A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels Volume Xii Part 22

28, P.M. 29 45 79 50 9 40 } 31, P.M. 26 26 82 15 8 10 } June 1, P.M. 25 51 84 23 8 8 } 7, P.M. 27 23 97 16 5 45 } 8. A.M. 27 20 97 51 5 45 } 10. A.M. 26 30 98 25 5 40 } 12, P.M. 26 53 100 21 4 13 }In Crossing the South Sea 16, P.M. 28 11 111 15 2 00 } 17, A.M. 28 04 112 37 1 51 } 18. P.M. 28 07 113 55 2 00 } 20. A.M. 28 04 116 29 2 09 } 30. P.M. 26 00 130 55 2 32 }

July 2. P.M. 25 02 133 38 2 46 }Off Pitcairn's Island.

3, 25 00 136 16 2 30 } 4, A.M. 25 24 137 18 3 43 } 5, A.M. 24 56 137 23 5 24 } 6. A.M. 24 32 138 31 4 16 } 7, A.M. 24 10 139 55 5 12 } P.M. 4 02 } 8. A.M. 23 46 139 55 5 56 } 10, P.M. 21 38 141 36 4 20 } 12, A.M. 20 36 145 39 4 40 }Crossing the South Sea.

20,38 146 00 5 00 } 13, P.M. 21 07 147 44 5 46 } 15, A.M. 21 46 150 50 6 23 } 16, P.M. 22 02 151 09 6 34 } 19, P.M. 19 50 153 59 6 08 } 20, P.M. 19 08 156 15 7 09 } 21, P.M. 18 43 158 27 7 38 } 1767. South. West. East.

July 23, P.M. 1622' 162 32' 6 05' } 24, P.M. 14 19 163 34 6 29 } 25, A.M. 12 13 164 50 9 30 } P.M. - - - 9 40 } 26, A.M. 10 01 166 52 9 00 } 28, A.M. 9 50 171 26 9 04 } 30, A.M. 9 50 175 38 9 32 } P.M. - - - 9 00 } Crossing the South Sea.

Aug. 1, A.M. 9 53 179 33 10 04 } East. } 2, A.M. 10 09 178 58 10 30 } 4, A.M. 10 22 177 10 10 54 } 5, A.M. 10 35 175 50 11 14 } P.M. - - - - 10 52 } 7, P.M. 10 52 172 23 11 17 }

8, P.M. 11 02 171 15 10 27 9, A.M. 10 56 171 00 10 02 11, P.M. 10 49 167 00 10 38 Cape Byron - 10 40 164 49 11 00 }N.E. end of Egmont, one of }the Charlotte Islands.

18, P.M. 9 58 162 57 8 30 19, P.M. 8 52 160 41 8 30 20, A.M. 7 53 158 56 8 31 7 56 158 56 8 20 }Off Carterets's and }Gowers's Isl.

22, P.M. 6 24 157 32 7 42 24, P.M. 5 07 155 08 6 25 26, P.M. 4 46 153 17 7 14 In sight and on the west side of } 6 30 Nova Britannia. }

C.Saint George. 5 00 152 19 5 20 }Nova Hibernia.

In St George's Channel 4 40 }Nova Britannia }here the land }seemed to have an }effect on the needle.

Sept. 16, A.M. 2 19 145 31 6 30 }Off the Admiralty Islands.

19, A.M. 1 57 143 28 5 26 } 1 45 143 02 4 40 } 20, P.M. 1 33 142 22 4 40 } 21, A.M. 1 20 141 29 4 54 } 22, P.M. 0 52 139 56 4 30 } 23, P.M. 0 05 138 56 4 17 } North. - - }From the Admiralty Islands 24, P.M. 0 05 138 41 3 09 }to the island of Mindanao.

27, A.M. 2 13 136 41 2 30 } P.M. - - - - 2 09 } 2 50 136 17 2 00 } 30, A.M. 4 25 134 37 1 41 } Oct. 3, A.M. 4 41 132 51 3 09 } P.M. - - 3 14 } 5, P.M. 4 31 132 39 3 10 } 1767. North. West. West.

