ficer, Bernard Magee, went in the pinnace, with six hands. and Tooe-no-haa, in search of an anchoring place, and to purchase hogs or other provisions; at the same time that the ship stood off and on, the west side of the island. About 10, A. M. they landed in a small bay, and several natives, of both sexes, came to see them; they were highly delighted with the boat, but much more so with the looking glasses which were shown them. They examined the fire-arms with great attention; but had no idea of their effect, till, at the request of Tooe-no-haa, one of them was discharged; at the report, they all fell into the water; and when they came up, held their hands to their heads, and exclaimed as if they had been wounded. The old man laughed heartily, and told them, that their new visitors were friends, and would not hurt them if they behaved well; but that if they should attempt to steal any thing, they would certainly be killed. When Magee inquired for hogs, they pointed inland, and to the N. part of the island, where, they said, these animals were to be had in plenty.

N.

He then went out of the bay, and attempted to coast the part of the island, where, the old man and the other natives assured him, there was good anchorage; but a strong N. E. wind prevented him from going so far as to determine whether there was so large a bay as had been described. The natives came down to a small bay abreast of the pinnace, and invited them on shore; but there was no possibility of landing. They had only a few cocoa-nuts and calabashes; from which it was concluded that they came from inland to the sea shore a fishing. There was no appearance of huts along the coasts; but the land had every sign of fertility.

As there was no possibility of landing here, or of proceeding against the wind to the northward, the pinnace put back to the bay where they had been in the morning. Their former visitors came again to them, and brought fish, which they had baked, rolled up in leaves, for which they received some pieces of iron hoops. Their stay here was but short, as there was another bay to be examined, which lay southward, about one mile. Here they found a few natives, but saw no huts. On landing, the greater part disappeared; and those who remained seemed very indifferent to the articles shown them, such as nails, knives, glasses, and pieces

of

of iron. They all said that at the N. side of the island, and inland, there was a plenty of hogs. At this place the old. man, Tooe-no-haa, took his leave of them, with much regret and many tears. Before he left the ship, he had been presented with a blanket, a hat, a hatchet, a knife, and a looking glass, with which he was much pleased. This bay is about a half a mile in the extremes of the two points which form it, and about the same depth into the beach; there is a regular decrease of soundings, from eighteen fathoms to the shore, and a fine sandy bottom.

About 4, P. M. Mr. Magee put off for the ship, and at 7 got along side. As it would require considerable time to be among these people before any effectual supplies could be obtained, and the season was fast advancing, it was thought best to give up any farther trial for supplies, and sail for the Sandwich Islands, where they knew that provisions were to be had in plenty and variety.

To the island of Nooheeva, Capt. Roberts gave the name of Adams; it is the same which Ingraham had called Federal island. The latitude of the body of the island is 8° 58' S. and it lies nearly on the same meridian with Wooapo, between 140° and 140° 10′ W. from Greenwich. Capt. Ingraham has placed them about 40′ more to the westward but the difference of latitude between his observation and Roberts's is not material. They all lie in such a situation, and so much within sight of each other, that no voyager can mistake one for the other.

;

In

Ooahoona lies about ten leagues N. E. from Nooheeva. To this island Roberts gave the name of Massachusetts. graham had before called it Washington. This name was given by Roberts to the whole group of the new islands, of which he then supposed himself to be the first discoverer. To avoid confusion, however, it may be most eligible to call each island by its proper name in the language of the inhabitants.

A few days before Capt. Roberts sailed from Resolutionbay, it was discovered, that the island Waitahù, or Christina, produced cotton, superior in fineness to any which they had seen. The natives said that it grew in great plenty on all the islands; a specimen of it is brought home, and deposited in the museum of the Historical Society..

The natives of these islands attend to no kind of cultiva

tion. They live entirely by what nature produces, breadfruit, plantanes, cocoa-nuts, and yams. The three former they have in great perfection; the last was not seen in plenty. They have a fruit something resembling a peach, which they call kaiecka. They have hogs in all the islands, and a few fowls were seen at Resolution-bay, but the price of a fowl was equal to that of a hog.

When the natives go to any distance from home, they carry their bread fruit, either baked or raw, in calabashes. They eat it with the oil of the cocoa-nut, which they call powy. They are very expert at fishing, which adds greatly to their support; they sometimes eat the fish raw, and are very fond of the head and eyes.

There is every reason to suppose them cannibals. The inhabitants of Resolution-bay would not own it of themselves; but freely declared that the other islanders, and the inland people of their own island, devour human flesh.

On the 2d of March, both vessels made sail to the N. N. W. Tooe-no-haa had told them that they would see more land in that direction. Accordingly, the next morning, March 3d, they discovered the two islands to which Ingraham had given the names of Knox and Hancock; but which they called Freeman and Langdon. These islands had every appearance of fertility. Their latitude is from 8° 3' to 8° 5' S. and their longitude very nearly 141° W.

