The Three Voyages of Captain Cook Round the World. Vol. IV. Being the Second of the Second Voyage.Cook, James
History
The Three Voyages of Captain Cook Round the World. Vol. IV. Being the Second of the Second Voyage.
Cook, James
Cook, James, 1728-1779 -- Travel; Explorers -- Great Britain -- Biography; Voyages around the world -- History -- 18th century
We are utter strangers to their religion; and but little acquainted with
their government. They seem to have chiefs among them; at least some
were pointed out to us by that title; but, as I before observed, they
appeared to have very little authority over the rest of the people. Old
Geogy was the only one the people were ever seen to take the least
notice of; but whether this was owing to high rank or old age I cannot
say. On several occasions I have seen the old men respected and obeyed.
Our friend Paowang was so; and yet I never heard him called chief, and
have many reasons to believe that he had not a right to any more
authority than many of his neighbours, and few, if any, were bound to
obey him, or any other person in our neighbourhood; for if there had
been such a one, we certainly should, by some means, have known it. I
named the harbour Port Resolution, after the ship, she being the first
which ever entered it. It is situated on the north side of the most
eastern point of the island, and about E. N. E. from the volcano; in the
latitude of 19° 32ʹ 25ʺ 1/2 South, and in the longitude of 169° 44ʹ 35ʺ
East. It is no more than a little creek running in S. by W. 1/2 W. three
quarters of a mile, and is about half that in breadth. A shoal of sand
and rocks lying on the east side makes it still narrower. The depth of
water in the harbour is from six to three fathoms, and the bottom is
sand and mud. No place can be more convenient for taking in wood and
water; for both are close to the shore. The water stunk a little after
it had been a few days on board, but it afterwards turned sweet; and,
even when it was at the worst, the tin machine would, in a few hours,
recover a whole cask. This is an excellent contrivance for sweetening
water at sea, and is well known in the navy.
Mr. Wales, from whom I had the latitude and longitude, found the
variation of the needle to be 7° 14ʹ 12ʺ East, and the dip of its south
end 45° 2-1/3ʹ. He also observed the time of high water, on the full and
change days; to be about 5 h. 45m., and the tide to rise and fall three
feet.
CHAP. VII.
THE SURVEY OF THE ISLANDS CONTINUED, AND A MORE PARTICULAR DESCRIPTION
OF THEM.
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