Oct. 6, A.M. 421' 13245' 333 } 8, A.M. 3 53 134 13 3 38 } 9, A.M. 4 03 134 04 3 11 } 12, P.M. 4 49 133 42 2 19 }From the Admiralty Islands 13, P.M. 5 12 133 27 2 20 }to the island of Mindanao.

16, A.M. 5 54 133 10 2 34 } 27, P.M. 6 35 127 56 2 10 }

Caps St Aug. 6 15 127 20 1 45 }Island of Mindanao.

South End 5 34 126 25 1 20 }Off the island Mindanao.

Nov. 6, A.M. 5 34 125 40 0 48 } P.M. - - - - 0 49 } 7, P.M. 5 37 125 23 0 39 } 8, P.M. 5 30 124 41 0 50 } 14, A.M. 1 57 122 04 0 06 }From the island of Mindanao 26, P.M. 0 04 118 15 0 19 }to the Streights of South. }Maca.s.sar.

27, A.M. 0 14 117 45 0 12 } Dec. 7. 3 26 116 45 0 27 }

Bonthain 5 30 117 53 1 16 }At the Island of Celebes.

Island Tonikaky 5 31 117 17 1 00 }Off the S.E. end of the 1768. }Island Celebes.

May 29, P.M. 5 29 110 23 0 56 Off Madura - 0 30 }On the N.E. part of the Batavia - - 0 25 }island of Java.

Sept.30,P.M. 7 41 101 36 0 51 } Oct. 2, P.M. 10 37 97 19 2 06 } 4, P.M. 12 13 93 56 3 12 } 12, P.M. 19 50 76 40 3 30 } 14, P.M. 21 47 72 47 6 26 } 15, P.M. 22 53 70 47 8 09 } 17, A.M. 24 23 68 02 9 36 } P.M. - - 11 20 } 18, P.M. 25 08 67 21 11 50 } 19, P.M. 25 08 67 08 12 49 } 20, A.M. 24 59 66 35 12 54 } P.M. - - - - 11 48 } 24, A.M. 23 21 64 31 12 54 }From the Streights of Sunda 25, P.M. 23 23 63 35 12 39 }to the Cape of Good Hope.

26, A.M. 23 32 62 43 13 42 } 28, P.M. 24 52 60 14 16 10 } 30, P.M. 25 40 56 50 18 18 } 31, P.M. 26 31 54 49 18 24 } Nov. 1, A.M. 27 05 52 57 20 12 } P.M. - - - - 20 20 } 3, A.M. 27 40 50 55 20 58 } P.M. - - - - 21 23 } 4, P.M. 27 42 50 10 21 15 } 5, P.M. 27 44 49 01 21 09 } 6, P.M. 28 58 46 23 22 38 } 1768. South. East. West.

Nov. 7, A.M. 2959' 43'55 2440 } P.M. - - - - 24 55 } 8, P.M. 30 12 42 51 25 39 } 9, A.M. 30 19 41 97 25 50 } 10, P.M. 30 37 40 48 25 32 } 11, A.M. 32 02 38 47 25 08 } 12, P.M. 32 39 37 17 25 02 }From the Streights of Sunda 13, P.M. 33 21 35 27 25 05 }toThe Cape of Good Hope.

19, P.M. 35 17 28 38 22 32 } 20, P.M. 35 42 27 22 22 46 } 21, P.M. 35 46 27 00 22 18 } 22, P.M. 35 04 26 29 22 50 } 23, P.M. 34 57 25 46 21 39 } 24, P.M. 34 52 25 28 21 44 } C. Good Hope. 34 24 18 30 19 40 } 1769.

Jan. 9, P.M. 30 37 13 08 19 20 } 14, P.M. 22 16 4 52 16 19 } 15, P.M. 21 04 3 54 16 81 }From the Cape to the island 18, P.M. 17 05 0 10 14 38 }of Saint Helena.

