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AN ACCOUNT OF THE VOYAGES UNDERTAKEN BY THE ORDER OF HIS PRESENT MAJESTY FOR MAKING Diſcoveries in the Southern Hemiſphere, And ſucceſſively performed by COMMODORE BYRON, CAPTAIN WALLIS, CAPTAIN CARTERET, And CAPTAIN COOK, In the DOLPHIN, the SWALLOW, and the ENDEAVOUR: DRAWN UP From the JOURNALS which were kept by the ſeveral COMMANDERS, And from the Papers of JOSEPH BANKS, Eſq

By JOHN HAWKESWORTH, LL.D.

IN THREE VOLUMES. Illuſtrated with CUTS, and a great Variety of CHARTS and MAPS relative to Countries now firſt diſcovered, or hitherto but imperfectly known.

VOL. I.

LONDON: Printed for W. STRAHAN; and T. CADELL in the Strand.

MDCCLXXIII.

TO THE KING.

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SIR,

AFTER the great improvements that have been made in Navigation ſince the diſcovery of America, it may well be thought ſtrange that a very conſiderable part of the globe on which we live ſhould ſtill have remained unknown; that it ſhould ſtill have been the ſubject of ſpeculation, whether a great portion of the Southern Hemiſphere is land or water; and, even where land had been diſcovered, that [] neither its extent nor figure ſhould have been aſcertained. But the cauſe has probably been, that ſovereign Princes have ſeldom any other motive for attempting the diſcovery of new countries than to conquer them, that the advantages of conquering countries which muſt firſt be diſcovered are remote and uncertain, and that ambition has always found objects nearer home.

It is the diſtinguiſhing characteriſtic of Your Majeſty to act from more liberal motives; and having the beſt fleet, and the braveſt as well as moſt able navigators in Europe, Your Majeſty has, not with a view to the acquiſition of treaſure, or the extent of dominion, but the improvement of commerce and the increaſe and diffuſion of knowlege, undertaken what has ſo long been neglected; and under Your Majeſty's auſpices, in little more than ſeven years, diſcoveries have been made far greater than thoſe of all the navigators in the world [] collectively, from the expedition of Columbus to the preſent time.

To have been appointed to record them, and permitted to inſcribe the narrative to Your Majeſty, is an honour, the ſenſe of which will always be retained with the warmeſt gratitude, by

YOUR MAJESTY's Moſt faithful, and moſt obliged Subject and Servant, JOHN HAWKESWORTH.

CONTENTS OF THE FIRST VOLUME.

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  • GENERAL INTRODUCTION. Page i
  • An Explanation of the Nautical Terms not generally underſtood which occur in this Work. Page xxiii
  • A Deſcription of the Cuts. Page xxxv
COMMODORE BYRON's VOYAGE.
  • CHAP. I. The Paſſage from the Downs to Rio de Janeiro. 3
  • CHAP. II. Paſſage from Rio de Janeiro to Port Deſire; with ſome Deſcription of that Place. 8
  • CHAP. III. Courſe from Port Deſire, in Search of Pepys' Iſland, and afterwards to the Coaſt of Patagonia, with a Deſcription of the Inhabitants. 23
  • CHAP. IV. Paſſage up the Streight of Magellan, to Port Famine; with ſome Account of that Harbour, and the adjacent Coaſt. 33
  • CHAP. V. The Courſe back from Port Famine to Falkland's Iſlands, with ſome Account of the Country. 41
  • [] CHAP. VI. The Paſſage through the Streight of Magellan as far as Cape Monday, with a Deſcription of ſeveral Bays and Harbours, formed by the Coaſt on each Side. 58
  • CHAP. VII. The Paſſage from Cape Monday, in the Streight of Magellan, into the South Seas; with ſome general Remarks on the Navigation of that Streight. 75
  • CHAP. VIII. The Run from the Weſtern Entrance of the Streight of Magellan, to the Iſlands of Diſappointment. 86
  • CHAP. IX. The Diſcovery of King George's Iſlands, with a Deſcription of them, and an Account of ſeveral Incidents that happened there. 97
  • CHAP. X. The Run from King George's Iſlands to the Iſlands of Saypan, Tinian, and Aguigan; with an Account of ſeveral Iſlands that were diſcovered in that Track. 107
  • CHAP. XI. The Arrival of the Dolphin and Tamar at Tinian, a Deſcription of the preſent Condition of that Iſland, and an Account of the Tranſactions there. 115
  • CHAP. XII. The Run from Tinian to Pulo Timoan, with ſome Account of that Iſland, its Inhabitants and Productions, and thence to Batavia. 123
  • CHAP. XIII. Tranſactions at Batavia, and Departure from that Place. 131
  • CHAP XIV. The Paſſage from Batavia to the Cape of Good Hope, and from thence to England. 135
CAPTAIN WALLIS's VOYAGE.
  • CHAP. I. The Paſſage to the Coaſt of Patagonia, with ſome Account of the Natives. 363
  • CHAP. II. The Paſſage through the Streight of Magellan, with ſome further Account of the Patagonians, and a Deſcription of the Coaſt on each Side, and its Inhabitants. 379
  • CHAP. III. A particular Account of the Places in which we anchored during our Paſſage through the Streight, and of the Shoals and Rocks that lie near them. 410
  • CHAP. IV. The Paſſage from the Streight of Magellan, to King George the Third's Iſland, called Otaheite, in the South Sea, with an Account of the Diſcovery of ſeveral other Iſlands, and a Deſcription of their Inhabitants. 419
  • CHAP. V. An Account of the Diſcovery of King George the Third's Iſland, or Otaheite, and of ſeveral Incidents which happened both on board the Ship, and on Shore. 433
  • CHAP. VI. The Sick ſent on Shore, and a regular Trade eſtabliſhed with the Natives; ſome Account of their Character and Manners, of their Viſits on board the Ship, and a Variety of Incidents that happened during this Intercourſe. 454
  • [] CHAP. VII. An Account of an Expedition to diſcover the inland Part of the Country, and our other Tranſactions, till we quitted the Iſland to continue our Voyage. 472
  • CHAP. VIII. A more particular Account of the Inhabitants of Otaheite, and of their domeſtic Life, Manners, and Arts. 480
  • CHAP. IX. Paſſage from Otaheite to Tinian, with ſome Account of ſeveral other Iſlands that were diſcovered in the South Seas. 490
  • CHAP. XI *. Some Account of the preſent State of the Iſland of Tinian, and our Employment there; with what happened in the Run from thence to Batavia. 498
  • CHAP. XII. Tranſactions at Batavia, and an Account of the Paſſage from thence to the Cape of Good Hope. 507
  • CHAP. XIII. An Account of our Tranſactions at the Cape of Good Hope, and of the Return of the Dolphin to England. 513
CAPTAIN CARTERET's VOYAGE.
  • CHAP. I. The Run from Plymouth to Madeira, and from thence through the Streight of Magellan. 525
  • [] CHAP. II. Paſſage from Cape Pillar, at the Weſtern Entrance of the Streight of Magellan, to Maſafuero; with ſome Account of that Iſland. 537
  • CHAP. III. The Paſſage from Maſafuero to Queen Charlotte's Iſlands; ſeveral Miſtakes corrected concerning Davis's Land, and an Account of ſome ſmall Iſlands, ſuppoſed to be the ſame that were ſeen by Quiros. 557
  • CHAP. IV. An Account of the Diſcovery of Queen Charlotte's Iſland, with a Deſcription of them and their Inhabitants, and of what happened at Egmont Iſland. 568
  • CHAP. V. Departure from Egmont Iſland, and Paſſage to Nova Britannia; with a Deſcription of ſeveral other Iſlands, and their Inhabitants. 584
  • CHAP. VI. Diſcovery of a Streight dividing the Land called Nova Britannia into two Iſlands, with a Deſcription of ſeveral ſmall Iſlands that lie in the Paſſage, and the Land on each ſide, with the Inhabitants. 595
  • CHAP. VII. The Paſſage from Saint George's Channel to the Iſland of Mindanao, with an Account of many Iſlands that were ſeen, and Incidents that happened by the Way. 602
  • CHAP. VIII. Some Account of the Coaſt of Mindanao, and the Iſlands near it, in which ſeveral Miſtakes of Dampier are corrected. 611
  • [] CHAP. IX. The Paſſage from Mindanao to the Iſland of Celebes, with a particular Account of the Streight of Macaſſar, in which many Errors are corrected. 622
  • CHAP. X. Tranſactions off Macaſſar, and the Paſſage thence to Bonthain. 630
  • CHAP. XI. Tranſactions at Bonthain, while the Veſſel was waiting for a Wind to carry her to Batavia, with ſome Account of the Place, the Town of Macaſſar, and the adjacent Country. 638
  • CHAP. XII. Paſſage from Bonthain Bay, in the Iſland of Celebes, to Batavia: Tranſactions there, and the Voyage round the Cape of Good Hope to England. 649
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CHART of part of the SOUTH SEA, Shewing the Tracts & Discoveries made by His MAJESTYS Ships Dolphin, Commodore Byron, & Tamer, Capn. Mouat, 1765. Dolphin, Capn. Wallis, & Swallow, Capn. Carteret, 1767. and Endeavour, Lieutenant Cooke, 1769.

Engrav'd by W. Whitchurch, Pleaſant Row, Iſlington.

