec- tion, the sailors threw out a great net, and took a quantity of shell and other fish with which the sea abounds in this neighliourhood, and which make the chief subsistence of the poorer classes of people. The environs of this village are con- sidered the loveliest district round the bay, and infinitely surpassing Talcaguana in the beauty of its scenery. Few remains of the old town are visible. The earth seems to have actually open- ed and swallowed it up, leaving scarcely a trace behind. Even the yawning gulph in which it sunk has filled again, so that it is only here and there upon the plain that some fragment of a former dwelling reminds one of the fearful ca- tastrophe. - The inhabitants of Talcaguana and Concep- tS PLIGHT OF BIRDS. tion make excursions to Pencil, to examine, as a curiosity, a water-mill established there by some foreigner. We found it so out of repair aH to be unserviceable, and the owner com- plained that he could 6nd no one capable of mending it. The wheat is here ground to flour by beating it in stone pots with heavy wooden clubs; which may serve to give some idea of the progress the Chilians have made in the useful arts. ^r^:'-:--f --r •• • ^ ,'.' iV''';;, ' ;''■ ,.^ '.: Mendiburu possessed an estate near Pencu, where we partook of a pleasant meal under the shade of fruit-trees. After dinner the whole company went shooting, and in the course of a few hours had killed several hundred water- birds of various kinds. The flocks in which they fly are sometimes so numerous as to darken the air. During our absence such a one was descried from the ship ; it appeared a solid mass of about ten fathoms broad, and its flight lasted full three hours. The repairs of our ship had gone on quickly, and the time approached for our leaving Chili, when we perceived that the friendliness and civi- lity we had hitherto experienced from the inha- NEEDLESS ALARM. 93 bitants was changing into reserve and evident distrust. Secret cabals were going on against us ; and even the Government seemed inclined to act, if not with positive hostility, at least violently and arbitrarily towards us. . The attention of the unreflecting and easily excited Chilians had first been attracted by the mustachios worn by one of my companions. They took him for a disguised Spaniard, who had accompanied us to sow discontents, and gain back the hearts of the people to the old government. Other misrepresentations may also have been made against us ; but we were neither able to discover them, nor the actual intentions entertained towards us. ' When the ship was ready to sail, and I thought to quit Talcaguana in a few days, I returned to Conception to take leave of the President Freire. While on the road, lieing mounted on a spirited horse, I had got a little the start of my companions, and was stopping on a height to contemplate the beautiful land- scape around me, when a well-dressed young man, coming from the direction of the town, suddenly met me, stood still, looking attentively 94 AN UNEXPECTED CAUTION. at me for some moments, and then asked if I were the Captain of the Russian frigate. On my answering in the affirmative, after ascer- taining that we were not observed, he said, " You are aware that the two parties in ♦his country are differently disposed towards you. The day after to-morrow the officers of the regi- ment in Talcaguana will give you a f^^rewell ball, when they intend to overpower the Rus- sian officers, and take them prisoners. J have adopted this method of making you acquainted with the design; be on your guard." With these words he disappeared amoi y the high shrubs. As soon as my companioi ^ came up, I took Mendiburu aside, and told h n what I had just heard. Honourable and w :m-heart- ed, my friend at first grew pale wit astonish- ment and vexation ; but, after a fe\ moments'* consideration, he felt convinced, and assured me, that the thing was impossible, and that my unknown monitor must be in error. At the same time we both determined, immediately on our arrival in Conception, to mention the cir- cumstance to the President. Freire received me in a very friendly manner, and so confi- A WARNING REPEATED. 95 sh- ed ifi- dently affirmed the project attributed to his officers, to be a mere ** coinage of the brain*" of my informant, that I trusted to his opinion, and thought no more of it, especially as our own ball had furnished a proof how easily the silliest and most groundless reports could gain credit. After leaving the President, I passed the re- mainder of the day, and slept, at the house of my friend Mendiburu. As I was preparing to go to bed, I heard a gentle knock at my room door ; I opened it, and a servant of the house came timidly in. He told me that he was a Spa- niard, and had been a sailor on board a frigate captured by the Chilians, and that his present master had taken him into his service, when a prisoner of war. He then gave me, under the most earnest injunctions not to betray him, the same caution which I had before received, add- ing some curses on the Chilian Government and people, whom he declared to be altogether a set of vagabonds and thieves. This repeated warning was too striking not to excite some ap- prehension. I took all the circumstances into consideration ; and though the motive for such a 96 PRECAUTIONS ADOPTED. proceeding remained perfectly incomprehensi- ble, I still resolved to take measures for my security, in case it should be really attempted. I passed a sleepless night, and early in the morn- ing bade adieu to my kind host, to whom I was unable to impart my new cause of anxiety, and hastened back to Talcaguana. On my arrival there, I found cards inviting myself and all my ofBcers to a ball on the following evening : so far, therefore, the information I had received was correct. To avoid the appearance of sus- picion, I accepted the invitation, and went to the ball accompanied by a few of my officers. The rest remained on board the ship, having placed her so as to bring her guns to bear upon the house in which the ball was given, and to command the respect of the neighbourhood. Thus Talcaguana was at our mercy ; nor had we any thing to fear, either from the armed corvette, or the battery on shore ; the former being so situated that it must needs have struck to our first broadside, and the latter mounting only six guns quite unfit for use, and resting upon broken carnages. We had also removed our observatory, and conveyed all our VOYAGE RESUMED. 97 efiPects on board. These imposing preparations did not in all probability remain unobserved ; at all events, the ball passed off quietly enough ; but it was remarkable that very few of the offi- cers who had given it were present ; and instead of the gaiety which had reigrifed on the two for- mer occasions, the greatest constraint was evi- dent in the deportment of the company, who separated at an unusually early hour. At daybreak we weighed anchor, to re- sume our voyage ; but before we were in mo- tion, my faithful friend Mendiburu, who had travelled in the night from Conception, came on board with the news that a Chilian frigate and a corvette, which had arrived two days before from Valparaiso with troops, now lay at anchor at the mouth of the bay, and had received or- ders to prevent our departure. He had no idea what could have induced his government, against which he was excessively indignant, to meditate such an outrage ; but he felt assured that the ships were by no means in a condition to obey. When in full sail, I parted from Mendiburu, for the second time, with hearty thanks for his sympathy and assistance. VOL. 1. p 98 PREPARATIONS FOR I now ordered the ship and guns to be pre- pared for battle, in case it should prove neces- sary to force our way out. We proceeded with a fresh and favouring breeze so rapidly, that in an hour''s time we could distinguish the two vessels lying at anchor near the island of Qui- (juirino. As we approached, a gun was fired from the frigate, on which signal both ships got under sail, and took a direction that would enable them to oppose our progress. No longer doubting their hostile intentions, I lessened my sail to make the ship more manageable during the expected engagement. The matches were lighted, and every one stood at his post ; but the Chilian frigate, a bad sailer, having run too far to leeward, could not come up to the assistance of the corvette which endeavoured to dispute our passage; but clearly perceiving, when with- in gun-shot, that we were prepared to resist an attack, found it most prudent to sail peaceably on, contenting herself with calling something to us through a trumpet, which we could not un- derstand. Pursuing our course in an opposite direction, we were soon at a considerable dis- tance from the corvette, and then saw the RESISTING AN ATTACK. 99 frigate tacking to follow us ; but having already greatly the advantage, and the mouth of the bay clear before us, we rehoisted our sails, and without waiting for further evidence of Chilian hostility, stood out to sea ; thus escaping at> tempts upon our liberty, the real motive of which, perhaps, was a desire to employ our ships in the transport of troops to Chiloe. The two English whalers had already been taken possession of for this purpose, without the con- sent of their captains. The result of our observations on land are as follows : Latitude from Mendiburu's house in Talcs^ana 36° 42' 15" West Longitude 73° 8' 20' Declination of the needle 14° East Inclination . . . 80° 4' The tide is here quite imperceptible. During the whole time of our stay, Reaumur's thermo- meter stood between 15 and 17 degrees. F 2 THE DANGEROUS ARCHIPELAGO. , ') » THB •.-;: i: DANGEROUS ARCHIPELAGO. ,.-:V: " •". '!.,■.■ . i -L ^' The many islands composing this Aichi|X'- logo, and which the little coralline insects have built in the midst of the ocean, are so low, that they are invisible at a very trifling distance. From this cause they have often, in darkness or bad weather, proved dangerous to naviga- tion, and have thence derived their name. It was my intention now, to ascertain exactly the geographical position of the islands which I had discovered on my former voyage. OTahaiti was to serve as a point from which to determine the longitude, and at the same time to furnish us with provisions. I directed my course to this Archipelago, between the parallels of 15 and 16 degrees of 104 THE TROPICS. South latitude, because this is not the usual track of merchants^ ships, nor has it been taken in voyages of discovery, so that I thought it not improbable that we might fall in with other unknown islands. In pursuance of this plan, we steered north-west, for the above mentioned parallel. An uninterrupted fresh south wind having carried us six hundred and sixty miles forwards in three days, brought us into the hot climate so suddenly, that we were much incon- venienced by it. The island of Juan Fernan- dez, whither the Spaniards, when masters in Chili, used to banish criminals and republicans, lay on our left, and the little uninhabited rocky islands of Felix and Ambrosia at a little dis- tance on our right. After rapidly gaining the Southern Tropic, our voyage, though pleasant, was far more tranquil; the slightness of the motion between the Tropics, admits of employ- ment on board a ship, for which a sailor has generally little opportunity; even drawings may be executed in the neatest manner. On the 17th February we found ourselves under eighteen degrees of South latitude, and a hundred and five degrees longitude. The A 8AIL0R LOST. 105 weather continued tine and serene, and our men expressed a wish to interrupt the uniformity of their lives, by getting up a play. The theatre was prepared, the play-bills given out, and the orchestra had even made the signal for the com- pany to assemble, when our merriment was sud- denly changed into terror and distress; another sailor fell overboard. He had been keeping watch on the fore-mast, to provide for our safety against land and shallows, in this untried region, and having neglected to secure his own, fell a sacrifice to his thoughtlessness. Being injured by the fall, he immediately sunk, and all our efforts to save him proved fruitless. Separated as we had long been from our native country, the loss of a member of our little society, thus bound together through good or ill fortune, was sensibly felt ; the poor fellow was, besides, one of our best sailors: in the most violent storms, he had often executed the most dange- rous tasks at the mast-head with the greatest skill, and now in the finest weather, with the ship moving in a manner scarcely perceptible, was he destined to end, thus suddenly, his active and useful life. p 5 •v /^ I ^ 106 THE CORAL ISLANDS. Having sailed four thousand miles in three weeks, since we left Chili, we reached the neighbourhood of the dangerous Archipelago. By degrees we now lost, contrary to all rule in this climate, the south-east trade-wind, which had hitherto been so favourable to us, and contrary winds from the West and North brought us very bad weather. An opinion lias been hitherto entertained, that the coral islands, from lying so low and in small masses, could produce no change in the atmosphere, and that the trade- winds, to which they offered no obstruction, would continue to blow uninterruptedly in their neighbourhood. Repeated experience has, however, convinced nie that this is an error, and that these little islands, at certain seasons, often cause varia- tions from the ordinary tropical weather. . On the 26th of February, we entered 16° of latitude, and 129" of longitude. The wind blew from the West : black clouds labour- ing upwards, covered the sky ; violent and sud- den gusts expended their fury on us, and light- nings flashed from every corner of the horizon. The night was really dreadful, and the tem- LAND IN SIGHT. lo: pest continued to rage, through a darknei^M which, but fi)r the lightning, would have been total, while torrentH of rain swept our decks. Nor did the return of light bring us much re- lief; when about noon the heavens cleared for a short time, and allowed us a little respite ; the storm set in again with renewed violence, and for four days and nights we were condemned to struggle with this tremendous weather. It is surprising how such tempests can arise at so great a distance from land. In the ship Rurik, in this same region, at the same season of year, I have before met with similar though scarcely such furious storms. On the 2nd of March the tropical wind returned, and brought with it clearer weather. It was indeed very hot, (Reaumur's thermometer did not fall even in the night below 24,) but the whole crew continued in good health. On this eve- ning we calculated that we were in 15^* 16' lati- tude, and 139° 40' longitude; and just as the sun was sinking, the man at the mast-head call- ed out that land was in sight. The pleasure of making a new discovery set all our tele- scopes in motion, and before night set in we 108 A NEW .3LAN0 DISCOVERED. plainly distinguished a very low, thickly wood- ed island. Since no navigator, to my know- ledge, had ever been here before, and the new- est charts described nothing but empty space, we conceived we had a right to consider our- selves the first discoverers, and named the island, after our ship, Predpriatie : we now tacked to stand out to sea for the night, and at break of day again made towards the island, under feelings of strong excitement. The many tele- scopes which our eager curiosity pointed to- wards its object, seemed each endued with the magical power of conveying different images to the sight. Some of us saw what others saw not, till these delusions of the imagina- tion vanished before the conviction produced by rising columns of smoke visible to all, that the island was inhabited. We could soon af- terwards, from the mast-head, perceive its entire extent. The dazzling whiteness of the coral shore fringed a bright green ground upon which rose a forest of palms; and we distinguished canoes moving upon a large lake in the centre of the island. By rapid degrees, .we approached so near that every object be- ALARM OF THE NATIVES. 109 came perceptible with the naked eye. A tall, strong, dark-coloured race of naked savages were assembling on the shore, gazing on the ship in great agitation, with gestures of asto- nishment. Some were arming with long spears and clubs, others kindling piles of wood, probably, that the smoke might be a signal to neighbouring islands of their requiring assist- ance against the unknown sea-monster. From pretty huts of plaited reeds, under the shade of bread-fruit trees, the women, some of them with children in their arms, were flying to con- ceal themselves in tlie forest. Such was the commotion our appearance occasioned in this little community. A few heroes summoned courage enough to advance, with threatening attitudes, to the margin of the shore ; but no single canoe, though many lay on the coast, ventured to approach us. Judging from their size and the good arrangement of their sails, these canoes seem intended for visits to other and even distant islands. We sailed quite round our new discovery without finding any haven by which we could effect a landing ; and the sea being tempestuous, with a high and 110 ISLAND OP ARAKTSCHIBF. If In . ii boisterous surf, we were compelled to renounce our desire of becoming more intimately ac- quainted with the Predpriatians. The un- clouded sky enabled us, nevertheless, to deter- mine by observation the exact latitude and longitude of this little island, whose greatest extent is only four miles from E. N. E. to W.S.W. The latitude of its central point is 15° 58^ 18" South, and its longitude, 140° IV 30". The variation of the needle was 4° East. When we had finished our observations, I steered a westerly course for the island of Araktschief, discovered in the year 1819 by the Russian Captain Bellingshausen, in order to convince myself that it was actually not the one we had just quitted. ... , k At four o'clock in the afternoon we could already see this island from the mast-head, and we reached it before sunset. It bears, with respect to size and circumstances, so close a resemblance to tliat of Predpriatie, that they might easily be mistaken, if their relative situa- tions were not exactly known. From our observation, we found the latitude of the centre of the island of Araktschief A.-.' ISLAND OP ROMANZOW. Ill 15" 51' 20" South ; and the longitude 140" 50' 50". According to Captain Bellingshausen's chart, the latitude is 15<> 51', the longitude 140* 52'. Unable to discover any traces of inhabitants on this island, we should have supposed there were none, had not Captain Bellingshausen ascertained the contrary. At night we retired to some distance from the island and lay-to, that we might not, in the darkness, strike on any unknown land. At break of day I steered a north-west course, to see the island of Romanzow, (which I had formerly discovered when with the ship Rurik,) and convince myself of the accuracy of the astronomical observations then made. At eight o'^clock in the morning we could see the north point Ti the group of Wolchonsky Islands, re- cently discovered by Captain Bellingshausen. When they lay seven miles off us, to the South, we found the longitude, according to our chro- nometers, 142° 2' 38". Bellingshausen consi- dered it to be 142» T 42". From failure of wind, we could not make the island of Romanzow till the morning of the 8th of March. We then took advantage of 112 SPIRIDOW ISLAND. Ml II the clearness of the hieavens to ascertain, by the distance between the sun and moon, its exact longitude, which is 144® 28'. According to the observations we had made in the ship Ru- rik, it was 144" 24', consequently there was a difference of only four minutes. . /iisf^/?f m v?^ We now steered due West, in order to learn whether the island which, on my voyage in the Rurik, I had named after Admiral Spiridow, was really a. new discovery, or, as has been said, only the most southerly of the King George'*s Islands. A fresh wind favoured our course, and at six o^clock in the afternoon we could see this island, my discovery of which has been denied, lying before us at a distance of six miles westward. . ,.; , s t? > t ^;*vrf^ ? At the same time, we could distinguish from the mast-head the southern part of another island, lying due North, with open water be- tween the two. We were in 14" 41' .36" South latitude, and 144" 55' longitude. During the night we were becalmed, but in the morning a fresh breeze sprang up directly in our teeth, and the current carried us so far to the South, that, even from the mast> we could no longer CARLSHOF ISLAND. 113 see land. Under these circumstances, to at- tempt to regain the Spiridow Island would have been attended by too great loss of time ; so that we remained uncertain whether this and the other, which we saw in the North, were the two King George^s Islands or not. I can only say, that if they really are so, their disco- verer has given their geographical position very inaccurately. . : ^;; ; ^.^ ^ ,; The south-east trade-wind had ceased to be- friend us, and shifting gusts from the north* west and south blew with such violence as fre- quently to tear our sails, accompanied by in- cessant rain and storm. The sea being at the same time remarkably calm, proved that we were surrounded by islands, and that, in conse- quence, the greatest caution was required in sailing, especially as the currents in this region are often very strong. We soon saw land di- rectly before us ; and as in the neighbourhood of all coral islands the depth of the sea cannot be sounded at a distance of fifty fathoms from the shore, we approached within a mile of it. This island stretches ten miles in length, from East to West, and is only four miles broad ; it -i»'~ 114 MAKE FOR PALLISER ISLANDS. H appeared to be a narrow strip of land, thickly overgrown with low bushes, surrounding a lake in the centre. Sea-birds only, of which we saw a vast number^ appeared to inhabit this waste. The latitude of the middle of this island we found to be 15" 27', and its longitude 145" 31' 12". According to the chart of Admiral Kru- senstem, it may be the island called Carlshof, discovered in the year 1722, by Roggewin, the geographical position of which is given differ- ently on almost every chart, and whose very existence has been disputed. We were now in the midst of the dangerous Archipelago, and consulted our safety by riding every night only in parts which we had surveyed during the day. ,- -^- ■: - - -' ^.- •■■• * After reiterated nightly storms and rains, we shaped our course, with full sails, on the re- turn of fine weather, due East, for the Palliser Islands discovered by Captain Cook, and reached them in a few hours. On board the Rurik, I had only seen their northern side, and I now wished, astronomically, to deterr^ine the southern. Cook mentions these islands very superficially, so that navigators have fallen LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE. 115 into many errors concerning them. The group consists of a number of small islands connected by coral reefs, which form a circular chain, and enclose a large piece of water. When we had reached the southern point of the east Pallisers, we saw a ridge stretching ten miles westward to two small islands, and thence taking a north- ern direction to unite itself at a considerable distance with larger ones. Cook, from his own account, did not approach near enough to see this ridge, and from a dis- tance mistook the two little woody islands it embraces for the most southerly of a distinct cluster, which he calls the fourth group of Pal- liser Islands. I can maintain that there are only three such groups, as the map which accompa- nies this volume will show. At noon we found our latitude to be 15" 42' 19", and the longi- tude 146" 21' 6". / J The abovementioned two small islands on the reef lay directly North, and the southern part of the first cluster of Pallisers was no longer visible. Viewed from this spot, the smaller ones might have been mistaken by us also for part of another group, if we had not 116 MAKE FOR OTAHEITE. previously ascertained that they ^ere connected with the first by means of the reef. The se- cond and third group could also be seen from this point; the former to the S. E. the latter S.W. At six o'clock in the evening, we found our- selves near the eastern point of the third group, and saw from the mast-head the Greigh Islands, discovered by Captain Bellingshausen. We now steered between these two groups, in order to free ourselves from the Archipelago, and regain the open sea. Again the night was tem- pestuous; but a calm occurred in the course of it, which, had it lasted longer, would have been dangerous, as a strong current was carrying us towards the shore. The morning sun, as usual in the Torrid Zone, dispersed the clouds and riestored the beautiful blue of the tropical sky. We soon lost sight of land, but a black cloud still lowered in that part of the horizon where it had disappeared ; a proof how powerfully these ~||asses of coral attract thunder clouds. We now recovered the south-east wind, and favoured by it, #ok the shortest way to O Tahaiti. All the longitudes in the dangerous Archipelago PALLISBR ISLANDS. 117 which I have given, (without entering into the manner in which they were calculated,) arc made out by means of the chronometer. This, on arriving at O Tahaiti, was found six minutes fifty seconds wrong; and the longitudes here given have been rectified accordingly. The following is from our observations the situation of the Palliser Islands : — South point of the first group . Lat. 15° 34' 25' Long. 146° 6' 49' , The two small islands to the West ofthe first group . . . Lat. 15° 30' 15' Long. 146° 20' 50' The Eastern point ofthe thirdgroup Lat. 15° 44' 52' Long. 146° 28' 2'. Most of the islands of this Archipelago are inhabited, but hitherto little is known ofthe natives, who are shy, and endeavour to avoid any intercourse with navigators. Byron landed by force on one of these islands ; in the struggle many of the inhabitants were killed, the rest put to flight, and the provision of cocoa-nuts found in their huts plundered. Tradition may perhaps have exaggerated this attack. Cook also permitted some of his crew to land, who indeed met with no resistance, but their pre- 118 PALLIUER ISLANDS. sents were received with the greatest indifter- ence, and stones were thrown after them on their departure. Captain Bellingshausen, in the year 1820, wished to land on one of these islands, but the natives opposed his intention so seriously that he relinquished it rather than use force. These people resemble the O Tahai- tians, their neighbours and relatives, in appear- ance and language ; and when the latter are farther advanced in civilization, it may be pre- sumed that intercourse with them will effect a considerable amelioration in the condition of the other South Sea islanders. !er- on the lese ion ban lai. jar- are ire- ta the O TAHAITr. ;-.