THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 5-31 



admitted into the fliips, except under certain rcftriclions. ,'778- 



November. 



But the evil I meant to prevent, by this regulation, I Ibon ' . ' 



found, had aheady got amongft them. 



At noon, the coaft extended from South Si* Eaft, to North 

 56" Weft ; a low flat, like an ifthmus, bore South 42° Weft ; 

 the neareft fliore three or four miles diftant ; the latitude 

 was 20° 59'; and the longitude 203'^ 50'. Seeing fome canoes 

 coming off to us, I brought to. As foon as they got along 

 fide, many of the people, who conducted them, came into 

 the fhip, without the leaft hefuation. We found them to be 

 of the fame nation with the inhabitants of the iflands more 

 to leeward, which we had already vifited; and, if we did 

 not miftake them, they knew of our having been there. In- 

 deed, it rather appeared too evident ; for thefe people had 

 got amongft them the venereal diftcmpcr; and, as yet, I 

 knew of no otlier way of its reaching them, but by an inter- 

 courfe with their neighbours fince our leaving them. 



We got from our vifiters a quantity of cuttle-fifli, for nails 

 and pieces of iron. They brought very little fruit and roots j 

 but told us that they had plenty of them on their ifland, as 

 alfo hogs and fowls. In the evening, the horizon being 

 clear to the Weftward, we judged the Wcfternmoft land in 

 light to be an ifland, feparated from that off which we now 

 were. Having no doubt that the people would return to ihc 

 fliips next day, with the produce of their country, I kept 

 plying ofi' all night, and in the morning ftood clofe in fliore. Friday 27. 

 At firft, only a few of the natives vifued us; but, toward 

 noon, we had the company of a good many, who brought 

 with them bread-fruit, potatoes, tarro, or eddy roots, a few 

 plantains, and fmall pigs ; all of which they exchanged for 

 nails and iron tools. Indeed, we had nothing elfe to give 



3 Y 2 them. 