Note

The shaded Lands are new Discoveries, except a part of the West side of New Zeeland, which was seen by Ta [...]man in 16 [...]2.

Those without Shade are copied from Charts.

Places where the Longitude is settled by Astronomical Observations.

GENERAL INTRODUCTION.

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HIS Majeſty, ſoon after his acceſſion to the crown, formed a deſign of ſending out veſſels for making diſcoveries of countries hitherto unknown, and in the year 1764, the kingdom being then in a ſtate of profound peace, he proceeded to put it into execution. The Dolphin and the Tamar were diſpatched under the command of Commodore Byron, and the beſt account of his Majeſty's motives and deſign that can be given, will be found in the following preamble to Commodore Byron's inſtructions, which are dated the 17th of June in that year.

‘Whereas nothing can redound more to the honour of this nation, as a maritime power, to the dignity of the Crown of Great Britain, and to the advancement of the trade and navigation thereof, than to make diſcoveries of countries hitherto unknown; and whereas there is reaſon to believe that lands and iſlands of great extent, hitherto unviſited by any European power, may be found in the Atlantic Ocean, between the Cape of Good Hope and the Magellanic Streight, within the latitudes convenient for navigation, and in climates adapted to the produce of commodities uſeful in commerce; and whereas his Majeſty's iſlands called Pepys' Iſland, and Falkland's Iſlands, lying within the ſaid tract, notwithſtanding their having been firſt diſcovered and viſited by Britiſh navigators, have never yet been ſo ſufficiently ſurveyed as that an accurate judgment may be formed of their coaſts and product; his [ii] Majeſty taking the premiſes into conſideration, and conceiving no conjuncture ſo proper for an enterprize of this nature, as a time of profound peace, which his kingdoms at preſent happily enjoy, has thought fit that it ſhould now be undertaken.’

The Dolphin was a man of war of the ſixth rate, mounting twenty-four guns: her complement was 150 men, with three Lieutenants, and thirty-ſeven petty officers.

The Tamar was a ſloop, mounting ſixteen guns: her complement was ninety men, with three Lieutenants, and two and twenty petty officers, and the command of her was given to Captain Mouat.

Commodore Byron returned in the month of May in the year 1766, and in the month of Auguſt following, the Dolphin was again ſent out, under the command of Captain Wallis, with the Swallow, commanded by Captain Carteret, in proſecution of the ſame general deſign of making diſcoveries in the ſouthern hemiſphere. The equipment of the Dolphin was the ſame as before. The Swallow was a ſloop mounting fourteen guns; her complement was ninety men, with one Lieutenant, and twenty-two petty officers.

Theſe veſſels proceeded together till they came within ſight of the South Sea, at the weſtern entrance of the Streight of Magellan, and from thence returned by different routs to England.

In the latter part of the year 1767, it was reſolved, by the Royal Society, that it would be proper to ſend perſons into ſome part of the South Sea to obſerve a tranſit of the planet Venus over the ſun's diſk, which, according to aſtronomical calculation, would happen in the year 1769; and that the iſlands called Marqueſas de Mendoza, or thoſe of Rotterdam [iii] or Amſterdam, were the propereſt places then known for making ſuch obſervation.

In conſequence of theſe reſolutions, it was recommended to his Majeſty, in a memorial from the Society, dated February 1768, that he would be pleaſed to order ſuch an obſervation to be made; upon which his Majeſty ſignified to the Lords Commiſſioners of the Admiralty his pleaſure that a ſhip ſhould be provided to carry ſuch obſervers as the Society ſhould think fit to the South Seas; and in the beginning of April following the Society received a letter from the Secretary of the Admiralty, informing them that a bark of three hundred and ſeventy tons had been taken up for that purpoſe. This veſſel was called the Endeavour, and the command of her given to Lieutenant James Cook, a gentleman of undoubted abilities in aſtronomy and navigation, who was ſoon after, by the Royal Society, appointed, with Mr. Charles Green, a gentleman who had long been aſſiſtant to Dr. Bradley at the Royal Obſervatory at Greenwich, to obſerve the tranſit.

While this veſſel was getting ready for her expedition, Captain Wallis returned; and it having been recommended to him by Lord Morton, when he went out, to fix on a proper place for this aſtronomical obſervation, he, by letter, dated on board the Dolphin, the 18th of May 1768, the day before he landed at Haſtings, mentioned Port Royal harbour, in an iſland which he had diſcovered, then called George's Iſland, and ſince Otaheite: the Royal Society therefore, by letter, dated the beginning of June, in anſwer to an application from the Admiralty to be informed whither they would have their obſervers ſent, made choice of that place.

The Endeavour had been built for the coal trade, and a veſſel of that conſtruction was preferred for many reaſons, particularly becauſe ſhe was what the ſailors call a good ſea [iv] boat, was more roomy, would take and lie on the ground better, and might be navigated by fewer men than other veſſels of the ſame burden.

Her complement of officers and men was Lieutenant Cook the Commander, with two Lieutenants under him, a Maſter and boatſwain, with each two mates, a ſurgeon and carpenter, with each one mate, a gunner, a cook, a clerk and ſteward, two quarter-maſters, an armourer, a ſail-maker, three midſhipmen, forty-one able ſeamen, twelve marines, and nine ſervants, in all eighty-four perſons, beſides the Commander: ſhe was victualled for eighteen months, and took on board ten carriage and twelve ſwivel guns, with good ſtore of ammunition and other neceſſaries. The Endeavour alſo, after the aſtronomical obſervation ſhould be made, was ordered to proſecute the deſign of making diſcoveries in the South Seas. What was effected by theſe veſſels in their ſeveral voyages, will appear in the courſe of this work, of which it is now neceſſary to give ſome account.

It is drawn up from the journals that were kept by the Commanders of the ſeveral ſhips, which were put into my hands by the Lords Commiſſioners of the Admiralty for that purpoſe: and, with reſpect to the voyage of the Endeavour, from other papers equally authentic; an aſſiſtance which I have acknowledged in an introduction to the account of her voyage.

When I firſt undertook the work, it was debated, whether it ſhould be written in the firſt or third perſon: it was readily acknowledged on all hands, that a narrative in the firſt perſon would, by bringing the Adventurer and the Reader nearer together, without the intervention of a ſtranger, more ſtrongly excite an intereſt, and conſequently afford more entertainment; but it was objected, that if it was [v] written in the name of the ſeveral Commanders, I could exhibit only a naked narrative, without any opinion or ſentiment of my own, however fair the occaſion, and without noting the ſimilitude or diſſimilitude between the opinions, cuſtoms, or manners of the people now firſt diſcovered, and thoſe of nations that have been long known, or remarking on any other incident or particular that might occur. In anſwer to this objection, however, it was ſaid, that as the manuſcript would be ſubmitted to the Gentlemen in whoſe names it would be written, ſuppoſing the narrative to be in the firſt perſon, and nothing publiſhed without their approbation, it would ſignify little who conceived the ſentiments that ſhould be expreſſed, and therefore I might ſtill be at liberty to expreſs my own. In this opinion all parties acquieſced, and it was determined that the narrative ſhould be written in the firſt perſon, and that I might notwithſtanding interſperſe ſuch ſentiments and obſervations as my ſubject ſhould ſuggeſt: they are not indeed numerous, and when they occur, are always curſory and ſhort; for nothing would have been more abſurd than to interrupt an intereſting narrative, or new deſcriptions, by hypotheſis and diſſertation. They will however be found moſt frequent in the account of the voyage of the Endeavour, and the principal reaſon is, that although it ſtands laſt in the ſeries, great part of it was printed before the others were written, ſo that ſeveral remarks, which would naturally have been ſuggeſted by the incidents and deſcriptions that would have occurred in the preceding voyages, were anticipated by ſimilar incidents and deſcriptions which occurred in this.

Some particulars that are related in one voyage will perhaps appear to be repeated in another, as they would neceſſarily have been if the ſeveral Commanders had written the account of their voyages themſelves; for a digeſt could not [vi] have been made of the whole, without invading the right of each navigator to appropriate the relation of what he had ſeen: theſe repetitions however taken together will be found to fill but a few pages of the book.

That no doubt might remain of the fidelity with which I have related the events recorded in my materials, the manuſcript account of each voyage was read to the reſpective Commanders at the Admiralty, by the appointment of Lord Sandwich, who was himſelf preſent during much the greateſt part of the time. The account of the voyage of the Endeavour was alſo read to Mr. Banks and Dr. Solander, in whoſe hands, as well as in thoſe of Captain Cook, the manuſcript was left for a conſiderable time after the reading. Commodore Byron alſo, Captain Wallis and Captain Carteret, had the manuſcripts of their reſpective voyages to peruſe, after they had been read at the Admiralty in their preſence, and ſuch emendations as they ſuggeſted were made. In order thus to authenticate the voyage of Captain Cook, the account of it was firſt written, becauſe it was expected when his journal was put into my hands, that he would have ſailed on the voyage he is now making in leſs than five months.

