34 WHALES AND WHALERS. [PART I. 



a mile to the West of that assigned by Captain 

 Cook. The variation of the compass is 14 20' E. 



In consequence of the information which we had 

 received from the natives, our storekeeper was sent 

 up Queen Charlotte's Sound to the whaling esta- 

 blishment at Te-awa-iti. He returned on the follow- 

 ing day, and in his company were two English 

 whalers. The sight of the first European faces we 

 had beheld since our departure from England, and 

 in a part of the country where we scarcely expected 

 to see any, was very agreeable, especially as they 

 understood the native language, and one of them 

 was the Englishman who was living in Anaho 

 during the summer season, and was well acquainted 

 with the Straits, where he has spent several years 

 in the hazardous avocation of a whaler. He under- 

 took to pilot the Tory up the Sound to Te-awa-iti. 

 Accordingly, Te Wetu and Ngarewa, the chiefs of 

 Anaho, were sent ashore, as soon as we had got up 

 our anchors, and only Wiriamu (or Williams), the 

 native missionary, had permission to accompany us. 

 A fine breeze swelled our sails, and, favoured by the 

 tide, we ran up Queen Charlotte's Sound on the 

 31st of August. The country was very picturesque, 

 consisting generally of wooded hills, and forming a 

 number of bays and coves on both sides. As I shall 

 afterwards speak of several of these bays, which I 

 visited, and each of which forms a separate harbour, 

 I will only mention here, that, after having seen 



