TJO cook's first voyage august, 



if they would lay by their lances and clubs, for some 

 had one and some the other, they would come on 

 shore, and trade with them for whatever they would 

 bring : they agreed, but it was only upon condition 

 that we would leave behind us our musquets : this 

 was a condition which, however equitable it might 

 appear, could not be complied with, nor indeed would 

 it have put the two parties upon an equality, except 

 their numbers had been equal. Here then the ne- 

 gociation seemed to be at an end ; but in a little 

 time they ventured to come nearer to the boat, and 

 at last came near enough to trade, which they did 

 very fairly, for a small quantity of their cloth and 

 some of their weapons ; but as they gave our people 

 no hope of provisions, nor indeed any thing else, ex- 

 cept they would venture through a narrow channel 

 to the shore, which, all circumstances considered, 

 they did not think it prudent to do, they put off the 

 boat and left them. 



With the ship and the boat we had now made the 

 circuit of the island, and finding that there was 

 neither harbour nor anchorage about it, and that the 

 hostile disposition of the people would render land- 

 ing impracticable, without bloodshed, I determined 

 not to attempt it, having no motive that could justify 

 the risk of life. 



The bay which the boat entered lies on the west 

 side of the island, the bottom was foul and rocky, 

 but the water so clear that it could plainly be seen 

 at the depth of five and twenty fathom, which is one 

 hundred and fifty feet. 



This island is situated in the latitude of 22° 27' S. 

 and in the longitude of 150° 4?" W. from the meri- 

 dian of Greenwich. It is thirteen miles in circuit, 

 and rather high than low, but neither populous nor 

 fertile in proportion to the other islands that we had 

 seen in these seas. The chief produce seems to be 

 the tree of which they make their weapons, called in 

 their language Etoa ; many plantations of it were 



