FISH HOOKS OF UNION ISLANDERS (see p. [157].)
CHAPTER VII.
TAHITI.—NASSAU ISLAND.—UNION GROUP.
We sailed from Coquimbo on the 14th of June; and after a somewhat uneventful voyage across the Pacific, which was considerably prolonged by sounding operations, and which lasted fifty-three days, we arrived at Tahiti.
Tahiti was discovered, in the year 1606, by a Spanish exploring expedition, which set out from Peru under the command of Pedro Fernandez de Quiros, a navigator who had previously acquired some renown in Mendaña's exploration of the New Hebrides group. One of his vessels anchored for a short time off the island; but as a landing could not be safely effected by means of the ship's boats, an adventurous young Spanish sailor stripped and swam to the shore, where he was well received by the natives; so that the honour of having discovered Tahiti and communicated with the natives is justly due to this expedition. The name then given to the island by Quiros was "La Sagittaria."
In 1767 Tahiti was visited by an English exploring ship, the Dolphin, commanded by Captain Wallis, who, unaware of the visit of Quiros, and imagining himself to be the original discoverer, set up an English flag at Matavai Bay, took possession in the name of King George III., and named the island "King George's Island." The account given by Wallis of this visit (published in Hawksworth's "Voyages") is full of most curious and interesting information, and perhaps in this respect equals the well-known narrative subsequently given to the world by our greatest navigator, Cook.
WOMAN OF TAHITI (p. [147]).
In the following year (1768), M. de Bougainville, of the French frigate Boudeuse, arrived independently at Tahiti, and, being in ignorance of the priority of Spanish and English explorers, gave to the island its third name, "Nouvelle Cythére."