1770. ROUND THE WORLD. 237 



or bamboo cane, and pointed with hard wood, in 

 which there were many barbs. They were dis- 

 charged witli great force ; for though we were at 

 sixty yards distance, they went beyond us, but in 

 what manner we could not exactly see : possibly 

 they might be shot with a bow ; but we saw no bows 

 among them when we surveyed them from the boat, 

 and we were in general of opinion, that they were 

 thrown with a stick, in the manner practised by the 

 New Hollanders. 



This place lies in the latitude of 6 15' S., and 

 about sixty-five leagues to the N. E. of Port 

 Saint Augustine, or Walche Caep, and is near what 

 is called in the charts C. de la Colta de St. Bona- 

 ventura. The land here, like that in every other 

 part of the coast, is very low, but covered with a 

 luxuriance of wood and herbage that can scarcely be 

 conceived. We saw the cocoa-nut, the bread-fruit, 

 and the plantain tree, all flourishing in a state of the 

 highest perfection, though the cocoa-nuts were green, 

 and the bread-fruit not in season ; besides most of 

 the trees, shrubs, and plants that are common to 

 the South Sea islands, New Zealand, and New 

 Holland. 



Soon after our return to the ship, we hoisted in 

 the boat and made sail to the westward, being re- 

 solved to spend no more time upon this coast, to the 

 great satisfaction of a very considerable majority of 

 the ship's company. But I am sorry to say that I 

 was strongly urged by some of the officers to send a 

 party of men ashore, and cut down the cocoa-nut 

 trees for the sake of the fruit. This I peremptorily 

 refused, as equally unjust and cruel. The natives 

 had attacked us merely for landing upon their coast, 

 when we attempted to take nothing away, and it was 

 therefore morally certain that they would have made 

 a vigorous effort to defend their property if it had 

 been invaded, in which case many of them must 

 have fallen a sacrifice to our attempt, and perhaps 



