us, was fo ample, that we fldom were in want of fith. Nor was there any deficiency of other refreshments. Celery, fcurvy-grafs, and portable foup were boiled with the peafe and wheat, for both fhips companies, every day during our whole fay; and they had fpruce-beer for their drink. So that, if any of our people had contracted the feeds of the fcurvy, fuch a regimen foon removed hem. But the truth is, when we arrived here, there were only two invalids (and thefe on board the Refolution) upon the fick lifts in both ships. "Befides the natives who took up their abcde close to us, we were occafionally vifited by others of them, whole refidence was not far off; and by fome who lived more remote. Their articles of commerce were, curiofities, fith, and women. The two tirit always came to a good market; which the latter did not. The feamen had taken a kind of diflike to thefe people; and were either unwilling, or afraid, to affociate with them; which produced this good effect, that I knew no inftance of a man's quitting his ftation, to go to their habitations. "A connection with women I allow, becaufe I cannot prevent it; but never encourage, because I always dread its confequences. I know, indeed, that many men are of opinion, that fuch an intercourfe is one of our greatest fecurities amongst favages; and perhaps they who, either from neceffity or choice, are to remain and fettle with them, may find it fo. But with travellers and tranfient viticos, fuch as we were, it is generally otherwife; and, in our fituation, a connection with their women betrays more men than it faves. What elfe can be reafonably expected, fince all their views are felfish, without the leaft mixture of regard or attachment? My own experience, at leaft, which hath been pretty extentive, bath not pointed out to me one instance to the contrary. "Amongft our occafional vifitors was a chief named Kahoora, who, as I was informed, headed the party that cut off Captain. Furneaux's people, and hinfel: killed Mr. Rowe, the officer who commanded. To judge of the character of Kahoora, by what I heard from many of his countrymen, he feemed to be more feared than beloved amongit them. Not fatisfied with telling me that he was a very bad inan, fome of them even importuned me to kill him: and, I believe, they were not a little furprised that I did not liften to them; for, according to their ideas of equity, this ought to have been done. But if I had followed the advice of all our pretended friends, I might have extirpated the whole race; for the people of each hamlet or village, by turns, applied to me to destroy the other. One would have almoft thought it impoflible, that fo ftriking a proof of the divided tate in which this miferable people live could have been affigned. And yet I was fure that I did not mifconceive the meaning of thofe who made thefe ftrange applications to me; for Omai, whofe language was a dialect of their own, and perfectly understood all that they faid, was our interpreter. "On the 15th, I made an excurfion in my boat to look for grafs, and vifited the Hip pah, or fortified village at the fouth-west point of Motuara, and the places where our gardens had been planted on that inland. There were no people at the former; but the houfes and pal lades had been rebuilt, and were now in a ftate of good reptis; and there were other evident marks of its having been inhabited not long be fore. It would be unneceffary, at prefent, to give a particular account of this Hippah, luthcient notice having been taken of it in the ac count of my firt voyage, to which I reter*. "When the Adventure arrived frit at Queen Charlotte's Sound, in 1773 4, Mr. Bayly fixed upon this place tor making his obfervations; and he, and the people with him, at their leifare hours, planted feveral fpots with Engli: garden feeds. Not the Kaft veilige of thee now remained. It is probable that they had been all rooted out to make room for buildings, whea the village was re-inhabited: for, at all the other gardens then planted by Captain Furneaux, although now wholly over-run with the weeds of the country, we found cabbages, onions, leeks, purflain, radishes, mulaid, &c. and a few potatoes. Thefe potatoes, which were firit brought from the Cape of Good Hope, had been greatly improved by change of foil; and, with proper cultivation, would be fuperior to thofe produced in most other countries. Though the New Zealanders are fond of this root, it was evident that they had not taken the trouble to plant a fingle one (much lefs any other of the articles which we had introduced); and in it were not for the difficulty of clearing ground where potatoes had been once planted, there would not have been any now remaining. On the 16th, at day-break, I fet out with a party of men, in five boats, to collect food for our cattle. Captain Clerke, and feveral of the officers, Omai, and two of the natives, accompanied me. We proceeded about three leagues up the found, and then landed on the eat fide, at a place where I had formerly been. Here we cut as much grafs as loaded the two launches. As we returned down the found we vifited Grafs Cove, the memorable icene of the mafiacre of Captain Furneaux's people. Here I met with my old friend Pedro, who was