177 8 - THE TACIFIC OCEAN. ft c t\ 



perforation. These serve as knives occasionally, and 

 are, perhaps, used in carving. 



The only iron tools, or rather bits of iron, seen amongst 

 them, and which they had before our arrival, were a 

 piece of iron hoop about two inches long, fitted into 

 a wooden handle # , and another edge tool, which our 

 people guessed to be made of the point of a broad- 

 sword. Their having the actual possession of these, 

 and their so generally knowing the use of this metal, 

 inclined some on board to think, that we had not 

 been the first European visitors of these islands. But, 

 it seems to me, that the very great surprise expressed 

 by them on seeing our ships, and their total igno- 

 rance of the use of fire-arms, cannot be reconciled 

 with such a notion. There are many ways by which 

 such people may get pieces of iron, or acquire the 

 knowledge of the existence of such a metal, without 

 ever having had an immediate connection with 

 nations that use it. It can hardly be doubted that it 

 was unknown to all the inhabitants of this sea, before 

 Magellan led the way into it ; for no discoverer, im- 

 mediately after his voyage, ever found any of this 

 metal in their possession ; though, in the course 

 of our late voyages it has been observed, that 

 the use of it was known at several islands, to 

 which no former European ships had ever, as far 

 as we know, found their way. At all the places 

 where Mendana touched in his two voyages, it 

 must have been seen and left, and this would 

 extend the knowledge of it, no doubt, to all the 

 various islands with which those whom he had 

 visited had any immediate intercourse. It might 

 even be carried farther ; and where specimens of 

 this article could not be procured, descriptions might, 

 in some measure, serve to make it known when 

 afterward seen. The next voyage to the southward 



* Captain King purchased this, and has it now in his pos- 

 session. 