-/■, isA r V, O TAHAITI. This beautiful island, so richly endowed by nature with every thing that its simple and in- nocent natives can require for the enjoyment of existence, was perhaps first seen by the Spanish voyager Quiras, when, in the year 1606, he made an expedition from Lima, ** to win,"" as a countryman of his expresses it, '^ souls for Heaven, and kingdoms for Spain/^ Since, how. ever, the position pointed out by him is ex- tremely incorrect, it is uncertain whether the island which he called Sagittaria was really O Tahaiti or not. More probably, the honour of the discovery belongs to the English Captain Wallis, who in the year 1767 landed there, and took possession of the country by a solemn VOL. I. G 122 WALLIS — BOUGAINVILLE— COOK. RilC declaration, in the name of his King. As, how. ever, the Tahaitians did not understand him, this act remained unknown to them ; and, not- withstanding a subsequent renewal, has fallen into oblivion. Captain Wallis gave it the name of King George the Third's Island. Eight months after him, the French Captain Bougainville visited it ; and not knowing that Captain Wallis had been there before him, con- sidered himself the first discoverer, and called it, from the most remarkable custom of the natives, Nouvelie Cythhe^ but heard that they themselves called it Tahaiti, or with the article, O Tahaiti ; and this name it has retained. The celebrated Englishman, Cook, stopped there in each of his three voyages, between the vears 1769 and 1778. He remained much longer in communication with the inhabitants than any of his predecessors had done ; brought back Omai, to whom in London it had been attempted to give an European education, to his native land, and made use of the narrations he obtained from him during the voyage. Since that time. Cook and his companions, particu larly the two Forsters, father and son, have H in I THE SOCIETY ISLANDS. 123 given us considerable information concerning the condition of the Tahaitians before their con- version to the Christian faith. To estimate the effect of this great change, we must compare Christian Tahaiti as it now is, with the accounts these early voyagers have left us of its heathen times ; and as every reader may not be conveniently able to do so, a short review of them may not be considered un- welcome. The Society Islands, of which Tahaiti is the largest, are, like many others, either fragments of a Southern continent swallowed up by earth- quake, or a mass of rock ejected from the bot- tom of the sea by subterranean fire, which gradually becoming covered with a fertile soil, is now adorned by the most beautiful vegetation. It consists of two peninsulas united by a nar- row isthmus, which together are about one hundred and twenty miles in circumference; towards the centre of each rise wild rocky mountains, intersected by deep ravines, from the side of which, thickly wooded almost to their summits, flow numerous streamlets of pure transparent water, forming the most picturesque G 2 li 124 PRODUCE OF THE SOIL. cascades as they descend from every direction into the sea. The high mountains are unin- habited, and the settlements made only in the valleys, more especially in the low land between the mountains and the sea-shore. In these charming amphitheatrical land- scapes, their houses, consisting only of roofs resting on stakes, surrounded and shaded by bananas, bread-fruit and cocoa-trees, are scat- tered at small distances from each other. Attached to every house are enclosed fields, where the proprietors cultivate their yams, sweet potatoes, and other wholesome and plea- sant roots, which form their chief nourishment. The rest of the cultivated land is filled by plantations of bananas and plantains, or little forests of cocoa and bread-fruit trees, so luxuri- antly interwoven, that the burning rays of the sun cannot penetrate to injure the bright ver- dure which clothes the soil. The neatly kept grass footpaths leading through these groves from one dwelling to another, are variegated with flowers of the richest colours and most fragrant perfumes, and enlivened by the notes of innumerable birds arrayed in all the splendid SALUBRITY OF THE CLIMATE. 125 hues of the Tropics. Aluiough Tahaiti is only seventeen degrees from the Equator, the heat is so much moderated by refreshing breezes that it is very supportable even to an European. Bougainville never found it above twenty-two, and often under eighteen degrees of Reau- mur. That indeed was during the winter ; but even in January, the middle of the Tahaitian summer, the atmosphere is much cooled by the frequent rains. The air is usually dry, clear, and particularly healthy ; sick people brought ashore from a sea voyage recover rapidly. Here are neither ants, musquitoes, nor any of the tormenting insects so common in tropical climates ; no beast of prey, no destructive worm nor serpent ; even the scorpion (of which a small sort is to be met with) here loses its poison. The only plague of this kind is a large rat, which does much mischief in the fields, and sometimes even bites the Tahaitians during their sleep. Bougainville says, " The inhabitants of Ta- haiti consist of two distinct races, which re- main such, although their language and man- ners are the same, and they appear to mingle 126 ORIGITJAL INHABITANTS. indiscriminately with each other. One, the most numerous, produces the tallest men, com- monly six feet and upwards ; and I Iiave never seen better proportioned, or finer forms. A sculptor could not choose a more suitable mo- del for a Mars or a Hercules. There is no- thing to distinguish their features from those of Europeans ; and if they were clothed, and less exposed to the air and the burning sun, they would be quite as fair. Their hair is usually black (Wallis saw fair people, and Banks even Albinos). The other race is of middle stature, with coarse curling hair, and resembles the Mulatto in complexion and features.''" Cook and his companions considered this dif- ference among the Tahaitians to arise from the circumstance of the tall fair race, (called Eris, which is pronounced Yeri,) the more distin- guished class, being less exposed to the sun and to hard labour, and their women more re- served and less licentious. * We were however more inclined to agree with Bougainville, who supposed the dark Ta- haitians to be the original inhabitants, and the CUSTOMS OF THE TAHAITIANS. 127 Yeris invaders, who at some remote period had subjugated them; for the latter are the exclu- sive possessors of the land ; the others obtaining only a certain remuneration in fruits and vege- tables for cultivating the fields and plantations of their masters. The kings and all great per- sonages are of this race, which is held by the common people in much veneration. That the language and customs of both race(> should have assimilated is natural ; but with respect to their intermarriages, Bougainville was in error; the pride of the Yeris keeps them aloof from any such connections, which, had they subsisted, must have long since de- stroyed the broad and acknowledged line of distinction. It is, however, only fair to con- fess, that this hypothesis of an invasion is un- supported by any Tahaitian tradition. " The men of both races,'* continues this tra- veller, " allow the lower part of the beard to grow, but shave the whiskers and the upper lip. Some cut their hair short off, others bind it together at the top of the head ; both hair and beard they grease with the oil of the cocoa-nut. A girdle round the middle often serves for hi!! Ill \r ijii / S 128 CUSTOMS OP THE TAHAITIANS. their only clothing ; but the people of rank ge- nerally wear a large piece of stuff which falls as low as the knee. This is the principal gar- ment of the women, who put it on in a very be- coming manner. The female Yeris, who never expose themselves to the sun, and wear a hat of reeds adorned with flowers, which shades the face, are fairer than the men : their features are handsome, but they are chiefly remarkable for the beauty of their figures, which are not spoiled by the artifices of European fashions. They paint their cheeks red, and colour the lower part of the body dark blue, as an orna- ment and a distinction of rank. " Both sexes are tattooed, and both hang rows of pearls or flowers through holes pierced in their ears. The greatest cleanliness reigns among them ; they bathe regularly, and wash themselves before and after meals. '^ The descriptions of other travellers agree per- fectly with this ; all appear to feel the greatest kindness for these " nurselings of joyous nature," as some one calls them ; and to have been par- ticularly charmed with the women, of whom THR BREAD-FRUIT TREE. 129 Wallis says, " They are all handsome, and some excessively lovely." ^ The companions of Cook also speak in the highest terms of their attractions. Their tall and slender figures ; the form of their faces, which is agreeable, though rather round than oval ; the tender transparency of their skin ; the complexions which, whether fair or brown, are always blooming ; the expressive eyes, now flashing fire and now swimming in tenderness ; the small white, even teeth, and fascinating smile, are rapturously described by the younger Forster. The nose only is defective in these beauties, it is usually too flat, but may sometimes be seen as perfectly formed as in the females of Europe. The curse, " in the sweat of thy brow shalt thou eat bread,'' falls harmless on the Tahai- tians. Three bread-fruit trees are sufficient for a man''s subsistence during a year ; and he has here only to stretch out his hand to obtain this and many other fruits whose variety may please his palate. Nutritious roots are cultivated with 130 DISPOSITION OP THE TAHAITIANS. great ease; and the sea yields abundance of shell and other fish, for the trifling trouble of catching it : the brooks also contain fish, and a species of crab. The opulent eat fowls and pigs roasted over hot stones in a hole in the ground, the flavour of which is very agreeable even to an European ; and, by way of variety, they roast dogs which have been fed upon vege- tables, and are considered great delicacies. Several families often live together in the same house, in the greatest concord. Their furniture consists simply of a few ingeniously- woven mats for sleeping on, and some vessels made of gourds and cocoa-nut shells. The disposition of the Tahaitians is gentle, benevolent, open, gay, and peaceable, although some of them show scars of wounds received in war, which prove that they are not deficient in courage. To hatred and revenge they are wholly strangers. Hardly and unjustly as Cook sometimes treated them, he was pardoned imme- diately that he required their assistance, and showed the slightest wish to pacify them. Indi- viduals of his crew often ventured to pass the nights alone and unarmed upon the island : i THEIR MANUFACTURES. 131 they were every where received with the greatest hospitality, and overwhelmed with marks of friendship. The simple inhabitants, wholly devoid of envy, rejoiced in each other''s good fortune, and when one received a present, all seemed equally gratified. Their feelings readily broke out either into smiles or tears : even men were often seen to weep ; and their joys and sorrows were as fugitive as those of children. Nor are their minds more stable : notwith- standing the great curiosity with which they gazed at and required an explanation of every object in the ship, it was as impossible, says the elder Forster, to rivet their attention for any time, as to make quicksilver stand still. They sf^emed incapable of either mental or bodily effort, and their time was passed in indo- lence and enjoyment. They were, however, skilful in manufacturing a soft paper from the barks of trees ; nets and lines from the fibres of the cocoa-nut ; and hooks from muscle-shells ; in weaving their rush mats, and especially in building canoes and war-boats. The latter, large enough to contain forty men and upwards, were made of planks laboriously split from the w ,..li 132 ASTRONOMICAL KNOWLEDGE, AND trunks of trees with sharp stones, for want of better implements, fastened together with cocoa threads, and well caulked. The value they set OA our axes and nails may therefore be easily imagined. Like all islanders, they are expert seamen, but especially dexterous in swimming and diving. They fetch any thing with ease from the bot- tom of the sea, even at very considerable depths. The upsetting of a boat causes them no uneasi- ness ; men and women swim round it till they succeed in righting it again ; and then, baling out the water, continue their voyage with the utmost unconcern. These voyages, sometimes extending to con- siderable distances, have made the observation of the stars, their only guides, absolutely neces- sary to them. They have thus attained some astronomical knowledge. They distinguish the planets from the fixed stars, and call the former by particular names. They divide the year into thirteen months of twenty-nine days each, with the exception of one, which has less, apparently for the purpose of reconciling this lunar with a solar year. The LANGUAGE OF THE TAHAITIANS. 133 day and night are each divided into six parts of two hours each, which they measure exactly in the day by the position of the sun, and at night by the stars. Medical men have considered them to possess much skill in surgery, from the kindly healing of wounds which, by their scars, have evidently been severe. The Tahaitians are particularly distinguished by their superior civilization from all other savages, among whom indeed they scarcely de- serve to be ranked. Their language sounds agreeably, and is not difficult to learn. The vowels occur much more frequently than the consonants, our c, g, k, s, and p, being entirely wanting. Cook and his companions made con- siderable progress in it ; and one of them says — " It is rich in figurative modes of expression ; and I am convinced that a nearer acquaintance with it would place it on a level with the most dis- tinguished for boldness and power of imagery .'*' By means of this knowledge of their language, however imperfect, many details concerning the religion of the Tahaitians were gained. The elder Forster enters rather at large into the subject. ii lillii ill iii ^ PI ;;:^ 134 OOU8 AND G0DDKSSR8. They believed in one supreme God, Athua- rahaif creator and governor of the world, and of all other gods. They gave hiin a consort, who however was not of the same nature, but of a material and very (irm substance, and therefore called 0-te-Papa, that is to say, Rock. From this pair proceeded a goddess of the moon, the gods of the stars, the winds, and the sea, and the protecting deities of the several islands. After the chief god had cre- ated the sun, he conveyed his consort, the mighty Rock, from the West to the East over the sea: in their progress, some portions of her substance separated from her, and formed the islands. Besides the gods of the second rank, they believed also in inferior deities, and in a wicked genius, who killed men suddenly at the requisi- tion of the priests — an article of faith which this order doubtless found very convenient. They also supposed that a genius dwelt in every man, thinking and feeling in him, and separated himself from the body after death, but without removing from it ; often inhabiting the wooden images which are erected in the burial-places, RELIGIOUS ASSKMBLIF8. 135 but sometimes stealing at night into their habi- tations, and killing the sleepers, whose hearts and entrails he devoured. This belief in ghosts is perhaps not more universal in Tahaiti than among civilized nations. " According to another of Cook's companions, the supreme God united departed souls with his own existence, which was signified by the phrase, " He eats them.'' This was purification, after which the soul, or the genius, reached the abode of eternal happiness. If a man, for some months before his death, had kept himself apart from women, he did not require this purification, but went direct to Heaven. The pride of the Yeris prompted them to believe in a Heaven peculiar to themselves, where they should asso- ciate only with their equals in birth. « The Tahaitians of rank had each a Marai sacred to themselves, and which served for their religious assemblies. The greatest and most solemn of these meetings were held at the Marai of the Kings. Here the priests harangued the people ; and here was performed the rite which stained the otherwise amiable charocter of these islanders — the offering of human sacrifices! 136 RELIGIOUS CERKMONIES. I i'l Cook was once present at one of these detesta- ble oblations, and describes it circumstantially. Its object was to propitiate the assistance of the Gods, in a war about to be undertaken. The victim was always of the lower class. He was first killed, and the ceremonies were afterwards performed by the priests, and many prayers recited, in presence of the King and people. One of the formalities was the presen- tation of the left eye to the King, which how- ever he did not receive. From this, Cook infers that the Tahaitians had at some period been eaters of human flesh, and that this morsel was oflbred to the King as a delicacy. If this con- jecture be well-founded, which I think it is not, so horrible an appetite must have long since dis- appeared, as not a trace of it now remains. It is besides altogether contrary to the character and manners of the people. So, indeed, is the oblation of human victims; but this horrible rite had certainly been introduced by the priests, for the purpose of attracting towards their office an increased degree of veneration and awe. The burial of the dead was accompanied by many religious ceremonies, but with the birth of a child, ^ FORM OF GOVERNMENT. 137 or the celebration of marriage, their religion was no way concerned. If a woman bore her lover a child, which he acknowledged to be his, the marriage was con- cluded without further ceremony, but was easily dissolved and a new connexion formed. A married man would sometimes entertain a concubine, but never had more than one wife. The kings only formed an exception to this rule. The last monarch married at the same time the four daughters of a neighbouring king, and during our visit they were all living and re- spected as his widows. One only of them had brought him children; and when during the latter years of his government he became a con- vert to the Christian religion, this one only passed for his lawful consort. In both peninsulas of Tahaiti the form of go- vernment was monarchical, and each had its own king, assisted by a council of Yeris, whom he consulted on all important occasions. These were held in great veneration among the people. No one, not even a female or a Yeri of the high- est rank, might appear before them without un- covering the upper part of the body — a token 138 LAW OF SUCCESSION. of respect which was usually paid only to tlje Gods in prayer or in passing a Marai. Before the princesses, the female sex only uncovered themselves. All his subjects were much at- tached to the sovereign, who reigned under a most singular law of succession. As soon as a son was born to him, the sove- reignty passed from the king to the infant, in whose name, and during whose minority only, the father continued to exercise the Regency. The several districts were governed by depu- ties chosen from the class of Yeris, who were also the sole administrators of justice; wliich amongst this well-disposed people was generally very mild. The punishments in a great mea- sure depend on the injured party, and consist chiefly in stripes. A native assured me that thieves are sometimes hung on a tree ; but they more frequently escape with a few strokes, or sometimes altogether with impunity. The two kingdoms of Tahaiti were often in a state of mutual warfare, though they sometimes fought as allies against a common enemy. Cook and his companions saw the preparations for a war with the neighbouring island of Eimeo, and PROPENSITY TO PLUNDER. 139 were present at a review of his naval force by the King O Tu. From the number of warriors who manned this fleet, the elder Forster esti- mated the entire population at not less than a hundred and thirty thousand souls. According to his opinion, Tahaiti was capable of containing and supporting an infinitely greater number of inhabitants, and he therefore conjectured that in a short time it would be found greatly in- creased. Experience has unfortunately proved this inference to be erroneous, as will appear in the sequel. Notwithstanding their usually gentle cha- racter, they treated their prisoners of war with barbarity, but in their defence may be urged the well-known fact, that in the heat of battle an unwonted rage will sometimes take possession of the best disposed minds, even amongst civilized nations; and it was only while this unnatural excitement lasted that the conduct of the Ta- haitians laid them open to the imputation of cruelty. ' • Both sexes and all ranks were given to steal- ing ; and so dexterous were they in plundering the Europeans, that notwithstanding the utmost 140 MORALS OP THE TAHAITIANS. vigilance and precaution, few days passed with- out something being stolen. The young, beau- tiful, and noble Marorai stole, as the younger Forster relates, a pair of sheets from the cabin of an officer, where she had remained unnoticed during the general confusion occasioned by the ship running aground. Even the princesses appropriated trifles whenever they had an oppor- tunity. Our experience, however, proves that the lessons they have received from their Chris- tian pastors on the disgracefulness of theft have had a practically good effect. ^ ; Neither can I deny that the morals of the Tahaitians were very exceptionable in another point, in which also the influence of the Missio- naries has been beneficially exerted. If the modesty which conceals the mysteries of love among civilized nations be the offspring only of their intellectual culture, it is not surprising that a wholly uninstructed people should be in- sensible to such a feeling, and in its unconscious- ness should even have established public solem- nities which would strike us as excessively in- delicate. < ' The coarse hospitality of the Tahaitians went PRACTICES OF THE QHRIOI. 141 SO far as to present to a welcome guest, a sister, a daughter, or even a wife ; and they have been known to sell them for pearls, pieces or glass, or implements of iron. The women who dis- tributed their favours indiscriminately, were almost always of the lowest class ; but a most licentious association called Ehrioi, including both sexes, existed among the higher. Re- nouncing matrimony, and the hopes of progeny, its members rambled about the island leading the most dissolute lives ; and if a child was born among them, the laws of the society compelled its murder, or the expulsion of the mother. The men were all warriors, and stood in high estima- tion among the people. The Ehrioi themselves were proud of the title, and even the King O Tu belonged to this profligate institution, to which, fortunately, the Missionaries have put an end. Where such manners prevailed, and woman was regarded merely as an object of pleasure, she could not stand in very high estimation; and love, in its best sense, remained wholly un- known among them. Hence the women of Tahaiti, although not so much secluded as among many other nations, were not permitted 142 INTOXICATING LIQUORS. to eat with the men, and when the King and the Royal Family visited Cook, on board his ship, he was obliged to entertain even the princesses in a separate cabin. The fidelity of a wife among the Tahaitians required that she should not favour any man without the knowledge and consent of her hus- band ; and a beating was the punishment gene- rally incurred by a violation of this duty. Aii^ong the failings of the Tahaitians, their love of tbe intoxicating liquor which they pre- pared from the much cultivated Ava root, must not be omitted. Nor have the Missionaries been wholly unsuccessful in this respect* The drink is no longer allowed to be prepared, nor even the root to be cultivated ; but unfortunately, its place has been partly supplied by the intro- duction of our wine and brandy ; wc, however, never saw a drunken person. *^ Having now noticed all that was reprehen* sible in the otherwise amiable character of the Ante-christian Tahaitian, I hope the reader, in consideration of his many good qualities, will forgive his faults, and, in a friendly disposition towards him, cast a glance upon his innocent AMUSEMENTS. 143 amusements, which were chiefly derived from music, dancing, mock-fights, and theatrical re- presentations. Their musical instruments were very simple, and of two kinds only : the one, a sort of flute, producing four notes, and blown with the nos- trils; the other, a drum, made of the hollow trunk of a tree ; but the accompanying songs, usually extempore poems, were pretty, and showed the delicacy of their ear. The girls ex- celled in the dance; the married women were forbidden to take part in it, and the men never did. The dancers executed a species of ballet, and, according to the judgment of travellers, they might with little trouble become capable of performing on our theatres. The English dances they soon learnt, and in the well-known hornpipe, especially, displayed much grace. The mock-flghts were of course in imitation of their serious warfare, and they parried with admirable dexterity the blow of a club or thrust of a lance, by which otherwise they must have been severely wounded. The dramatic pieces were performed by both sexes, and sometimes by persons of the highest quality. They were ii •if » 144 TAHAITI IN VIEW. of a mixed character, serious, and comic, but for want of a thorough acquaintance with the language, they have been very imperfectly de- scribed to us. Thus, oppressed by no care, bur- dened by no toil, tormented by no passion, sel- dom visited by sickness, their wants easily satis- fied, and their pleasures often recurring, the Tahaitians passed a life of enjoyment under the magnificent sky of the tropics, and amid scenes worthy of Paradise. On the 12th of March, a beautiful bright morning, we had the pleasure to perceive Ta- haiti before us, like a light cloud in the clear horizon. All that we had read of its loveliness now rose to our remembrance, heightened by the vivid colouring of the imagination; but seventy miles were yet to be traversed ere we could tread the land of expectation, and a very slow progress, occasioned by a flagging wind, tried our patience. We continued, however, to advance, and the light cloud became larger, and denser, and higher, soon assuming the appear- ance of three separate hills belonging to different islands ; the highest point, eight thousand feet above the level of the sea, is the summit of a CAPE VENUS. 