316 cook's SECOND VOYAGE APRIL, 



worthy friend Sir Hugh Palliser, at this time comp- 

 troller of the navy. 



Not choosing to run farther in the dark, we spent 

 the night making short boards under the top-sail, and 

 on the 20th at day-break, hauled round the west end 

 of the third isle, which was no sooner done than we 

 found a great swell rolling in from the south ; a sure 

 sign that we were clear of these low islands ; and as 

 we saw no more land, I steered S. W. J S. for Ota- 

 heite ; having the advantage of a stout gale at east, 

 attended with showers of rain. It cannot be deter- 

 mined with any degree of certainty whether the 

 group of isles we had lately seen, be any of those 

 discovered by the Dutch navigators or no ; the situa- 

 tion of their discoveries not being handed down to 

 us with sufficient accuracy. It is, however, necessary 

 to observe, that this part of the ocean, that is from 

 the latitude of 20 down to 14 or 12, and from the 

 meridian of 138 to 148 or 150 W., is so strewed 

 with these low isles, that a navigator cannot proceed 

 with too much caution. 



We made the high land of Otaheite on the 21st, 

 and at noon were about thirteen leagues east of Point 

 Venus, for which we steered, and got pretty well in 

 with it by sun-set, when we shortened sail ; and, 

 having spent the night, which was squally, with rain, 

 standing on and off, at eight o'clock the next morn- 

 ing anchored in MatavaiBay in seven fathoms* water. 

 This was no sooner known to the natives than many 

 of them made us a visit, and expressed not a little 

 joy at seeing us again. 



As my chief reason for putting in at this place was 

 to give Mr Wales an opportunity to know the error 

 of the watch by the known longitude, and to deter- 

 mine anew her rate of going, the first thing we did 

 was to land his instruments, and to erect tents for 

 the reception of a guard and such other people as it 

 was necessary to have on shore. Sick we had none ; 