It will probably be thought by many Readers, that I have related the nautical events too minutely; but it muſt be remembered, that minutely to relate theſe events was the great object of the work. It was in particular thought neceſſary to inſert the ſituation of the ſhip at different hours of the day, with the bearings of different parts of the land while ſhe was navigating ſeas, and examining ſhores that hitherto have been altogether unknown, in order to aſcertain her track more minutely than could be done in any chart, however large the ſcale, and to deſcribe with critical [vii] exactneſs the bays, headlands, and other irregularities of the coaſt; the appearance of the country, its hills, vallies, mountains, and woods, with the depth of water, and every other particular that might enable future navigators eaſily to find, and ſafely to viſit every part of it. I was not indeed myſelf ſufficiently appriſed of the minuteneſs that was neceſſary in this part of the work, ſo that I was obliged to make many additions to it, after I had prepared my manuſcript. It is however hoped, that thoſe who read merely for entertainment will be compenſated by the deſcription of countries which no European had before viſited, and manners which in many inſtances exhibit a new picture of human life. In this part, the relation of little circumſtances requires no apology, for it is from little circumſtances that the relation of great events derives its power over the mind. An account that ten thouſand men periſhed in a battle, that twice the number were ſwallowed up by an earthquake, or that a whole nation was ſwept away by a peſtilence, is read in the naked brevity of an index, without the leaſt emotion, by thoſe who feel themſelves ſtrongly intereſted even for Pamela, the imaginary heroine of a novel that is remarkable for the enumeration of particulars in themſelves ſo trifling, that we almoſt wonder how they could occur to the author's mind.

This work is illuſtrated and adorned by a great number of cuts, from which every claſs of readers, whether their object is knowlege or pleaſure, will find equal advantage, as they conſiſt not only of maps and charts, drawn with great ſkill and attention, but of views and figures, deſigned and executed by the beſt artiſts in this country.

The moſt effectual way to prevent obſcurity and confuſion in relating events, is to range them in order of time, which [viii] however cannot be done in an unbroken ſeries when the complicated and multifarious objects of hiſtory are to be recorded; but as each of the narratives in this work is a ſingle thread, the tranſactions of every day are ſet down in a regular ſucceſſion, and the time noted in the margin.

Great care has been taken to make the charts and the nautical part of the narrative coincide; if there ſhould be any difference, which it is hoped will not be the caſe, the charts are to be confided in, as of unqueſtionable authority. By the charts, as well as by the narrative, eſpecially by that on which the tracks of the ſeveral veſſels are marked, it will be ſeen how far the exiſtence or non exiſtence of a ſouthern continent is already aſcertained, and what land has in the courſe of theſe voyages been firſt diſcovered. The charts alſo will at one view prevent any miſtake which might ariſe from the ſame name having been given to different iſlands by the ſeveral Commanders in theſe voyages, without the trouble of comparing the latitudes and longitudes aſſigned them in the narrative.

As it is but a very few years ſince the exiſtence of a race of men above the common ſtature upon the coaſt of Patagonia, was the ſubject of eager diſpute among all ranks of people in this country, I have brought together the whole of the evidence on the queſtion, as I find it in a collection of voyages lately printed in France, under the title of "Hiſtoire des Navigationes aux Terres Auſtrales."

"It muſt be acknowledged, that the contrariety of the reports that have been made, by ocular witneſſes, concerning a fact eaſy to be determined, does not deviate leſs from the common courſe of things than the gigantic ſtature of the people in queſtion. It appears, that during an hundred [ix] years, almoſt all navigators, of whatever country, agree in affirming the exiſtence of a race of giants upon the coaſt of Patagonia; and that during another century, the much greater number agree in denying the fact, treating their predeceſſors as idle fabuliſts, and imputing their reports either to the terror which the rude fierceneſs of a ſavage people inſpired, or to the natural propenſity of mankind to aſſume importance, by pretending to have ſeen wonderful things. That men have a ſtrange propenſity to the marvelous cannot be denied, nor that fear naturally magnifies its object; but though it be allowed that the accounts of the Patagonians have in ſome inſtances been exaggerated, it is certain, that all who have affirmed their ſtature to be gigantic, were not under the influence of fear; and it is very ſtrange, that nations who have an hereditary hatred to each other, and an acknowledged oppoſition of intereſt, ſhould agree in aſſerting an evident falſehood.

"In the firſt place, it is well known to have been an opinion long eſtabliſhed, both in our ancient world and in America, that there was once a race of giants upon earth who diſtinguiſhed themſelves by violence and guilt.

"Barbenais was told by the inhabitants of South America, that a deluge having laid Peru under water, the Indians retired to the mountains till the flood ſhould ſubſide, and that when they came again down to the plain, they found there men of an enormous ſtature, who attacked them with great ferocity, killing many, and driving the reſt to the caves of the rocks; but that having continued in their hiding places many years, they ſaw in the air a young man who deſtroyed the giants by thunderbolts, and thus reſtored to them the poſſeſſion of their country. His guides alſo ſhowed [x] him many marks upon a rock which they ſaid were impreſſed by the thunderbolts, and many bones of an extraordinary ſize, which they believed to be remains of the giants; but they did not pretend to know when the deluge happened.

"The Ynca Garcilaſſo de la Vega, in his hiſtory of Peru, relates,Pedro de Cieca, chap. 52. Garcilaſſo, Hiſt. du Perou. liv. 9. chap. 9. that according to a tradition univerſally received, a number of veſſels or junks came to Point Saint Helena with a company of giants on board, of a ſtature ſo enormous that the natives of the country were not higher than their knees: that their eyes were as broad as the bottom of a plate, and their limbs proportionably large: that ſome of them were naked, and others ſlightly covered with the ſkins of beaſts. That when they came on ſhore, they dug a pit of an aſtoniſhing depth in the rock, and each of them conſuming as much proviſions as would be ſufficient for fifty men, the country was ſoon exhauſted, and they were obliged to live upon fiſh: that they ſeized the women of the country, to whom their brutality was fatal, and afterwards giving themſelves up to worſe vices, the whole race was deſtroyed by fire from heaven, which however left their bones unconſumed, as a laſting memorial of Divine vengeance. Bones of an amazing ſize are ſaid to have been found in this country, and fragments of teeth, which, if they were whole, muſt have weighed half a pound.

"Thoſe who wiſh to know all the particulars of theſe American traditions may ſatisfy their curioſity by reading Torquemado, lib. 1. chap. 13 and 14. where they will find that theſe fables are very ſimilar to thoſe relative to the ſame ſubject in other parts of the world. The bones, ſaid to have been the bones of giants, which have been found in America, [xi] and which were ſhewn at Mexico and other places in the year 1550, are probably the bones of ſome animal unknown; and indeed nothing leſs than the ſight of ſuch a race of human beings, or of an entire ſkeleton, can be admitted as a proof of their exiſtence. Turner, the naturaliſt, reports, that in the year 1610, the thigh bone of a man was ſhewn in London, who muſt have been of an enormous ſize; but this teſtimony is not deciſive, though the author adds, that he had himſelf ſeen near the river Plata, upon the coaſt of Braſil, a race of giants who went ſtark naked; that the hinder part of their heads was flat, and not round; that the women had long black hair, as coarſe as a horſe's mane; that the men were excellent archers, and, beſides their bow and arrows, carried two maſſive balls or bullets, each faſtened to one end of a thong, a weapon which they uſed with great dexterity and force, either by ſtriking with it, or throwing it like a ſtone from a ſling. One of theſe giants, he ſays, was twelve feet high; but acknowledges that he ſaw no other ſo tall.

"Of this fact there are other ocular witneſſes who perhaps may be thought more worthy of credit; among the Spaniards, Magellan, Loaiſa, Sarmiento, and Nodal; among the Engliſh, Cavendiſh, Hawkins, and Knivet; among the Dutch, Sebald, de Noort, le Maire, and Spilberg; and among the French, thoſe who went in the expedition from Marſeilles, and Saint Maloes. Thoſe who bear teſtimony to the contrary, are Winter, the Dutch Admiral Hermite, Froger in de Gennes's narrative, and Sir John Narborough. Winter, after having himſelf ſeen the inhabitants of Patagonia, ſays in direct terms, that the accounts of their being giants are falſehoods invented by the Spaniards; and it muſt be confeſſed that the teſtimony of theſe navigators at leaſt counterbalances [xii] the evidence on the other ſide, eſpecially as they were beſt acquainted with the Streight of Magellan, and the neighbouring country. Such navigators as have viſited this country, and are ſilent with reſpect to the ſtature of the inhabitants, particularly Sir Francis Drake, muſt be conſidered as witneſſes againſt the fact in queſtion; for their ſilence is a proof that they ſaw nothing extraordinary. It muſt however be obſerved, in the firſt place, that the greater part of thoſe who hold the affirmative in this queſtion, ſpeak of people that inhabited the deſert coaſt of Patagonia to the eaſt and weſt; and that, on the contrary, thoſe who hold the negative, ſpeak of thoſe who inhabit the Streight upon the ſides of the utmoſt point of America to the north and ſouth. The nations of theſe two diſtricts are certainly not the ſame; and if the firſt have ſometimes been ſeen in the Streight, it cannot be thought ſtrange, conſidering how ſhort the diſtance is from Port Saint Julian, which appears to be their ordinary habitation. Magellan, and his people ſaw them there very often, and trafficked with them ſometimes on board his ſhips, and ſometimes on ſhore: nor was this all, he ſeized two of them, and kept them priſoners in his veſſel, one of whom was baptized ſome time before his death, and taught ſeveral words of his language to Pigafette, who formed them into a little dictionary: theſe are facts than which nothing can be more poſitive, or leſs ſubject to illuſion.

