I 
244 
1778. 
February. 
1 1 m f 
A VOYAGE TO 
hollowed out to the thicknefs of an inch, or an inch and an 
half, and brought to a point at each end. The tides confifi: 
of three boards, each about an inch thick, and neatly fitted 
and laflied to the bottom part. The extremities, both at 
head and ftern, are adittle raided, and both are made diarp, 
fomewhat like a wedge; but they flatten more abruptly; 
fo that the two tide-boards join each other, tide by tide, for 
more than a foot. But Mr. Webber’s drawing * will explain 
their conflruflion more accurately than my defcription in 
words. As they are not more than fifteen or eighteen inches 
broad, thofe that go tingle (for they fometimes join them as 
at the other iflands), have out-riggers, which are thaped 
and fitted with more judgment than any I had before feen. 
They are rowed by paddles, fuch as we had generally met 
with; and fome of them have a light triangular fail, like 
thofe of the Friendly Iflands, extended to a matt and boom. 
The ropes ufed for their boats, and the fmaller cords for 
their fithing-tackle, are throng and well made. 
What we faw of their agriculture, fumifhed fufficient 
proofs that they are not novices in that art. The vale ground 
has already been mentioned as one continued plantation of 
taro, and a few other things, which have all the appear¬ 
ance of being well attended to. The potatoe fields, and 
fpots of fugar-cane, or plantains, on the higher grounds, are 
planted with the fame regularity; and always in fome de¬ 
terminate figure; generally as a fquare or oblong ; but 
neither thefe, nor the others, are inclofed with any kind of 
fence, unlefs we reckon the ditches in the low grounds fuch; 
which, it is more probable, are intended to convey water 
to the taro . The great quantity and goodnefs of thefe ar¬ 
ticles may alfo, perhaps, be as much attributed to fkilful 
* See Plates LXI. and LXV. 
culture, 