almott continually with me the last time I was in this found, and is mentioned in my hiftory of that voyage. He, and another of his countrymen, received us on the beach, armed with the pa-too and fpear. Whether this form of reception was a mark of their courtefy or of their fear, I cannot fay; but I thought they betrayed maniteit figns of the latter. However, if they had any apprehentions, a few prefents icon removed them, and brought down to the beach two or three more of the family; but the greatest part of them remained out of figh'. Whilft we were at this place, our cus riofity prompted us to inquire into the circumftances attending the melancholy fate of our countrymen; and Omai was made ufe of as our interpreter for this purpofe. Pedro, and the reit of the natives prefent, anfwered all the questions that were put to them on the fubject, without referve, and like men who are under no dread of punith * Hawkefworth's Collection, Vol. II. p. 395, &c. ment + Cook's Voyage, Vol. I. p. 120. Captain Cook's Voyage, Vol. II. p. 158, 159. ment for a crime of which they are not guilty. For we already knew that none of them had been concerned in the unhappy tranfaction. They told us, that while our people were fitting at dinner, furrounded by feveral of the natives, fome of the latter ftole, or fnatched from them, fome bread and fifh, for which they were beat. This being refented, a quarrel enfued, and two New Zealanders were fhot dead, by the only two mufquets that were fired. For before our people had time to discharge a third, or to load again thofe that had been fired, the natives ruibed in upon them, overpowered them with their numbers, and put them all to death. Pedro and his companions, befides relating the history of the matfacre, made us acquainted with the very fpot that was the fcene of it. It is at the corner of the cove, on the right hand. They pointed to the place of the fun, to mark to us what hour of the day it happened; and, according to this, it must have been late in the afterncon. They alfo fhewed us the place where the boat lay; and it appeared to be about two hundred yards distant from that where the crew was feated. One of their number, a black fervant of Captain Furneaux was left in the boat, to take care of her. "We were afterwards told that this black was the caule of the quarrel, which was faid to have happened thus: one of the natives ftealing fomething out of the boat, the negro gave him a fevere blow with a tick. The cries of the fellow being heard by his countrymen at a distance, they imagined he was killed, and immediately began the attack on our people: who, before dey had time to reach the boat, or to arm themfelves against the unexpected impending danger, fell a facrifice to the fury of their favage aflailants. The fint of thefe accounts was confirmed by the testimony of feveral of the natives, whom we converted with, at different times, and who, I think, could have no interest in deceiving us. The fecond manner of relating the tranfaction reits upon the authority of the young New Zealander, who chose to abandon his country and go away with us, and who, confequently, could have no pofiible view in diuiding the truth. All agreeing that the quariel happened when the boat's crew were fitting at their meal, it is highly probable that both the accounts are true, as they perfectly coincide. For we may very naturally fuppofe, that while fome of the natives were fealing from the man who had been left in the boat, others of them might take the fame liberties with the property of our people who were on thore. Be this as it will, all agree that the quarrel finit took its rife from fome thefts, in the committion of which the natives were detected. All agree, alfe, that there was no premeditated plan of bloodthed, and that, if these thefts had not been unfortunately too hattily relented, no mifchief would have happened. For Kahoora's greatest enemies, thofe who folicited his deftruction moit earnestly, at the fame time contefied that he had no intention to quarrel, much leis to kill, till the tray had actually commenced. It also appears that the unhappy victims were under no fort of apprchenfion of their fate; dkrwife they never would have ventured to fit down to a repaft at fo confiderable a distance from their boat, amongst people who were the next moment to be their murderers. What became of the boat I never could learn. Some faid the was pulled to pieces and burned; others told us that he was carried they knew not whither, by a party of strangers." Some days were now fpent in preparations, but their departure was delayed, on account of the ftormy weather, fo that they were obliged to anchor near a place called Motuara. "Here (continues Captain Cook) three or four canoes, filled with natives, came off to us, from the fouth-eatt fide of the found; and a brisk trade was carried on with them for the curiofities of this place. In one of thefe canoes was Kahoora, who I have already mentioned was the leader of the party that cut off the crew of the Adventure's boat. This was the third time he had vifited us, without betraying the fmalleft appearance of fear. I was athore when he now arrived, but had got on board juft as he was going away. Omai, who