145 mountain, distinguished from the others by \i» conical form. We next recognized the large rugged masses of rock of the interior, which have a most ro- mantic appearance. The country gradually un- folded all its charms; the luxuriant growth of the trees, even to the mountains^ tops, reminded us of the scenery of Brazil, and the picturesque valleys, with their thickets of bread-fruit, orange, and cocoa-trees, their cultivated fields, and plan- tations of bananas, became at length distinctly visible. ' It was not till the 14th that we reached the Cape, called by Cook Cape Venus, because he there observed the transit of this planet over the sun ; and from its beauty, it deserves to be named after the charming goddess herself. It is a low narrow tongue of land, running out northward from the island, thickly shadowed by cocoa- trees, and forming, by its curve, the harbour of Matarai, not a very secure one, but generally preferred by sailors on account of the celebrity bestowed on it by Cook. When we were still a few miles distant from Cape Venus, we fired a gun to draw attention VOL. 1. H 146 SIGNAL FOR A PILOT. to the flag hoisted at the foremast, as a signal for a pilot. We soon saw a European boat steer- ing towards us ; it brought us a pilot, who, to our great surprise, addressed us in the Russian language, having recognized our flag as belong- ing to that nation : he was an Englishman of the name of Williams, who had first been a sailor on board a merchant ship, afterwards entered the service of the Russian American Company on the north-west coast of America, and was at length settled for life in Tahaiti. His wife was a native of the island ; he was the father of & family, and carried on the occupation of a pilot in the Bay of MataraT. Wanderers of this kind often settle in the islands of the South Sea ; but while they bring with them many vices peculiar to the lower classes in civilized life, are generally too ignorant and rough to produce any favour- able influence on the natives. They are not all liable to this censure ; and of about twenty Eng- lish and Americans whom I found so natu- ralized in Tahaiti, some assuredly do not de- serve it. Having a pilot on board, vi^e steered direct for the extreme point of Cape Venus, where AT ANCHOR. 147 floated the national standard of Tahaiti. This flag displays a white star in a field of red, and, like many of the present arrangements, owes its origin to the Missionaries, who do not indeed bear the title of Kings of the island, but exer- cise an unlimited influence over the minds of the natives. We passed safely by the shallows lying before the Matawai Bay, (upon which Cap- tain Wallis grounded, and which he called, after his ship, the Dolphin,) round the headland, to the western side, and at last anchored opposite »the village of Matawai, at a distance of two hundred fathoms from the shore, in a black clay bottom of fifteen fathoms depth. Our frigate, as it entered the Bay, attracted to the beach a crowd of curious gazers, who greeted our arrival with a shout of joy. Nu- merous boats laden with all kinds of fruits, provisions, and other articles of merchandize, immediately put off from the shore, and we were soon surrounded by gay and noisy Tahai- tians. As soon as the sails were taken in, I gave them permission to come on board, of which they eagerly availed themselves. With their wares on their backs, they climbed merrily up H 2 I' < f 146 SUDDEN ATTACHMENTS. i'i It. I the sides of the ship, and the deck was soon transformed into a busy market, where all was frolic and fun ; the goods were offered with a jest, and the bargains concluded with laughter. In a short time each Tahaitian had selected a Russian associate, to whom, with a fraternal embrace, he tendered his wish to exchange names, — a ceremony which implied a pledge to tiurrender to the new friend whatever he might wish for. " : ' f - i J f : i '. It is probable that these sudden attachments were not quite disinterested; a view of pro--# curing a better barter for their goods might have had some effect in producing the zeal with which they were struck up ; but they ci»r- tainly had every appearance of sincerity and cordiality, and in less than an hour these friendly allies were seen walking in couples, arm in arm, about the deck, as though they had been acquainted for years. Our clothing appeared to be prized by the Tahaitians above every thing we offered them, and the possession of any article of this kind set them leaping, as if out of their wits, for joy. On this day we saw no females ; and when we were A 8PLBNDI0 SUNRISB. 149 afterwards occasionally visited by the women, they always behaved with the greatest propriety. When the sun declined, our new acquaint- ances left us to return to their homes, satisfied with their bargains, and delighted with the pre- sents they had received, and without having stolen any thing, although above a hundred of them had been on board at once. ' ' I had sent a message to the Missionary Wii. son, by an officer who now returned, bringing for answer an assurance that the Missionary would with pleasure do all in his power to assist us in procuring our supplies ; a promise he faithfully kept. On the following morning we were greeted by the sun from a cloudless sky, with a most superb illumination of the co mtry opposite to his rising. His rays glittering on the moun- tain-tops before they reached our horizon, gra- dually enlivened the variegated green that clothed their sides down to the vales, till the King of Day burst upon our sight in all his splendour, arraying the luxuriant landscape of the shore in still more enchanting beauty. Among the thickets of fruit-trees were seen the 150 OBSERVANCE OP SUNDAY. a dwellings of the happy inhabitants of this great pleasure-ground, built of bamboos, and covered with large leaves, standing each in its little garden; but, to our great astonishment, the stillness of death reigned among them ; and even when the sun stood high in the heavens, no one was to be seen. The warm friendships formed but yesterday seemed already to have cooled ; we were quite forgotten. At length we obtained from the boat, sent off to us at break of day with pro- visions, an explanation of this enigma. The inhabitants of Tahaiti were celebrating the Sunday, on which account they did not leave their houses, where they lay on their bellies reading the Bible and howling aloud; laying aside every species of occupation, they devoted, as they said, the whole day to prayer. According to our reckoning, the day was Satur- day. This difference proceeded from the first Missionaries having reached Tahaiti from the west by the way of New Holland, while we had come eastward by Gape Horn. I resolved to go ashore and pay a visit to OBSERVANCE OP SUNDAY. 151 Mr. Wilson, that I might procure, through his means, a convenient place for our astronomical observations. We landed at the point of the Cape, because the shade of a thick palm grove there offered us immediate protection. No one received us on the strand ; no human being, not even a dog, was visible. The very birds seemed here to celebrate the Sunday by silence, unless, indeed, it was somewhat too hot for singing. A little brook, meandering among shrubs and flowers, alone took the liberty of mingling its murmurs with the devotions of the Tahaitians. I sauntered along a narrow trodden path under the shade of palms, bananas, orange, and lemon- trees, inhaling their fragrance, and delighting in the luxuriance of nature. Though beautiful as this country is, it does not equal Brazil in the variety of its productions, and in the num- bers of its humming-birds and butterflies. The loud prayer of the Tahaitian Christians reached my ears, as I approached their habitations. All the doors were closed, and not even the children allowed to enjoy the beauty of the morning. The small but pleasant house of the Mission- U2 THE CHIEF MISSIONARY. lil^'l ary, built after the European fashion, stands in the midst of a kitchen-garden richly provided ivith all kinds of European vegetables. Mr. Wilson gave me a cordial welcome to his neat and simple dwelling, and presented to me his wife, an Englishwoman, and two children, besides two Englishmen, whom he named as Messrs. Bennet and Tyrman. They belonged to the London Missionary Society, and had left England three years before to visit the Mission- ary Settlements in the South Sea. The chief Missionary, to whom the others are subordinate, is named Nott, and lives in the capital where the King resides. He is now for advanced in life. He has made himself master of tlie Tahaitian language, and was the first who ever wrote it. He has translated the Bible, a Prayer Book, and some Hymns; and has printed a Grammar of the language, under the title of, '* A Grammar of the Tahaitian Dialect of the Polynesian Language. Tahaiti : printed at the Mission Press, Burder's Point, 1823.'" He also first instructed theTahaitians in read- ing and writing, which acquirements are now tole- rably common among them. I am sorry not to THE MISSIONARIES. 153 have known Mr. Nott better, and therefore not to have it in my power to judge of the man as well as the Missionary. His character stands very high. Wilson, also an old man, has now lived twenty years in Tahaiti ; he was originally a common sailor, but has zealously devoted him- self to theology, and is honest and good-natured. Including Nott and Wilson, there are six Mis- sionaries in Tahaiti alone, and only four among all the other Society Islands. Each Missionary possesses a piece of land, cultivated by the natives, which produces him in superfluity all that he requires, and he also receives an annual allowance of fifty p unds from the London Mis- sionary Society, xhis Society has also sent Missionaries to Tongatabu, one of the Friendly Islands, and to Nukashiva, lately made known to us by Krusenstern. - *' Besides these English Missionaries, some na- tive Tahaitians, after receiving a suitable edu- cation, are sent to spread Christianity among the islands of the dangerous Archipelago. In Russia, a careful education and diligent study at schools and universities is necessary to qua- lify any one to be a teacher of religion. The H 5 154 THE CHURCH. • 1 London Missionary Society is more easily satis- fied ; a half savage, confused by the dogmas of an uneducated sailor, is, according to them, per- fectly fitted for the sacred office. It was now church-time, and Wilson request- ed me to be present at the service, — an invitation which I accepted with pleasure. A broad straight path, planted with the cocoa and lofty bread-fruit tree, leads from his house, about a ten minutes^ walk, to the place of worship. The church-yard, with its black wooden crosses, im- presses the mind with a feeling of solemnity : the church itself is a handsome building, about twenty fathoms long and ten broad, constructed of light wood-work adapted to the climate, and whitened on the outside, which gives it a pretty effect among the green shades that surround it. The numerous large windows remain unglazed, because a free admission of the air is here de- sirable in all seasons ; the roof, made of ingeni- ously plaited reeds, and covered with immense leaves, is a sufficient defence against the heaviest rain ; there is neither steeple nor clock. The interior of the church is one large hall, the walls of which are neatly kept : it is filled with A MOTLEY CONGREGATION. 155 a number of benches, so placed, in long rows, that the occupants can have a convenient view of the pulpit in the centre. When we entered, the church was full even to crowding, the men seated on one side, and the women on the other; they almost all had psalm-books lying before them ; the most profound stillness reigned in the assembly. Near the pulpit, which Wilson mounted, was placed a bench for Messrs. Ben- net and Tyrman, on which I also took my seat. Notwithstanding the seriousness and devo- tion apparent among the Tahaitians, it is almost impossible for an European, seeing them for the first time in their Sunday attire, to refrain from laughter. The high value which they set on clothes of our manufacture has already been remarked ; they are more proud of possessing them than are our ladies of diamonds and Per- sian shawls, or our gentlemen of stars and orders. As they know nothing of our fashions, they pay no sort of attention to the cut, and even age and wear do not much diminish their estimation of their attire ; a ripped-out seam, or a hole, is no drawback in the elegance of the article. These clothes, which are brought to 156 A TAHA1T1AN 8 WARDROBE. i;i,Mi' '' I ir ' I Tahaiti by merchant-ships, are pu/chased at a rag- market, and sold here at an enormous pro- fit. The Tahaitian therefore, finding a complete suit of clothes very expensive, contents himself with a single garment ; whoever can obtain an English military coat, or even a plain one, goes about with the rest of his body naked, except the universally-worn girdle ; the happy owner of a waistcoat or a pair of trowsers, thinks his wardrobe amply furnished. Some have nothing more than a shirt, and others, as much oppress- ed by the heat under a heavy cloth mantle as they would be in a Russian bath, are far too vain of their finery to lay it aside. Shoes, lx)ots, or stockings, are rarely met with, and the coats, mostly too tight and too short, make the oddest appearance imaginable ; many of their wearers can scarcely move their arms, and are forced to stretch them out like the sails of a windmill, while their elbows, curious to see the world, peep through slits in the seams. Let any one imagine such an assembly, perfectly satisfied of the propriety of their costume, and wearing, to complete the comic effect, a most ultra-serious expression of countenance, and be DIVINB SERVICE. 157 will easily believe that it was impossible for me to be very devout in their presence. The attire of the females, though not quite so absurd, was by no means picturesque ; some wore white, or striped men's shirts, which did not conceal their knees, and others were wrapped in sheets. Their hair was cut quite close to the roots, ac- cording to a fashion introduced by the Mission- aries, and their heads covered by little Euro- pean chip hats of a most tasteless form, and decorated with ribbons and flowers, made in Tahaiti. But the most valuable article of dress was a coloured gown, an indubitable sign of the possessor's opulence, and the object of her un- bounded vanity. When Wilson first mounted the pulpit, he bent his head forward, and concealing his face with an open Bible, prayed in silence; the whole congregation immediately imitated him, using their Psalm-books instead of Bibles. After this, the appointed psalm was sung to a most incon- gruous tune, every voice being exerted to its utmost pitch, in absolute defiance of harmony. Wilson then read some chapters from the Bible, the congregation kneeling twice during the in- ii;;!i 158 A LUDICROUS SCENE. :■ ,.'Mi f I; Hill. tervals ; the greater part of them appeared very attentive, and the most decorous silence reigned, which was, however, occasionally interrupted by the chattering and tittering of some young girls seated behind me. I observed that some threat- ening looks directed towards them by Messrs. Bennet and Tyrman, seemed to silence them for a moment, but their youthful spirits soon overcoming their fears, the whispering and gig. gling recommenced, and glances were cast at the white stranger, which seemed to intimate no unwillingness to commence a closer acquaint- ance. After the conclusion of the sermon, an- other psalm was sung, and the service concluded. The display of costume, as the congregation strolled homewards in groups, with the greatest self-complacency, through the beautiful broad avenue, their psalm-books under their arms, was still more strikingly ludicrous than in church. I had by this time, however, lost all inclination to laugh. I had assisted at a great religious assembly of the new, devoted, so called Christian Tahai- tians ; and the comparison naturally arising in my mind, between what I had seen and the INTRODUCTION OP CHRISTIANITY. 159 descriptions of the early travellers, had intro- duced reflections which became less and less agreeable, in proportion as I acquired a greater insight into the recent history of the island. After many fruitless efforts, some English Missionaries succeeded at length, in the year 1797, in introducing what they called Christi- anity into Tahaiti, and even in gaining over to their doctrine the King Tajo, who then govern- ed the whole island in peace and tranquillity. This conversion was a spark thrown into a powder magazine, and was followed by a fearful explosion. The Marais were suddenly destroy- ed by order of the King — every memorial of the former worship defaced — the new religion for- cibly established, and whoever would not adopt it, put to death. With the zeal for making proselytes, the rage of tigers took possession of a people once so gentle. Streams of blood flowed— whole races were exterminated ; many resolutely met the death they preferred to the renunciation of their ancient faith. Some few escaped by flight to the recesses of the lofty mountains, where they still live in seclusion, faithful to the gods of their ancestors. Schil- Ill IGO CONQUESTS OF POMARKH. !. ■..,.! i ler's exclamation — " Furchtbar isi der Mensch in seinem wahn^* was dreadfully confirmed. ' Ambition associated itself, as usual, to fana- ticism. King Tajo, not content with seeing in the remains of his people none but professors of the new faith, resolved on making conquests that he might force it on the other Society Islands. He had already succeeded with most of them, when a young warrior, Pomareh, King of the little island of Tabua, took the field against him. What he wanted in numbers was supplied by his unexampled valour, and his su- periority in the art of war. He subdued one island after another, and at last Tahaiti itself, and having captured its King, offered the zealot murderer of his inno- cent subjects as a sacrifice to their manes. In the end, he subjected to his sceptre all the islands which had hitherto remained indepen- dent, and as sovereign of the whole Archipe- lago, took up his residence in Tahaiti. He left to the conquered Kings the government of their islands, requiring from them a yearly tribute in pigs and fruits ; and to consolidate * " Formidable is man in his misguided zeal.'' \ DEATH OP POMAREH. 161 his dominion by family connexion, he married a daughter of the most powerful of these royal vassals, her three sisters, according to an ancient custom, becoming at the same time his wives. Peace was thus restored to Tahaiti and the whole Archipelago. Pomarch was a wise and mild ruler. He left his subjects undisturbed in their new religion, although he did not pro- fess it himself. The Missionaries, now limited to their powers of persuasion, found means to retain their disciples in their adopted faith, so that the refugees of the mountains preferred remaining in their retreats, to finding them- selves objects of hatred and contempt amongst their old friends and relations. At length Po- march himself, with his whole family, yielded to the arguments of the Missionary Nott, al- lowed himself to be baptized, and died as a Christian, in the prime of life, in consequence of an immoderate indulgence in the spirituous liquors which he had obtained from the ships of his new brethren. An unconquerable passion for ardent spirits had acquired an entire dominion over him, al- though he was so well aware of their deleteri* II i m i"i.l! 162 TAHAITIAN CONSTITUTION. ous effects, as to have often exclaimed, when under the influence of intoxication, ** O King, to-day could thy fat swine govern better than thou canst !"* This weakness was, however, so much over-balanced by his many good quali- ties, his well-tried valour, his inflexible justice, his constant mildness and generosity, that he possessed to the last the universal esteem and love of his subjects, by whom his loss was still deplored when we arrived at Tahaiti, almost two years after his death, although he had reigned as an unlimited monarch, and they now possessed a constitution resembling, or rather aping, that of England. This had been introduced by the influence of the Missionaries, whose power over the minds of the Tahaitians is unbounded; they had persuaded the people to adopt it during the minority of Pomareh''s son, a child of four years old at the period of our visit ; but from the general regret with which the days of the absolute King were re- membered, it did not appear to have given much satisfaction. According to this Constitution, Tahaiti is di- vided into nineteen districts, and the neigh- INFLUENCE OP THE MISSIONARIES. 163 bouring iHland of Eimeo, having no especial viceroy, into eight. Every district has its go- vernor and its judge, whose business is to settle disputes and maintain order. The first is ap- pointed by the Parliament, and the latter elect- ed by the people. These nominations are for one year only — but may be n^newed at the ex- piration of the term. Important aff'airs are sub- mitted to the Parliament, which, consisting of deputies from all the provinces, possesses the le- gislative, as the King does the executive power. The Tahaitians, accustomed to a blind reve- rence for the Missionaries, consult them in all their undertakings, and by means of the Con- stitution have so confirmed their power, both as priests and rulers, that it would be difficult for governor, judge, or member of parliament, to retain their offices after having incurred their displeasure. They have shown their artful policy in the choice of a guardian for the young King. It has fallen on the tributary King of the island of Balabola, distinguished by his giant height of seven feet, and by his enormous corpulence, which almost prevents his moving, but by no mental qualification. *<.' llill ' r : II.', I illlill 164 CORONATION OP THE This mountain of flesh, that at a distance might rather be taken for some unknown mon- ster than for a man, naturally finds it more convenient to his indolence to be merely the mouthpiece of the Missionaries, and that their dominion may also be secured for the future, Mr. Nott has the sole charge of the young mo- narch'*s education, and will not fail to bring him up in the habit of implicit obedience. The actual document securing the Constitu- tion had not yet appeared; the Missionaries were still employed on it, well convinced, that whatever they should insert would be received without opposition. When complete, it will probably issue in due form from their Printing- Office, and will be interesting, if some future traveller should bring us the translation. Firm as the foundation of the Missionaries'* power appeared, one little cloud was visible in the political firmament. A son of the van- quished King Tajo yet existed, and was not entirely without adherents. If by any chance he should succeed in gaining possession of the throne, he might remember that these men had assisted in excluding him from it. For this H^ YOUNG KING POMAREH. 165 reason, they resolved to confirm the title of the young Pomareh, by a solemn coronation ; and to strengthen his party, all the tributary princes of the whole Archipelago were invited to be present at the ceremony. The preparations for this solemnity had long been carrying on, and as it was now soon to take place, nearly all the kings, with numerous suites, had arrived in Tahaiti. Among them was the powerful ruler of Ulietea, the grand- father of the infant sovereign ; he had brought with him several hundred warriors, many of them armed with muskets. We wished much to have been present at this first coronation of a King of the Society Islands ; but as our time would not permit it, I obtained from Mr. Tyrman an account of the order and plan of the ceremony. The kings, princes, members of parliament, and other high officers, were to assemble at the residence of the Queen, and thence in a regular procession, arranged according to their several ranks and dignities, and headed by the young King and the Missionaries, to pass to an ap- pointed open space, where a throne of stone had W r w ■ ft' I i< 166 A MENTAL RBSBRVATION. been erected, on which the little Pomareh was to be seated. The procession was then to form a circle round him, and Mr. Tyrman, after mak- ing a speech, was to set on the King''8 head a crown, resembling in shape that of England, in which country it had been made. A Bible was then to be placed in his hand, with the admo- nition, *' According to this Law, thou shalt govern thy people." Upon this, the train be- ing marshalled as before, the King should descend from his throne, and proceed to the church, where, after the performance of divine service, he should be anointed. The ceremonies should then conclude with a grand banquet. It is remarkable that the Bible, and not the Act of the Constitution, was to be given to the King, as the rule of his government. Was not a sly mental reservation perhaps in- tended by this? If the Constitution should not have exactly the effect intended, and the Tahaitians, emboldened by it, should seek to withdraw themselves from their leading-strings, then might the pupil of Nott, bound to them by no oath, come forward to them boldly, and force them back under the yoke of the REFLECTIONS. 167 Missionaries; all the while conscientiously obeying the rule of conduct which had been delivered to him, according to the interpreta- tion he had been taught to put on it. How this coronation turned out — whether the son of Tajo allowed it to pass quietly — whether he has met the fate of many an unfortunate European pretender, or survives to become the originator of a civil war, which may yet give another destiny to Tahaiti, remains to be learnt from the accounts of some future traveller. Religion and political institutions may raise a nation in a short period to a high point of civilization, and they may also serve, as in cast of the Turks, to retain them in perpetual barbarism. Kow will these r^ighty powers operate on the Tahaitians ? How can thf^, the qualification:) of their authors con- sidered i True, genuine Christianity, and a liberal go- vernment, might have soon given to this people, endowed by nature with the seeds of every social virtue, a rank among civilized nations. Under such a blessed influence, the arts and 1 n \ ¥ I ^^li > ^v^^s r J > ■i' » i /'"' ^ 1 -• 1 i f 1 \ ^ 1 «l. 11 ? ■% > i ^ I 1 1 1 % »,. 