We found in this place three English whale ships[4] and one merchant brig.[5] The natives, although engaged in wars and fighting with themselves and being exceedingly fierce and savage, treated us very well and sold us hogs and vegetables in great plenty for muskets, powder, tools, cloth and tobacco. We generally were well pleased with them excepting the strong propensity they had to steal. The English Mission has a large establishment in this place guarded by a fort, and have succeeded tolerably well in informing the natives and in particular in putting a stop to the horrid practice of eating the dead bodies of their enemies.[6] We purchased six of the natives from one of the Chiefs, who we intended to employ in procuring our cargo; and after getting a supply of fresh stock, wood and water, we sailed from this port and steered to the north west intending to touch at the Tonga Islands before we went among the Fegeis, in order to lay in a good supply of vegetables and hogs which are in greater plenty at the Tonga Islands than at New Zealand. After leaving the land we found the weather boisterous for a few days until we reached the south east trades when it proved mild and pleasant and on the 6th of October, we saw one of the group called Friendly Islands[7] by Capt. Cook and Tonga by the natives. We ran in near to the shore when the natives came off in great numbers in their canoes bringing great quantities of cocoanuts, yams, plantains, hogs and fowls, besides different kinds of fruit, which they readily sold for cloth, beads, etc. As we had plenty of trade which we brought from the United States for the purpose we soon purchased a sufficiency of fresh stock and vegetables. The natives were of a copper complexion and were of very handsome features and appeared very friendly to us and well pleased with our trade. They were nearly naked having only a small covering over the middle and a few small ornaments round their necks and in the ears. On the 8th, having purchased a sufficient quantity of stock, we left the Islands and steered for the Fegee Islands,[8] our destined port, where we expected to procure our cargo and where we should be obliged to stop some months. These are a cluster of islands situated in the Pacific Ocean between the latitudes of 15° and 18° south and the longitudes of 178° and 180° east and very much resemble the West Indies, being very fertile and producing nearly all the fruits and vegetables found at those islands and being situated between the Tropics, the climate is much the same.