416 Transactions. 



the menace of an approaching shipwreck. Seeing that he could not prevail, 

 he sent his canoe ashore and remained with me himself. 



At my request he gave me, with intelligence and complaisance, the 

 names, in the language of the country, of the adjacent lands and islands, 

 which I have, as usual, substituted for those of Cook. 



On these coasts, occupied by a people endowed with so much sagacity, 

 and who have not left an islet, a rock, or a corner of the land without a 

 name, it seems odd to a navigator to see none but English names, often 

 applied without taste. It is much more interesting to use the Native names, 

 which are certain to be understood by them, and to be able to indicate 

 thereby the places to which he desires to direct his ship. Without doubt it 

 is a sacred duty on the part of the navigator to respect the names given by 

 the first discoverer of uninhabited places ; but, everywhere else, I think 

 that those of the indigenous people should prevail so soon as they are known. 

 A time will come when these names will be the only vestiges of the language 

 spoken by the primitive inhabitants. 



Immediately after anchoring, I sent M. Paris to sound all round the ship, 

 from the N.W. to the S.W., and determine the limit of the 5-fathom line. 

 The result o! his operations was that the deep water nearly touched the 

 coast. As we were more than two miles distant, it assured me that in case 

 of accident we should have plenty of room to drift. 



The weather threatened more and more. At 12, I attempted to get under 

 way to advance farther up the bay ; but our capstan, always in bad order, 

 slipped at each violent shock of the waves. I feared that the intended 

 movement, in place of being advantageous to us, might become fatal, so I 

 decided to remain as we were, the more so as the anchor held well, although 

 we had at that time only 40 fathoms of chain out. 



The weather being somewhat better at 3 p.m., I sent M. Lottin towards 

 the head of the bay to make a survey of it. He returned at 5.30 p.m., 

 after having found an excellent anchorage at the entrance of a fine channel, 

 which is probably the mouth of the Wangari River. 



Te Rangui had passed the day on board very happily, and decided to 

 spend the night with us. But nothing would prevail on him to accompany 

 us to the head of Shouraki Bay. The very idea of communicating with 

 the inhabitants of that country seemed to cause him much terror. Neither 

 prayers nor promises could conquer his repugnance, nor even the offer of a 

 musket, a bait so powerful to a New-Zealander.* He told me that Tema- 

 rangai [Te Marangai], chief of this district, lived on the Wangari ; and he 

 added that he would go and inform him of our arrival, and invite him to 

 bring some hogs, if we would only wait three or four days. 



All night the sea was very heavy, the breeze fresh and uncertain, and 

 the heavens overcast. The " Astrolabe " rolled heavily, but without too 

 much strain on her. 



23rd February. — At 5 a.m., seeing that the wind and the sea would not 

 permit me to make sail, I wished to profit by the delay to visit the bay 

 at the entry of the river, and the encampment of Te Rangui. Followed 

 by MM. Quoy, Lottin, Lauvergne, and Te Rangui, I directed the whale- 

 boat towards the point of sand situated N.N.W\ of our anchorage. 



[* Te Rangi and his tribe, Nga-Puhi, had been at war with the Thames tribes for 

 manj' years ]>ast ; and, indeed, his tribe, under Honpi, had inflicted such numerous defeats 

 on them that it woidd not have been safe for Te Rangi to have shown himself there, — 

 Translator.] 