West. } 19, P.M. 16 06 1 38 13 46 }

25, P.M. 14 22 7 04 12 30 }From the island of Saint 26, P.M. 12 54 8 05 11 47 }Helena to the island of 27, P.M. 11 36 9 25 11 40 }Ascension.

28, P.M. 10 26 10 36 10 46 }

Feb. 2, P.M. 6 45 14 42 9 34 } 3, P.M. 5 04 15 45 9 04 } 4, A.M. 3 26 16 49 9 10 } 5, P.M. 2 01 17 34 8 58 } 6, P.M. 0 20 18 27 8 32 } North. } 7, P.M. 0 58 19 24 8 37 } 8, A.M. 1 56 20 16 8 25 } 10, P.M. 2 39 28 58 7 21 } 15, P.M. 6 38 32 40 4 35 }From the island of 16, P M. 8 03 24 18 6 09 }Ascension to England.

19, P.M. 12 06 24 34 6 48 } 21, P.M. 14 39 27 15 6 12 } 26, A.M. 23 54 28 15 6 00 } March 3,P.M. 32 33 23 35 13 26 } 4,A.M. 34 02 22 32 13 43 } 5,P.M. 35.30 21 56 14 53 } 6,A.M. 36 46 21 23 15 15 } P.M. - - - - 14 58 } etween the islands of Tercera } 13 36 } and Saint Michael.

1769. North. West. West.

Mar. 28. P.M. 3909' 19 02' 16 46' From this day till my arrival in England, the weather was so bad that we had no opportunity of making any observation of the variation.

N.B. The ill sailing of the Swallow prevented me from getting a sufficient number of soundings to make a separate Table.

CHAPTER IV.

AN ACCOUNT OF A VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD, IN THE YEARS 1768, 1769, 1770, AND 1771, BY LIEUTENANT JAMES COOK, COMMANDER OF HIS MAJESTY'S BARK THE ENDEAVOUR.

[In addition to Cook's papers, Dr Hawkesworth had the use of a journal kept by Sir Joseph Banks, in drawing up the account of this voyage; a favour which he has not neglected to specify in his introduction. That introduction, however, and several references to plates, with some other matters deemed of little or no import, or elsewhere given, are now omitted.]

SECTION I.

_The Pa.s.sage from Plymouth to Madeira, with tome Account of that Island._

Having received my commission, which was dated the 25th of May 1768, I went on board on the 27th, hoisted the pennant, and took charge, of the ship, which then lay in the bason in Deptford yard. She was fitted for sea with all expedition; and stores and provisions being taken on board, sailed down the river on the 30th of July, and on the 13th of August anch.o.r.ed in Plymouth Sound.

While we lay here waiting for a wind, the articles of war and the act of parliament were read to the ship's company, who were paid two months'

wages in advance, and told that they were to expect no additional pay for the performance of the voyage.

On Friday the 26th of August, the wind becoming fair, we got under sail, and put to sea. On the 31st, we saw several of the birds which the sailors call Mother Carey's Chickens, and which they suppose to be the forerunners of a storm; and on the next day we had a very hard gale, which brought us under our courses, washed overboard a small boat belonging to the boatswain, and drowned three or four dozen of our poultry, which we regretted still more.

On Friday the 2d of September we saw land between Cape Finisterre and Cape Ortegal, on the coast of Gallicia, in Spain; and on the 5th, by an observation of the sun and moon, we found the lat.i.tude of Cape Finisterre to be 42 53' north, and its longitude 8 46' west, our first meridian being always supposed to pa.s.s through Greenwich; variation of the needle 21 4' west.