"I affirm, ſays Knivet, that when I was at Port Deſire I meaſured ſeveral dead bodies that I found buried there, which were from fourteen to ſixteen ſpans high, and ſaw tracks in the ſand which muſt have been left by people of nearly the ſame ſtature. I have alſo frequently ſeen at Brazil, one of the Patagonians who had been taken at Port Saint [xiii] Julian, and though he was but a youth, he meaſured no leſs than thirteen ſpans: and our Engliſh priſoners at Brazil have aſſured me that they had ſeen many men of the ſame ſtature upon the coaſts of the ſtreight." Sebald de Wert ſays, that when he was in the Streight, he ſaw giants of the ſame bulk, who tore up trees by the roots, that were a ſpan in diameter, with great facility; he alſo ſaw women that were gigantic, and others of the common ſtature. Oliver de Noort reports, that he ſaw ſavages of a gigantic ſtature at Port Deſire, but does not call them giants: that he took ſix of them priſoners, and carried them on board his ſhip, one of whom afterwards told him that the country was inhabited by many different nations, four of which were of the ordinary ſtature; but that farther within the land, in a territory called Coin, there was a gigantic people, diſtinguiſhed by the name of Tiremenen, who were continually making war upon the other nations. Spilberg relates, that he ſaw a man of an extraordinary ſtature upon the coaſt of Terra del Fuego, but that the ſepulchres which he found, had received men of the common height. Aris-Claſz, who was on board La Maire's fleet in the character of Commiſſary, a man well worthy of credit, declares, that having viſited the ſepulchres which he diſcovered upon the coaſt of Patagonia, he found the bones of men who were between ten and eleven feet high, which convinced him that the reports of former navigators were true; and here it muſt be confeſſed that the examination was made in cold blood, when it cannot be pretended that the object was magnified by fear. Some others, particularly Nodal and Sir Richard Hawkins, content themſelves with ſaying that theſe ſavages were a head taller than the inhabitants of Europe, and of ſuch a ſtature that the people on board their veſſels called them giants. Such is the evidence of paſt times; we ſhall now conſider that of the age [xiv] in which we live. In 1704, the Captains Harrington and Carman, who commanded two French veſſels, one from Saint Maloes, and the other from Marſeilles, ſaw at one time ſeven of theſe giants in Poſſeſſion Bay, at another time ſix, and at a third time they had an interview with a company of more than four hundred men, part of whom were gigantic, and part of the common ſtature. That Harrington and Carman reported this fact, is atteſted by M. Frezier, ſuperintendant of the fortifications of Bretagne, a man well known, and univerſally eſteemed. Frezier never ſaw any of theſe ſavages himſelf, but he ſays, that being upon the coaſt of Chili, Don Pedro Molina, Governor of the iſle of Chiloë, and many other eye-witneſſes, told him, that there was at a conſiderable diſtance within the country, an Indian nation, called by their neighbours Caucohues, who ſometimes came down to the Spaniſh ſettlements, that were more than nine feet high, and were the ſame race with the Patagonians who live on the eaſtern coaſt, and have been mentioned in former relations. We are told by Reaveneau de Luſſan, that the Spaniards who live upon the ſea coaſt in South America, report that certain white Indians inhabit part of Chili, with whom they are always at war: that they are of an enormous bulk and ſtature, and that whenever they take a Spaniard priſoner, they force up the breaſt-bone, as they would the ſhell of a tortoiſe, and tear out his heart. Narborough, on the contrary, though he agrees that the Indians who inhabit the mountains near the Spaniſh ſettlements at Chili, and perpetually commit hoſtilities againſt them, are tall, expreſsly denies that their ſtature is gigantic. He had often meaſured the ſkulls and the prints of the feet of the ſavages on the coaſts of the Streight of Magellan, which, he ſays, were of the common ſize: he had alſo ſeveral times ſeen numerous companies of them even at Port Saint Julian, and [xv] theſe he declares not to be taller or bigger than other men. Narborough is certainly a credible witneſs, and his evidence is directly to the point: it is confirmed by that of L'Hermite, who ſays, that the people he ſaw upon the coaſt of Terra del Fuego, though they were robuſt and well-proportioned, were not larger than the inhabitants of Europe; and laſtly. M. de Gennes bears teſtimony that none of the people he ſaw at Port Famine were ſix feet high.

"Thoſe who diligently conſider theſe different relations will find reaſon to believe, that all the parties have ſpoken truth, each of them faithfully reporting what he ſaw, and therefore that the exiſtence of a gigantic race in theſe parts is a real fact, not to be queſtioned merely becauſe they were not ſeen by every mariner that viſited the country.

"It appears to be well eſtabliſhed, that the inhabitants of the two borders of the Streight are of the common ſtature; and that the race diſtinguiſhed by the name of Patagonians, made their conſtant reſidence upon the deſart coaſts, either in ſome miſerable hovels in the depth of the woods, or in ſome caverns of the rocks, ſcarcely acceſſible to any but themſelves: and it appears from the account of Oliver de Noort, that when the Streight began to be frequented by European veſſels, they hid themſelves as ſoon as the ſhips were in ſight, which accounts both for their not being ſeen, and for the recent marks of inhabitants upon a coaſt that appeared to be deſart. Perhaps the frequent appearance of our ſhips upon this coaſt, at length determined them to quit it as a ſettled habitation, returning only at particular ſeaſons of the year, and taking up their conſtant reſidence in the interior part of the country. Lord Anſon was of opinion, that they reſided ſtatedly on the weſtern ſide of the Cordeliers, [xvi] and viſited the eaſtern ſide occaſionally, but not often: ſo that if they have been rarely ſeen by the veſſels which have touched at the coaſt of Patagonia for the laſt hundred years, the reaſon probably is, that being, like other Indian nations, deſirous to conceal themſelves from ſtrangers, they retired to the mountains. It is indeed to be regretted, that no ſkeleton of theſe people has been brought into Europe; and it may at firſt ſeem ſtrange, that no ſuch evidence of their uncommon ſtature ſhould have been produced, as it is known that ſeveral of them who had been made priſoners by the Commanders of European veſſels, died on board ſoon after they came into a hot climate; but the wonder will ceaſe, when it is conſidered that all mariners have a ſuperſtitious opinion that the compaſs will not traverſe if there is a dead body on board the veſſel." Upon the whole, it may reaſonably be preſumed, that the concurrent teſtimony of late navigators, particularly Commodore Byron, Captain Wallis, and Captain Carteret, Gentlemen of unqueſtionable veracity, who are ſtill living, and who not only ſaw and converſed with theſe people but meaſured them, will put an end to all the doubts that have been hitherto entertained of their exiſtence.

Having thus brought together the whole of the evidence for and againſt a fact which has long been the object both of popular and philoſophical curioſity, I ſhall not anticipate any opinion that the Reader may form concerning future navigations in the track which has been deſcribed by any of the veſſels whoſe voyages are here related, except that although it is the opinion of Commodore Byron, who ſpent ſeven weeks and two days in paſſing through the Streight of Magellan, that it may be paſſed in three weeks at the proper ſeaſon; yet the paſſage coſt Captain Wallis near four [xvii] months, though he performed it preciſely at the time recommended by the Commodore, having reached the eaſtern entrance about the middle of December.

I cannot however diſmiſs my Readers to the following narratives, without expreſſing the regret with which I have recorded the deſtruction of poor naked ſavages, by our fire-arms, in the courſe of theſe expeditions, when they endeavoured to repreſs the invaders of their country; a regret which I am confident my Readers will participate with me: this however appears to be an evil which, if diſcoveries of new countries are attempted, cannot be avoided: reſiſtance will always be made, and if thoſe who reſiſt are not overpowered, the attempt muſt be relinquiſhed. It may perhaps be ſaid, that the expence of life upon theſe occaſions is more than is neceſſary to convince the natives that further conteſt is hopeleſs, and perhaps this may ſometimes have been true: but it muſt be conſidered, that if ſuch expeditions are undertaken, the execution of them muſt be intruſted to perſons not exempt from human frailty; to men who are liable to provocation by ſudden injury, to unpremeditated violence by ſudden danger, to error by the defect of judgment or the ſtrength of paſſion, and always diſpoſed to transfer laws by which they are bound themſelves; to others who are not ſubject to their obligation; ſo that every exceſs thus produced is alſo an inevitable evil.

