168 
VOYAGE TO THE 
arriving here, was to go to church and return thanks for her 
safe voyage; and on seeing Mr. Ruggles, the missionary, she 
took his hand and said, “ When I formerly saw you I dis¬ 
liked you, I hated you; but now I love and respect your 
character.” This change will doubtless have a favourable 
effect on the people. As a proof of her kindness to us, she 
had given us for a purveyor a man who speaks a little 
English, and who has adopted the title of Sir Joseph Banks. 
He w T as extremely diligent in procuring supplies of all 
kinds, and not sparing of the information, true or untrue, 
which he gave us concerning the country; but we were in 
an excellent situation for learning, by our own eyes, the 
manners and amusements of this cheerful, good-humoured, 
and water-loving race. The stream that ran before our 
house appeared to them a fit place for some of their favourite 
pastimes, one of which was walking on their hands through 
the water, and exhibiting only a pair of legs turned upwards 
as they crossed the stream. A walk charmingly shaded 
with cocoa-nut trees led from our house to the Wiakeea, or 
broad water, the original name of Byron Bay; it is a kind 
of lake, partly natural, partly dammed in by art, where fish 
taken young is put to fatten, and to be always in readiness 
for the chiefs. The best is a species of mullet, and they 
are in such numbers, that our friend Sir Joseph says, that if 
