1774. ROUND THE WORLD. 281 



who, if we are to believe the authors of that voyage, 

 left them sufficient tokens. 



Near the place where we landed, were some of 

 those statues before-mentioned, which I shall describe 

 in another place. The country appeared barren and 

 without wood ; there were, nevertheless, several plant- 

 ations of potatoes, plantains, and sugar-canes ; we 

 also saw some fowls, and found a well of brackish 

 water. As these were articles we were in want of, 

 and as the natives seemed not unwilling to part with 

 them, I resolved to stay a day or two. With this 

 view, I repaired on board, and brought the ship to 

 an anchor in thirty-two fathoms' water ; the bottom a 

 fine dark sand. Our station was about a mile from 

 the nearest shore, the south point of a small bay, in 

 the bottom of which is the sandy beach before men- 

 tioned, being east south-east distant one mile and an 

 half. The two rocky islots lying off the south point 

 of the island were just shut behind a point to the 

 north of them j they bore S. f W. four miles distant, 

 and the other extreme of the island bore N. 25 E. 

 distant about six miles. But the best mark for this 

 anchoring-place is the beach ; because it is the only 

 one on this side the island. In the afternoon we got 

 on board a few casks of water, and opened a trade 

 with the natives for such things as they had to dis- 

 pose of. Some of the gentlemen also made an ex- 

 cursion into the country to see what it produced, 

 and returned again in the evening, with the loss only 

 of a hat, which one of the natives snatched off' the 

 head of one of the party. 



Early next morning, I sent Lieutenants Pickersgill 

 and Edgecumbe with a party of men, accompanied 

 by several of the gentlemen, to examine the country. 

 As I was not sufficiently recovered from my late ill- 

 ness to make one of the party, I was obliged to con- 

 tent myself with remaining at the landing-place 

 among the natives. We had at one time a pretty 

 brisk trade with them for potatoes, which we ob- 



