406 
ISLANDS. 
perfons already mentioned, for Otnheite, being unable to 
procure fpars at New Zealand, which was the intention of 
her calling there.” 
The following is a copy of this very interefting letter: 
“All mailers of (hips frequenting New Zealand, are di- 
,refled to be careful in not admitting many natives on¬ 
board, as they may be cut off in a moment by furprife. 
Thefe are to certify, that, during our (lay in this harbour, 
we had frequent reports of a fliip being taken by the na¬ 
tives in the neighbouring harbour of Wangarooa; arid 
that the fhip’s crew were killed and eaten. In order to 
afeertain the truth of this report, as well as to refcue a 
few people who were laid to bd {pared from the general 
maffacre, Mr. Berry,'accompanied by Mr. Ruffe!, and Ma- 
tengaro (a principal chief of the Bay of Iflands, who vo¬ 
lunteered his fervice), fet out for Wangarooa with three 
armed boats on Sunday, the 31 It of December, 1809; and 
upon their arrival, found the miferable remains of thelhip 
Boyd, captain John Thompfon, which the natives (after 
{’tripping of every thing of value) had burnt down to the 
water’s edge. From the handfome conduct of Matengaro 
they were able to refcue a boy, woman, and two children, 
the only furvivors of the (hocking event; which, accord¬ 
ing to the molt fatisfaftory information, was perpetrated 
entirely under the direction of that old rafcal Tippahee, 
who has been fq much, and fo undefervedly, careffed at 
Port Jackfon. This unfortunate veffel (intending to load 
with fpars) was taken three days after her arrival. The 
natives informed the matter on the fecond day, that 
they would fhow the fpars next day. In the morning 
Tippahee arrived from Tippuna, and went on-board ; he 
{laid only a few minutes, and then went into his canoe; 
but remained alongfide ,the velfel, which was furrounded 
with a number of canoes that appeared' collected for the 
purpofe of trading; and a conliderable number of the na¬ 
tives, gradually intruding in the fliip, fat down upon the 
deck. After breakfaff, the mafter left the fhip with two 
boats, to look for fpars; and Tippahee, waiting a conve¬ 
nient time, now gave the lignal for maffacre. In an inftant, 
the favages, who appeared fitting peaceably on the deck, 
juftied on the unarmed crew, who were difperfed about the 
finip at their various employments. The greater part were 
maffacred in a moment; and were no fooner knocked 
down than cut to pieces while {till alive. Five or fix of 
the hands efcaped up the rigging. Tippahee, now having 
poflelfion of the fhip, hailed them with a fpeaking-trum- 
pet, and ordered them to unbend their fails and cut aw'ay 
the rigging, and that they fiiould not be hurt: they com¬ 
plied with his commands, and came down : lie then took 
them on-ihore in a canoe, and immediately killed them. 
The mafter went on-fhore without arms, and was, of 
courfe, eafily difpatched. The names of the few furvi- 
•vors are, Mrs. Morley and child, another, a girl, and Tho¬ 
mas Davis (boy). The natives of the fpar-diftrict in this 
harbour have behaved well, even beyond expectation; 
and feem much concerned on account of the unfortunate 
event; and, dreading the difpleafure of king George, have 
requested certificates of their good conduct, in order to 
exempt them from his vengeance;—but let no man after 
this truit a New Zealander.” 
I'SLANDS of TRIS'TAN D’ ACU'NHA, three un¬ 
inhabited iflands in the South Atlantic Ocean, 1500 miles 
from any land either'to the weft or north. Thefe iflands 
were very little known till they were vifited by the Lion, 
(which was carrying the earl of Macartney on the famous 
erabaffy to China,) on the laft day of December, 1792. 
The largeft of thefe is called Triftan d’ Acunha, and fome- 
times the Great Ifland; the others being diftinguilhed by 
the names of Inacceflible and Nightingale. In fir George 
Staunton’s Authentic Account of the Embaffy, we have 
fir Erafmus Gower’s defcription of thefe iflands; which, 
on account of a recent occurrence, we fliall here infert. 