had returned with me, prefently pointed him out, and follicited me to shoot him. Not fatisfied with this, he addreffed himself to Kahoora, threatening to be his executioner, if ever he prefumed to vifit us again. "The New Zealander paid fo little regard to thefe threats, that he returned the next morning, with his whole family, men, women, and children, to the number of twenty and upwards. Omai was the firft who acquainted me with his being along-fide the thip, and defired to know if he fhould ask him to come on board. I told him he might; and accordingly he introduced the chief into the cabin, faying, There is Kahoora, kill him! But, as if he had forgot his former threats, or was afraid that I fhould call upon him to perform them, he immediately retired. In a fhort time, however, he returned, and feeing the chief unhurt, he expoftulated with me very earneftly, faying, "Why do you not kill him? You tell me, if a man kills another in England, that he is hanged for it. This man has killed ten, and yet you will not kill him; though many of his countrymen defire it, and it would be very good.' Omai's arguments, though fpecious enough, having no weight with me, I defired him to atk the chief why he had killed Captain Furneaux's people? At this queftion, Kahoora folded his arins, hung down his head, and locked like one caught in a trap: and, I hrmly believe, he expected inftant death. But no fooner was he allured of his fatety, than he became chearful. He did not, however, feem willing to give me an answer to the queftion that had been put to him, till I had again and again repeated my promife that he fhould not be hurt. Then he ventured to tell us, that one of his countrymen having brought a stone hatchet to barter, the man to whom it was offered took it, and would neither return it nor give any thing for it; on which the owner of it Inatched up the bread as an equivalent; and then the quarrel began. "The remainder of Kahoora's account of this unhappy affair differed very little from what we had before learnt from the rest of his countrymen. He mentioned the narrow efcape he hal during the tray; a mufquet being levelled at him, which he he avoided by fkulking behind the boat; and another man, who stood dicto hun, was fhot dead. As foon as the mutquet was difcharged, he instantly feized the opportunity to attack Mr. Rowe, who commanded the party, and whɔ defended himfelf with his hanger (with winch he wounded Kahoora in the arm) till he was overpower by numbers. Mr. Barney, who was fent by Captain Furneaux the next day with an armed party, to look for his milling people, upon difcovering the horrid proofs of their locking fate, had tired feveral vollies amongst the crowds of natives who ftill remained atfembled on the fpot, and were, probably, partaking of the deteftable banquet. It was natural to fuppole that he had not fired in vain; and that, therefore, fome of the murderers and devourers of our unhappy countrymen had fuffered under our juft refentment. Upon inquiry, however, into this matter, not only from Kahoora, but from others who had opportunities of knowing, it appeared that our fuppofition was groundlefs; and that not one of the thot fired by Mr. Burney's people had taken effect, fo as to kill, or even to hurt a fingle perfon. "It was evident, that mott of the natives we had met with fince our arrival, as they knew I was fully acquainted with the history of the maflacre, expected I fhould avenge it with the death of Kahoora. And many of them feemed not only to with it, but expreffed their furprize at my forbearance. As he could not be ignorant of this, it is a matter of wonder to me that he put himself to often in my power. When he vifited us while the fhips lay in the cove, confiding in the number of his friends that accompanied him, he might think himfelf fafe. But his two laft vifits had been made under och circuminces, that he could no longer rely upon this. We were then at anchor in the entrance of the found, and at fome diftance from any shore; fo that he could not have any affistance from thence, nor flatter himself he could have the means of making his efcape, had I determined to detain him. And yet, after his first fears, on being interrogated, were over, he was fo far from entertaining any uneafy fenfations, that, on feeing a portrait of one of his countrymen hanging up in the cabin, he defired to have his own portrait drawn; and fat till Mr. Webber had finished it, without marking the leaft impatience. I mut confefs, I admired his courage, and was not a little pleafed to obferve the extent of the con fidence he put in me. For he placed his whole fafety in the declarations 1 had uniformly made to those who follicited his death, that I had always been a friend to them all, and would continue fo, unless they gave me caufe to act otherwife: that as to their inhuman treatment of our people, I should think no more of it, the tranfaction having happened long ago, and when I was not prefent; but that, if ever they made a fecond attempt of that kind, they might ret affured of feeling the weight of my refentment." Our readers cannot but commend the humanity which Captain Cook difplayed with refpect to this man; though || at the fame time many will probably