If it ſhould be ſaid, that ſuppoſing theſe miſchiefs to be inevitable in attempting diſcoveries, diſcoveries ought not to be attempted; it muſt be conſidered, that upon the only principles on which this opinion can be ſupported, the riſk of life, for advantages of the ſame kind with thoſe propoſed in diſcovering new countries, is in every other inſtance unlawful. If it is not lawful to put the life of an Indian in [xviii] hazard, by an attempt to examine the country in which he lives, with a view to increaſe commerce or knowlege; it is not lawful to riſk the life of our own people in carrying on commerce with countries already known. If it being ſaid that the riſk of life in our own people is voluntary, and that the Indian is brought into danger without his conſent, the conſequence will ſtill follow; for it is univerſally agreed, at leaſt upon the principles of Chriſtianity, that men have no more right over their own lives than over the lives of others, and ſuicide being deemed the worſt ſpecies of murder, a man muſt be proportionably criminal in expoſing his own life, for any purpoſe that would not juſtify his expoſing the life of another. If the gratification of artificial wants, or the inreaſe of knowlege, are juſtifiable cauſes for the riſk of life, the landing by force on a newly diſcovered country, in order to examine its produce, may be juſtified; if not, every trade and profeſſion that expoſes life for advantages of the ſame kind is unlawful; and by what trade or profeſſion is not life expoſed? Let us examine all the multitudes that art has employed, from the refiner who ſweats at the furnace to the ſedentary artificer who grows pale at the loom, and perhaps none can be found in which life is not in ſome degree ſacrificed to the artificial neceſſities of civil ſociety. But will it therefore be ſaid, that civil ſociety, to which this ſacrifice is made, is for that reaſon a combination contrary to the great original principles of morality, which are the baſis of all duty? Will it be ſaid, that to exerciſe the faculties which are the diſtinguiſhing characteriſtics of our nature is unnatural? and that being endowed with the various powers which in civil ſocieties only can be brought into action, it was incongruous to the will of our Creator that any ſuch ſociety ſhould be formed, and that it would be pleaſing to him if, ſtill continuing in a ſavage ſtate, theſe powers ſhould [xix] lie torpid in our nature, like life in an embrio, during the whole of our exiſtence? This ſurely muſt appear extravagant and abſurd in the higheſt degree, eſpecially as it muſt be allowed, that although commerce and arts in ſome inſtances expoſe life, in others they preſerve it; they ſupply the wants of Nature, without rapine and violence, and by producing a common intereſt, they prevent the inhabitants of the ſame country from being divided into different clans, which among ſavages are almoſt perpetually committing hoſtilities againſt each other, with a ferocious cruelty which is not to be found where civil government and literary knowlege have meliorated the manners of mankind. Upon the whole, therefore, it ſeems reaſonable to conclude, that the increaſe of knowlege and commerce are ultimately common benefits; and that the loſs of life which happens in the attempt, is among the partial evils which terminate in general good.

I have now only to requeſt of ſuch of my Readers as may be diſpoſed to cenſure me for not having attributed any of the critical eſcapes from danger that I have recorded, to the particular interpoſition of Providence, that they would, in this particular, allow me the right of private judgment, which I claim with the greater confidence, as the very ſame principle which would have determined them to have done it, has determined me to the contrary. As I firmly believe the divine precept delivered by the Author of Chriſtianity, "there is not a ſparrow falls to the ground without my Father," and cannot admit the agency of chance in the government of the world, I muſt neceſſarily refer every event to one cauſe, as well the danger as the eſcape, as well the ſufferings as the enjoyments of life: and for this opinion, I have, among other reſpectable authorities, that of the Bible. Shall we, ſays Job, "receive good from the hand of God and ſhall we not receive evil?" The Supreme Being is equally wiſe and benevolent [xx] in the diſpenſation of both evil and good, as means of effecting ultimate purpoſes worthy of his ineffable perfections; ſo that whether we conſider ourſelves as chriſtians or philoſophers, we muſt acknowledge that he deſerves bleſſing not more when he gives than when he takes away. If the fall of a ſparrow, as well as its preſervation, is imputed to providence, why not the fall as well as the preſervation of a man? and why ſhould we attribute to Providence only what appears to be good in its immediate effect, when we ſuppoſe that the whole concatenation of events, whether the preſervation or deſtruction of particular parts, tends ultimately to the good of the whole? The ſame voice commiſſions the winds to plough up the deep, which at the appointed time rebukes them, ſaying, "Peace, be ſtill." If the adorable Author and Preſerver of Nature was ſuch a being as Baal is repreſented to have been by the prophet, when he derided his worſhippers; if he was ſometimes on a journey, and ſometimes aſleep, we might with propriety ſay that a fire happened to break out, or a ſtorm to riſe, but that by the interpoſition of providence life was preſerved, expreſſions which imply that the miſchief had one origin, and the remedy another; but ſuch language certainly derogates from the honour of the great Univerſal Cauſe, who, acting through all duration, and ſubſiſting in all ſpace, fills immenſity with his preſence, and eternity with his power.

It will perhaps be ſaid, that in particular inſtances evil neceſſarily reſults from that conſtitution of things which is beſt upon the whole, and that Providence occaſionally interferes, and ſupplies the defects of the conſtitution in theſe particulars: but this notion will appear not to be ſupported by thoſe facts which are ſaid to be providential; it will always be found that Providence interpoſes too late, and only moderates the miſchief which it might have prevented. But [xxi] who can ſuppoſe an extraordinary interpoſition of Providence to ſupply particular defects in the conſtitution of nature, who ſees thoſe defects ſupplied but in part? It is true that when the Endeavour was upon the rock off the coaſt of New Holland, the wind ceaſed, and that otherwiſe ſhe muſt have been beaten to pieces; but either the ſubſiding of the wind was a mere natural event or not; if it was a natural event, providence is out of the queſtion, at leaſt we can with no more propriety ſay that providentially the wind ceaſed, than that providentially the ſun roſe in the morning. If it was not a mere natural event, but produced by an extraordinary interpoſition, correcting a defect in the conſtitution of nature, tending to miſchief, it will lie upon thoſe who maintain the poſition, to ſhew, why an extraordinary interpoſition did not take place rather to prevent the ſhip's ſtriking, than to prevent her being beaten to pieces after ſhe had ſtruck: a very ſlight impulſe upon the ſhip's courſe would have cauſed her to ſteer clear of the rock, and if all things were not equally eaſy to Omnipotence, we ſhould ſay that this might have been done with leſs difficulty than a calm could be produced by ſuſpending the general laws of Nature which had brought on the gale.

I have, however, paid my homage to the Supreme Being, conſonant to my own ideas of his agency and perfections; and thoſe who are of opinion that my notions are erroneous, muſt allow, that he who does what he thinks to be right, and abſtains from what he thinks to be wrong, acquits himſelf equally of moral obligation, whether his opinions are falſe or true.

AN EXPLANATION of the NAUTICAL TERMS not generally underſtood which occur in this WORK.