1 w *9> tN 1 ^ {, t 1 *1 il Ml tJ! ' 'h M^ A LUXURIOUS REPAST. 201 - r % beautiful colours. The Tahaitians eat them raw, or only steeped in sea-water. Their fish- ing-tackle consists of nothing more than bad angling lines and hooks ; to make nets as their forefathers did, would trespass too much upon the time they are obliged to spend in prayer. Hence fish is so great a rarity to them, that their eager desire for it sometimes prompts them to belie their good character, of which we had an example. One of our large nets having brought up a multitude of fine fish, the tempta- tion was too strong to be resisted, and our friends would have forcibly shared our acquisition with us, had not our severe reproof, and the accidental appearance of the judge of the district, restrain- ed them. They then tried to obtain the fish by barter, and offered their most valuable tools for the smallest and worst of them; I gave them, however, so many, that for once their appetite was fully satisfied with a luxurious repast. I had heard much of an institution esta- blished by the Missionaries for the instruction of the people, and was desirous to learn what progress the Tahaitians had made in the rudi-^ K 5 4 !fi 202 PUBLIC PRAYER MEETING. ments of science. Being informed that the lessons commenced at sunrise, the first rays of that luminary found me one morning at the school-house, as I conceived the simple struc- ture before me to be. Its walls were formed of bamboo canes, erected singly, at sufficient distances to admit the refreshing breeze from all sides, and supporting a good roof. The interior was one spacious quadrangular apart- ment, provided with benches, and raised seats for the teachers. I had not waited long before the pupils of both sexes entered. They were not lively chil- dren, nor youths, whom ardour for the acquisi- tion of knowledge led to the seat of instruction, but adults and aged persons, who crept slowly in with downcast looks, and prayer-books under their arms. When they were all assembled and seated on the benches, a Psalm was sung ; a Tahaitian then rose, placed himself on an ele- vated bench, and read a chapter from the Bible. After this they sang again, and then knelt with their backs to the reader, who, also kneeling, repeated with closed eyes a long prayer. At its conclusion, the orator resigned his place to INCOMPETENCY OF THE MISSIONARIES. 203 another Tahaitian, when the whole ceremony commenced anew ; another Psalm, another chapter, and another prayer were sung and said ; again and again, as I understood, a fresh performer repeated the wearisome exercise ; but my patience was exhausted, and, at the second course, with depressed spirits and painful im- pressions, I left the assembly. Several such meetings are established in dif- ferent parts of the island, but no schools of a different character. The children are taught a little reading and writing in their parents'* houses, and beyond this, knowledge is mis. chievous. It is true, that most of the Mis- sionaries are incapable of communicating fur-» ther instruction ; but the opinion that it is easier to govern an ignorant than a well-edu, cated community, seems here, as elsewhere, to form a fundamental principle of policy. To pray and to obey are the only commands laid upon an oppressed people, who submis- sively bow to the yoke, and even suffer them- selves to be driven to prayers by the cudgel ! A police-officer is especially appointed to en- force the prescribed attendance upon the church I r'!f !i '1? 204 PUBLIC PRAYER MEETING. and prayer-meetings. I sav; him in the exer- cise of his functions, armed with a bamboo- cane, driving his herd to the spiritual pasture. He seemed himself to be conscious of the bur- lesque attaching to his office, — at least he be- haved very absurdly in it, and many a stroke fell rather in jest than in earnest. The drollery of the driver did not, however, enliven the dejected countenances of his flock. In the prayer-house, which at first, in luy simplicity, I had taken for a school, no Mis- sionary was present. The assembly consisting, except myself, of natives only, though tolera- bly quiet, was not so profoundly silent as at church. I endeavoured to read in the counte- nances of those around me, what might be the thoughts which at the moment occupied their minds, and few were the eyes which did not, as they passed muster, speak of other matter than devotion and the Bible. Most of them ap- peared engaged in very profane speculations : friendly glances occasionally interchanged, be- trayed the hopes of the younger devotees; while many a stately Yeri was probably con- sidering by what means he should procure from LAKE WAHIRIA. 205 my shipVcompany an old waistcoat, or a pair of torn pantaloons in which he might appear with suitable dignity at the approaching coro- nation ; and among the ladies, some might be weighing the pleasure of possessing a, sailor'*s sheet, against the risks they must run to ob- tain it. *^ . hi •; iiit^' Exactly facing me was seated a fair one most becomingly enveloped in this envied habiliment, and enjoying with modest complacency, but visible triumph, the admiration with which the eyes of her country-women were fixed upon her garment. , iv lim* I had heard from the Missionaries many wonderful accounts of the Lake Wahiria, si- tuated among the mountains which rise in the centre of the northern peninsula. They had themselves never seen it, and considered it almost impossible for an European to reach it; even the boldest Tahaitians rarely visit it ; and a saying is current in the island, that it is inhabited by an evil demon. Its depth they report to be unfathomable, and cannot conceive from what cause this large body of water can be stationary at so great a height. 206 AN EXPEDITION TO Mr. Hoffman, our mineralogist, an active young man, resolved to undertake this expe- dition, accompanied by three Tahaitians : — Maititi, who on our arrival had concluded a treaty of friendship with him, and adopted the name of Hoffman ; Tauru, a respectable elderly man ; and Teiraro, a brisk and lively young fellow. The two latter could write their own names. At first they raised many objections, assuring him that the journey, at all times dif- ficult, was now dangerous from the waters being swollen by the rains ; however, a shirt promised to each of them overcame all these obstacles, and the travellers set out at mid-day in excellent spirits. Maititi, a soldier in the royal Tahaitian army, bore the insignia of his rank in a musket, to which nothing but the lock was wanting, and a cartouche-box with- out powder. He had learnt a few English words, and, by their help, advised Mr. Hoff- man to carry with him some presents for his countrymen : for he observed, that though hos- pitality and the consequence attaching to the stranger^s appean.rcc would secure him a good reception, it was desirable thfit a man with LAKE WAIIIRIA. 207 whom he had united himself in the bonds of friendship, should also command respect by his liberality. They travelled on a broad fine path through forests of fruit trees, and several villages, and considered the population of this district to ex- ceed that in the neighbourhood of Matarai. In the country of Weijoride they began to climb the mountains, and soon entered a charming valley stretching to the south-south- west, and enclosed by high steep rocks, ba- saltic, like those of Matarai. Down their pre- cipitous sides clothed with the richest green rushed innumerable streamlets to swell the largest and most rapid rivulet on the island, which watered the whole extent of this luxuri- ant valley. Here the cocoa, palm, and the hread>fruit tree disappear, but ananas and oranges flourishing wild, produce finer and more juicy fruit than our best hot-houses. A few scattered huts raised on the margin of the little river, gave tokens of human habi- tation. In one of these, occupied by an old married pair, our travellers passed the first night. Maititi seemed to consider himself quite 208 MODE OP PROCURING PIRE. ! I on a foragiiifr party, and Mr. HofTman was under the necessity of begging him to mode- rate his zeal, and leave the care of the enter- tainment to their host. The old man fetched a pig, and Maititi, with great dexterity, played the part both of butcher and cook. Mr. Hoffman describes the operation of lighting the fire on this occasion, in the following man- ner : ^- A Tahaitian took two pieces of wood of different degrees of hardness, laid the softer upon the ground, and very rapidly rubbed its length backwards and forwards with the harder. This made a furrow, in which the dust rubbed from the wood collected, and soon became hot ; it was then shaken among dry leaves and burst into a flame. The whole process seemed easy and quick ; but Mr. Hoffman could not suc- ceed in it though he made many attempts. Before supper, the master of the house recited a prayer aloud, the family repeating it after him, but not audibly. They then ate a hearty but silent meal, and prayed again before lying down to sleep. The couch offered to Mr. Hoff- man was a raised platform in the hut, thickly spread with mats, with a pair of sheets of the PROGRESS OF THE TRAVELLERS. 209 Tahaitian manufacture, called Tapa, for its covering. The volubility of his guides, restrained dur- ing the repast by the more important business of satisfying their appetites, now broke out to his great disturbance. They chattered almost incessantly during great part of the night with the host, whom they were probably entertain- ing with an account of our ship, which he had not yet visited, and of their intercourse with us. Mr. Hoffman, on taking leave in the morn- ing, gave his host a knife, an important present, which the old man received very gratefully, as far exceeding his expectations. The valley as they proceeded became wilder, but more beautiful : it opened to greater width, the precipices around rose to a thousand feet in height, covered from their black summits down to the valley with green shrubs of a thousand hues, through which cascades glitter- ing like silver in the sun, rushed gurgling and foaming to the river. At noon the travellers reached a hut inha- bited by a friend of Maititi, named Tibu ; the owner also of another hut some miles further iK;l|ii 210 VALLEY OF THE WAHIRIA. up, where his wife lived with the pigs and dogs ! 'I'his being the last station on the road to the Wahiria Lake, it was determined to spend the night here. Before they set forward in the morning, a large pig was tied up, to be prepared for killing on the expected return of Mr. Hoffman and his associates, whom the hos- pitable Tibu accompanied on the remainder of their journey. ' Here every vestige Df a path disappeared. At a height of seven hundred and eleven feet above the level of the sea, the travellers found enormous blocks of granite lying in a south- easterly direction. The way to Wahiria lay towards iht south-south-west. They continued ascending till they reached a marsh in a rocky bason, where wild boars were running about. Another steep precipice was to be climbed before they could reach the Valley of the Wa- hiria. This stretches from north to south, and forms an oval, in the centre of which lies the lake, according to barometrical measurement, one thousand four hundred and fifty feet above the level of the sea. The surrounding rocks rise perpendicularly more than two thou- DIMBNSIONS OF THE LAKK. 211 sand feet. The lake is above a mile and a ((uarter in circumference,* and receives the springs from the mountains. A little brook also flows into it from the north, but no channel could be found by which its waters might be carried off. The depth of the lake near tlie shore is eleven, and in the middle not more than seventeen toises. After Mr. Hoffman had satisfied his curiosity, he returned with his companion to Tibu's hut, and happily reached its shelter before a heavy storm that followed them had begun to discharge its fury. Ex- hausted by the fatigue of the march, and the oppressive heat, Mr, Hoffman threw himself on his couch to take a little repose, while his companions killed and roasted the pig. The storm now burst in tremendous violence over the hut. The thunder rolled fearfully along the valley, and reverberated from the rocks; the lightnings gave to the thick darkness a momentary illumination equal to the brightness * The measurement given is two Russian wersts, of which one hundred and four and a half make a degree, or, as nearly as possible, one and a half make an English mile. The exact circumference therefore of the lake, as given, is one mile and one third. ■k 212 RELIGIOUS SCRUPLES. of mid-day, and the rain pouring down in tor- rents, suddenly swelled the rivulet, near which the frail dwelling was erected, far above its natural channel. Whoever has witnessed a vio- lent storm in the high mountains of a tropical country, will never lose the impression of its awfulness. The following day being Sunday, Tauru, immediately on rising, repeated a long prayer, and then read a chapter of the New Testament, of which at least one copy was to be found in every hut. After a good breakfast, Mr. Hoff- man wished to proceed, but his guides were not to be moved, and threats and entreaties were equally unavailing. They assured him that a continuation of the journey would be a profanation of the Sabbath, a crime for which they would be hanged, should it come to the knowledge of the Missionaries. This was a little too strongly expressed; and the tempting remains of the roasted pig had, no doubt, as much influence in supporting their resolution, as their religious scruples, or their fears of the Missionaries. The next morning they made no objection to setting out. Our travellers were RBSIDBNCB OP THB COURT. 213 joined on the road by many families, laden with mountain bananas, so that they arrived in a large company at Matarai. Mr. Hoffman made several other joumies into the interior of the island, and visited Arue, the present residence of the Court. The mine- ralogical and geological observations made on these excursions, are reserved for a separate treatise; but some particulars concerning his intercourse with the inhabitants, may be pro- perly introduced here. The houses are merely built of perpendicular bamboo-canes, standing at some distance apart, to give free admission to the air. The roofs of palm-leaves are strong enough to defy the hea- viest rain. As curious after novelty as more civilized infants, the heads of the children were thrust out from every hut he passed, and the parents hospitably asked him in. When he accepted the invitation, he was always conducted to the seat of honour, a raised bench covered with mat- ting and tapa stuff; and, after freely partaking of the best the house afforded, was considered to have paid handsomely for his entertainment 214 PALACE OF THE ROYAL FAMILY. with a knife. Bedsteads made of bamboo- canes, and filled with soft matting, are placed along the walls, and make very comfortable, easy couches. These pleasant little abodes, in which the greatest cleanliness is everywhere observable, are all surrounded by cultivated gardens. In the evening, they are lighted by the oily nuts of the taper-tree, fastened in rows on splinters. Mr. Hoffman's visit to the house of his friend Maititi, excited the greatest joy. His host presented to him his wife and children, and entertained him in the most splendid man- ner his means would allow. In the capital Mr. Hoffman found nothing remarkable. The palace inhabited by the Royal Family, was a spacious hut, with an ante-chamber or outer house, in which eight of the guard kept watch. Their only weapon was an old pistol fastened on a plank; this was frequently fired, probably to accustom the young King to the tumult of battle. The old King lies buried under a stone monument, in front of which three guns are kept ; but, to prevent accidents, they are nailed up. ^ TRADE IN COCOA-OIL. 215 We have already mentioned the trade in cocoa-oil carried on by the Tahaitians, and the ship possessed by the Queen. This is com- manded by an Englishman, and a part of the crew is also English. It was just returned from a voyage among the Society Islands, where it had been to collect tribute, and was preparing to carry a cargo of cocoa-oil, stowed in thick bamboo-canes, to Port Jackson. From the Captain, who visited me, I gained much in- formation concerning the present state of affairs in these seas. He had learnt from ships re- turned from the Friendly Islands, that their King had recently conquered the Navigator Islands, which now paid tribute to him. , The map of Matarai, and of the bay which bounds it on the north-east, completed by us with the utmost care from trigonometrical sur- veys, is attached to this volume, and renders any further description of the coast it embraces unnecessary. In December and January, the Tahaitian summer months^ the trade-wind is often interrupted by violent north-wesiers. Rain and storms are then frequent, and often last till April ; in the other months the trade- 216 PHENOMENON OF THE TIDE. y winds blow without intermission, and the sky is always serene. For this reason, what is here called the summer, might pass for the actual winter ; and as the roads of Matarai are open to the west wind, it Is advisable for ships visit- ing Tahaiti at this season, to run into the har- bour, which lies eight miles west of Venus Point. It is spacious, formed by coral reefs, protected against all winds, and has two en- trances so convenient, that ships may sail either in or out with almost any wind. ' The ebb and flow of the tide in the Matarai Bay differs entirely from the ordinary rules, and appears wholly uninfluenced by the moon, to which it is everywhere else subject. The rise and fall is very inconsiderable. Every noon the whole year round, at the moment the sun touches the meridian, the water is highest, and falls with the sinking sun till midnight. This phenomenon serves, as well as the sun^s motion, to supply the place of clocks to the inhabitants. According to Humboldt, the altitude of the highest mountain in Tahaiti is ten thousand I I SCIENTIFIC OBSERVATIONS. 217 feet; acc( rding to the barometrical measure- ment of Mr. Long, only eight thousand feet above the level of the sea. < . . Our first observation by chronometers, on our arrival at Matarai, gave the longitude of Venus Point as 149° 20' 30"; the true one, as given by Admiral Krusenstern on his map, is 149° 2T 20"; consequently, the error of our chronometers was 6' 50". This correction has been made in all the longitudes taken by us in the dangerous Archipelago. From our obser- vatory on Venus Point, we found its latitude 170 29' 17", and its longitude 149° 29'. The variation of the needle was 6° 50' east, and its inclination 29° 30'. The barometer ranged from 29' 80" to 29' 70" ; Reaumur''s thermometer from twenty- three and a half to twenty-four and a half. . The islands which I discovered on my former voyage in the ship Rurik, — the Romanzow, Spiridow, Dean'^s Islands, the Rurik'*s Chain, &c. whose longitude I had not then an opportunity to rectify upon Venus Point, lie 5' 36" more to the west than I at first supposed. ;i x, . VOL. I. '• ■ ^^ii vi,, , 218 PREPARATIONS FOR DEPARTURE. The longitude given by 'Captain Bellings- hausen for the island which he discovered, ap- peared to us by 3' 10" too great. ' On the morning of the 24th of March, we broke up our tent on the Venus Point, left our dwelling-house, and shipped all our instru- ments and effects. The afternoon was appoint- ed for our departure. The Tahaitians now boarded the ship, bringing as many provi- sions as they could carry. They expressed great regret at losing us ; and, to prove the disinterestedness of their good-will, would ac- cept no presents in return. They unanimously assured us, that of all nations whose ships had visited their island, none pleased them so well as the Russians. They took leave of us with the most cordial embraces, and many of them shed tears. They accompanied us in their ca- noes to the mouth of the Bay, and were stand- ing out to sea, when a sudden and violent gust of wind forced them to return. The same gust very nearly carried away one of our sails, and the proximity of the land placed us for a mi- nute or two in a critical situation, but the cool- ness and skill of our officers and men relieved POLYNESIAN LANGUAGE. 219 US from the momentary danger. In half an hour the regular trade- wind returned, and with the liveliest wishes for the future welfare of the good Tahaitians, we lost sight of their lovely island. To the remarks concerning them already made, I will add some on their language, from the work on this subject which I have before mentioned. The author says, ** The language spoken on most of the islands of the South Sea, and therefore called the Polynesian, may be considered either as primitive, or as related to, and descended from, a common source with the Malay." It is undoubtedly very old, for these people have been from an unknown period separated from all others, and before the ar- rival of Europeans among them, considered themselves as the whole human race. - > Although, in comparison with European lan- guages, that of Tahaiti, as belonging to an igno- rant and uncultivated people, is necessarily very defective, it perhaps surpasses all others in strength, precision, and simplicity, — in the personal pronouns especially. Its resemblance to the Hebrew, in the conjugation of the verbs, l2 s, 220 POLYNESIAN LANGUAGE. as well as in the roots of some of the words, can easily be proved. Many of the words real- ly appear of Hebrew origin : as for example, mate, dead ; mara^ or maramosa, bitter ; ra- paon, to heal, &c. The Polynesian xanguage being so widely extended, and spoken by the inhabitants of so many islands, who have little or no intercourse with each other, it naturally branches into many dialects. These are indeed so various, that they cannot readily be recognised as deri- vatives from the same stock. The principal dialects are, — that spoken in the Sandwich Islands, or the Hawaian; that of the Marquesas ; that of New Zealand ; the Tongatabuan, spoken by the inhabitants of the Friendly Islands, and the Tahaitian. All the others, as far as they are known, are more or less related to these. The Tahaitian dialect is distinguished by its melody, as it has no broad or hissing conson- ants. The pronunciation is rendered difficult by its numerous diphthongs. The substantives do not change their termi- POLYNESIAN LANGUAGE. 221 nations in declension ; but the cases, of which there are but three, are formed bv syllables prefixed : for example — SINGULAR. Nom. — Te taala — the man. Poss. — iVo /e /rtfl/a— of the man. Object. — He taatU'-'Xo the man — and the mini. PLURAL. Nom. — Te mau taata — the men. Poss.— JVo te mau tnuta — of the men. Object. — He mau taata — the men — and to the nit n. The Tahaitians have a great number of defi- nite and indefinite articles, and prefixes, which they apply in a peculiar manner. The article te often stands before proper names; also be- fore God, Te Atua ; sometimes o, which then appears to be an article ; as, O Pomare, O liua- heine, O Tahaiti, Sometimes this o is placed before the personal pronouns in the nomina- tive case. O vauy I; oe^ thou; o oia^ she, he, it. In these pronouns the Tahaitian, and those lan- guages to which it bears affinity, are particu- 222 '■'^L POLYNESIAN LANGUAGE. larly rich. They have not only the dual of the Orientals, but two first persons in the singular as well as plural : for example^ O Taua — thcu and I. O Maua — he and I. O 7*a/oi«— you and I. O Moiou-^yre three, or several. By this the conjugation of the verbs is made more complicated than in other languages, but it again becomes easier from neither the person nor the tense changing the word itself, but all the variations being expressed by particular particles : for instance — rnotau, to fear ; te ma- tau nei au, I fear ; te matau ra oau, I feared ; i motau na oau, I have feared ; e matau au, I shall fear. Since my readers will hardly wish to study the Tahaitian language very thoroughly, I here close my extracts from its grammar. — Whoever really desires to learn it must go to Tahaiti. I must, however, warn him to arm himself with patience ; for though the Tahai- tians are very ready with their assistance, they have quite as bad a habit as ourselves of laugh- CAPTAIN DUPERRE. 223 ing at any one who speaks their language ill, — I say this from experience. Some months before us, the French Captain Duperre had visited Tahaiti upon a voyage of discovery, in the corvette Goquille. He return- ed home in safety, and is about to publish his travels, of which he has already had the good- ness to send me some portions. An important acquisition to science may be expected from this work. ) t '1'' i\ mj ^■■"elA-if. :r THE PITCAIRN ISLAND. L 5 \ - . * THE PITCAIRN ISLAND. I Di D not myself touch on this island, but I met in Chili an American Captain just return- ed from it, and in Tahaiti one of the earliest mothers of its population, who spoke English well enough to carry on a conversation. The information jointly obtained from both these persons, will not, I think, be unwelcome to my readers ; and those who are unacquainted with the rise of this interesting colony, will perhaps find pleasure in a brief account of it. The English government appreciating the usefulness of the bread-fruit tree, and desirous of introducing it into the West-Indian colo- nies, in the year 1787, commissioned the ship Bounty, under the command of Lieutenant 228 LIEUTENANT BLIGH. Bligh, who had already served as master under. Captain Cook, to convey a cargo of these young . trees from the South Sea Islands, to the West Indies. Forty-six men formed the ship's com- plement. After an excessively difficult voyage, during which he had vainly endeavoured, for thirty days, to double Cape Horn, and at length, yielding to necessity, had effected his passage by the Cape of Good Hope, he reached Tahaiti in safety in October 1788. .p Although the good-natured Tahaitians seem to have given great assistance, five months were occupied in lading the vessel ; perhaps be- cause Lieutenant Bligh and his crew found their station very agreeable. During this pe- riod the crew lived in the greatest harmony with the natives, especially the women; and this may probably afford a key to the subse- quent fate of Bligh. ^ On the fourth of April 1789, he sailed from Tahaiti, touched at one of the Friendly Islands to replace such of the young plants as had been destroyed, and on the 27th of the same month continued his course, cheered by the conviction A CONSPIRACY. 