>7^ 



'777 

 July. 



A VOYAGE TO 



I have mentioned, that Feejce lies three days fail from 

 Tongataboo, bccaufe thefe people have no other method of 

 meafuring the didance from ifland to ifland, but by expreff- 

 ing the time required to make the voyage, in one of their 

 canoes. In order to afcertain this, with fome precifion, or, 

 at lead, to form fome judgment, how far thefe -canoes can 

 fail, in a moderate gale, in any given time, I went on board 

 one of them, when under fail, and, by feveral trials with 

 the log, found that fhe went feven knots, or miles, in an 

 hour, clofe hauled, in a gentle gale. From this I judge, 

 that they will fail, on a medium, with fuch breezes as ge- 

 nerally blow in their fea, about feven or eight miles in an 

 hour. But the length of each day is not to be reckoned at 

 twenty-four hours. For when they fpeak of one day's fail, 

 they mean no more than from the morning to the evening 

 of the fame day ; that is, ten or twelve hours at moft. And 

 two days fail, with them, fignifies from the morning of 

 the firft day, to the evening of the fecond; and fo for 

 any other number of days. In thefe navigations, the fun 

 is their guide by day, and the ftars by night. When thefe 

 are obfcured, they have recourfe to the points from v/hence 

 the winds and the waves came upon the vefFel. If, during 

 the obfcuration, both the v/ind and the waves fliould fliift 

 (which, within the limits of the trade-wind, feldom happens 

 at any other time), they are then bewildered, frequently 

 mifs their intended port, and are never heard of more. The 

 hiftory of Omai's countrymen, who were driven to Wa- 

 teeoo, leads us to infer, that thofc not heard of, are not 

 always loft. 



Of all the harbours and anchoring places I have met with, 

 amongft thefe inlands, that of Tongataboo is, by far, the 



5 bell ; 



