The latitude of the observatory, deduced
from meridian zenith distances of the
sun, eleven stars to the south, and four
stars to the north of the zenith 19° 28' 0" N.
The longitude of the observatory, deduced
from 253 sets of lunar observations;
each set consisting of six observed
distances of the moon from the
sun or stars; 14 of the above sets were
only taken at the observatory, 105 sets
being taken whilst cruising off Owhyhee,
and 134 sets when at Atooi and
Oneeheow, all these being reduced to
the observatory, by means of the timekeeper 204° 0' 0" E.
The longitude of the observatory, by the
time-keeper, on the 19th January,
1779, according to its rate, as found
at Greenwich 214° 7' 15' E.
The longitude of the observatory, by the
time-keeper, on the 19th January,
1779, according to its rate, corrected
at different places, and last at Samganoodha
Harbour, in Oonalaschka 203° 37' 22" E.
The daily rate of the time-keeper losing
on mean time, was 9",6; and, on the
2d February, 1779, it was 14^h 41' 1"
too slow for mean time.
The variation of the compass, by azimuths,
observed on shore with four
different compasses 8 6 0 E.
The variation of the compass, by azimuths,
observed on board the Resolution,
with four different compasses 7 32 0 E.
Dip of the north /Balanced needle\ 40 22 30 E.
pole of the magnetic | |
needle on | Unbalanced, or |
shore, with \ plain needle / 40 41 15 E.
Dip of the north /Balanced needle\ 41 50 0 E.
pole of the magnetic | |
needle on | Unbalanced | 40 30 5 E.
board, with \ needle /
A Table of the Latitude and Longitude of the Sandwich Islands.
Latitude. Longitude.
/The north point 20° 17' 204° 2'
Owhyhee | South point 18 55 204 15
| East point 19 35 205 6
\Karakakooa Bay 19 28 204 0
/East point 20 50 204 4
Mowee < South point 20 34 203 48
\West point 20 54 203 24
Morokinnee 20 39 203 33
Tahoorowa 20 38 203 27
Kanai. South point 20 46 203 8
Morotoi. West point 21 10 202 46
Woahoo. Anchoring-place. 21 43 202 9
Atooi. Wymoa Bay 21 57 200 20
Oneeheow. Anchoring-place. 21 50 199 45
Oreehoua 22 2 199 52
Tahoora 21 43 199 56
SECTION VII.
General Account of the Sandwich Islands continued.--Of the Inhabitants.-- Their Origin.--Persons.--Pernicious Effects of the Ava.--Numbers.-- Disposition and Manners.--Reasons for supposing them not Cannibals.--Dress and Ornaments.--Villages and Houses.--Food.--Occupations and Amusements.-- Addicted to Gaming.--Their extraordinary Dexterity in Swimming.--Arts and Manufactures.--Curious Specimens of their Sculpture.--Kipparee, or Method of Painting Cloth.--Mats.--Fishing Hooks.--Cordage.--Salt Pans.--Warlike Instruments.
The inhabitants of the Sandwich Islands are undoubtedly of the same race with those of New Zealand, the Society and Friendly Islands, Easter Island, and the Marquesas; a race that possesses, without any intermixture, all the known lands between the latitudes of 47° S. and 20° N., and between the longitudes of 184° and 260° E. This fact, which, extraordinary as it is, might be thought sufficiently proved by the striking similarity of their manners and customs, and the general resemblance of their persons, is established, beyond all controversy, by the absolute identity of their language.
From what continent they originally emigrated, and by what steps they have spread through so vast a space, those who are curious in disquisitions of this nature, may perhaps not find it very difficult to conjecture. It has been already observed, that they bear strong marks of affinity to some of the Indian tribes that inhabit the Ladrones and Caroline islands; and the same affinity may again be traced amongst the Battas and Malays. When these events happened, is not so easy to ascertain; it was probably not very lately, as they are extremely populous, and have no tradition of their own origin, but what is perfectly fabulous; whilst, on the other hand, the unadulterated state of their general language, and the similarity which still prevails in their customs and manners, seem to indicate that it could not have been at any very distant period.[5]
[5] The nice and highly interesting subject now adverted to, it is evident, will require a very extensive and cautious enquiry, and cannot possibly be discussed in the small compass allotted to notes. See Forster's Observations. But additional information has been obtained since the time of that author.--E.