During this course, Mr Banks and Dr Solander had an opportunity of observing many marine animals, of which no naturalist has. .h.i.therto taken notice; particularly a new species of the _oniscus_, which was found adhering to the _medusa pelagica_; and an animal of an angular figure, about three inches long, and one thick, with a hollow pa.s.sing quite through it, and a brown spot on one end, which they conjectured might be its stomach; four of these adhered together by their sides when they were taken, so that at first they were thought to be one animal; but upon being put into a gla.s.s of water they soon separated, and swam about very briskly. These animals are of a new genus, to, which Mr Banks and Dr Solander gave the name of _Dagysa_, from the likeness of one species of them to a gem. Several specimens of them were taken adhering together sometimes to the length of a yard or more, and shining in the water with very beautiful colours. Another animal of a new genus they also discovered, which shone in the water with colours still more beautiful and vivid, and which indeed exceeded in variety and brightness any thing that we had ever seen: The colouring and splendour of these animals were equal to those of an opal, and from their resemblance to that gem, the genus was called _Carcnium Opalinum_. One of them lived several hours in a gla.s.s of salt water, swimming about with great agility, and at every motion displaying a change of colours almost infinitely various. We caught also among the rigging of the ship, when we were at the distance of about ten leagues from Cape Finisterre; several birds which have not been described by Linnaeus; they were supposed to have come from Spain, and our gentlemen called the species _Motacilla velificans_, as they said none but sailors would venture themselves on board a ship that was going round the world. One of them was so exhausted that it died in Mr Banks's hand, almost as soon as it was brought to him.

It was thought extraordinary that no naturalist had hitherto taken notice of the Dagysa, as the sea abounds with them not twenty leagues from the coast of Spain; but, unfortunately for the cause of science, there are but very few of those who traverse the sea, that are either disposed or qualified to remark the curiosities of which nature has made it the repository.

On the 12th we discovered the islands of Porto Santo and Madeira, and on the next day anch.o.r.ed in Funchiale road, and moored with the stream-anchor: But, in the night, the bend of the hawser of the stream-anchor slipped, owing to the negligence of the person who had been employed to make it fast. In the morning the anchor was heaved up into the boat, and carried out to the southward; but in heaving it again, Mr Weir, the master's mate, was carried overboard by the buoy-rope, and went to the bottom with the anchor; the people in the ship saw the accident, and got the anchor up with all possible expedition; it was however too late, the body came up entangled in the buoy-rope, but it was dead.

When the island of Madeira is first approached from the sea, it has a very beautiful appearance; the sides of the hills being entirely covered with vines almost as high as the eye can distinguish; and the vines are green when every kind of herbage, except where they shade the ground, and here and there by the sides of a rill, is entirely burnt up, which was the case at this time.

On the 13th, about eleven o'clock in the forenoon, a boat, which our sailors call the product boat, came on board from the officers of health, without whose permission no person is suffered to land from on board a ship. As soon as this permission was obtained, we went on sh.o.r.e at Funchiale, the capital of the island, and proceeded directly to the house of Mr Cheap, the English consul there, and one of the most considerable merchants of the place. This gentleman received us with the kindness of a brother, and the liberality of a prince; he insisted upon our taking possession of his house, in which he famished us with every possible accommodation during our stay upon the island: He procured leave for Mr Banks and Dr Solander to search the island for such natural curiosities as they should think worth their notice; employed persons to take fish and gather sh.e.l.ls, which time would not have permitted them to collect for themselves; and be provided horses and guides to take them to any part of the country which they should chuse to visit. With all these advantages, however, their excursions were seldom pushed farther than three miles from the town, as they were only five days on sh.o.r.e; one of which they spent at home, in receiving the honour of a visit from the governor. The season was the worst in the year for their purpose, as it was neither that of plants nor insects; a few of the plants, however, were procured in flower, by the kind attention of Dr Heberden, the chief physician of the island, and brother to Dr Heberden of London, who also gave them such specimens as he had in his possession, and a copy of his Botanical Observations; containing, among other things, a particular description of the trees of the island. Mr Banks enquired after the wood which has been imported into England for cabinet-work, and is here called Madeira mahogany: He learnt that no wood was exported from the island under that name, but he found a tree called by the natives Vigniatico, the _Laurus indicus_ of Linnaeus, the wood of which cannot easily be distinguished from mahogany. Dr Heberden had a book-case in which the vigniatico and mahogany were mixed, and they were no otherwise to be known from each other than by the colour, which, upon a nice examination, appears to be somewhat less brown in the vigniatico than the mahogany; it is therefore in the highest degree probable, that the wood known in England by the name of Madeira mahogany, is the vigniatico.