think the incitations and arguments of Omai very natural. In our next we fhall continue our account of this work. ART. LXXVIII. Letters to a Young Gentleman, on his fetting out for France: Containing a Survey of Paris, and a Review of French Literature; with Rules and Directions for Travellers, and various Obfervations and Anecdotes relating to the Subject. By John Andrews, LL. D. 8vo. Walter. THE ingenious author of thefe letters is well known to the public, as the author of Remarks on the French and English Ladies, of which we gave a full account in our two former volumes t. These letters are forty-four in number, and contain obfervations on the proper age and motives for travelling: on the general appearance of Paris: on the method of travelling properly: on the languages neceffary for a gentleman: on coffee-houfes, and the utility of general intercourfe and converfation with foreigners: on the company of officers, abbes, and jefuits: on the advantages of acquaintance with monatics, on the ftudy of the prefent giflation and politics of France: on the philofophical fpeculations of the French: on their tragic writers, poets, novellifts, hiftorians, orators, philofophers, and mifcellancous writers: on their periodical publications: accounts of the French academy, and the aca demies of infcriptions and belles let tres; fciences, and various arts: on the public libraries at Paris: on the churches: on the Romish faints: on religious opinions: on the public buildings in Paris: on the hofpitals and manufactories: on Verfailles, and the public walks and gardens: on the shows and fights, and on the amufements. very Such are the general contents of thefe letters, which cannot but be ferviceable to any young perfon, who is preparing to vifit the French metropolis. As a fpecimen of the work, we have felected the following letter: *See his narrative. Cook's Voyage, Vol. II. p. 255–259. ON ON THE FRENCH NOVELLISTS. "The French have long been noted for romances and novels. They overflowed the laft century like an inundation; and vitiated during a confiderable time the tafte of almost all Europe. When people of curiofity and leifure are at the pains of perufing fome of the voluminous productions of that fort, which were in fuch requeft at that era, it cannot fail to aftonish them, that compofitions fo wild, fo abfurd, and fo bombastic, thould find fuch multitudes of readers. "There are none of them deferving the leaft attention. In fact, they are totally forgotten at this day. The taste of the French nation has long fince undergone an entire alteration; and will admit of nothing that is not correct and regular. But though they reject the turgid and unnatural romances of former days, they are willing to admit of novels written with elegance of style and probability of incidents. "Some of the most approved writers in this line are Marmontel, Crebillon, fon to the celebrated tragic author, Marivaux, and Prevot, known for his numerous tranilations from the English. -Among the novels of prime note must be claffed les Memoires de la Vie du Comte de Grammont, by Hamilton. It is an original in point of style and of method; full of wit and pleafantry; and keeping truth in view in the midit of laughter and merriment. you As time is precious, especially to a traveller, ftint yourfelt chiefly to thele: or if cannot refrain from others, contult the most judicious of your French acquaintance, which have the vogue of the day; that being ufually the principal merit of fuch productions. From the feverity of this ftriéture, I am. bound, however, by all the laws of criticiim, to except Gil Blas, and le Diable Boiteans, both written by Le Sage. Never was a truer and more entertaining picture of human life and manners exhibited than the former, nor a keener and more witty fatire on vice and folly than the late. His Bachelier de Salamanque may detervedly keep them company. ter. "I cannot deny that there are abundance of other ingenious performances in the fame line, written in French: but I am at the fame time fo delirous that you fhould apply yourtelf to fontething more folid and profitable, that I do not choose to enlarge upon this fubject. "You will meet with but too many oppotunities of facrificing time to fuch amusements. Numbers of the gay world read nothing elfe but fuch books. You will find them too often on the tables of the literati, and the toilets of both your male and female acquaintances at their country houfes; for here the French of all ages and denominations deem themielves at liberty to think of nothing but mere patlime and pleature. "There are two works in the French language, which fome have thought proper to mention in the catalogue of romances: but they certainly deferve a higher place: these are Telemachus, and the Travels of Cyrus. "The firit, though written in profe, is unquestionably the beautifulleft poem in every other refpect that ever appeared in the French tongue. The fecond is an exquifite felection and arrangement of hiftorical facts, connected together by a judicious fable, tending to form and enlighten the understanding, and at the fame time to enrich the memory with a large portion of useful knowledge. "No modern production has met with more applaufe than