A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 12: Arranged in Systematic Order: Forming a Complete History of the; Origin and Progress of Navigation, Discovery, and Commerce, by Sea; and Land, from the Earliest Ages to the Present TimeKerr, Robert
History
A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 12: Arranged in Systematic Order: Forming a Complete History of the; Origin and Progress of Navigation, Discovery, and Commerce, by Sea; and Land, from the Earliest Ages to the Present Time
Kerr, Robert
Voyages and travels
The inhabitants of this island were of a middle stature, and dark
complexion, with long black hair, which hung loose over their shoulders.
The men were well made, and the women handsome. Their clothing was a
kind of coarse cloth or matting, which was fastened about their middle,
and seemed capable of being brought up round their shoulders.
In the afternoon, I sent Lieutenant Furneaux with the boats again on
shore. He had with him a mate and twenty men, who were to make a
rolling-way for getting the casks down to the beach from the well. I
gave orders that he should take possession of the island, in the name of
King George the Third, and give it the name of _Queen Charlottes
Island,_ in honour of her majesty. The boats returned freighted with
cocoa-nuts and scurvy-grass, and the officer told me that he had found
two more wells of good water, not far from the beach. I was at this time
very ill, yet I went ashore with the surgeon, and several of the people,
who were enfeebled by the scurvy, to take a walk. I found the wells so
convenient, that I left the mate and twenty men on shore to fill the
water, and ordered a week's provisions to be sent them from the ship,
they being already furnished with arms and ammunition. In the evening I
returned on board, with the surgeon and the sick, leaving only the
waterers on shore. As we had not been able to find any anchorage, I
stood off and on all night.
In the morning, I sent all the empty water casks on shore: the surgeon
and the sick were also sent for the benefit of another airing, but I
gave them strict orders that they should keep near the water-side, and
in the shade; that they should not pull down or injure any of the
houses, nor, for the sake of the fruit, destroy the cocoa-trees, which I
appointed proper persons to climb. At noon, the rolling-way being made,
the cutter returned laden with water, but, it was with great difficulty
got off the beach, as it is all rock, and the surf that breaks upon it
is often very great. At four, I received another boat-load of water, and
a fresh supply of cocoa-nuts, palm-nuts, and scurvy-grass; the surgeon
also returned with the sick men, who received much benefit from their
walk. The next morning, as soon as it was light, I dispatched orders to
the mate, to send all the water that was filled on board, and to be
ready to come off with his people when the boats should return again,
bringing with them as many cocoa-nuts, and as much scurvy-grass, as they
could procure. About eight o'clock, all the boats and people came on
board, with the water and refreshments, but the cutter, in coming off,
shipped a sea, which almost filled her with water: The barge was happily
near enough to assist her, by taking great part of her crew on board,
while the rest freed her, without any other damage than the loss of the
cocoa-nuts and greens that were on board. At noon, I hoisted the boats
in, and there being a great sea, with a dreadful surf rolling in upon
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