At noon, the coast extended from S. 81° E. to N. 56° W.; a low flat, like an isthmus, bore S. 42° W.; the nearest shore three or four miles distant; the latitude was 20° 59ʹ; and the longitude 203° 50ʹ. Seeing some canoes coming off to us, I brought to.
As soon as they got alongside, many of the people who conducted them, came into the ship, without the least hesitation. We found them to be of the same nation with the inhabitants of the islands more to leeward, which we had already visited; and, if we did not mistake them, they knew of our having been there. Indeed, it rather appeared too evident; for these people had got amongst them the venereal distemper; and, as yet, I knew of no other way of its reaching them, but by an intercourse with their neighbours since our leaving them.
We got from our visitors a quantity of cuttle-fish, for nails and pieces of iron. They brought very little fruit and roots; but told us that they had plenty of them on their island, as also hogs and fowls. In the evening, the horizon being clear to the westward, we judged the westernmost land in sight to be an island, separated from that off which we now were. Having no doubt that the people would return to the ships next day, with the produce of their country, I kept plying off all night, and in the morning stood close in shore. At first, only a few of the natives visited us; but, toward noon, we had the company of a good many, who brought with them bread-fruit, potatoes, tarro, or eddy roots, a few plantains, and small pigs; all of which they exchanged for nails and iron tools. Indeed, we had nothing else to give them. We continued trading with them till four o’clock in the afternoon, when, having disposed of all their cargoes, and not seeming inclined to fetch more, we made sail, and stood off shore.
While we were lying to, though the wind blew fresh, I observed that the ships drifted to the east. Consequently, there must have been a current setting in that direction. This encouraged me to ply to windward, with a view to get round the east end of the island, and so have the whole lee-side before us. In the afternoon of the 30th, being off the north-east end of the island, several canoes came off to the ships. Most of these belonged to a chief named Terreeoboo, who came in one of them. He made me a present of two or three small pigs; and we got, by barter, from the other people, a little fruit. After a stay of about two hours, they all left us, except six or eight of their company, who chose to remain on board. A double-sailing canoe came, soon after, to attend upon them; which we towed astern all night. In the evening, we discovered another island to windward, which the natives call Owhyhee. The name of that off which we had been for some days, we were also told, is Mowee.
On the 1st of December, at eight in the morning, Owhyhee extended from south 22° E. to S. 12° W.; and Mowee from N. 41° to N. 83° W. Finding that we could fetch Owhyhee, I stood for it; and our visitors from Mowee not choosing to accompany us, embarked in their canoe, and went ashore. At seven in the evening, we were close up with the north side of Owhyhee; where we spent the night, standing off and on.
In the morning of the 2d, we were surprised to see the summits of the mountains on Owhyhee covered with snow. They did not appear to be of any extraordinary height; and yet, in some places, the snow seemed to be of a considerable depth, and to have lain there some time. As we drew near the shore, some of the natives came off to us. They were a little shy at first; but we soon enticed some of them on board; and at last prevailed upon them to return to the island, and bring off what we wanted. Soon after these reached the shore, we had company enough; and few coming empty-handed, we got a tolerable supply of small pigs, fruit, and roots. We continued trading with them till six in the evening; when we made sail, and stood off, with a view of plying to windward round the island.
In the evening of the 4th, we observed an eclipse of the moon. Mr. King made use of a night-telescope, a circular aperture being placed at the object end, about one-third of the size of the common aperture. I observed with the telescope of one of Ramsden’s sextants; which, I think, answers this purpose as well as any other. The following times are the means, as observed by us both:
| 6h 3ʹ 25ʺ beginning of the eclipse | Longitude | 204° | 40ʹ | 45ʺ | |||
| 8h 27ʹ 25ʺ end of the eclipse | 204° | 25ʹ | 15ʺ | ||||
| Mean | 204° | 35ʹ | 0ʺ |
The penumbra was visible, at least ten minutes before the beginning, and after the end of the eclipse. I measured the uneclipsed part of the moon, with one of Ramsden’s sextants, several times before, at, and after the middle of the eclipse; but did not get the time of the middle so near as might have been effected by this method. Indeed these observations were made only as an experiment, without aiming at much nicety. I also measured mostly one way; whereas I ought to have brought alternately the reflected and direct images to contrary sides, with respect to each other; reading the numbers off the quadrant, in one case, to the left of the beginning of the divisions; and in the other case, to the right hand of the same. It is evident, that half the sum of these two numbers must be the true measurement, independent of the error of the quadrant; and this is the method that I would recommend.
But I am well assured, that it might have been observed much nearer; and that this method may be useful when neither the beginning nor end of an eclipse can be observed, which may often happen.