THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 
n 
part of the ifland, nothing very material happened on i 779 . 
board. The caulkers were fet to work on the tides of the 
fhips, and the rigging was carefully overhauled and re¬ 
paired. The falting of hogs for fea-ftore was alfo a con¬ 
stant, and one of the principal objects of Captain Cook’s 
attention. As the fuccefs we met with in this experiment, 
during our prefent voyage, was much more complete than 
it had been in any former attempt of the fame kind, it may 
not be improper to give an account of the detail of the 
operation. 
It has generally been thought impracticable to cure the 
fiefh of animals by falting, in tropical climates; the pro- 
grefs of putrefaction being fo rapid, as not to allow time 
for the fait to take (as they exprefs it) before the meat gets 
a taint, which prevents the effeCt of the pickle. We do not 
find that experiments relative to this fubjeCt have been made 
by the navigators of any nation before Captain Cook. In 
his firft trials, which were made in 1774, during his fecond 
voyage to the Pacific Ocean, the fuccefs he met with, though 
very imperfeCt, was yet fufhcient to convince him of the 
error of the received opinion. As the voyage, in which he 
was now engaged, was likely to be protraCted a year beyond 
the time for which the fhips had been victualled, he was 
under the neceflity of providing, by fome fuch means, for 
the fubfiftence of the crews, or of relinquifhing the further 
profecution of his difcoveries. He therefore loft no oppor¬ 
tunity of renewing his attempts, and the event anfwered his 
moft fanguine expectations. 
The hogs, which we made ufe of for this purpofe, were 
of various fizes, weighing from four to twelve ftone f. The 
time of Slaughtering was always in the afternoon ; and as 
-* 141b. 
C 2 
foon 