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A.
  • ABACK, the ſituation of the ſails when their ſurfaces are flatted againſt the maſts by the force of the wind. The ſails are ſaid to be taken aback, when they are brought into this ſituation, either by a ſudden change of the wind, or by an alteration in the ſhip's courſe. They are laid aback, to effect an immediate retreat, without turning to the right or left; in order to avoid ſome danger.
  • ABAFT, the hinder part of a ſhip.
  • AFT, behind, or near the ſtern of the ſhip.
  • ANCHOR, the principal are the ſheet anchor, the beſt bower and the ſmall bower, ſo called from their ſituation in the ſhip's bows. The ſmaller anchors, are the ſtream anchor, the kedge anchor, and the grappling.
  • AWNING, a canopy of canvaſs extending over the decks of a ſhip in hot weather.
  • AZIMUTH-COMPASS, an inſtrument employed to diſcover the magnetical azimuth or amplitude of any heavenly object. This operation is performed at ſea, to find the exact variation of the magnetical needle.
B.
  • To BALANCE, to contract a ſail into a narrower compaſs, in a ſtorm, by retrenching or folding up a part of it at one corner.
  • BEAMS, ſtrong thick pieces of timber, ſtretching acroſs the ſhip from ſide to ſide, to ſupport the decks, and retain the ſides at their proper diſtance. On the weather beam, is on the weather ſide of the ſhip.
  • To BELAY, to faſten a rope by winding it ſeveral times round a cleat, belaying-pin, or kevel.
  • BENDING a ſail, faſtening it to its yard or ſtay.
  • BIGHT, the double part of a rope when it is folded, in contradiſtinction to the end.
  • BIGHT, is alſo a ſmall bay between two points of land.
  • BULGE, or BILGE, that part of the floor of a ſhip, on either ſide of the keel, which approaches nearer to an horizontal than to a perpendicular [xxiv] direction, and on which the ſhip would reſt if laid on the ground: or more particularly, thoſe parts of the bottom which are oppoſite to the heads of the floor-timbers amidſhips on each ſide of the keel. Hence, when a ſhip receives a fracture in this place, ſhe is ſaid to be bilged.
  • BIRTH, the ſtation in which a ſhip rides at anchor.
  • BIRTH, alſo ſignifies the room or apartment where any particular number of the officers or ſhip's company uſually meſs and reſide.
  • BOARD, the line over which the ſhip runs between tack and tack, when ſhe is turning to windward, or ſailing againſt the direction of the wind.
  • BOW, the rounding part of a ſhip's ſide forward, beginning at the place where the planks arch inwards, and terminating where they cloſe at the ſtem or prow.
  • BREAKERS, billows that break violently over rocks lying under the ſurface of the ſea.
  • To BRING-TO, to check the courſe of a ſhip when ſhe is advancing, by arranging the ſails in ſuch a manner as that they ſhall counter-act each other, and prevent her either from retreating or moving forward. In this ſituation the ſhip is ſaid to lie-by, or lie-to.
  • BULK-HEADS, certain partitions, or walls, built up in ſeveral places of a ſhip between two decks, either lengthways or acroſs, to form and ſeparate the various apartments.
  • BUOY, a ſort of cloſe caſk, or block of wood, faſtened by a rope to the anchor, to determine the place where the anchor is ſituated.
C.
  • CABLE's-length, a hundred and twenty-fathom.
  • CAP, a ſtrong, thick block of wood, uſed to confine two maſts together, when the one is erected at the head of the other, in order to lengthen it. It is for this purpoſe furniſhed with two holes perpendicular to it's length and breadth, and parallel to its thickneſs; one of theſe is ſquare, and the other round; the former being ſolidly fixed upon the upper-end of the lower-maſt, whilſt the latter receives the maſt employed to lengthen it, and ſecures it in this poſition.
  • CAPSTERN, or CAPSTAN, a ſtrong, maſſy column of timber, formed like a truncated cone, and having its upper extremity pierced with a number of holes to receive the bars or levers. It is let down perpendicularly [xxv] through the decks of a ſhip, and is fixed in ſuch manner, that the men, by turning it horizontally with their bars, may perform any work which requires an extraordinary effort.
  • CASTING, the motion of falling off, ſo as to bring the direction of the wind on either ſide of the ſhip after it had blown for ſome time right a-head.
  • CHAINS, ſtrong links or plates of iron, the lower ends of which are bolted through the ſhip's ſide to the timbers. They are placed at ſhort diſtances from each other on the ſhip's outſide, as being uſed to contain the blocks called dead-eyes, by which the ſhrouds of the maſts are extended.
  • CHEEKS of the maſt, the faces or projecting parts on each ſide of the maſts, uſed to ſuſtain the frame of the top, together with the top-maſt, which reſts immediately upon them.
  • CLAWING, or CLAWING-OFF, the act of beating or turning to windward from a lee ſhore, ſo as to acquire a ſufficient diſtance from it, to eſcape the dangers of ſhipwreck.
  • CLEATS, pieces of wood of different ſhapes, uſed occaſionally to faſten ropes upon in a ſhip.
  • CLENCH, or CLINCH, that part of a cable, or other rope, which is faſtened to the ring of the anchor.
  • CLOSE upon a wind, or CLOSE-HAULED, the general arrangement or trim of a ſhip's ſails, when ſhe endeavours to make a progreſs in the neareſt direction poſſible towards that point of the compaſs from which the wind blows.
  • To CLEW, or CLUE-UP, to truſs the ſails up to the yards by tackles faſtened to their lower corners, called their clues.
  • COCKSWAIN, or COXEN, the officer who manages and ſteers a boat, and has the command of the boat's crew.
  • COMPANION, a ſort of wooden porch placed over the entrance or ſtair caſe of the maſter's cabin in a merchant-ſhip.
  • COURSES, a name by which the principal ſails of a ſhip are uſually diſtinguiſhed, viz. the main-ſail, fore-ſail, and mizen.
  • CRANK, the quality of a ſhip which for want of a ſufficient quantity of ballaſt or cargo, is rendered incapable of carrying ſail without being expoſed to the danger of overturning.
D.
  • Half-DECK, a ſpace under the quarter-deck of a ſhip of war, contained between the foremoſt bulkhead of the ſteerage and the fore-part of the quarter-deck.
  • DRIVING, the ſtate of being carried at random along the ſurface of the water, by a ſtorm or current: it is generally expreſſed of a ſhip when broken looſe from her anchors or moorings.
E.
  • To EDGE away, to decline gradually from the ſhore, or from the line of the courſe which the ſhip formerly ſteered.
F.
  • FALL, the looſe end of a tackle; or that part upon which the people pull, or hoiſt, to produce the required effect.
  • To FILL, to brace the ſails in ſuch a manner, as that the wind, entering their cavities from behind, dilates them ſo as to advance the ſhip in her courſe.
  • FISH, is a long piece of oak, convex on one ſide, and concave on the other. It is uſed to faſten upon the outſide of the lower maſts, as an additional ſecurity, to ſtrengthen them when it becomes neceſſary to carry an extraordinary preſſure of ſail. The fiſhes are alſo employed for the ſame purpoſe on any yard, which happens to be ſprung or fractured.
  • FLAW, a ſudden breeze, or guſt of wind.
  • FLOOR, the bottom of a ſhip.
  • FOOT of a ſail, lower edge or bottom.
  • FOOT-ROPE, the rope to which the foot of a ſail is ſewed.
  • FORE, all that part of a ſhip's frame and machinery which lies near the head.
G.
  • GAFF, a ſort of boom or pole, uſed to extend the upper edge of the mizen. The foremoſt, or inner extremity of it, is furniſhed with two cheeks forming a ſemicircle, which incloſe the after part of the maſt ſo as to confine the gaff cloſe to its reſpective maſt whilſt the ſail is hoiſting or lowering.
  • GANGWAY, a narrow platform, or range of planks, laid horizontally along the upper part of a ſhip's ſide, from the quarter-deck to the forecaſtle, for the convenience of walking more expeditiouſly fore and aft, than by deſcending into the waiſt.
  • [xxvii]GANGWAY, is alſo that part of a ſhip's ſide, both within and without, by which the paſſengers enter and depart. It is for this purpoſe provided with a ſufficient number of ſteps, or cleats, nailed upon the ſhip's ſide, nearly as low as the ſurface of the water; and ſometimes furniſhed with a railed accommodation-ladder, whoſe lower end projects from the ſhip's ſide, being ſecured in this poſition by iron braces, ſo as to render the aſcent and deſcent convenient.
  • GRAPPLING, a ſmall anchor, fitted with four or five flukes or claws, commonly uſed to ride a boat or other ſmall veſſel.
  • GUNNEL, or GUNWALE, the upper edge of a ſhip's ſide.
H.
  • HANDING the ſails, rolling them up cloſe to the yard or maſt to which they belong.
  • HAMMACOES, the ſame with hammoc.
  • To HAUL, an expreſſion peculiar to ſeamen, implying to pull a ſingle rope, without the aſſiſtance of blocks, or other mechanical powers.
  • To HAUL the wind, to direct the ſhip's courſe nearer to that point of the compaſs from which the wind ariſes.
  • HAWSER, a large rope which holds the middle degree between the cable and tow-line.
  • HEAVING-ſhort, is the drawing ſo much of the cable into the ſhip, by means of the capſtern or windlaſs, as that by advancing, ſhe will be almoſt perpendicularly above the anchor, and in a proper ſituation to ſet ſail.
  • HEAVING-taught, the act of heaving about the capſtern, till the rope applied thereto becomes ſtreight and ready for action.
  • To HEEL, to ſtoop or incline to either ſide.
  • HUMMOCK, a little hill.
J.
  • JERKED, cured with ſalt.
  • GIB, or JIB-BOOM, a boom run out from the extremity of the bowſprit, parallel to its length, and ſerving to extend the bottom of the jib, and the ſtay of the fore-top-gallant-maſt.
K.
  • KEDGE, a ſmall anchor, uſed to keep a ſhip ſteady whilſt ſhe rides in a harbour or river.
  • [xxviii] Falſe KEEL, a ſtrong, thick piece of timber, bolted to the main keel to preſerve its lower-ſide.
  • KNEE, a crooked piece of timber, having two branches or arms and generally uſed to connect the beams of a ſhip with her ſides or timbers.
L.
  • LAGOON, a lake.
  • LARBOARD, the left ſide of a ſhip when the eye of a ſpectator is directed forward.
  • LASHING, a piece of rope employed to faſten or ſecure any moveable body in a ſhip, or about her maſts, ſails, and rigging: alſo the act of faſtening or ſecuring any thing by means of the rope uſed for this purpoſe.
  • LOG, a machine uſed to meaſure the ſhip's head-way, or the rate of her velocity as ſhe advances through the ſea. It is compoſed of a reel and line, to which is fixed a ſmall piece of wood, forming the quadrant of a circle. The term log however is more particularly applied to the latter. The log, is generally about a quarter of an inch thick, and five or ſix inches from the angular point to the circumference. It is balanced by a thin plate of lead, nailed upon the arch, ſo as to ſwim perpendicularly in the water, with about ⅔ impreſſed under the ſurface. The line is faſtened to the log by means of two legs, one of which paſſes through a hole at the corner, and is knotted on the oppoſite ſide; whilſt the other leg is attached to the arch by a pin, fixed in another hole, ſo as to draw out occaſionally. By theſe legs the log is hung in equilibrio, and the line, which is united to it, is divided into certain ſpaces, which are in proportion to an equal number of geographical miles, as a half minute or quarter minute is to an hour of time.