Telemachus. It has endeared the name of Fenelon, its illuftrious author, to the whole world. But the Travels of Cyrus have not, if I may venture an opinion, been fufficiently diffuted in the literary circles of Europe. "On their first appearance they had fome enemies to encounter in the field of criticism: but their defects were fo flight, and fo readily rectified, that they foon gained their author, the celebrated Ranifay, a prodigious reputation. The ingenuity and erudition fo judiciously blended in this performance, render it of the most extenfive utility, and afford equal pleasure and inftruction. "It may not be improper to take notice, that this is another inftance of a foreigner producing a work of prime merit in the French language; Mr. Ramfay, being a native of Scotjand.” We must not conclude this article without remarking that the work be fore us is interfperfed with feveral amufing ftories and anecdotes, fome of which in a future number we may, perhaps, lay before our readers, ART. LXXIX. The Philofophical Tranfactions of the Royal Society of Landon, J'al. LXXIII. for the Year 1783. 4to. Lockyer Davis. (Continued from page 56.) IX. EXPERIMENTS upon the Refiftance of the Air*. By Richard Lovel Edgworth, Efq. F. R. S. In a Letter to Sir Jofeph Banks, Bart. I. R. S. Many experiments have been tried to afcertain the force and velocity of the wind, with a view Royal Society, as well as in the memoirs of foreign academies. The late Mr. ROBINS made many experi ments of this kind with a machine which is very accurately explained in the first volume of his works, published after his death by the late very ingenious Dr. WILSON, with a view to wards pertecting the theory and practice of gannery and fince that time, thelate Si CHARLES KNOWLES made a multitude of experiments with a machine of a different contruction, invented by himself; and from thefe experiments X to the conftruction and management of different engines, and more particularly to the purpoles of navigation: and deveral machines, which have been employed in thele enquiries, have been defcribed in the Tranfactions of the LOND. MAG. Aug. 1784. Thele experiments were inferted at length in our laft, p. 54° has has deduced tables, fhewing, at one view, the dicular to the horizon*: and, moreover, that the fame quantity of furface, it a little concave, From this latt circumftance Mr. EDGE fo unreasonable as fome mathematicians have re- The author informs us that he had intended The machine with which thefe experiments were made nearly refembles that which Mr. ROBINS made ute of: the principal difference between them confifted in Mr. EDGEWORTH'S being on a larger fcale, and his not ufing friction wheels; the ufe of which, where equable motions are required, he feverely reprobates. X. An Anfwer to the Objections ftated by M. De la Lande, in the Memoirs of the French Academy for the Year 1776, against the Solar Spots being Excavations in the luminous Matter of the Sun; together with a fhort Examination of the Views entertained by him upon that Subject. By Alexander Wilfon, M. D. Profeffor of Practical Aftronomy in the Univerfity of Glafgow. Communicated by Nevil Makelyne, D. D. F. R. S. and Aftronomer-Royal. is In the volume of the Philofophical Tranfac tions for the year 1774, Mr. WILSON attempted to align the caules of the pots which are feen on the disk of the fun. The facts on which he built his theory are, that all pots confift of a black nucleus, with a furrounding umbra, of an equal breadth all round when the ipot nearly on the center of the disk; and that, as the pots approach the edge of the difk, that fide of the umbra begins to grow narrower which is fartheft from the difk, and continues to do fo until it entirely difappears, which almost invariably happens before it reaches the extreme edge of the disk. To thefe facts, which, he fays, are established by obfervation, he annexed the fol lowing hypothefis: First, that the fun is compounded of an irregularly shaped nucleus of opake matter, together with a luminous fluid matter, which covers the opake mafs to different depths, according as the opake mais extends to different distances from the common center. Secondly, that this fluid matter is liable to be displaced in lome arts by a protruding force, and by that means very deep cavities are formed in the luminous matter, which reach to, and lay bare a portion of the opake mafs. And, thirdly, that this portion of the opake mats, to laid bare, forms the black nuclei which thefe fpots are obferved to have, and that the theiving tides of the cavity form the umbræ which furround them. Dr. WILSON illuftrated this theory by dia grams, and tried to confirm it by mathematical reafonings; and we must own that it his hypothefes are granted concerning the manner in which the fun is conftituted, and that fuch a protruding force as he fuppofes does exist, his theory is more plausible than any we have met with. M. DE LA LANDE, however, as appears by the paper now betore us, is of a diderent opinion; and, in confequence, has offered to the world an hypothefis of his own on this subject; the import of which, Dr. WILSON fy * We rather fufpect that this variation arifes from the manner in which Mr. E. made his expen ments. |