A voyage to the South Sea : $b Undertaken by command of His Majesty for the purpose of conveying the bread-fruit tree to the West Indies in His Majesty's ship the Bounty commanded by Lieutenant William Bligh; including an account of the mutiny on board the said ship and the subsequent voyage of part of the crew in the ship's boat from Tofoa, one of the Friendly Islands, to Timor, a Dutch settlement in the East IndiesBligh, William
History
A voyage to the South Sea : $b Undertaken by command of His Majesty for the purpose of conveying the bread-fruit tree to the West Indies in His Majesty's ship the Bounty commanded by Lieutenant William Bligh; including an account of the mutiny on board the said ship and the subsequent voyage of part of the crew in the ship's boat from Tofoa, one of the Friendly Islands, to Timor, a Dutch settlement in the East Indies
Bligh, William
Bounty (Ship); Bounty Mutiny, 1789; Oceania -- Description and travel -- Early works to 1800; Voyages and travels
On the 26th at four o'clock in the morning, having run twenty-five
leagues from Maitea, we brought to till daylight, when we saw Point Venus
bearing south-west by west, distant about four leagues. As we drew near a
great number of canoes came off to us. Their first enquiries were if we
were tyos, which signifies friends; and whether we came from Pretanie
(their pronunciation of Britain) or from Lima: they were no sooner
satisfied in this than they crowded on board in vast numbers,
notwithstanding our endeavours to prevent it, as we were working the ship
in; and in less than ten minutes the deck was so full that I could scarce
find my own people. At nine in the forenoon we were obliged to anchor in
the outer part of Matavai Bay, in thirteen fathoms, being prevented by
light variable winds from placing the ship in a proper berth. In this
station the west part of One-tree hill bore south by east half east one
mile distant.
This passage of fifty-two days from Van Diemen's Land may be rated as
moderate sailing. We passed New Zealand with the spring equinox and the
winds, though strong, were at no time violent. To the southward of 40
degrees 0 minutes south they were variable; between the latitudes of 40
and 33 degrees south the wind kept in the north-west quarter; afterwards
till we got into the trade the winds were variable, mostly from the
eastward, but light and inclinable to calms. The ship was 3 degrees 22
minutes in longitude to the eastward of the dead reckoning, which the
timekeeper almost invariably proved to be owing to a current giving us
more easting than the log. Our track was as distant from any course of
former ships as I could conveniently make it and, though we made no new
discoveries, except the small cluster of islands near New Zealand, yet in
other parts of the track, as has been noticed, we met with signs of being
in the neighbourhood of land.
It may not be unworthy of remark that the whole distance which the ship
had run by the log, in direct and contrary courses, from leaving England
to our anchoring at Otaheite, was twenty-seven thousand and eighty-six
miles which, on an average, is at the rate of a hundred and eight miles
each twenty-four hours.
CHAPTER 6.
Account of an English Ship lately sailed from Otaheite.
Death of Omai.
Captain Cook's Picture sent on board.
Otoo visits the Ship.
His Visit returned.
Natives well disposed towards us.
Account of the Cattle left by Captain Cook.
Breadfruit plants promised.
Visit to the Earee Rahie.
Presents made to the Arreoys.
1788. October. Sunday 26.
The ship being anchored, our number of visitors continued to increase;
but as yet we saw no person that we could recollect to have been of much
consequence. Some inferior chiefs made me presents of a few hogs and I
made them presents in return. We were supplied with coconuts in great
abundance but breadfruit was scarce.
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