  • LUG-SAIL, a ſquare ſail, hoiſted occaſionally on the maſt of a boat, or ſmall veſſel, upon a yard which hangs nearly at right angles with the maſt.
M.
  • To MAKE the land, is to diſcover it from a diſtant ſituation, in conſequence of approaching it after a ſea-voyage.
  • MIZEN, the aftermoſt or hindmoſt of the fixed ſails of a ſhip.
  • [xxix]MOORING, the act of confining and ſecuring a ſhip in a particular ſtation, by chains or cables, which are either faſtened to the adjacent ſhore, or to anchors in the bottom.
N.
  • NEAPED, the ſituation of a ſhip which is left aground on the height of a ſpring-tide, ſo that ſhe cannot be floated off till the return of the next ſpring.
O.
  • OFFING, implies out at ſea; or at a competent diſtance from the ſhore, and generally out of anchor-ground.
  • OPEN, is expreſſed of any diſtant object, to which the ſight or paſſage is not intercepted by ſomething lying, or coming between. Thus, to be open with any place, is to be oppoſite to it; as the entry of a port, road, or haven.
  • OVER-HAULING, the act of opening and extending the ſeveral parts of a tackle, or other aſſemblage of ropes, communicating with blocks, or dead-eyes. It is uſed to remove thoſe blocks to a ſufficient diſtance from each other, that they may be again placed in a ſtate of action, ſo as to produce the effect required.
P.
  • PAINTER, a rope employed to faſten a boat either alongſide of the ſhip to which ſhe belongs, or to ſome wharf or key.
  • PALM of the anchor, the ſame with fluke, the broad barbed ends of the two arms at the bottom of the ſhank.
  • PARCELING, certain long narrow ſlips of canvas, daubed with tar, and frequently bound about a rope, in the ſame manner as bandages are applied to a broken limb in ſurgery.
  • To PAY, to daub or anoint the ſurface of any body, in order to preſerve it from the injuries of the water and weather, &c.
  • PORTS, the embraſures or openings in the ſide of a ſhip of war, wherein the artillery is ranged in battery upon the decks above and below.
  • HALF-PORTS, are what ſtops that part of the port which when the gun is puſhed out is left open.
  • PURCHASE, any mechanical power employed in raiſing or removing heavy bodies, or in fixing or extending the ſhip's rigging.
Q.
  • QUARTER, that part of a ſhip's ſide which lies towards the ſtern.
  • QUARTER-CLOTHS, long pieces of painted canvas, extended on the outſide of the quarter-neting from the upper-part of the gallery to the gangway.
R.
  • RANGE, a ſufficient length of the cable, drawn up on the deck, before the anchor is caſt looſe from the bow, to let it ſink to the bottom, without being interrupted, that the flukes may be forced the deeper into the ground, by the additional weight which the anchor acquires in ſinking.
  • REEF, a certain portion of a ſail, comprehended between the top or bottom, and a row of eyelet-holes parallel thereto.
  • To REEF, is to reduce the ſurface of the ſail in proportion to the increaſe of the wind.
  • REEF alſo implies a chain of rocks, lying near the ſurface of the water.
  • RIGING, a general name given to all the ropes employed to ſupport the maſts; and to extend or reduce the ſails, or arange them to the diſpoſition of the wind.
  • RIGHTING, the act of reſtoring a ſhip to her upright poſition, after ſhe has been laid on a careen. A ſhip is alſo ſaid to right at ſea when ſhe riſes, with her maſts erected, after having been preſt down on one ſide by the effort of her ſails, or a heavy ſquall of wind.
S.
  • SCARFING, when two pieces of timber are to be joined together by the ends, if the ends are cut ſquare, another piece is laid upon, and faſtened to both, and this is called ſcarfing.
  • SETING, the act of obſerving the ſituation of any diſtant object by the compaſs, in order to diſcover the angle which it makes with the neareſt meridian.
  • SHEET, a rope faſtened to one or both the lower corners of a ſail to extend and retain it in a particular ſtation.
  • SHROUDS, a range of large ropes extended from the maſt-heads to the right and left ſide of the ſhip, to ſupport the maſts, and enable them to carry ſail.
  • [xxxi]SKIDS, or SKEEDS, are long compaſſing pieces of timber, formed ſo as to anſwer the vertical curve of a ſhip's ſide. They are notched below ſo as to fit cloſely upon the wales; and as they are intended to preſerve the planks of the ſide, when any weighty body is hoiſted or lowered, they extend from the main wale to the top of the ſide; and they are retained in this poſition by bolts or ſpike-nails.
  • SPRING, a crack or breach running tranſverſely or obliquely through any part of a maſt or yard, ſo as to render it unſafe to carry the uſual quantity of ſail thereon.
  • SPRING is alſo a rope paſſed out of one extremity of a ſhip and attached to a cable proceeding from the other, when ſhe lies at anchor. It is uſually done to bring the ſhip's broad-ſide, or battery of cannon, to bear upon ſome diſtant object.
  • SPRITSAIL, a ſail attached to a yard which hangs under the bowſprit.
  • SQUALL, a ſudden and violent blaſt of wind, uſually occaſioned by the interruption and reverberation of the wind from high mountains.
  • STANCHION, a ſort of ſmall pillar of wood or iron uſed for various purpoſes in a ſhip; as to ſupport the decks, the quarter-rails, the netings, and awnings.
  • STANDING, the movement by which a ſhip advances towards a certain object, or departs from it.
  • STARBOARD, the right ſide of a ſhip when the eye of the ſpectator is directed forward.
  • To STAY, the ſame as to tack; the contrary to wear, which ſee; hence the phraſe to miſs ſtays when ſhe fails in the operation.
  • STIFF, the quality by which a ſhip is enabled to carry a ſufficient quantity of ſail, without hazard of overſetting.
  • STREAKS, or STRAKES, the uniform ranges of planks on the bottom and ſides of a ſhip.
  • To STRIKE, to run aſhore, or to beat upon the ground in paſſing over a bank or ſhallow.
  • STUDDING-SAILS, certain light ſails extended, in moderate and ſteady breezes, beyond the ſkirts of the principal ſails, where they appear as wings upon the yard-arms.
  • [xxxii]SURF, the ſwell of the ſea which breaks upon the ſhore, or any rock lying near the ſurface of the water.
  • SWEEPING, the act of dragging the bight, or looſe part of a ſmall rope, along the ſurface of the ground, in a harbour or road, in order to hook and recover ſome anchor, wreck, or other material, ſunk at the bottom. It is performed by faſtening the two ends of this rope to the ſides of two boats which are abreaſt of each other, at ſome diſtance. To the middle of the rope are ſuſpended two cannon ſhot, or ſomething which weighs heavy, in order to ſink it to the ground: ſo that, as the boats advance by rowing ahead, the rope drags along the bottom, to hook any thing for which they are ſearching.
  • SWEEPS, are long oars ſometimes uſed on board a ſhip to pull her round.
T.
  • TACK, a rope uſed to confine the foremoſt loweſt-corners of the courſes and ſtay-ſails in a fixed poſition, when the wind croſſes the ſhip's courſe obliquely.
  • TACK-CHAIN plates, ſtrong links or plates of iron, the lower ends of which are bolted through the ſhip's ſide to the timbers, for the purpoſe of holding the rope called a tack.
  • MAIN-TACK, the tack of the main-ſail.
  • TAFFAREL, the upper part of a ſhip's ſtern, being a curved piece of wood, uſually ornamented with ſculpture.
  • TAUGHT, the ſtate of being extended or ſtretched out. It is uſually applied to a rope or ſail, in oppoſition to ſlack.
  • TENDING, the movement by which a ſhip turns or ſwings round her anchor in a tide-way, at the beginning of the flood or ebb.
  • THWART, the ſeat or bench of a boat whereon the rowers ſit to manage the oars.
  • TILER, the bar or lever employed to turn the rudder in ſteering.
  • TIMBERS, the ribs of a ſhip.
  • TRANSOMS, certain beams or timbers extended acroſs the ſtern-poſt of a ſhip to fortify her after-part, and give it the figure moſt ſuitable to the ſervice for which ſhe is calculated.
  • [xxxiii]TRUSSEL or TRESTLE-TREES, two ſtrong bars of timber fixed horizontally on the oppoſite ſides of the lower maſt-head, to ſupport the frame of the top, and the weight of the top-maſt.
  • TRIM, the ſtate or diſpoſition by which a ſhip is beſt calculated for the ſeveral purpoſes of navigation.
  • To TREND, to run off in a certain direction.
  • TRIPING, the movement by which an anchor is looſened from the bottom by its cable or buoy-ropes.
V.
  • VEERING, the ſame as wearing, which ſee.
  • To VEER away the cable, is to ſlacken it, that it may run out of the ſhip.
W.
  • WAKE, the print or track impreſſed by the courſe of a ſhip on the ſurface of the water.
  • WALES, an aſſemblage of ſtrong planks extending along a ſhip's ſide, throughout her whole length, at different heights, and ſerving to reinforce the decks, and form the curves by which the veſſel appears light and graceful on the water.
  • WARP, a ſmall rope employed occaſionally to remove a ſhip from one place to another, in a port, road or river. And hence
  • To WARP, is to change the ſituation of a ſhip, by pulling her from one part of a harbour, &c. to ſome other, by means of warps.
  • WASH-BOARD, a broad thin plank fixed occaſionally on the top of a boat's ſide, ſo as to raiſe it, and be removed at pleaſure. It is uſed to prevent the ſea from breaking into the veſſel, particularly when the ſurface is rough.
  • To WEATHER, is to ſail to windward of ſome ſhip, bank, or headland.
  • To WEAR, the ſame as to veer, to perform the operation by which a ſhip, in changing her courſe from one board to the other, turns her ſtern to windward; it is the oppoſite to tacking, in which the head is turned to the windward and the ſtern to the leeward.
  • WINDLASS, a machine uſed in merchant-ſhips to heave up the anchors. It is a large cylindrical piece of timber, ſupported at the two [xxxiv] ends by two frames of wood, placed on the oppoſite ſides of the deck near the fore-maſt, and is turned about as upon an axis, by levers called handſpecs which are for this purpoſe thruſt into holes bored through the body of the machine.
  • WOOLDING, the act of winding a piece of rope about a maſt or yard, to ſupport it in a place where it may have been fiſhed or ſcarfed; or when it is compoſed of ſeveral pieces united into one ſolid.
Y.
  • YARD, a long piece of timber ſuſpended upon the maſts of a ſhip. to extend the ſails to the wind.
  • YAW, the movement by which a ſhip deviates from the line of her courſe towards the right or left in ſteering.