There is great reason to suppose that this whole island was, at some remote period, thrown up by the explosion of subterraneous fire, as every stone, whether whole or in fragments, that we saw upon it, appeared to have been burnt, and even the sand itself to be nothing more than ashes: We did not, indeed, see much of the country, but the people informed us that what we did see was a very exact specimen of the rest.[62]

[Footnote 62: This opinion about the volcanic origin of the island of Madeira, has found several advocates since the publication of this work.

The following quotation from a paper by the Hon. H.G. Bennet, contained in the first volume of the Geological Society Transactions, may famish the inquisitive reader with a short summary of the princ.i.p.al appearances on which this opinion rests. "To my mind, the most interesting geological facts, are, 1. The intersection of the lava, by dikes at right angles with the strata.--2. The rapid dips which the strata make, particularly the overlaying of that of the Brazen Head to the eastward of Funchial, where the blue, grey, and red lavas are rolled up in one ma.s.s, as if they had slipped together from an upper stratum.--3. The columnar form of the lava itself, reposing on, and covered by beds of scoria, ashes, and pumice, which affords a strong argument for the volcanic origin of the columns themselves. And, 4. The veins of carbonate of lime and zeolite, which are not found here in solitary pieces, as in the vicinity of AEtna and Vesuvius, but are amid the lavas and in the strata of pumice and tufa, and are diffused on the lava itself, and occasionally crystallized in its cavities."--E.]

The only article of trade in this island is wine, and the manner in which it is made is so simple, that it might have been used by Noah, who is said to have planted the first vineyard after the flood: The grapes are put into a square wooden vessel, the dimensions of which are proportioned to the size of the vineyard to which it belongs; the servants then, having taken off their stockings and jackets, get into it, and with their feet and elbows, press out as much of the juice as they can: The stalks are afterwards collected, and being tied together with a rope, are put under a square piece of wood, which is pressed down upon them by a lever with a stone tied to the end of it.

It was with great difficulty that the people of Madeira were persuaded to engraft their vines, and some of them still obstinately refused to adopt the practice, though a whole vintage is very often spoiled by the number of bad grapes which are mixed in the vat, and which they will not throw out, because they increase the quant.i.ty of the wine: An instance of the force of habit, which is the more extraordinary, as they have adopted the practice of engrafting with respect to their chestnut-trees, an object of much less importance, which, however, are thus brought to bear sooner than they would otherwise have done.[63]

[Footnote 63: The censure pa.s.sed on the carelessness of the people of Madeira as to the manufacture of their wine, does not now apply; for, according to Mr Barrow, who touched here in his voyage to Cochin China, (an account of which appeared in 1806) the care and pains used in choosing the freshest and ripest grapes only for the wine-press, are almost incredible. Madeira exports about 15,000 pipes of wine yearly, of which not one-third part comes to England--about 5500 pipes are taken out to India.--E.]

We saw no wheel-carriages of any sort in the place, which perhaps was not more owing to the want of ingenuity to invent them, than to the want of industry to mend the roads, which, at that time, it was impossible that any wheel-carriage should pa.s.s: The inhabitants had horses and mules indeed, excellently adapted to such ways; but their wine, notwithstanding, was brought to town from the vineyards where it was made, in vessels of goat-skins, which were carried by men upon their heads. The only imitation of a carriage among these people was a board, made somewhat hollow in the middle, to one end of which a pole was tied, by a strap of whit-leather: This wretched sledge approached about as treat to an English cart, as an Indian canoe to a ship's long-boat; and even this would probably never have been thought of, if the English had not introduced wine vessels, which are too big to be carried by hand, and which, therefore, were dragged about the town upon these machines.