229 of his ability to execute his commission, and to become the benefactor of the West Indies, by extending to them one of the gi*eatest bless- ings bestowed by nature on her favourite children. But it was otherwise written in the book of Fate. The remorseless severity with which he created those under his command,-— the insults he offered them, having subjected even his mate, Christian Fletcher, to corporal chastise- ment, combined with the recollection of the pleasant time spent in Tahaiti, produced a conspiracy of some of the crew, headed by Fletcher, to seize on the ship, remove from it the commander and his adherents, and, re- nouncing England for ever, to return to Ta- haiti, and spend there the remaider of their lives in ease and enjoyment. The conspirators kept their plan so pro- foundly secret, that neither Bligh nor any of those who remained faithful to him, imbibed the least suspicion of the criminal project, which was put in execution at sun-rise on the 28th of April. The mate Christian, who then com- manded the watch, entered, with two petty officers 230 SUCCESS OF THE CONSPIRATORS. and a sailor, the cabin of Lieutenant Bligh, whom they found tranquilly sleeping. They fell on him, bound his hands behind his back, and threatened him with instant death if he uttered a sound, or offered the smallest resistance. Bligh, perfectly undaunted, endeavoured to grasp his weapons, and, on finding himself overpowered, called aloud for help; but the mutineers having, at the same moment, seized on all who were strangers to the plot, the un- fortunate Commander had no resource but sub- mission to his fate. Tde was carried on deck with no other covering than his shirt, and there found his faithful followers, nineteen in num- ber, bound in a similar manner. The long-boat was now lowered ; Bligh, in the mean time, attempting to recall the muti- neers to their duty by unavailing remon- strances, to which renewed menaces of imme- diate death were the only answers. ,. . ,. , , When the boat was ready, and the officers and sailors had been separately unbound and lowered into it. Christian addressed himself to Bligh : " Now, Captain, your officers and crew are ready ; it is time for you to follow ; any CONSEQUENCES OP TYRANNY. 231 opposition will cost your life.'*' He was then liberated, and put into the boat with his com- panions in misfortune, amidst the bitterest exe- crations for his past tyranny, from the muti- neers. After some provisions had been fur- nished to the boat, and a compass, quadrant, and a couple of old sabres added, at the en- treaty of its occupants, the mutineers set their sails and abandoned their former comrades to their fate, with shouts of " Down with Captain Bligh! Hurrah for O Tahaiti r A regular narrative of what afterwards befell these unfortunate outcasts would not be strictly in place here ; but such of my readers as are yet unacquainted with the facts, may learn with interest, that though abandoned on the vast ocean, in an open boat only twenty-three feet long, six feet nine inches broad, and two feet nine inches deep, very scantily provisioned, and destitute of a chart, they ultimately suc- ceeded, by unparalleled efforts, in reaching a place of safety. The boat being, at the period of its desertion, within about thirty miles of the island of Tofoa, it was determined to land there, and take in a store of provisions, then ' M 232 AN ATTACK PROM SAVAGES. proceed to Tongatabu, and solicit permission from the King of the Friendly Islands to put their boat into a practicable condition for ha- zarding a voyage to India. ., They effected their landing at Tofoa, and secured the boat to the strand, but were pre- sently attacked by a multitude of savages, who saluted the defenceless strangers with showers The sight of a ship of war and its crew, they said, was no novelty to them ; and they men- tioned Captain Falgier's visit to their island. A little black poodle dog which they suddenly caught sight of, put them all to flight. *' That is certainly a dog," they exclaimed, as the^ ^'j- treated ; " we have never seen one, but we know that it will bite.*" A little observation, however, convinced them of the animal^s good- nature, and they were soon induced to play fearlessly with him. Being conducted into the cabin, they were there entertained with a break- fast, at which they behaved very modestly, ar d showed in their conversation much natural un- i 3rstanding. They said a grace before eating, and then partook with a good appetite of the provision set before them. With much difficulty the Captain effected a landing. A pleasant path winding among groves of cocoa and bread-fruit trees, led him to a very pretty, well situated little village, whose houses, though small, were convenient and beautifully clean. One of Adamses daughters, a young and very attractive looking girl, received the guests, and 246 PITCAIRN ISLANDERS. conducted them to her father, a man of sixty, but still of very vigorous appearance. The conversation naturally fell on Christian''s mutiny, in which Adams maintained, he had taken no part, having been wholly unacquainted with the design till the moment of its execu- tion. He spoke with abhorrence of the manner in which Captain Bligh and his officers and men had been treated. The Captain proposed to Adams to accom- pany him back to England ; but the whole colony assembling round him, with tears in their eyes, besought him not to take their good father from them. The scene affected even the Englishmen. ' ^ v i' \ The Pitcairn islanders are of very pleasing exterior; they have black hair and beautiful teeth. The men are slender, and their height five feet ten inches and upwards. The dress of both sexes consists of a mantle like the Chilian pancho, and they wear hats made of reeds adorned with feathers. They still possess a great quantity of old clothes from the ship Bounty, but, with better taste than their mater- nal ancestors the Tahaitians, they never wear ADAMS'S PATRIARCHAL CHARACTER. 247 them. The island has a beautiful appearance, and is said to be extremely fruitful. Wild boars are found in the interior. i, , ^ ^ Seven years after this visit of the Breton, the American merchant-ship Eagle, whose Captain I met in Chili, touched on Pitcairn Island. He found the population already in- creased to a hundred persons, and was delighted with the order and good government of the little colony. Adams reigned as a patriarch king amongst them, and, as sovereign arbitrator, settled all disputes, no one presuming to object to his decision. Every family possessed a por- tion of land ; the fields were measured off from v each other, industriously cultivated, and yield- ing abundant crops of yams and sweet potatoes. On Sundays, the whole population assembled at Adams's house, when he read the Bible to them, exhorted them to concord and good con- duct, and took pains to confirm their virtuous dispositions. Every evening at sunset, when after the heat of the day the inhabitants of this delightful climate are revived by the refreshing coolness of the air, the young people formed a semi- 248 BENEFITS OF INSTRUCTION. circle round the?r beloved father, while he communicated to them some knowledge of the manners and history of his native country, its connections with other nations, and the arts, inventions, and customs of the European world. Adamses knowledge is probably not very ex ten- sive, but it has sufficed to enable him to train up his numerous family in habits and informa- tion which fit them for the easy acquisition of all the arts of civilization. ;„ His attentive auditory have accurately re- tained his instructions, and converse with won- derful facility on the characteristics and cus- toms of different nations. .' Abusive words are strictly prohibited; and some of the islanders, perfectly astonished at hearing a sailor on board the American vessel which visited them swear at another, enquired of the Captain whether such expressions were permitted in his country. The Captain was enchanted with the conduct and character of this amiable people ; and ascribed their virtues to the instructions and example of their patriarch. This good old man, however, expressed much anxiety con- LOVE OP NATIVE LAND. 249 cerning the future. " I cannot,**' said he, " live much longer, — and who shall prosecute the work I have begun? My children are not yet so firmly established, but that they are liable to fall into error. They require the guidance of an intelligent virtuous man from some civilized nation.'^ v At Tahaiti, as already stated, I met with one of Adams's wives, who had arrived there a short time before in an European ship, and from her I learnt many of the particulars here related. She spoke tolerably good English, but with a foreign accent. This old woman had been induced, by that longing for our native home which acts no powerfully upon the human mind, to return to the land of her birth, where she intended to have closed her life, but she soon changed her mind. The Tahaitians, she assured me, were by no means so virtuous as the natives of the little Paradise to which she was now all impatience to return. She had a very high opinion of her Adams, and main- tained that no man in the world was worthy of comparison with him. She still spoke with vehement indignation of the murder of the M 5 4' 250 FATR OF THB MUTINBBRS. English by her countrymen, and boasted of the vengeance she had taken. Adams, who was now very aged and feeble, had proposed to the Missionaries to send a Tahaitian as his successor; and fearing that the population of his island might exceed the means of subsistence which their quantity of arable land afforded, he was desirous of settling some of his families in Tahaiti. With his first wish the Missionaries will certainly comply as a means of extending their dominion over Pitcairn Island also. May Adams''s paternal government never be exchan- ged for despotism, nor his practical lessons of piety be forgotten in empty forms of prayer. In the year 1791, the English frigate Pan- dora was sent, under the command of Captain Edwards, to the South Sea in pursuit of the mutineers against Bligh. Those who had re- mained in Tahaiti were found and carried back to England, where they were condemned to death according to the laws ; the royal mercy was extended to a few only, the rest suffered the full penalty of their crime. '«iN •(■■1 '^ I .■:^.- A£L. i4r. to- c H A :e '1 HATI^ATOIRS ISILAHBS iuAprU 1824. I I -^^r- 17 1&? BUtmUkM i I THE NAVIGATORS' ISLANDS. IS? K I.PQLA -T- 1 — \ : 1- Jim 0tlhf liL l&r C H A E !ir t'/ //tr /fffv.Jf,t>^ JS^ (tfthe ULmtd* Fcm^tu amd-lMm ih^m t^flnii^. VStw of */ East Fomt ,rf tht Ijhmd of 0vIm'€l tukm iivm ihe fomt C. or 13! 30' / 1 . I I -f— / / ./ T N. 4iJMUmJ^ .opouir riaa*_ ur. Etuttemtefikilthmd of Polo., af^u bbmd ofHimmii, c^ibdu-annhltofftatlliJhaflhelfittPawtei'Qiolaya tahn Hvm ike Joint J>. 3tf I I ■ ' I * |- ' ' ■ ' I I I I G^enwick. 17 IT aW 17 O ibUtfud fy foafnt.Jh£m»Uy,JffwBi(rlinfftmt AtMt.JUO. A^.fy SiiKMalLBu^ St^tBlaimuhX THE NAVIGATORS' ISLANDS. On leaving Tahaiti, I proposed to pass a few clays on the Kadack Islands, which I had for- merly discovered ; and, on my way thither, determined to visit the Navigators'* Islands. These are probably the same seen by Rog- gewin in 1721, which he called Baumann's Islands ; but Bougainville has appropriated the discovery, as made by him in 1766, and given them the name they now bear, on account of the superior sailing vessels built tliere, and the re- markable skill the inhabitants display in their management. Neither Roggewin nor Bougain- ville have given their situation accurately, nor Iiave these original errors been perfectly cor- rected by the unfortunate La Pcrouse, or the 254 ISLAND OF MAURURA. Englishman Edwards, who alone are known to have since touched on these islands ; the former visited only the more northern islands ; and the latter communicated no particulars of his voyage to the public. I therefore considered it worth the trouble to complete the survey, by examining those which lay to the south of La Perouse's track. I at first steered past the Society Islands, lying to leeward from Tahaiti, in order to rec- tify their longitude ; and afterwards carefully endeavoured to avoid the course taken, to my knowledge, by any former navigator. On the 25th of ^larch we saw, to the north, the island of Guagein, and to the north-west that of Ulietea. When the western point of the latter lay due north from us, I found its longi- tude, according to our chronometers, 1 51°26'30", which is nearly the same as on the maps. The island of jMaurura, on the contrary, is very inaccurately laid down ; we found the longi- tude of the middle of this island, as we sailed past its southern coast, to be 152° 10' 40". In the evening we had already cleared the Society Islands, and were pursuing a westward course. BELLINGSHAUSEN ISLANDS. 255 m On the following morning we perceived a cluster of low coral islands, connected by reefs, which, as usual, enclosed an inland sea. The country was covered with thick dwarf shrubs ; and, in the whole group, we saw but one cocoa- tree rising solitarily above the bushes. A mul- titude of sea-birds, the only inhabitants of these islands, surrounded the vessel as we drew nearer. The group stretches about three miles from North to South, and is about two miles and a half broad. Guided by observations which, from the clearness of the atmosphere, I had been enabled to make correctly immediately before they came in sight, I estimated their latitude as 15" 48' 7" South; their longitude as 154° 3(y. We were the first discoverers of these Islands;, and frave them the name of our meritorious navigator, Bellingshausen. The night was stormy : morning indeed brought cheerful weather, but no cheerful feel- ings to our minds, for we had lost another member of our little wandering fraternity ; he died, notwithstanding all the efforts of our skilful physician, of a dysentery, occasioned by the continual heat and the frequently damp air. n m k n 256 FLOCKS OF SEA-BIRDS. This same year the Tahaitians suffered much from a similar disease, and died in great num- bers from the want of medical assistance. The Missionaries, who only desire to govera their minds, have never yet troubled themselves to establish any institution for the health of the body. During this and the few succeeding days, the appearance of great flocks of sea-birds frequently convinced us that we must be in the neighbour- hood of unknown islands ; but as from the mast- head they can only be discerned at a proximity t)f fifteen or sixteen miles, we did not happen to fall in with them. On the second of April, however, we passed a little uninhabited island, something higher than the coral islands usually are. Its lati- tude is 14" 32' 39" South, and its longitude 168* 6'. I then considered it a new disco- very, and gave it the name of my First Ineu- te.iant, KordinkofF; but, on my reiurn, I learned that it had been previously discovered by Captain Freycinet, on his voyage from the Sandwich Islands to New Holland, in the vear 1819; the narrative of which had not appear- M AOUN A— OJ A LAVA — POLA. 257 ed when I left Europe. The situation of this island, as he has given it, corresponds exactly with my own observation. This same night, by favour of the clear moonshine, we saw the most easterly of the Navigators'* Islands, Opoun, rising from the sea like a high round mountain. Westward from it, and close to each other, lie the little islands Leoneh * and Fanfueh.* Near these is Maouna, with another little island at its north- east point. Forty-five miles further lies Oja- lava, and ten miles and a half from it Pola, the Ijirgest, highest, and most westward of the group: connected with them are several other small islands, which I shall hereafter have occa- sion to mention. As the chart which accompanies this volume accurately describes the geographical situation of all these islands, it is only necessary here to remark, that it was drawn up from the most diligent astronomical ol)serv{ tude is about the same as that of the Peak of Teneriffe. All the islands of the South Sea are more or less formed of coral reefs, which make secure harbours ; the Navigators'* Islands only are not indebted to these active little animals for this advantage. We sailed round all their cjasts, and could find but one open bay, which runs far inland in the island of Maouna, opposite the small island already noticed off its north- east point. The inhabitants of these islands are still far less civilized than were the Taliaitians when first discovered by Wallis. ^J'hose of Maouna especially are perhaps the most ferocious people to be met with in the South Sea. It was they who murdered Captain de Langle, the com- mander of the second ship under La Perouse, MASSACRE BAV. 259 tile naturalist Lanian, and fourteen persons from the crews of both ships, on their ven- turing ashore; although they had loaded the natives with presents. These savages attacked them with showers of stones ; and the muskets of the Europeans after the i^rst discharge, which unfortunately did but little execution, could not be reloaded speedily enough fcr their protection. Triumphing in their inhuman victory, they mangled and plun- dered the remains of their unfortunate victims. We sailed to the scene of this dreadful occur- rence, since called Massacre Bay. The appear- ance of the country was inviting; the shores were bordered with cocoa-trees, and the fresliest vegetation enlivened the interior, but nothing betrayed that the island was inhabited; no smoke arose, and no canoe was to be seen ; this was the more remarkable, as on La Prrouse's .inival, his ship, as soon as perceived by the nrttives, was surrounded by several hundred canoes laden with provisions. A small canoe, carrying only three men, at length rowed to- wards us ; we laid to, and by signs gave per- mission to the savages to come on board ; this l\ rip 260 VISITED BY SAVAGES. they could not resolve upon ; but one of them climbed the ship's side high enough to see over the deck, and handed to us a few cocoa-nuts, all the provisions they had brought ; a piece of iron, which we gave him in return, he press- ed to his forehead in sign of thankfulness, and then bowed his head. He examined the deck a long time with prying and suspicious glances, without speaking a word ; then suddenly com- menced a long pathetic harangue, growing more and more animated as he proceeded, and point- ing with passionate gestures, alternately to the ship and the land. His eloquence vvas quite thrown away on us ; but the silence with which we listened, might probably lead him to sup- pose that we attached some importance to it. His confidence gradually increased, and he would perhaps have spoken longer, had not his attention been arrested by the approach of seve- ral canoes. We were soon surrounded by the descendants of the barbarian murderers ; perhaps some of the actors in the atrocious deed might even themselves be amongst the crowd which now assembled around us. This wild troop appear- NECESSARY PRECAUTIONS. 261 ed timid at first, but our orator having encou- raged them, they became so impudent and daring, that they seemed disposed to storm the ship. I ranged my sailors fully armed round the deck, to keep off such disagreeable visi- tants, but with strict orders to avoid hurting them. It was, however, only the bayonets and lances which prevented the multitude from climbing into the ship ; and some of the most daring, by patiently enduring heavy and re- peated blows, even succeeded in reaching the deck ; they grasped with both hands any object they could cling to, so pertinaceously, that it re(|uired the united efforts of several of our strongest sailors to throw them overboard. Except a few cocoa-nuts, they brought us no kind of provisions, but by pantomimic gestures invited us to land ; endeavouring to signify that we sliould be richly provided on shore with every thing we wanted. The savages had pro- bably destined for us the fate of Do Langle and his companions ; they appeared unarmed, but had artfully concealed clubs and short lances in their canoes. A very few of them, whom we permitted to 262 GOOD-HRFHniNG IN A SAVAGF. remain on deck, bchnveil as impudent!)' as if they had beep masters of the ship; they snatch- ed from my haniUi some little presents I was about to distribute among them, exhibiting them to their companions in the canoes below. This excited amongst the latter a terrific rage, and, with noise and gtistures resembling mad- ness, they endeavoured to frighten us into com- pliance with their desire to come on board. Only one among them received the presents we made him, with any appearance of modesty or thankfulness ; the others seemed to consider them as a tribute due to them. This more de- corous personage bowed towards me in almost an European fashion, pressed the articles given him several times to his forehead, and then, turning to me, rubbed the point of his nose pretty roughly against mine. This young savage was probably a person of rank, who had received a particularly good education ; he was of a cheerful temper, examined every thing very closely, and made many remarks to those in the canoes, which were apparently considered extremely witty, for he was always answered by bursts of laughter. The rest of his country- PREVALENCE OP CANNIBALISM. 263 men who remained on board, became very troublesome; like the beasts of the deserts, scarcely more wild than themselves, they tried to seize by main force whatever we would not willingly give them. One of them was so tempted by tiie accidental display of a sailor's bare arm, that he could not help expressing his horrible appetite for human flesh ; — he snapt at it with his teeth, giving us to understand by unequivocal signs, that such food would be very palatable to him. This proof that we were in communication witli cannibals, needed not the picture presently conjured up by our imagina- tion, of the detestable meal which the unfortu- nate Frenchmen had doubtlessly afforded to their murderers, to complete our disgust and aversion, and to accelerate the expulsion of the remaining savages from our vessel. The inhabitants of many of the South Sea islands are still cannibals, and most of them, even where this abominable propensity does not prevail, are of so artful and treacherous a cha- racter, that none should venture among them without the greatest precaution. Their friend- liness arises from fear, and soon vanishes when T^^^ ^, > IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) /. ^ ^ 4^c> . 1.0 1.1 Li|28 |2^ ■^ liii 12.2 m ■4.0 M 1^ 11^ Ii4 / < 6" » Hiotographic Sciences Corporation ss ^ \ v> ^. ^;*^. 23 WIST MAIN STREIT WfBSTER.N.Y. 145M (716) •72-4503 ^ ^ ^ .♦* %^ 264 INHABITANTS OF MAOUNA. they think themselves the strongest, and are not exposed to vengeance. I would not even advise placing too much confidence in the in- habitants of Radack, who are certainly among the best of these islanders. It is only when ideas of right and wrong are steadily fixed, that man becomes really rational ; before this, he is like other animals, the mere slave of his instincts. The inhabitants of Maouna are probably the worst of i these tribes; those we saw were at least five feet and a half in height, slender, their limbs of a moderate size, and striking- ly muscular ; I should have thought their faces handsome, had they not been disfigured by an expression of wildness and cruelty ; their colour is dark brown ; some let their long, straight, black hair hang down unornamented over neck, face, and shoulders ; others wore it bound up, or frizzed and crisped by burning, and en- tangled like a cap round the head : these caps are coloured yellow, and make a striking con- trast with the heads which remain black. Some, again, coloured their hair red, and curled it over their shoulders like a full-bottomed wig. A great deal of time must be required for this ALTERATIONS IN TATTOOING. 265 mode of dressing, a proof that vanity may exist even among cannibals. The glass beads they obtained from us they immediately hung over their neck and cars, but had previously no ornaments on either. Most of them were quite naked; only a few had aprons made of the leaves of some kind of palm unknown to us, which from their various colours and red points resemble feathers. Since the time of La Pe- rouse, the fashion in tattooing appears to have very much altered : he found the inhabitants of the South Sea Islands so tattooed over the whole body, as to have the appearance of being clothed; — now most of them are not tattooed at all ; and those few who are, not with various drawings as formerly, but merely stained blue from the hip to the knee, as though they had on short breeches. In the canoes we saw a few women who were all very ugly : these disagreeable crea- tures gave us to understand that we should by no means find them cruel — a complaisance which did not render them the less disgust- ing. La Perouse here describes some attrac- tive females : these were as brown as the men, and as little dressed ; their hair was cut short VOL. I. N 266 BOLDNESS OF THE SAVAGES. off, with the exception of two bunches stained red, which hung over their faces. Scarcely one of these savages was without some remarkable scar: one of them attracted our attention by a deep cut across the belly. We contrived to ask him how he got this cica- trice ; and he pointed to his lance, from which it may be inferred that they are not unaccustomed to war, either with their neighbours or each other, and that they are possessed of skilful surgeons. No one of this people seemed to ex- ercise any autho. j over the others. Either no chief accompanied the party who came to us, or the term does not signify much power or dis- tinction. The few fruits which they brought with them were exchanged for pieces of iron, old barrel- hoops, and glass beads ; on the latter especially they set great value, and even brought forward some of their concealed arms, and offered them in exchange for this costly decoration. Mean- while the crowd of canoes round the ship grew more and more numerous, and in the same pro- portion the boldness of the savages increased. Many of them rose up in their canoes, and made AN ATTACK THREATENED. 