A DESCRIPTION of the CUTS.

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  • I. A view of the Indians of Terra del Fuego in their hut.
  • II. A view of Matavia Bay in Otaheite; called by Captain Wallis, Port Royal Harbour in King George the Third's Iſland. The view is taken from One Tree Hill, and the tree is a new ſpecies of the Erythrina.
  • III. A view in the Iſland of Ulietea, with a double canoe and a boat-houſe.
  • IV. A view of the Iſland of Otaheite, with ſeveral veſſels of that iſland.
  • V. A view in the Iſland of Otaheite; with the houſe or ſhed called Tupapow, under which the dead are depoſited, and a repreſentation of the perſon who performs the principal part in the funeral ceremony in his peculiar dreſs; with a man climbing the bread-fruit tree to get out of his way.
  • VI. A view in the Iſland of Huaheine; with the Ewharra no Eatua, or Houſe of God; a ſmall altar with its offering; and a tree called Owharra with which the houſes are thatched.
  • VII. A view of the inſide of a houſe in the Iſland of Ulietea, with the repreſentation of a dance to the muſic of the country.
  • VIII. A military gorget worn in the South Sea Iſlands.
  • IX. The firſt two figures, reckoning from the left hand, are ohiſſels or gouges; the third an adze of the ſmaller kind; the fourth, the inſtrument with which the bread-fruit is beaten into paſte; the fifth, the naſal flute; the ſixth, a thatching needle; the ſeventh, the inſtrument uſed for beating the cloth, over which is a ſquare repreſenting the end of it, to ſhew the different ſize of the grooves on the four ſides, the number of which is expreſſed in figures.
  • X. The firſt figure, reckoning from the left hand, is an adze of the larger ſize; the ſecond and third are different repreſentations of the upper part of it, to ſhew the manner of tying the ſtone to the handle; the ſmaller figures are tattowing inſtruments, to pierce the ſkin, of different ſizes with and without their handles; the laſt is the inſtrument with which they are ſtruck for that purpoſe.
  • [xxxvi]XI. A branch of the bread-fruit tree with the fruit.
  • XII. The middle figure repreſents a fly-flap of the Iſland Ohiteroa; the two ſide figures, handles of the ſame inſtruments made in Otaheite. @@

    N.B. the figures in the plates IX. X. and XII. are according to a ſcale of one third of an inch to an inch.

  • XIII. The head of a New Zealander, with a comb in his hair, an ornament of green ſtone in his ear, and another of a fiſh's tooth round his neck.
  • XIV. Bludgeons, uſed as weapons by the New Zealanders, and called Patoo-patoos, as ſeen on the ſide, the edge, and the end. They are from fourteen to eighteen inches long, and broad and thick in proportion.
  • XV. A cheſt of New Zealand, as a ſpecimen of the carving of that country.
  • XVI. A war canoe of New Zealand, with a view of Gable End Foreland.
  • XVII. A view of a perforated rock in Tolaga Bay in New Zealand.
  • XVIII. A fortified town or village, called a Hippah, built on a perforated rock at Tolaga in New Zealand.
  • XIX. A view of Endeavour River, on the coaſt of New Holland, where the ſhip was laid on ſhore, in order to repair the damage which ſhe received on the rock.
  • XX. An animal found on the coaſt of New Holland called Kanguroo.
  • XXI. A repreſentation of the interview between Commodore Byron and the Patagonians.
  • XXII. A repreſentation of the attack of Captain Wallis in the Dolphin by the natives of Otaheite.
  • XXIII. A repreſentation of the ſurrender of the iſland of Otaheite to Captain Wallis by the ſuppoſed Queen Oberea.

ERRATUM.

Vol. I. page 534. line 18. for I, read he.

DIRECTIONS FOR PLACING THE CUTS AND CHARTS.

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VOLUME I.
  • CHART of part of the South Seas, ſhewing the Track and Diſcoveries made by all the ſhips, To front the Title-page.
    • Chart of the Streight of Magellan,
    • Chart of Port Famine, Wood's Bay, Port Gallant and Forteſcue Bay, and Cordes's Bay and Harbour,
    • Chart of Saint David's Cove, Iſland Bay, Swallow Harbour, Puzzling Bay, Cape Providence, Cape Upright Bay, and Dolphin Bay,
    • Chart of Elizabeth Bay, Saint David's Bay, and from York River to Three Iſland Bay and Harbour,
    To front Commodore Byron's Voyage.
  • No. 23. facing Page 27
  • A chart of Hawkins's Maiden Land, and Falkland's Sound, to face Ch. V. Page 41
  • No. 21. facing Page 443
  • No. 22. to face Page 462
  • Views of Sir Charles Saunders's Iſland, Oſnaburg Iſland, Boſcawen's Iſland, Admiral Keppel's Iſland, and Wallis's Iſland, Page 491
  • Chart of Coco's Iſland, and Traytor's Iſland, to face Page 492
  • Chart of Wallis's Iſland, to face Page 496
  • View of the N.W. ſide of Maſafuero, to face Page 553
  • A chart and views of Pitcairn's Iſland, to face Page 561
  • []Queen Charlotte's Iſlands, to face Page 568
  • The north ſide of the largeſt of Queen Charlotte's iſlands, Swallow Bay, and Byron's Harbour, to face Page 577
  • Nova Hibernia, with a view of the Iſland of Saint John, and ſix others, to face Page 588
  • A chart of Captain Carteret's Diſcoveries at New Britain, to face Page 595
  • Three views of the Admiralty Iſles, and ſome others, to face Page 605
  • A dangerous ſhoal, Joſeph Freewell's Iſland, and the ſouth end of Mindanao, to face Page 609
  • A Draught of Bonthain Bay, Page 637
VOLUME II.
  • A view of part of the N.E. ſide of Terra del Fuego, with three other views, a Plan of Succeſs Bay in Streight la Maire, and a chart of the S.E. part of Terra del Fuego, Page 39
  • No. 1. facing Page 55
  • Chart of the Iſland of Otaheite, Page 79
    • No. 2.
    • No. 11.
    facing Page 80
    • No. 4.
    • No. 8.
    facing Page 185
  • No. 12. facing Page 185
  • No. 10. facing Page 191
  • No. 9. facing Page 212
  • No. 5. facing Page 234
    • Chart of the Society Iſlands,
    • Matavai Bay in Otaheite, Ohameneno Harbour in Ulietea, Owharra Harbour in Huaheine, and Oopoa Harbour in Ulietea,
    • Chart of all the Iſlands,
    Page 249
  • No. 6. facing Page 252
  • No. 3. facing Page 258
  • No. 7. facing Page 265
  • Chart of New Zealand, facing Book II. Chap. i. Page 281
  • No. 17. facing Page 318
  • []River Thames, and Mercury Bay in New Zealand, Bay of Iſlands, and Tolaga Bay, Page 323
  • No. 18. facing Page 341
  • Chart of Cook's Streight in New Zealand, facing Page 385
VOLUME III.
  • No. 13. facing Page 453
    • No. 15.
    • No. 16.
    facing Page 463
  • No. 14. facing Page 466
    • A chart of New South Wales on the eaſt coaſt of New Holland,
    • Entrance of Endeavour River in New South Wales, and Botany Bay, facing
    Page 481
  • No. 19. facing Page 557
  • No. 20. facing Page 561
  • Chart of part of the coaſt of New South Wales from Cape Tribulation to Endeavour Streight, Page 589
  • ☞ The Second Volume ends at page Page 410
  • and Vol. 3d. begins at page Page 411

Errata in the Deſcription of the Cuts.

  • For Plate XXI. read Plate XXIII.
  • For XXII. read XXI.
  • For XXIII. read XXII.
[][][][]
A CHART of the STRAIGHTS OF MAGELLAN, in which are Inſerted THE OBSERVATIONS AND DISCOVERIES, of Captn. Byron, Captn. Wallis and Captain Carteret.

[]

PORT FAMINE
WOODS BAY
PORT GALLANT and FORTESCUE BAY
CORDES BAY and HARBOUR

[]

St. Davids Cove
ISLAND BAY
[figure]
Swallow Harbour
Puzling Bay
Cape Providence with the Bay and Anchoring Places to the N.N.E. of it.
CAPE UPWRIGHT BAY
DOLPHIN BAY

[]

Elizabeth Bay
A Bay under the Iſlands Opposite York R [...]ad
St. Davids Bay
FROM YORK BAY to THREE ISLAND BAY and HARBOUR
END OF THE FIRST VOLUME.
Notes
*
The tenth Chapter is by miſtake numbered XI.
*
See ſome account of this ſettlement in the Voyage of Captain Wallis, chap. iii. p. 411.
*
See a particular deſcription of the bread-fruit, vol. ii. p. 80.
*
See a deſcription of this fruit in the Account of the Voyage of the Endeavour.
*
There is another iſland of this name, among thoſe that were diſcovered by Captain Wallis.
Distributed by the University of Oxford under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License

Zitationsvorschlag für dieses Objekt
TextGrid Repository (2020). TEI. 4590 An account of the voyages undertaken by the order of His present Majesty for making discoveries in the Southern Hemisphere By John Hawkesworth LL D In three volumes pt 1. University of Oxford Text Archive. . https://hdl.handle.net/21.T11991/0000-001A-58EB-9