The natives of these islands are in general above the middle size, and well made; they walk very gracefully, run nimbly, and are capable of bearing great fatigue; though, upon the whole, the men are somewhat inferior, in point of strength and activity, to the Friendly islanders, and the women less delicately limbed than those of Otaheite. Their complexion is rather darker than that of the Otaheitans, and they are not altogether so handsome a people. However, many of both sexes had fine open countenances, and the women, in particular, had good eyes and teeth, and a sweetness and sensibility of look, which rendered them very engaging. Their hair is of a brownish black, and neither uniformly straight, like that of the Indians of America, nor uniformly curling, as amongst the African negroes, but varying in this respect like the hair of Europeans. One striking peculiarity in the features of every part of this great nation, I do not remember to have seen any where mentioned; which is, that even in the handsomest faces, there is always a fulness of the nostrils, without any flatness or spreading of the nose, that distinguishes them from Europeans. It is not improbable that this may be the effect of their usual mode of salutation, which is performed by pressing the ends of their noses together.
The same superiority that is observable in the persons of the Erees, through all the other islands, is found also here. Those whom we saw were, without exception, perfectly well formed; whereas the lower sort, besides their general inferiority, are subject to all the variety of make and figure that is seen in the populace of other countries. Instances of deformity are more frequent here than in any of the other islands. Whilst we were cruising off Owhyhee, two dwarfs came on board, one an old man, four feet two inches high, but exactly proportioned, and the other a woman, nearly of the same height. We afterward saw three natives who were hump- backed, and a young man born without hands or feet. Squinting is also very common amongst them; and a man who, they said, had been born blind, was brought to us to be cured. Besides these particular imperfections, they are, in general, very subject to boils and ulcers, which we attributed to the great quantity of salt they eat with their flesh and fish. The Erees are very free from these complaints, but many of them suffer still more dreadful effects from the immoderate use of the ava. Those who were the most affected by it, had their bodies covered with a white scurf, their eyes red and inflamed, their limbs emaciated, the whole frame trembling and paralytic, accompanied with a disability to raise the head. Though this drug does not appear universally to shorten life, as was evident from the cases of Terreeoboo, Kaoo, and some other chiefs, who were very old men, yet it invariably brings on an early and decrepid old age. It is fortunate that the use of it is made one of the peculiar privileges of the chiefs. The young son of Terreeoboo, who was about twelve years old, used to boast of his being admitted to drink ava, and shewed us, with great triumph, a small spot in his side that was growing scaly.
There is something very singular in the history of this pernicious drug. When Captain Cook first visited the Society Islands, it was very little known among them. On his second voyage, he found the use of it very prevalent at Ulietea, but it had still gained very little ground at Otaheite. When we were last there, the dreadful havoc it had made was beyond belief, insomuch, that the captain scarce knew many of his old acquaintances. At the Friendly Islands, it is also constantly drunk by the chiefs, but so much diluted with water, that it does not appear to produce any bad effects. At Atooi, also, it is used with great moderation, and the chiefs are, in consequence, a much finer set of men there than in any of the neighbouring islands. We remarked, that, by discontinuing the use of this root, the noxious effects of it soon wore off. Our good friends, Kaireekeea and old Kaoo, were persuaded by us to refrain from it, and they recovered amazingly during the short time we afterward remained in the island.
It may be thought extremely difficult to form any probable conjectures respecting the population of islands, with many parts of which we are but imperfectly acquainted. There are, however, two circumstances that take away much of this objection; the first is, that the interior parts of the country are entirely uninhabited; so that, if the number of the inhabitants along the coast be known, the whole will be pretty accurately determined. The other is, that there are no towns of any considerable size; the habitations of the natives being pretty equally dispersed in small villages round all their coasts. It is on this ground that I shall venture at a rough calculation of the number of persons in this group of islands.