267 long speeches to, or at us, accompanied by angry and menacing gestures, which drew shouts of laughter from their companions. At length the screaming and threatening with clubs and dou- bled fists became general. They began to make formal preparations for an attack, and we again had recourse to bayonets and lances to keep them at a distance. I confess that, at this mo- ment, I had need of some self-command to over- come* my inclination to revenge on the ferocious rabble the fate of La Perouse's companions. Our guns and muskets were all ready loaded. A sign from me would have spread dismay and death around us; and had we stayed longer among this brutal race, we must inevitably ha\'e made them feel the power of our cannon. We therefore spread our sails, and the ship running swiftly before the wind, many of the canoes which had fastened themselves about her were suddenly upset. Those who fell into the water took their ducking very coolly, righted their canoes again, and threatened revenge on us with the most violent gestures. Several of them clung like cats to the sides of the ship, with nails which might have rivalled those of a N 2 268 WELCOME VISITORS : i Chinese Mandarin; and we had recourse to long poles as the only means of freeing ourselves from such undesirable appendages. At the western promontory of the island we again lay to, and purchased two pigs from some canoes which soon came up. The savages here in no other respect differed from those of Mas- sacre Bay, than by conducting themselves in a rather more peaceable manner, probably from fear, as their number was small. In the evening the island of Olajava appeared in sight; and about seven miles from a little island lying in its neighbourhood, several ca- noes, carrying two or three men each, rowed towards us, deterred neither by the distance nor the increasing darkness. Our visitors proved to be merry fishermen, for their carefully con- structed little canoes adorned with inlaid muscle- shells, were amply provided with large angling hooks made of mother-of-pearl, attached to long fine lines, and various kinds of implements for fishing, and contained an abundance of fine live fish of the mackerel kind. An expression of openness and confidence sat on the countenances of this people. Our I THEIR MODEST BEHAVIOUR. 269 purchases were carried on with much gaiety and laughter on both sides. They gave us their fish, waited quietly for what we gave them in return, and were perfectly satisfied with their barter. Their attention was strongly attracted to the ship. They examined her closely from the hold to the mast-head, and made many animated remarks to each other on what they saw. If they observed any manoeuvres with the sails or tackle, they pointed with their fingers towards the spot, and appeared to watch with the most eager curiosity the effect produced. It was evident that this people, sailors by birth, took a lively interest in whatever related to navigation. Their modest behaviour con- trasted so strikingly with the impudent impor- tunity of the inhabitants of Maouna, that we should have been inclined to consider them of a different race, but for their exact resemblance in every other particular, even in the dressing of their hair, though this was even more elaborately performed — an attention to appearance which is curious enough, when compared with the dirty, uncombed locks of European fishermen; but 270 fisher's island. m ) r ' I among the South Sea Islanders fishing is no miserable drudgery of the lowest classes, but the pride and pleasure of the most distinguished, as hunting is with us. Tameamea, the mighty King of the Sandwich Islands, was a very clever fisherman, and as great an enthusiast in the sport as any of our European princes in the stag chase. As soon as the increasing darkness veiled the land from our sight, our visitors departed, and we could hear their regular measured song long after they were lost from view. The little island they inhabit not being marked on any map, it is probably a new dis- covery. By what name the natives called it I could not learn ; and therefore, to distinguish it from three other small islands lying to the north, mentioned by La Perouse, I gave it the name of Fisher's Island. It rises almost perpendicu- larly from the sea to a considerable height, and is overgrown with thick wood. On the following day we sailed with a brisk wind to the island of Olajava, for the purpose of surveying the coast. A number of canoes put off from the land, but could not overtake the ship*; and I would not lie to, on account of the hinderance it occasioned to our work. In the : I FLAT ISLAND. 271 afternoon we found ourselves near the little island lying off the north-west point of Olajava, called by La Perouse the Flat Island. A hill situated in its centre has, in fact, a flat surface, which La Perouse, at a distance of thirty miles, mistook for the whole island, because the low land which surrounds it was not within the com- pass of his horizon. For the same reason he could not observe that the eastern part of this island is connected with the western coast of Olajava by two reefs forming a basin, in the middle of which is a small rock. If these be indeed coral reefs, which they certainly resemble, they are the only ones I have remarked in the Navigators^ Islands. The Flat Island, which, for the reason above mentioned, occupies a much larger space on our map than on that of La Perouse, is entirely overgrown with wood, and h' -^ a very pleasant appearance. At a little distt. .ce from this, to the north-west, another little island, which does not appear to have been observed by that Voy- ager, rises perpendicularly from the sea. Its sloping back is crested with a row of cocoa- trees so regularly arranged, that it is difficult to conceive them planted by the unassisted hand 272 LA P^ROUSE IN ERROR. of Nature ; viewed laterally from a short distance, they present the formof acockVcomb,on which account I gave the island this name, to distin- guish it from the rest. On its western side a high conical rock is covered from top to bottom with a variety of plants, evincing the prolific powers of Nature in these regions, where vege- tation is thus luxuriantly fastened on the most unfavourable soils. North-west of this rock lies a third small island, exceeding both the others in elevation : its sides fall precipitously to the sea, and the upper surface describes a horizontal line thickly clothed with beautiful trees. As its circum- ference is only three miles and a half, it can hardly be the same that La Perousc has called Calinasseh. Probably he did not observe this island at all, but took the high round moun- tain on the low north-east point of Pola for a separate island, to which he gave the name of Calinasseh. The promontory of Pola de- ceived us also at a little distance, but a closer examination convinced us of our error, and I transferred the name of Calinasseh to the above-mentioned small island. A HORDE OF CANOES. 273 When the Flat Island lay about three miles to our right, the wind again died away. This opportunity was not lost by the natives of Olajava, who had all the while followed us in their canoes. They exerted themselves to the utmost, and their well worked little vessels swiftly skimmed the smooth surface of the sea to the accompaniment of measured cadences, till they at last reached the ship. A horde of canoes now put off towards us from the Flat Island, and we were soon sur- rounded by immense numbers of them, locked so closely together, that they seemed to form a bridge of boats, serving for a market well stocked with fruits and pigs, and swarming with human beings as thick as ants on an ant- hill : they were all in high spirits, and with many jests extolled the goods they brought, making much more noise than all the traffic of the London Exchange. Even on our own deck we could only make ourselves heard by screaming in each other^s ears. Our bartering trade proceeded, however, to our mutual satisfaction. Those who were too far off to reach us endeavoured by all sorts of " N 5 y 274 SKILL IN DIVJNG. ■ ini i ■ gesticulation, and leaping into the air, to at- tract our notice. Many of the canoes were in this manner upset^ — an accidlent of little con- sequence to such expert swimmers, and which only excited the merriment of their com- panions. ' • Accident gave us specimens of their extra- ordinary skill in diving. We threw some pieces of barrel-hoops into the sea, when numbers of the islanders instantly precipitated themselves to the bottom, and snatched up the booty, for the possession of which we could plainly dis- tinguish them wrestling with each other imder the water. They willingly obeyed our orders not to come on deck, and fastened their goods to a rope, by which they were drawn on board, waiting with confidence for what we should give them, and appearing content with it. Some few had brought arms with them, but for trading, not warlike purposes; and although so vastly superior to us in numbers, they be- haved with great modesty. We saw no scars upon them, like those of their neighbours of Maouna — a favourable sign, though they cer- tainly seemed to belong to the same race. It VALUB OP BLUB BBAD8. 2T5 would be interesting to know the cause of this striking difference. In less than an hour we had obtained up- wards of sixty large pigs, and a superfluity of fowls, vegetables, and fruits of various kinds, covering our whole deck, all of which cost us only some pieces of old iron, some strings of glass beads, and about a dozen nails. The blue beads seemed to be in highest estimation. A great fat pig was thought sufficiently paid for by two strings of them; and when they became scarce with us, the savages were glad to give two pigs for one such necklace. - Some of the fruits and roots they brought were unknown to us; and their great size proved the strength of the soil. The bananas were of seven or eight species, of which I had hitherto seen but three in the most fruitful countries. Some of them were extremely large, and of a most excellent flavour. One of the fruits resembled an egg in size and figure; its colour was a bright crimson ; and on the following day when we celebrated the Easter festival after the Russian fashion, they supplied to us the place of the Easter eggs. . ■m: 276 PIGEONS AND PARROTS. r 'i :i^ 1 must yet mention two more articles of our marketing — namely, tame pigeons and parrots. The former are widely different from those of Europe both in shape and in the splendour of their plumage ; their claws are also differently formed. The parrots are not larger than a sparrow, of a lively green and red, with ^.^d tails more than four times the length of their whole bodies. All these birds, of which great numbers were brought to us. were so came, that they would sit quietly on the hand of their master, and receive their food frr i his mouth ; the inclination for taming them, and the method of treatment, is favourable evidence of the mildness which characterises his people. How many other unknown plant and ani- mals may exist among these islar Is, where Nature is so profuse ! and how mv h is it to be regretted that no secure anchor ge can be found, which would enable an Europt'an expe- dition to effect a landing with proper precau- tions. Some idea may be formed of the dense population of the Flat Island, from the fact that, small as is its extent, above sixty canoes, each containing seven or eight men, came to us SUCCESSFUL BARTER. 277 from it in less than an hour ; and had we stayed longer, the canoes must have amounted to some hundreds, as the whole sea between us and the island was rapidly covering with increasing numbers. Our market became still more animated when, the ship'^s provision being completed, I gave permission to the sailors to trade each for himself; as hitherto, to avoid confusion, the bargains had all been made by one per- son. Now some wanted one thing, some another from the canoes ; and buttons, old bits of cloth, and pieces of glass, were offered in exchange. The noise became louder and louder ; and the sailors laid in such a stock of their own, that for weeks afterwards their breakfast- table was always provided with a roasted pig stuffed with bananas, and their palates gratified with abundance of delicious fruits. They una- nimously declared that they had never seen so rich a country. Our trade was interrupted by the appear, ance of a great canoe surrounded with lesser ones, which, advancing towards us, drew the at- tention of all the natives. They called out 278 A NATIV£ CHIEF. '11 i i.i i Hi Eige-ea Eige, and hastened to give place to the new-comers. The canoe, rowed by ten men, large and elegantly embellished with muscle shells, soon approached us. The heads of the rowers and of the steersman were decorated with green boughs, probably in token of peace. In the fore part of the vessel, on a plat- form covered with matting, sat an elderly man cross-legged in the Asiatic fashion, hold- ing a green silk European parasol, which we conjectured must have belonged to one of the unfortunate companions of La Perouse, and have been obtained by this chief from Maouna. His clothing consisted of a very finely plaited grass-mat, hanging like a mantle from his shoulders, and a girdle round his waist. His head was enveloped in a piece of white stuff, in the manner of a turban. He spoke a few words, accompanied by a motion of the hand, to his countrymen or subjects, who immediately made way for his canoe to come alongside ; and on our invitation he came on board attended by three persons. -^ i - He was not tattooed, was about six feet high, thin, but vigorous and muscular. His INTERCHANGE OF PRESENTS. 279 features were not handsome but agreeable ; his countenance was intelligent and reflective ; his behaviour modest and decorous. On entering the ship, he inquired for the Eigeh, and I was pointed out to him ; he ap- proached me, bowed his head a little, spoke a few words which I did not understand, and then took hold of my elbows with both hands, raised them up several times, and repeated the English words " Very good.*" After this welcome, which I returned in an European manner, he gave me to understand that he was Eigeh of the Flat Island, and commanded his attendants to lay at my feet the presents he had brought for me, consisting of three fine fat pigs, which he called hoaka, and some fruits. I presented him in re- turn with a large hatchet, two strings of blue beads, and a coloured silk handkerchief, which I bound for him myself over his turban. The Eigeh appeared excessively happy in the posses- sion of these treasures, and tried to express his thankfulness by various gesticulations, and the repetition of the words " Very good." He also seemed to hold the blue beads in great estima- tion, and could not feel convinced that all those *■ 280 VALUE OP A DOLLAR. w '1^ riches actually belonged to him. He inquired in pantomime if he might really keep both neck- laces ; and on my assuring him that he might, the old man forgot his dignity, and jumped about like a boy with the beads in his hand, calling out, " Very good ! very good !" A fat treasurer shared the joy of his lord, and punc- tiliously imitated its expression, though not without some difficulty. When this tumult of pleasure had a little subsided, the latter pro- duced a small basket very prettily plaited, and provided with a lid, and placed in it the costly acquisitions of theEigeh; who himself took from it a Spanish dollar, and endeavoured to make me comprehend the question, whether this would purchase more blue beads. To judge if he had any idea of the value of money, I offered him a single bead for his dol- lar ; he immediately closed with the bargain, and, fearing that I might repent of mine, snatched up the bead and thrust the money into my hand. I returned it to him ; but, to his delight and asto- nishment, left him in possession of the bead. I now tried to learn from him how he came by this coin. MORE PRESENTS. 281 He soon comprehended my meaning, pointed to the south, named Tongatabu, one of the Friendly Islands, which are some days' voyage from his own, and gave us to understand that he had sailed thither in his own vessel, and had there met with a ship from whose Eigeh he had obtained the dollar as well as the parasol. The boldness and skill these islanders display in the management of their fragile canoes, guiding them on long voyages merely by the sun and stars, in a region where the trade-wind is seldom constant, is most surprising. - I also made some little presents to the suite of the Eigeh, and the good people were lost in amazement at their costliness, till their atten- tion was withdrawn from them to the ship itself. Their inquisitive eyes wandered in all direc- tions, and their astonishment and admiration was loudly expressed. The Eigeh contemplated the objects before him with more tranquillity, and asked but few questions, having already seen a ship, which his companions probably had not. * . * -. * He remarked, however, with wonder the num- I p' \r I 1 Ih 282 TRAFFIC RENEWED. ber of our guns and muskets, which he called Puas: counted them several times over^ and clasped his hands above his head to express his surprise. He intimated to us that he knew the effect they produced, by pointing to a gun, try- ing to imitate the sound of the report, and then closing his eyes and hanging his head. He ex- plained this to his companions, who were so ter- rified by what he told them, that they would not again venture near the guns. ' Meanwhile our traffic was renewed, though rather confusedly, from the impatience of the islanders to dispose of their property ; the Eigeh grew angry at this, and pressed me much to fire my puas on the boisterous mob. Was he then really acquainted with their destructive power, and so indifferent about human life ? Or, was he aware of the possibility of firing with blank cartridges? This remained uncertain. A telescope which I held in my hand at- tracted the observation of the chief, who took it for a gun. I directed him to look through it ; but the sudden vision of the distant prospect brought so close to his eye that he could even distinguish the people on the strand, so terrified -'■& FAMILIARITY OF THE CHIEF. 283 him, that nothing could induce him to touch the magic instrument again. He took much pains to persuade me to visit him on shore, embraced me repeatedly, and gave me to understand that we might cast an* chor by his island, and that we should there have as many pigs as we pleased. At length he took my arm, and leading me to the railing, whence we could see the throngs of islanders busied with their barter, pointed to the women among them, whom he called tvarakii shook his head, and said " No very good." Then he pointed to the island, and said in a kind tone, *' Very good waraki.'" I very easily withstood this last temptation, strong as the Eigeh seemed to think it ; but I would willingly have seen the beautiful country, had it been possible to make a landing under the protection of our guns, for which however the wind was not favourable : a longer stay might besides have rendered our situation critical. We had a perfect calm, and were driven by a strong current towards the land; I therefore took advantage of the first pufF of wind to make as much sail as I could, amidst the loud lamentations of the islanders. 284 DEPARTURE OF THE CHIEF. f !. n I I who expressed their regret in a mournful part- ing song. The Eigehf perceiving that his invitations would not be accepted, took a friendly leave of us : he seized me again by my elbows, hung his head, repeated several times the word "Jkfflrwa,'" and departed. The canoes did not follow him, but remained near us, as our vessel could make but little way on account of the slackness of the wind. The traffic was now over, and the attention of our companions therefore free to observe all our proceedings in the ship. Some of them thought to amuse us by making leaps into the air, and then begged for a reward. "We did not disappoint them, and the tricks were reiterated, till a sudden gust of wind changed their merriment into consternation. The canoes immediately ahead of the ship could not leave its passage clear in time to prevent our running down great numbers of them. In a moment our majestic vessel had distanced the multitude of its diminutive attendants, leaving extreme confusion behind it. The islanders' skill in navigation, however, enabled them speedily to PREVALENCE OF ELBPHANTISM. 285 Is f recover from the shock, and the wind falling again, they succeeded in overtaking us. In the effort to accomplish this, they left all those to their fate who were still swimming about in search of their lost oars, and took no notice whatever of their cries for assistance. We pointed their attention to their forsaken compa- nions, but the volatile creatures only laughed, and not a single canoe would return to take them in. At length, towards nightfall, they left us with the cry of " Marua ! Marua r Among these islanders we observed the dis- ease of elephantism, from which the Tahaitians suffer so much ; otherwise they appeared heal- thy. If, as the Tahaitian captain said, they are subject to the Friendly Islanders, and must pay a yearly tribute to Tongatabu, the island Maouna, which Nature herself has made a strong fortress, and whose inhabitants are such fierce warriors, is probably excepted. The following day we surveyed the magnifi- cent island of Pola. Its lofty mountain was enveloped in thick white clouds, which seemed to roll down its sides, while the majestic sum- mit rose into a cloudless region above them. '•>■,; \ w if 286 ISLAND OF POLA. The most luxuriant vegetation covers even its highest points. From a considerable elevation down the sea-shore, the island presents a charm- ing amphitheatre of villages and plantations, and confirmed us in the opinion, that the Navi. gators'* Islands are the most beautiful in the Southern Ocean, and consequently in the whole world. The shore was thronged with people, some of whom pushed their canoes into the sea to approach us, and others stood quietly watching us as we sailed past. The recurrence of a calm enabled the islanders to reach us, and our traf- fic with them was carried on in the same man- ner as with the natives of the Flat Island. To avoid repetition, I shall only remark, that they seemed more shy than our yesterday's friends ; that one of them offered us a red paint for sale ; and that another cheated us. The for- mer daubed his face with some of the colour to show us its use. Since none of them were painted with it, it is probably only used in war, or on grand occasions. The cheat remained, when the darkness had driven the other island- ers homewards, bargaining with us for the price % A CHEAT. 287 in le of a hog : a sack was lowered to him with the required payment, and when drawn up was found to contain a dog. The rascal had made off, but we sent a bullet after him, which seemed to produce no small dismay. On the following day, the 7th of April, hav- ing completed our observations, we took our course with a fresh trade-wind and full sails towards the north-west, in a direction where, according to the opinion of hydrographers, islands must lie. With respect to our geographical observa- tions on the Navigators^ Islands, I must make one remark — that all the longitudes found by us differ from those of La Perouse by from 20 to 23', and the points observed lying so many miles more easterly than he considered them. His observations were grounded on the distance of the moon, which always gives a false longi- tude unless there is an opportunity of seeing the moon at equal distances, right and left, from the sun. Our longitudes were fixed by good chronometers, which having been regula- ted at Cape Venus, could not in so short a time have made any important error. ^4 .1 - -. .■■> -VCi^i/C.; ^-.v-...rft.-;" •-.'!. /r'i" l -f ■aV ' ■q|i RADACK CHAIN OF ISLANDS. I .*-,-*' ^^, ' ^-t** !»:' . * I ' -%, -#.' Sft; ''0' ''\W vol- I. o sftKSf:c- \p^. XtmaonJNMiihed ly (bJhumAJ3mtley,jrewJiu /'v. U 1 • • «- ZangJA*' 50 O W, Scale of^ifiHshJOJUs. lAcilinatic ^^/ Zat.of^U Cmtr^l6*&9irS. Zonff.l4V'JlT3-]r. >■ M w Mlfir ■^dirUh/)^ w i^ler \ C J^FescadoriM m} i jSntnt e of the Sl ooi m. Oetobtrld24 A ^ iJBles .StbisafiP Anolmsk *6MUt a day. \ -V ^Si. I \? i.\ vor I2r A^ M IslaiuU 30' 30' \ lO? ^MBbts «*. ■ ' /" \ r CHART * of the J\'ortAerri jPart of line Group of the Coral Islands of EABAK amid EAUE, on . Iferc^i^ors jyo/ecteoPtm in Oeiober 1825. Counts oim^-^ \ -.-iS^ C-.v.^ 3C .-.^ iideTVcBtikam.aKeiiirich. 192 1917 JV 19 or Mijftt^ fy (i>1hum4>BtntUy,jrfwJha^ingtim S^wttJ/HVt Jr^.fy Sul'niaB.Blay StrfMoomUh' RADACK CHAIN OF ISLANDS. f 1 On the 8t . of April, at noon, we found our- selves, according to our observation, in the la- titude 11° 24' South, and in the longitude 174« 24'. We had left the north-west point of the island of Pola one hundred and forty miles behind us : the weather was fine, the horizon very clear, but we looked in vain from the mast-head for land. Hence we gave up any further search in this quarter, and directed our course to the north, for the shortest way to cut the Equator, and then, by the help of the north-east trade-wind, to reach Radack, where we intended to stop and make observations on the pendulum, the results of which, in the neighbourhood of the o ^ 202 STRENGTH OP THE CURRENTS. Equator, would be important to us. I ap- pointed Otdia, belonging to this chain of islands, for our residence, as affording the most con- venient anchorage for large ships. We were so much delayed by calms, that we could not till the 19th of April reach the ninth degree of south latitude. Here we en- countered gusts of wind and torrents of rain, and a current carried us daily from twenty to thirty miles westward. When we were under three degrees south latitude, and one hundred and eighty degrees longitude, the current sud- denly changed, and we were driven just as strongly to the East, — a circumstance too re- markable to be passed over in silence. At a distance from land in the vicinity of the Equa- tor, the currents are always westerly. Here it was precisely contrary ; from what cause I am unable to explain. ; ., v From the fifth degree of south latitude to the Equator, we daily perceived signs of the neighbourhood of land. When we were ex- actly in 4" 15' latitude, and 178° longitude, heavy gales brought swarms of butterflies and small land-birds to the ship ; we must Ih^refore RADACK ISLANDS. 