THIRD VOYAGE 273 



that my endeavours of this kind would not be fruitless, 

 for this day there was served up at my dinner a dish of 

 turnips, being the produce of the seeds I had left during 

 my last voyage. 



" I had fixed on the 15th for sailing, till Taoofa pressed 

 me to stay a day or two longer, to receive a present he had 

 prepared for me, consisting of two small heaps of yams 

 and some fruit, which seemed to be collected by a kind of 

 contribution, as at the other isles. For this liberality I 

 made an adequate return, and soon after weighed. 



" We now took leave of the Friendly Islands after a stay 

 of near three months, during which time we lived together 

 in the most cordial friendship. Some accidental differences, 

 it is true, now and then happened, owing to their great 

 propensity to thieving, but too often encouraged by the 

 negligence of our own people. The time employed amongst 

 them was not thrown away. We expended very little of 

 our sea provisions ; subsisting in general upon the produce 

 of the islands while we stayed, and carrying away with us 

 a quantity of refreshments sufficient to last till our arrival 

 at another station, where we could depend upon a fresh 

 supply. I was not sorry, besides, to have had an oppor- 

 tunity of bettering the condition of these good people by 

 leaving the useful animals before mentioned among them ; 

 and, at the same time, those designed for Otaheite received 

 fresh strength in the pastures of Tongataboo. But besides 

 the immediate advantages which both the natives of the 

 Friendly Islands and ourselves received by this visit, future 

 navigators from Europe, if any such ever tread in our steps, 

 will profit by the knowledge I acquired of the geography 

 of this part of the Pacific Ocean ; and the more philo- 

 sophical reader, who loves to view human nature in new 

 situations, will perhaps find matter of amusement, if not 

 of instruction, in the information which I have been en- 

 abled to convey to him concerning the inhabitants of this 

 archipelago. According to the information that we 

 received there, this archipelago is very extensive. Above 

 one hundred and fifty islands were reckoned up to us by the 

 natives, who made use of bits of leaves to ascertain their 

 number. 



" The natives of the Friendly Islands seldom exceed the 

 common stature (though we have measured some who were 

 above six feet), but are very strong and well made, especially 

 as to their limbs. They are generally broad about the 

 shoulders ; and though the muscular disposition of the 

 men, which seems a consequence of much action, rather 

 conveys the appearance of strength than of beauty, there 

 are several to be seen who are really handsome. We met 



