86. 

 ne. 



Monday 5. 



NORTH WEST CQAST OF AMERICA. 



from examining it diftindily. Before I quit Woahoo let 

 me obferve, that I think it the fineft ifiand in the group, 

 and mofl capable of being turned to advantage, were it June 

 fettled by Europeans, than any of the reft ; there being 

 fcarcely a fpot which does not appear fertile. Here we 

 found a great number of warriors and warlike inftruments ; 

 many of the warriors were tattooed in a manner totally dif- 

 ferent from any I ever took notice of amongft the Sand- 

 wich Illands^; their faces were tattooed fo as to appear quite 

 black, beiides great part of the body being tattooed in a 

 variety of forms. 



The greateft part of the daggers left by us at thefe 

 iflands during our lafl voyage, at prefent feem to centre 

 here ; for we fcarcely ever faw a large canoe that the 

 people in her had not one a-piece ; and at Owhyhee I do 

 not remember feeing more than two or three. 



As they are very dangerous and deftrudiive weapons, I 

 did not fuffer any to be made in either Ihip, though 

 ftrongly importuned to it by many of the natives : indeed 

 I always thought it the lafl: voyage a very imprudent 

 a6tion to furniili the Indians v/ith weapons which, at one 

 time or other, might be turned againft ourfelves ; and 

 my fufpici'ons were but too well founded; for with one 

 of the daggers given by us to the natives of Owhyhee my 

 much lamented commander captain Cook was killed; and 

 but for them, that ornament to the Britilh nation might 

 have lived to have enjoyed the fruits of his labour in eafe 

 and afBuence, after a feries of years fpent in the fervice of 

 his country, and for the benefit of mankind in general : 

 lie, however, unfortunately fet the example, by ordering 



fome 