293 have been near land, but we looked for it in vain; and this discovery remains for some future navigator. > t . .1 . ^ On the 22nd we cut the Equator in the lon- gitude 179° 43', and once more found ourselves in our own Northern hemisphere — nearer to our native country, though the course by which we must reach it would be still longer than that we had traversed. Our old acquaintance the Great Bear showed himself once more, and we looked upon him with joy, as though he had brought intelligence from our distant homes. We now again employed Parrot's machine to draw up water from a depth of 800 fa- thoms. Its temperature was only six degrees of Reaumur, while that of the water at the sur- face was twenty-three degrees. #^ ■, A tolerably strong wind, which blew during several successive days, brought us within sight of the Radack Islands, on the morning of the 28thofApril. ^ : c - ^ To those who are yet unacquainted with these islands, and cannot or will not have re- course to my former voyage, I must be excused giving a few particulars concerning them. 294 THE RADACKBRS. In the year 1816, in the ship Rurik, I dis- covered the chain of islands called by their inhabitants, Radack. It consists of several groups lying near each other, and these again of many small islands united by reefs and sur- rounding great basins of water. All these being formed by the coral insect, are very low, and still but thinly covered with soil, so that they want the luxuriance of vegetation usual in this climate ; their population is scanty ; and the most important . island of a group commonly gives its name to the whole. The Radackers are tall and well made, of a dark brown complexion; their black hair is neatly bound up, and that of the women de- corated with flowers and strings of muscle- shells. Their features are soft and agree- able, and many of both sexes may be consi- dered beautiful. They attain a great age, and though less robust than some other South Sea islanders, and subsisting wholly on fish and vegetables, are generally healthy. In gentle- ness and good-nature they excel them all, even perhaps the Tahaitians. The chief or sovereign of all these islands is PLFSASINO ANTICIPATIONS. 295 named Lamari : the chiefs of the particular groups are subordinate to him ; and under thesu are the chiefs of the separate islands composing each group. The chief of the group Otdia is called Rarik. I gave his portrait in my former voyage, and was particularly pleased with him, and with another native of the same group, named Lagediak. An inhabitant named Kadu of the group Kawan, no native, but thrown there by a storm from the island of UUe, made the voyage from Otdia to Unalaschka and back with us in the ship Rurik, and gained the good- will of the whole crew. He gave us some in- structions in the Radack language ; and on our second visit could interpret pretty well between us and the islanders, as he already spoke a little Russian : his portrait also is prefixed to one of the volumes of my former voyage. After an absence of eight years, I was now again in sight of my favourite Radack Islands, where I had passed several weeks among some of the best of Nature'*s children. Whoever has read my former narrative, will imagine the pleasure with which I anticipated my certain welcome; I pictured to myself a meeting on 296 TIMIDITY OP THE NATIVES. which the heavens themselves appeared to smile. It was an uncommonly fine day, and a fresh and favourable wind carried us quickly towards land. Our inquiring glances soon showed us from the deck, on the island Otdia, the airy groves of palms which enclose the residence of Rarik, and under whose shade I had so often sat among the friendly islanders. We could now distinguish boats sailing about on the in- ner basins, from one island to another, and a crowd of people running to the shore to gaze at the ship. I knew my timid friends too wel], not to guess what was passing in their minds. I had indeed, on parting from them, promised to visit them again, but the length of time which had since elapsed had probably extin- guished this hope ; and they would easily per- ceive that the great three-masted ship they now saw was not the small two-masted Rurik of their acquaintance. If, therefore, the first glimpse of the vessel had flattered them with the expectation of seeing me again, their plea- sure had been ere this converted into fear. Uncertain how they might be treated by the strangers, the women and children fled to the KYMPTOiMS OF ALARM. 297 interior, and all the canoes were set in motion to carry their little possessions to some place of comparative safety. The most courageous among them advanced armed with spears to the shore, displaying their valour whi]e the danger was yet distant. - «- It is not surprising that timorous apprehen- sions should agitate these poor people on the appearance of a strange vessel. Their western neighbours, the inhabitants of the island of Ralick, and of the southern islands of the groups Mediuro and Arno, which are much more thickly peopled, sometimes attack them with a superior force, plunder them, destroy their fruit-trees, and leave them scarcely sub- sistence enough to preserve them from starving. They had indeed imbibed from the crew of the Rurik a favourable opinion of white people ; but the ship which now approached them was a monster in comparison of it, and they were excusable in supposing it manned by another and unknown race. We now reached the group Otdia, and sailed close under the outward reef, towards the Schischmaref Strait, through which I proposed o 5 298 TRANSPARENCY OF THE WATER. to enter the basin. The sight of the ship dif- fused terror throughout all the islands as we passed, and the natives fled for concealment to the forests. As we approached the Lagediak Strait, the breeze was sufficient to warrant us in venturing through it ; I therefore gave up my intention of entering by the Schischmaref Strait where the wind would be against us, spread all sail, and soon rode on the placid waters of the basin. I would not however advise seamen, without an adequate inducement, to choose this strait : it is so narrow, that stones might easily be thrown across from either shore ; while, on the contrary, the breadth of the Schischmaref Strait admits of tacking, and renders its passage easy with a good ship. T'he water in the Lagediak is so transparent, that in a depth of fourteen fathoms, every stone at the bottom is discernible ; the officer who sat in the tops on the watch for shallows, deceived by this ap- pearance, expected every moment that the ship would run aground. We continued tc sail pleasantly on the beau- tiful smooth water of the basin, but the wind blowing directly off the island of Otdia, (after A PANIC. 290 which the whole group is named, and where I hoped to meet with Rarik,) I was compelled, an it grew dark, to cast anchor before the island of Ormed, in a depth of thirty-two fathoms, on u bottom of fine coral sand. Till the ship enter- ed this natural harbour, the courage of the island srs did not quite forsake them, as they supposed the entrance to be unknown to us, and the exterior coast they trusted to the protection of the surf; but when wc had penetrated into the basin, the panic became universal We observed a constant running backwards and forwards on the shore; canoes hastily laden and rowed away, some to the right and some to the left, but none coming near us. The whole island of Ormed seemed, on our arrival, to have fairly given up the ghost. It was not till after dark that we could perceive any trace of life upon it ; large fires were then kindled in two places at some distance from each other, while many smaller ones were flickering between them. We could also hear a sort of shrieking song, accompanied by the drum, which 1 knew to be their manner of calling on the gods for help, and which proved the extent of the alarm we had 300 A PROCESSION OF ISLANDERS. occasioned. This religious rite lasted through the night, but with the morning's dawn my friends had again disappeared, and the stillness of death prevailed as before. We weighed anchor, and endeavoured by tacking to reach Otdia ; and in so doing, often came very close upon the little picturesque bright green islands which studded the spark- ling lake. The fresh morning breeze wafted aromatic odours towards us; bi;t the huts of the inhabitants stood empty and desolate. When we were near Otdia, we again descried canoes sailing as close as possible to the shore. The population was busy on the strand, but no one seemed rightly to know what should be done in this alarming crisis. We next saw a long procession of islanders, bearing branches of palm as symbols of peace, taking advantage of the ebb-tide to cross the reef towards Ot- dia, and carrying baskets of cocoa-nuts and other fruits on poles. Hence it appeared that my friends had yielded to their destiny, and hoped to win the favour of the intruders by humility and presents. From their former dis- ..■<:: AT ANCHOR. 301 may, I anticipated that Kadu was absent, or he would have inspired his countrymen with more confidence. We dropped anchor at noon opposite Otdia, on the same spot where the Rurik formerly rode. I then ordered a small two-oared boat to be lowered, and to make my first visit as little formidable as possible to my friends, went ashore with only Dr. Eschscholz and two sailors. We rowed direct to Rarik's residence, where no human being was visible. A little canoe, bringing three men from a neighbouring island, now neared the shore, but immediately endea> voured to escape on observing that we steered towards it ; in vain I waved a white handker- chief, a signal I had formerly been accustomed to make ; they persisted in crowding sail, and taking all possible pains to get out of our reach ; but their extreme anxiety now rendered that difficult which they usually perform with great dexterity. While they disputed vehemently among themselves, we gained materially upon them, and their entangled ropes refusing the assistance of tlieir sails, they were on the point 302 EXCLAMATIONS OF JOY. of trusting to their skill in swimming for safety, when two words from me changed all this ter- ror into equally clamorous joy. I called to them " Totahu^'' the word into which they had tortured my name ; and " Aidarahy'' an expres- sion signifying both friend and good. They stood motionless, waiting for a repetition of the cry, to convince themselves that their ears had not deceived them ; but on my reiterating " To- tabu Aidarah" they burst into the wildest ac- clamations of joy ; called aloud to the shore, " Hei Totabu, Totabu r and leaving their canoe to take care of itself, swam to land, incessantly repeating their exclamations of joy. The inhabitants of Otdia, who had been ob- serving us from behind the bushes, now that the well-known name resounded through the island, sprang from their concealment, giving vent to their rapture in frolic gestures, dances, and songs. Numbers hurried to the strand ; others ran into the water as high as their hips, to be the first to welcome us. I was now generally recognised, and called Rarik, because, accord- ing to the custom prevailing here, I had sealed # APPROACH OF RARIK. 303 V .;■.' >5 'id- my friendship with that chief by an exchange of names. They also recognised Dr. Eschscholz, who had been of my former expedition, and heartily rejoiced in seeing again their beloved " Dein Name,'''' This was the name he had borne among them ; because when they asked his name, and he did not understand the ques- tion, several of our people called to him " Dein name,'''' which was immediately adopted as his designation. Four islanders lifted me from the boat, and carried me ashore, to where Lagediak awaited me with open arms, and pressed me most cor- dially to his bosom. The powerful tones of the muscle horn now resounded through the woods, and our friends announced the approach of Ri.rik. He soon appeared running at full speed towards us, and embraced me several times, endeavouring in every possible way to express his joy at our return. Though the friends to whom I was thus restored were but poor ignorant savages, I was deeply affected by the ardour of their recep- tion ; their unsophisticated hearts beat with 304 MODE OP RECEPTION. sincere affection towards me, — and how seldom have I felt this happy consciousness among the civilized nations of the world ! Even the women and children now made their appearance; and, among them, Rarik's loquacious mother, who with much gesticula- tion made me a long speech, of which I under- stood very little. When she had concluded, Rarik and Lagediak, each ojBTering me an arm, led me to the house of the former. Upon a verdant spot before it, surrounded and shaded by bread-fruit trees, young girls were busily spreading mats for Dr. Eschscholz and myself to sit on. Rarik and Lagediak seated themselves facing us, and the mother (eighty years of age) by my side, at a little distance. The other islanders formed a com- pact circle around us ; the nearest line seating themselves, and those behind standing, to se- cure a better view of us. Some climbed the trees ; and fathers raised their children in their arms, that they might see over the heads of the people. The women brought baskets of flowers, and decorated us with garlands; and ANXIOUS ENQUIRIES. 305 Rarik's mother, drawing from her ears the beautiful white flower of the lily kind, so care- fully cultivated here as an indispensable orna- ment of the female sex, did her best to fasten it into mine with strings of grass, while the people expressed their sympathy by continual cries of " Aidarah.'''' In the mean time the young girls were employed in pressing into muscle-shells the juice of the Pandanus, which they presented to us, with a sort of sweet- meat called Mogan, prepared from the same fruit ; the flavour of both is very agreeable. We were now overwhelmed with questions from all sides; to which, from our imperfect knowledge of their language, we could return but few answers. Rarik and Lagediak expressed their astonishment at the size of our ship, in- quired what was become of the Rurik, and, whe- ther their friends Timaro, Tamiso, &c. (Schisch- maref and Chamisso) were still living, how they were, and why they did not accompany us. After the first ebullition of joy at our meet- ing, I thought I perceived by the deportment of Rarik, that he had something on his mind ; i 306 rarir's uneasiness. he seemed conscious of some fault, and in vain endeavoured, under friendly looks and words, to conceal a latent uneasiness. I even thought I could trace a similar feeling in his mother and Lagediak. Pained by these appearances, I asked an explanation. Rarik could no longer control his feelings, but immediately *ell, like a repentant child, in tears upon my neck, with- out however confessing the cause of his agitation. On quitting the island eight years previously, I had appointed Kadu to the guardianship of the plants and animals we left behind, with the strongest injunctions on all the islanders to avoid injuring them, and threats of exacting a severe account on my return for any such offence. I had not yet ventured to inquire after them, fearful that the report might prove unsatisfac- tory, and cast a cloud over the pleasure of our meeting. It now occurred to me that Rarik must in some way have injured Kadu ; perhaps he might even have put him to death. I looked sternly in Rarik's face, while I inquired after him, but he answered me quite innocently that Kadu was well and residing on the Aur group CONDUCT OP LAMARI. 307 of islands with their chief Lamari. The old mother then took up the conversation, and very diffusively related that Lamari, soon after our departure, had come hither with a fleet, and forcibly carried to Aur all the animals, plants, tools, pieces of iron, — in short, whatever we had left on the island. Lagediak confirmed this tale, and added, that Lamari had demanded of every islander, under pain of death, the last piece of iron in his pos- session. Kadu, he said, soon after our depar- ture, had married a handsome girl, the daughter or relation of the chief of Ormed; had been raised to the dignity of a Tamon-ellip, or great- commander, by Lamari ; and having freely made over the half of his treasures to this personage, (a step which I had myself advised,) had been permitted to retain peaceable possession of the remainder. It was also by his own desire that Lamari had removed him to Aur, where he con- tinued his superintendence of the plants and animals. Kadu had commissioned Lagediak to relate all these circumstances to me, with a request that I would visit him at Aur; an in- ~*t'.i Jf'G 308 FESTIVAL PROVISIONS. vitation which with regret I was prevented ac- cepting by the large size of my ship. * v I was glad however that Kadu had settled in Aur, as I hoped that the animals and plants with which I had enriched these islands would flourish under his care ; and I learnt from Rarik that when he was a short time before in Aur, on a visit to his father, they had propagated, and were doing well. Swine and goats already formed part of their festival provisions, and Rarik had himself partaken of such a feast. I rejoiced in this information, and in the pro- mise it afforded, that through my means the time may be approaching when the barbarous custom of sacrificing the third or fourth child of every marriage, from fear of famine, may wholly cease. - r : The cat was the only animal of those I had left at Otdia which remained there ; and it was no longer of the domestic species ; it had become very numerous and entirely wild, but as yet had occasioned no sensible diminution in the number of rats. It may be hoped, however, that as the cats have no other food, those voracious pests of the gardens may at length be exterminated. FEMALES OF ORMED. 309 These cats, under the influence of a strange climate, and in an undomesticated state, may perhaps undergo some change of properties and habits, by which naturalists, always well pleased to enlarge their zoological lists, may be led to consider them as an unknown species of tiger. To obviate this error, I advertise such gentry beforehand, that the animal in question is abso- lutely nothing more than the ordinary European household cat. Of the plants which we had introduced to the Radackers, the vine alone had failed. La- gediak pointed out to me the spot on which we had planted it. It had withered, but not till, from the extreme fruitfulness of the soil, its tendrils had reached the tops of the highest trees. I was not surprised that Kadu should have married soon after our departure a native of the island of Ormed. The girls there are par- ticularly handsome, and we had some suspicion of an affair of the heart, from the sudden change in his previous determination to accom- pany us to Russia, which took place imme- diately after an excursion he had made with 310 rarik's conduct explained. Mr. Chamisso to Ormed. Fortunately for him- self, he preferred a quiet domestic life under his own beautiful sky, to tempting the severity of our Northern climate, which would probably soon have destroyed him ; and fortunately for his countrymen, he remained to cultivate among them the beneficial arts of gardening and breed- ing of cattle. The melancholy of Rarik still continuing after all this explanation, I again inquired the cause. He then tremblingly led me by the arm to the cocoa-tree, against which I had fastened a copper-plate, bearing the nan^ of my ship, and the date of my discovery of the island, and denouncing severe punishment in case of its removal. It had disappeared : — how easily might Karik and Lagediak, and the crowd of people, all equally dejected, who followed us, have excused themselves by an assertion, that Lamari, on his predatory expedition, had car- ried off this plate ; but they were too honour- able. Imploring my pardon, they candidly confessed that they had been deficient in their care of it, — that it had been stolen, and that they had been unable to discover the thief. A DRAMATIC PIECE. 311 Rejoiced to find that their melancholy arose from no cause more serious than this, I cor- dially embraced my friends, while they wept for joy in my arms. Their happiness was now complete, and the multitude returned with us, shouting for joy, to Rarik's dwelling, where an Eb, or artless opera, was represented ; the subject, — my crew of the Rurik and myself: each song celebrated one of us individually, and the praises of the whole were chanted in the concluding chorus. I regretted much that I could not understand them better. The words, moll (iron), aidarah (friend), tamon (commander), oa ellip (great boat), and Kadu''s name, were frequently repeated. The Radack- ers preserve their traditions in these poetic representations ; and as they assemble every evening to amuse themselves with dancing and singing, the children, while taking part in these innocent pleasures, learn the history of their country in the most agreeable manner, and communicate it in their turn to succeeding generations. When the dramatic piece was concluded, and I had distributed all the little presents I 312 RETURN TO THE VESSEL. had brought, I returned to my vessel, my friends promising me a visit the same day. I now had all the boats lowered to bring ashore our tent and pendulum apparatus. The islanders received the sailors with great alacrity, brought them cocoa-nuts, helped them to dis- embark, and set up the tent, and appeared de- lighted with our intention of establishing our- selves on land. « Rarik and Lagediak were the first who vi- sited us in the afternoon. They rowed several times in their little canoe round the ship, con- templated it very attentively, and with emo- tions of wonder, repeatedly exclaiming, Erico ! Erico! — a word denoting admiration. When I met them upon deck, they forgot to salute me, stood at first riveted to the spot like sta- tues, till an " O, o !" stretched to a minute^s length, gave vent at last to their astonishment. I led them round, and showed them all that could interest them, their surprise increasing with every novelty they saw. < • -.. ^ : • Lagediak inquired if the ship and all its ap- purtenances had been made in Russia ; and on my answering in the affirmative, exclaimed, %- I t e lagediak's measurements. 313 Tamon linssia, ellip^ eliip ! words which my readers will now be prepared to understand. Lagediak soon commenced an admeasurement of the ship in all directions, with a string he had brought for this purpose : having obtained the dimensions of the ship'*s body, he next climbed the masts, to measure the yards and sails. My friends also expressed much sur- prise at the great number of men on board, and tried to count them. At the number ten, they always made a knot on a piece of string, and then began again. In comparison with the compliment of the Rurik, (only twenty men,) my present crew must have appeared extremely numerous. A crowd of the islanders soon came on board, without the least hesitation or fear. Though very merry, and quite at home, they were all well-behaved and modest. Incessant laugh- ter pealed from below, where these lovers of mirth had mingled with our sailors, in all sorts of tricks and jests ; the different parties danced and sang alternately, each laughing heartily at the performances of the other. They exchanged embraces and presents ; of the guests especially VOL. I. 314 lagediak's proposal. not one was empty-handed : they had brought their finest fruit, and little specimens of their handiwork; and each, with unaffected cordiality, lavished the contents of his cornucopia on a chosen friend. The setting sun gave the signal for separation, and it was obeyed amidst mutual promises of meeting again on the morrow. Lagediak, after finishing his measurements, did not again move from my side. His desire of knowledge was boundless ; nor could the ex- planations I was obliged to give upon the most insignificant articles satisfy his curiosity. On learning that we could stay only a few days at Otdia, he again became very sorrowful, and most earnestly pressed me to spend the remainder of my life here. He left nothing untried to pro- cure my acquiescence in this wish : love, ambi- tion, glory, were successively held out as lures : I should have the most beautiful woman of the islands for my wife, — should kill the tyrant and usurper Lamari, as he had killed his predeces- sor, and sjiould reign in his stead Tamon of Radack. As I let him talk on without inter- ruption, he supposed I should accede to his plans. In his joy over this offspring of his own HIS SON. 315 )f IS imagination, he jumped about the cabin like a child, and, on quitting the ship, earnestly en- joined me to say nothing to Rarik of our project. Lagediak, on visiting me again the following morning, brought me roasted fish, bread-fruit, and fresh cocoa-nuts, for breakfast : he drank coffee with me, and appeared to think it not much amiss. He brought with him his son, about thirteen or fourteen years of age, to present to me. This interesting boy appeared to inherit the disposition of his amiable father. His in- telligent countenance afforded a promise, which the modesty and propriety of his conduct con- firmed : he might easily have been educated for our most refined society. Lagediak soon recurred to his yesterday's project of making me chief of Radack. He sketched the plan of its execution, and entered upon the further measures which would be requisite to give power and stability to the new government. We were first to sail to Aur and vanquish Lamari, and then to attack the hos- tile group of the Mediuro islands, the conquest of which would render me master of the whole chain of Radack. Animated by these valiant p 2 316 PARENTAL FEELINGS. projects, he flourished his fist as if already in battle, till it encountered a tea-cup, which fell in a thousand fragments to the ground. His natural timidity suddenly banished the heroism into which his subject had wrought him : he feared he had done me an injury, and conse- quently incurred my displeasure. I re-assured him on this head, but gave him much pain by representing the impossibility of my remaining in Radack, as my duty called me elsewhere. After some minutes of silent consideration, he led his son to me, and begged I would take him with me to Russia. I was then obliged to explain to him that I should never return to Radack, and that if his son accompanied me, he must take leave of him for ever. This was too much for the father's heart ; he embraced his son, and would no longer think of a separa- tion. He was also overcome with sorrow at the idea of seeing me for the last time ; and a little self-interest probably mingled in the me- lancholy look he cast upon a hatchet which I had given him, as he exclaimed — " I shall never get any iron again !" I now turned the conversation on the Me- LAMARl'S EXPEDITIONS. 