116 EAST BAY. [PART i. 



cordia, the first ship sent out hy a Danish company 

 for the southern whaling-fishery, which, if success- 

 ful, will be followed by others of that nation, for- 

 merly so active in the Greenland fishery. Amongst 

 the nations engaged in the southern fishery the 

 Americans rank first, as they employ annually 500 

 vessels, of from 300 to 500 tons each ; the second 

 place is held by the English, the number of whose 

 vessels is, if I am rightly informed, 150 ; the French 

 rank next, having not less than 140 ships. Besides 

 these there are a few German vessels, chiefly from 

 Bremen and Hamburgh. 



We cast anchor in East Bay, shortly after noon, 

 near the island of Matapara, which is about the 

 size of Motuara, and is in the shape of a cone. As 

 soon as we had anchored the cutter was sent off into 

 Naruawitu called by Captain Cook West Bay- 

 to get a spar for a foreyard. I embraced the oppor- 

 tunity to visit that bay, and, crossing the sound 

 with a fine breeze, landed at the decline of day on 

 the northern arm of West Bay. In Cook's chart 

 this arm is very correctly laid down, with the ex- 

 ception that it turns again to the left, and its actual 

 head is separated from the southern arm only by a 

 narrow ridge of hills. It seems that Cook did not 

 explore the head of the bay. We found no suitable 

 spar, and, the day being nearly gone, we took posses- 

 sion of some empty huts, which a Mr. L/ove had 

 built for the men employed in cutting timber, and 

 splitting staves, of which 100,000 were lying on 