It is much to be regretted, that Capt. Roberts could not spare time to make a full exploration of the northern part of the island Nooheeva, as all the accounts of the natives concurred in representing it populous and fruitful, and to have good anchorage in a large bay. As these islands lie in that part of the Pacific ocean through which vessels from Europe or America, bound to the N. W. coast must pass, and are not far out of their usual tract, they may be visited for refreshment in case of need. It is probable that we shall have a correct chart of them when Capt. Vancoover, who is now, by order of the British government, making a survey of the coasts and islands in the Pacific ocean, shall return to England, and publish his long desired observations.

The above minutes are agreeable to my observations. JOSIAH ROBERTS.

And to mine.

Boston, Nov. 6, 1795.'

BERNARD MAGEE.

1 OBSERVATIONS

66

ON THE ISLANDS OF JUAN FERNANDEZ, MASSAFUERO, AND ST. AMBROSE, IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC OCEAN, AND THE COAST OF CHILI, IN SOUTH-AMERICA. EXTRACTED FROM THE JOURNAL OF MR. BERNARD MAGEE, FIRST OFFICER OF THE SHIP JEFFERSON, IN HER LATE VOYAGE ROUND THE GLOBE.

AT noon we observed the latitude to May 6, 1792. be the same that the latest publication. of the English authors places the island of Juan Fernandez in, which is 32° 3' south; our longitude then, by account, was 85° 18′ W. of Greenwich, which we supposed to be 6o or 7° to the eastward of the island. However, as all the authors we had on board differed much in regard to its situation, we thought it most prudent to keep well to the westward, as we expected to meet the wind strong from that quarter, and to run in the parallel of the island; but in that we were disappointed, as the wind, from the 6th to the 11th, was light and baffling, mostly from the southward and eastward. We kept as near the aforementioned latitude as the winds would admit, when, on the 11th and 12th, we had a good opportunity of determining our longitude by several good sights of the sun and moon, the mean of which gave the longitude 79° 30′ W. the latitude 31° 45' south.

The 13th, had several more good sights, which I most depend on, on account of the atmosphere being very clear, and the sea exceeding smooth. Made the long. 80° 53′ W. the latitude at noon 31° 50' south.

The wind still continuing to the S, E. and N. E. rendered our situation very disagreeable, as we were doubtful of making the island on account of the contrary winds, and the uncertain situation of it."

From the 13th to the 24th, the wind continuing as above, with dark, cloudy weather, we began to give up all hopes of making the island; but to make the best of our way to the main continent, either to Valparaiso or Cacumbo, to get water, and some other necessary supplies, our fresh stock being near expended, and water getting short; yet our ship's company were in exceeding good health, and clear of any symptoms of the scurvy; but to our great satisfaction, on the morning of the 24th, we very unexpectedly saw the long-looked-for

island of Massafuero, bearing S. E. by S. 15 or 18 leagues distaut. This lucky land fall was owing to baffling head winds, which prevented us from making the best of our way to the continent. If the winds had favoured our wishes, we should not have made any of the islands, as we should have run in the latitude of 32° 2' S. as far as the longitude of 76° W. and certainly would have missed the islands, as they were very erroneously laid down. However, we had a good opportunity of ascertaining their true situation, both in regard to latitude and longitude. The noon of the 24th our meridian observation was 32° 40'. The island of Massafuero then bore S. by E. half east; and from the appearance of the land, which is reckoned very high, I suppose it was 15 or 18 leagues distant from us; the bearing, with the variation of the compass 13° 29′ east, places the body of the island in 33° 30' south, as near as we could estimate the distance from our situation. This island is reckoned, by some accounts, to lie 20 leagues to the westward of Juan Fernandez, but we found it to be very erroneous. We made their distance a-part, by a well-kept log, and a favourable gale, 38 leagues, which is 18 leagues more than the best account we had of them.

On the 26th, we made the island of Juan Fernandez, being thick, blowing weather, which prevented us, for some days, from attempting for the harbour, which is Cumberland bay, on the north side of the island. We had a good opportunity for determining the situation of this island, by several good sights of the sun and moon, when the atmosphere was very clear, and the sea exceeding smooth; the longitude of which we made 79° 50' west of Greenwich, latitude 33° 32′ south, and the island Massafuero nearly in a parallel with it; our run between the two islands places the latter in the longitude 82° W. This account may be depended upon to be the true situation of these islands, which was very erroneously laid down in all our books and charts. The morning of the 29th, being then off Cumberland bay, and the wind blowing in squalls off the land, the weather cloudy, at 10 o'clock a heavy squall struck us, (being then under single reefed topsails), which, notwithstanding all our exertion in taking in sail, yet laid the ship over to near her beam ends.

On the 30th, toward the evening, sprung up a fine breeze from the westward, which continued all the night and the