317 diuro, and expressed a wish to know how the campaign had prospered, which Lamari, wheri I was last here, was about to undertake against those islands. He understood me perfectly, and taxed to the utmost his powers of panto- mime to give me an account of the war, in which he had himself been engaged. Lamari^s fleet, as I understood my informant, consisted of forty vessels; and therefore, judg- ing by the size of the boats here, the whole army could not be above four hundred strong, in- cluding the women, who, from the rear, lend as- sistance to the combatants by throwing stones at the enemy, and by assuming the surgeon\s office. This force was collected from the whole Radack chain ; the war was bloody, and lasted six whole days. Five of the enemy were slain, and (Lamari gained a splendid victory with the loss of one man ! The fleet returned triumph- ant, laden with cocoa-nuts, bread-fruit, and pandanas. Kadu had especially distinguished himself: he was armed with a sabre and lance, and wore a white shirt, and wide trowsers, which formidable attire was completed by a red cap on his head. All the hatchets, above a hundred 318 RAPACITY OP THE ODIANS. in number, which I had given to the Radackers, and which Lamari afterwards appropriated, were fastened on long poles and distributed among the best warriors ; this gave the army of Lamari a great advantage ; so that I might take credit to myself for the happy issue of the campaign. Lagediak informed me further that Lamari had also determined on an expedition to the Odia * group of islands, belonging to the Ralik chain. The inhabitants of these had heard something of the treasures which the Radackers had acquired by my visit, and their rapacity being excited, had made an attack on the Kawen group of the Radack chain, without the usual declaration of war, and thus taking the inha- bitants by surprise, had beaten and plundered them, and returned home laden with booty, though the Kawen people had made a va- lorous resistance, and killed two of the Odians without losing a man themselves. This ap- peared to have occurred about a year before my arrival, and the vengeance of Lamari had * This group must not be confounded with Otdia where we were at this time. LAGEDIAKS CONFIDENCE. 319 been hitherto delayed ; the levying and pro- visioning an army being here a work of time. Radack is so thinly peopled that all the islands must send their quota of men, which, on ac- count of the extension of the chain, cannot be very speedily performed. For a voyage to the Ralik chain and back, victualling for four weeks at least is necessary, as the return is against the trade-wind. The Mogan, which is principally used in these expeditions, is very nutritious, and the Radackers are very moderate, so that a small quantity suffices for their support, other- wise they could not provision their canoes for voyages of this length. . I was surprised to find Lagediak perfectly secure of the success of this undertaking, and expressed my fears that his countrymen might possibly be worsted, but he continued sanguine, — for the hatchets with which his brethren were armed, the sword, and dread-inspiring costume of Kadu, were sources of confidence which could not be abated. During this conversation in the cabin, several islanders came on board, and the noise from below resembled that of the preceding day. 320 OPERATIONS WITH THE PENDULUM. Rarik had also arrived, decorated with fresh garlands of flowers, and had. brought me some trifling presents. The generally-dreaded Lan- gin, Tamon of Egmedio, presented himself to me this day, for the first time : he appeared glad to see me; but when on deck, the size of the ship, and the number of the crew, impressed him with so much alarm, that his very teeth chattered. This aguish attack continued some time, but was at length cured by our friendly deportment. Accompanied by Rarik and Lagediak, I rowed ashore, and found Messrs. Preus and Lenz already busy with the pendulum. They were perfectly satisfied with the natives, who had behaved very well, and, except by special per- mission to come nearer, had kept at the ap- pointed distance from the tent. They usually sat in a circle round the place, where the obser- vations were made, and gazed with wonder at the astronomer who had so much business with the sun, taking him no doubt for a conjuror. In the hours of recreation, we allowed them to come to the tent, and they always joyfully availed themselves of the permission, perform- ing a thousand little services, which made them MODE OF WARFARE. 321 appear really necessary to us, yet remaining in- variably so modest, gentle, and friendly, that my company declared them to be, without ex- ception, the most amiable people on earth. Rarik took me to his house, to witness an- other dramatic representation : the subject was the war on Mediuro. Women sang, or rather screamed, the deeds of the warriors ; and the men in their dances endeavoured, by angry gestures and brandishing their lances, to de- scribe the valour of the combatants. I express- ed to Karik my wish to know more of their method of warfare ; he and Lagediak in conse- quence assembled two troops, which they op- posed to each other at a short distance, as hostile armies ; the first rank, in both, consist- ing of men, and the second of women. The former were armed with sticks instead of lances, the latter had their baskets filled with pandana seeds for stones, and their hair, instead of being as usual, tastefully bound up, hung dishevelled and wild about their heads, giving them the appearance of maniacs. Rarik placed himself at the head of one troop, and Lagediak of the other : both gave the signal for attack, by blow- p 5 322 MODE OP WARFARE. ing their muscle horns. The adverse forces approached ; but instead of the battle began a comic dance, in ^vhich the two armies emulated each other in grimaces, furious gesticulations, and a distortion of the eyes, which left only the whites visible, while the women shrieked a war- song, which, if their opponents had been lovers of harmony, would assuredly have put them to flight. The leaders on each side took no share in these violent exertions, but stood still, ani- mating their troops by the tones of the muscle horn. When exhausted by these efforts, the horns were silent, and the armies separated by mutual consent, looking on while some of the most valiant from each side came forward to challenge with threats and abuse a champion of the enemy to single combat. This was re- presented by dancing and songs, and occasional movements with the hand, as if to throw the lance, which the antagonist sought to avoid by dexterously springing aside. The respective armies and their leaders animated the courage of their warriors by battle-songs, till the horns were blown again ; the armies once more slowly approached each other; the champions retired AN OLD ACQUAINTANCE. 323 into their ranks, and the battle was renewed with a prodigious noise; spears waved in the air ; pandana seed flew from the delicate hands of the female warriors, over the heads of their husbands, upon the enemy, but the armies never came near enough to be really engaged. The leaders remained in front loudly blowing their horns, and sometimes giving commands. At length, by accident or design, one of Lagediak's men fell ; the battle was now over, the victory decided, and the signal given for drawing off the forces. Both armies were so exhausted, that they threw themselves on the grass, and amidst laughing and merriment, gave them- selves up to repose. A large sailing-boat now put ashore, and an old man with white hair and beard was lifted from it ; his shrivelled skin hung loosely over his emaciated form, and his weakness was so extreme, that he could only approach us by crawling on his hands and feet : Rarik and Lagediak went to meet and welcome him. It was my old acquaintance, Langediu, Tamon of Ormed. When our frigate lay at anchor be- fore his island, he had not ventured, he said, to 324 OLD AGE AT RADACK. visit US, not knowing whether we were friends or foes ; but when he heard that Totabu was arrived, he determined to make an effort to see me once more before his death. The old man cri^wled up to me and embraced me, shedding tears of joy ; he talked a great deal, and spoke of Kadu being with Lamari in Aur. On my former visit, the traces of old age were scarcely perceptible in Langediu ; but in the intervening eight years they had increased rapidly ; still, although his body was so weak that he could only crawl on all-fours, he re- tained all the faculties of his mind, all his original vivacity and good-humour, and his facetious remarks excited the merriment of the whole assembly. I have in many instances ob- served that at Radack, old age brings with it no particular disease, and that the mind re- mains unimpaired till its mortal covering sinks into the grave. A fine climate, moderate la- bour, and a vegetable diet, probably all con- tribute to produce this effect. Langediu having intimated his wish to see the Oa ellip, I immediately rowed in niy boat to the ship, followed by him in his Oa warro. DETECTION OP A THIEF. 325 or war canoe : he was much pleased with the vessel, and all that he saw, and not less so with the little presents he received; but a circumstance occurred that caused the honour- able old man some chagrin : one of his at- tendants having concluded a friendship with the cook, took advantage of it to secrete a knife in his canoe; the cook missed the knife, and his suspicions immediately fell on his friend. His person and canoe were searched, and on the discovery of the stolen treasure the criminal confessed his fault. He trembled exceedingly, probably remembering the flogging one of his countrymen received on board the Rurik for a similar offence. As my stay was this time to be so short, I considered the flogging super- fluous, and magnanimously forgave him, with a reproof, and an admonition never to steal again. Poor old Langediu was much hurt. He crawled about the ship in an agitated manner, exclaim- ing, Kabuderih emo aidarah (stealing not good), severely reprimanded, and threatened the of- fender, — showed him all the presents received from us, observing how much we must be shocked to be robbed, notwithstanding all our 326 FAMILY PROPENSITY TO THEFT. \\i generosity. He then led him to the guns, made him remark their great number, and said, Manih Emich, manih ni, moy (kill the island, kill the cocoa-trees, bread-fruit trees). Probably the old man had learned from Kadu the effect the guns would produce. After much chaf- ing and scolding, he ordered the offender back into the canoe, and forbade him to come again on board : — not a word did the thief utter the whole time, and instantly obeyed the order to quit the vessel, but the old master could not be pacified. He frequently repeated, " Kabu- derih emo aidarah^'' and his visit afforded him no more pleasure. He took an early leave of us, requesting that we would come to him on his island. • The face of the thief appeared familiar to me ; and Lagediak, in answer to my inquiries, in< formed me, laughing, that this was the brother of the man who had been beaten on board the Rurik. The propensity to theft appears to be a family failing. No other Radacker during our stay attempted to purloin the smallest trifle. In the afternoon, a large boat sailed through VISIT TO LANORDIU. 327 the Lagediak Straits into the basin. I flat- tered myself with the arrival of some of my friends from Aur, perhaps Kadu himself; but it was the gay Labugar from Eregub, brought hither by curiosity, having seen us sail past his island. When he heard who the strangers were, he immediately came to the ship. His joy at seeing me aguin was very great; but he regretted much that his friend Timaro, with whom he had exchanged names, was not of our company. The spirits of Labugar had lost during eight years none of their sprightliness ; but his face looked much older, and his hair had become grey. The fine weather induced me on the 3rd of May to visit Langediu on the island of Ormed ; he received me with the greatest joy, and offered me his most costly treasures as presents. The children, grand-children, and great-grand-chil- dren of the good old man assembled round his house, and represented a dramatic piece for my amusement, in which Langediu himself played a principal part, and astonished me by the animation of his action and singing. As this .%, 328 DRAMATIC REPRESKNTATION. I ■if. was one of the best representations I have seen in Radack, I will describe it, in the hope that my readers also will not be uninterested in it. • The number of the dramatis persona was twenty-six, thirteen men and thirteen woiren, who seated themselves in the following order on a spot of smooth turf. Ten men sat in a semicircle, and opposite to them ten women in a semicircle also, so that by uniting the points^ an entire circle would have been formed, but a space of about six feet was left at both ends, in each of which sat an old woman provided with a drum. This drum, made of the hol- low trunk of a tree, is about three feet long, six inches in diameter at each end, narrowed like an hour-glass, to half that thickness in the middle. Both ends are covered with the skin of the shark : it is held under the arm, and struck with the palm of the hand. In the middle of the circle, old Langediu took his station with a handsome young woman, sitting back to back. The whole party were elegantly adorned about the head, and the females about the body also, with garlands of A TRAGEDY. 329 flowers. Outside the circle stood two men with muscle horns. The hollow tones of these horns are the signal for a chorus performed by the whole company, with violent movements of the arms and gesticulations meant to be in consonance with the words. When this ceased, a duet from the pair in the middle was accom- panied by the drums and horns only ; Langediu fully equalling his young companion in anima- tion. The chorus then began again, and this alternation was repeated several times, till the young songstress whose motions had been grow- ing more and more vehement, suddenly fell down as dead. Langediu''s song then became lower and more plaintive : he bent over the body, and seemed to express the deepest sorrow ; the whole circle joined in his lamentations, and the play concluded. Deficient as was my knowledge of the lan- guage, I was still able clearly to understand the subject of this cragedy, which represented a marriage ceremony. The young girl was forced to accept of a husband whom she did not love, and preferred death to such an union. Perhaps 330 A DINNER PARTY. n the reason of old Langediu'*s playing the part of the lover might be, to give more probability to the young bride's objections and resolu- tion. The young females assembled here, among whom the deceased bride of Langediu soon re- appeared, fresh and lively as ever, reminded me of Kadu''s assertion, that the women of Ormed were the handsomest in Radack. Some of them were really very attractive, and their flowery adornments extremely becoming. These people have more taste than any other of the South Sea islanders ; and the manner in which the women dress their hair, and decorate it with flowers, would have a beautiful effect even in an European ball-room. When the actors had recovered from the fatigue of their perfor- mance, dinner, which some of the females had been long preparing in the hut, was served to us. Only a few of the persons assembled enjoyed the honour of partaking our meal. Some of these were females. The ground of Langediu's hut was covered with matting, on which we sat, and the provisions were placed PROGRESS OP CIVILIZATION. 331 on clean cocoa-leaves in the middle. Every one had a cocoa-leaf for a plate. Upon the dishes were laid wooden spoons, with which the guests helped themselves, — an improvement since my former visit to Radack, when their mode was to help themselves from the dish with their hands. Langediu remarked, that the order of his table pleased me, and said Ma- muan Russia mogai (the Russians eat so). I rejoiced in the increased civilization denoted by this more becoming mode of eating ; probably introduced by Kadu, who had seen it during his stay among us. I enjoyed a still greater pleasure, when after the first course of baked and bread-fruits, came one of yams, which I had brought hith !• from the Sandwich Islands. At Otdia, I had been told that Lamari had car- ried away to Aur all the plants I had left behind. I was therefore much surprised at the sight of the yams. They perfectly supply the place of our potatoes, are wholesome and pleasant, and, if cultivated with moderate industry, are a cer- tain resource against famine. Langediu told me, that Kadu had planted the yams on Ormed, 332 A DIGRESSION. m and after dinner showed me a pretty large field very well stocked with them. The delightful feelings with which I surveyed the new plantation may be imagined, when it is recollected, that these poor islanders, from want of means of subsistence, are compelled, assuredly with heavy hearts, to murder their own offspring, and that this yam alone is sufficient to remove so horrible a necessity. I might joyfully affirm, that through my instrumentality the distressed mother need no longer look forward to the birth of her third or fourth child with the dreadful consciousness that she endured all her pain only to deliver a sacrifice to the hand of the mur- derer. When she should clasp her child to her breast, and see her husband look on it with a father'*s tenderness, they might both remember " Totabu,*" and the beneficent plants which he had given them. I beg pardon for this digres- sion, and return to our dinner. After the yams, a number of dishes were pro- duced, prepared from the powdered cocoa- wood, which is made with water into a thick paste, and then baked in small cakes: it has no taste at all, and cannot be very nutritious. A dessert of A MUSICAL FESTIVAL. 333 Mogan and Pandana juice concluded the re- past. The drink was cocoa-milk, sucked from a small hole made in the nut. The conversa- tion, in which the females, who are treated ex- tremely well, took part, was very lively, but per- fectly decorous. I wished to understand more of it : from single words, I inferred that they were speaking of the ship and of the dramatic entertainment, and should have been glad to have contributed my share to the general amusement. After I had delighted the host and the amiable company by presents of hatch- ets, knives, scissors, and necklaces, which latter were by no means in as great estimation here as on the Navigators' Islands, I took my leave, and returned early in the evening to the ship. Time passed very quickly at Otdia, as it usually does when pleasantly spent ; and, to the great sorrow of our friends, the day of our departure drew near. On Sunday the sailors were allowed to amuse themselves on shore; and as there were some musicians among them, they carried their instruments with tliem, to take leave of the islanders with a brilliant musical festival. The jubilee that ensued 334 MODESTY OF THE FEMALES. exceeds all description. The whole popula- tion of Otdia and the neighbouring islands assembled round our tent, and the music acted upon them like Huon'*s horn in Oberon. They danced and leaped about, sometimes hurrying the sailors into similar antics, and forming alto- gether a scene which would have provoked the most solemn philosopher to laughter. I was much pleased with observing -the cordial good- will that subsisted between the natives and my crew, and with the reflection that this second visit would also leave on the minds of the Radackers an impression favourable to white men. The females looked on at a distance during these gambols. Decorum did not allow them to mingle in them, and also restrained them from ever visiting the ship. Among the groups I observed a crowd of children assembled round an elderly sailor, who was amusing and caressing them. He had been on duty outside the tent ever since our arrival at the islands ; and as the Russians are parti- cularly fond of children, these little creatures had grown quite sociable with him. A pretty APPROACHING DEPARTURE. 335 lively little girl appeared his especial favourite. She was allowed to play him all kinds of tricks, without being reproved ; and even when she pulled him by the hair, he pulled again, and seemed as much entertained as she was. When the islanders learned the day fixed for our departure, they visited us on board in greater numbers than ever, always bringing presents with them. They spoke of parting with great sorrow, and earnestly pressed us to return soon. With respect to the presents we had recently made them, they expressed their fears that Lamari would again plunder them, when he should learn that we had been there. I therefore commissioned Lagediak, in the pre- sence of a great number of islanders, to inform Lamari, from me, that if he should ever pre- sume to plunder the possessor of the smallest article presented by us, whenever white men should again visit Radack, they would, without fail, take signal and severe vengeance upon him. He understood me, and promised to execute my commission. Lagediak now seldom left me; and his grief at our approaching separation was really affecting. 336 AN AFFECTING PARLWKLL. li On the morning of the appointed day, the 6th of May, when we had begun to weigh anchor, he came in great haste in a large canoe, and brought a number of young cocoa-plants. On my inquiring for what purpose he intended them, he answered, that he wished me to plant them in Russia, in remembrance of him. I then recollected his having once asked me if cocoa- trees grew in Russia, and that I had of course replied in the negative. He had then turned the conversation on some other subject, and I thought no more of it. He had however re- solved on enriching my country with this fine fruit, and had reserved for the day of our part- ing this last proof of his regard. I explained to him that it was far too cold in Russia for the cocoa-trees to flourish, and that for that reason I wa? unwilling to rob him of his plants. He mourned much over the failure of his kind in- tentions, packed up his planes again, and when he saw our sails spread and our departure ine- vitable, took leave of us like a child that is for- cibly separated from beloved parents. To the rest of our friends we had bidden farewell the evening before. NATIVES OF L16IEP. 337 We sailed through the Schischmaref straits, and then between the Otdia and Aur groups, whence we steered directly to the group Li- giep, in order to lay down correctly its east- ern coasts, for which, in my former voyage, cir- cumstances had been unfavourable. On the fol- lowing day we reached the southern edge of this group, and sailed near enough to see from tlience clear over to the northern. We then proceeded westward, keeping always near enough to tlie islands to distinguish objects upon them with the naked eye. I now plainly perceived that the course T had taken in the Rurik had pre- vented my seeing the whole of this group ; and the result is, that it appears on the accompany- ing map, according to our present correct sur- vey, half as large again as I had before repre- sented it. The inhabitants of Ligiep, on seeing the ship, directly put out to sea from between the reefs, in a crowd of sailing canoes, to follow us, but were too timid to come within cannon-shot. We lay-to, when they also took in their sails, but contented themselves with contemplating us from a safe distance; and as the favourable VOL I. Q 3:38 A COMMODIOUS HARBOUR. b weather would not permit us to waste more time, we continued our voyage without making farther attempts to entice them to the ship. On the north-west of the group Ligiep we found several larger islands, which, being co- vered with fine cocoa-trees, induced the supposi- tion that they may be more thickly peopled. We also found, as is shown upon the map, two broad entrances to the inland sea round wliich this group is scattered, which, after a very accurate examination, appeared perfectly safe and convenient for the passage of the largest ship of the line, since, according to their direc- tion, it is possible, by help of the trade- wind, to sail in and out without tacking. There seems no doubt that the interior of this group offers the best anchorage ; and should any navigator wish to put into Radack, I recommend this harbour to him as the most commodious. At noon the north-west point of the Ligiep group lay about a mile off us due east, and we found by a close observation the latitude to be 10^ 3' 40" North, and the longitude 190«>58'3'. Directly after this observation, I had all sail MAKE FOR KAMT8CHATKA. 339 set, and steered with a fresh wind to the north- west, in the hope of falling in with the group Ralik. As darkness came on, we again took in most of the sails, and endeavoured to keep the vessel during the night as much as possible on the same spot. With break of day we continued our voyage; but the weather, hitherto so fine, now became very gloomy. The heavy rain per- mitted us only to see to a short distance ; and as no hope of improvement appeared, I gave up the idea of visiting Ralik, and bent my course direct for Kamtschatka. We often thought and conversed upon the interesting inhabitants of Radack, of whom we had for ever taken leave. Since this chain lies far out of the course usually pursued by navi- gators in the South Sea, it will not soon be vi- sited again, and may in course of time be en- tirely forgotten. Whether this will be for their benefit or their misfortune, he who rules the des- tinies of man can alone foresee. It is certain that the Radack chain has been peopled much later than most cf the South Sea ' 340 INFLTENCB OF WOMAN. islands; but whence, and at what period, is quite unknown. If a conjecture may be ha- zarded, it would be, that the inhabitants owe their origin to the Corolinas. They have no tradition on the subject. Their language is (]uite different from all the Polynesian dialects, and appears of more recent formation. Whence have these people derived characters so much superior to those of other South Sea islanders, many of whom, enjoying as fine a climate, and a more bountiful soil, resemble beasts of prey P I attribute this in some measure to the superior purity of manners among the females. Expe- rience teaches us, that wherever that sex is held in its due estimation, morals are proportionably refined. To be thus esteemed, woman must resist the attacks of licentiousness. When she associates virtue with her other attractions, she will soon obtain an influence over the most savage of the other sex ; and thus have the females of Radack contributed to form the amiable character of their countrymen. Other fortunate circumstances may have com- A COMPARISON. 341 Wned with this, to which the ante-christian Ta- haitians were certainly not indebted. It is jus- tice, however, to assert here, that, upon perfect conviction, I give a decided preference to the Radackers over the inhabitants of Tahaiti. END OP THE PIRST VOLUME. LONDON: PIUNTED BY SAMUEL BENTLEY, Dorset Street, Fleet Street.