Inaccessible, fir E. G. obferves, feems to deferve that 
r.&tne, being a high, bluff, as well as apparently-barren. 
plain, about nine miles in circumference, and has a very- 
forbidding appearance. There is a high rock detached 
from it at the fouth end. This rude-looking fpot may be 
feen at twelve or fourteen leagues diftance. Lat. 37. 19. S. 
Ion. 11. 50. W. Greenwich. 
Nightingale Island is irregular in its form, with a 
hollow in the middle, and is about feven or eight miles 
in circumference, with fmall rocky ifies at its fouthern 
extremity. It is defcribed as having anchorage on the 
north-eaft fide. It may be feen at feven or eight leagues 
diftance. Lat. 37.29.S. Ion. n.4.8. W. Greenwich. 
Tristan d’ Acunha is very high, and may be feen at 
twenty-five leagues diftance; it feems not to exceed in 
circumference fifteen miles. A part of the ifland towards 
the north rifes perpendicularly from the fea to a height 
apparently of a thoufand feet, or more. A level then 
commences, forming what among feamen is termed table¬ 
land, and extending towards the centre of the ifland; 
from whence a conical mountain rifes, not unlike in ap¬ 
pearance to the Peak of Teneriffe as feen from the bay 
of Santa Cruz. Boats were fent to found, and to exa¬ 
mine the fliore for a convenient place to land and water. 
In confequence of their report, the Lion flood in, and 
came to anchor in the evening on the north fide, in thirty 
fathoms water, one mile from the (bore ; the bottom black 
fand with-fiime; a fmall rock, off the welt point, bearing 
fouth-weft by fouth, juft open with the weftern extremity 
of the ifland 5 a cafcade, or fall of water, emptying itfelf 
upon the beach, fouth-by-eaft. All the fliore, from the 
louthern point to the eaftern extremity, appears to be clear 
of danger, and fteep, except the welt point, where there 
are breakers about two cables’ length, or near five hun¬ 
dred yards from the fliore. The fliip, when anchored, 
was overlhadowed by the dark mafs of that portion of the 
ifland whofe fides feetned to rife, like a mofs-grown wall, 
immediately from the ocean. On the right, the elevation 
was lefs rapid ; and between the riling part and the lea 
was left a flat, of feme extent, covered with fedge-grafs, 
interfperfed with final! flirubs, which, being perfectly 
green, looked from the fhip like a pleafant meadow, wa¬ 
tered by a ftream that fell afterwards from its banks upon 
the beach. The officers, who went aftiore, reported that 
the calks might be filled with fre Hi water by means of a 
long hofe, without moving them from the boats. The 
landing-place thereabouts was alfo defcribed as being fafe, 
and fuperior to any other that had been examined. From 
the plain the land rofe gradually towards the central 
mountain, in ridges covered with trees of a moderate fize 
and height. The coaft abounded with whales, fea-lions 
and feals, penguins and albatrofles. One of the latter was 
brought on-board, his wings meafuring ten feet from tip 
to tip ; blit others are faid to have been found much 
larger. The coaft was covered with abroad fea-weed, fe- 
verai fathoms long, and defervedly by naturalills termed 
gigantic fucus. Some good fifh was caught with the hook 
and line. The accident of a fudden guft, by which the 
anchor was in a few hours driven from its hold, and the 
fliip forced out to fea, prevented the ifland from being 
explored as was intended. It is probable that, had the 
Lion anchored in twenty inftead of thirty fathoms water, 
the anchor would have held firmly. Some advantage 
was obtained however from coming to this place. The 
juft pofition of thofe iflands, in refpeft to their longi¬ 
tude, was afeertained, by means of feveral time-pieces, 
to be about two degrees to the eaftward of the place where 
they are laid down in charts, taken" from obfervations 
made at a period when the inftruments for this purpofe 
were lefs accurate than at prefent. The fpot where the 
Lion anchored was.determined by good meridional obfer¬ 
vations, and by accurate time-pieces, to be lat. 3.7. 6. S. 
Ion. 11. 4.3. W. Greenwich. 
Thefe iflands are certainly worthy of a more particular 
inquiry; for they are not fifty leagues from the general 
track of veffels bound to China, and to the coaft of Coro- 
x niand el. 
