Still There May Be More
Sincerity In The Cheerfulness Of The Natives Of Tonga-Tabboo, For,
Exclusive Of Great And
Almost servile submission, their king does not
seem to exact any thing from them, which, by depriving them of the
Means to satisfy the most indispensable wants of nature, could make
them miserable. Be this as it may, so much seems to be certain, that
their systems of politics and religion, from their similarity with the
Otaheitan, as far as we could judge, must have had one common origin,
perhaps in the mother country, from whence both these colonies issued.
Single dissonant customs and opinions may have acceded to the
primitive ideas, in proportion as various accidents, or human
caprices, have given rise to them. The affinity of their languages is
still more decisive. The greatest part of the necessaries of life,
common to both groups of islands, the parts of the body, in short, the
most obvious and universal ideas, were expressed at the Society and
Friendly Isles, nearly by the same words. We did not find that
sonorousness in the Tonga-tabboo dialect, which is prevalent in that
of Otaheite, because the inhabitants of the former have adopted the F,
K, and S, so that their language is more replete with consonants. This
harshness is compensated, however, by the frequent use of the liquid
letters L, M, N, and of the softer vowels E and I, to which we must
add that kind of singing tone, which they generally retain even in
common conversation." - G.F.
No apology, it is presumed, need be given, for the insertion of so
able a specimen of philosophical discernment, and judicious reasoning.
Few men have exhibited happier talents for this department of
literature, than the younger Forster; and it is perhaps the more
generous to yield him this commendation now, as his merit has hitherto
been almost totally immersed in the celebrity of greater names. His
work is glaringly superior, in perhaps every particular, to the
compilation of Dr Hawkesworth; and the writer for one, would feel
ashamed of himself, if he had not courage to avow his opinion, that it
manifests greater excellencies than Cook's own relation, for which,
indeed, it would be easy to specify many reasons. This comparison, it
may be said, is invidious, the two men being so differently
constituted, as to habits and education, and having such different
objects in view in their undertakings, as to imply legitimate and
specific dissimilarity. Be it so, in the main. But how is justice to
be done them unless by comparison? As navigator and naturalist, they
have few or no common features, and cannot, therefore, be confronted;
but as authors describing the manners and appearances of distant and
singular people, and relating occurrences and transactions common to
both, they have only one sort of character, which will and ought to be
judged of by the public, according to the same standard. - E.
SECTION IV.
Passage from Amsterdam to Queen Charlotte's Sound, with an Account of an
Interview with the Inhabitants, and the final Separation of the two
Ships .
About the time we were in a condition to make sail, a canoe, conducted by
four men, came along-side, with one of those drums already mentioned, on
which one man kept continually beating; thinking, no doubt, the music would
charm us. I gave them a piece of cloth and a nail, for the drum; and took
an opportunity to send to my friend Attago some wheat, pease, and beans,
which I had forgot to give him when he had the other seeds. As soon as this
canoe was gone, we made sail to the southward, having a gentle gale at S.E.
by E.; it being my intention to proceed directly to Queen Charlotte's Sound
in New Zealand, there to take in wood and water, and then to go on farther
discoveries to the south and east.
In the afternoon on the 8th, we made the island of Pilstart, bearing S.W.
by W. 1/2 W., distant seven or eight leagues. This island, which was also
discovered by Tasman, is situated in the latitude of 22 deg. 26' south,
longitude 175 deg. 59' west, and lies in the direction of S. 52 deg. west, distant
thirty-two leagues from the south end of Middleburg. It is more conspicuous
in height than circuit; having in it two considerable hills, seemingly
disjoined from each other by a low valley. After a few hours calm the wind
came to S.W.; with which we stretched to the S.E.; but on the 10th, it
veered round by the south to the S.E. and E.S.E. and then we resumed our
course to the S.S.W.
At five o'clock in the morning of the 21st, we made the land of New
Zealand, extending from N.W. by N. to W.S.W.; at noon, Table Cape bore
west, distant eight or ten leagues. I was very desirous of having some
intercourse with the natives of this country as far to the north as
possible; that is, about Poverty or Tolaga Bays, where I apprehended they
were more civilized than at Queen Charlotte's Sound; in order to give them
some hogs, fowls, seeds, roots, &c. which I had provided for the purpose.
The wind veering to the N.W. and north, enabled us to fetch in with the
land a little to the north of Portland, and we stood as near the shore as
we could with safety. We observed several people upon it, but none
attempted to come off to us. Seeing this, we bore away under Portland,
where we lay-to some time, as well to give time for the natives to come
off, as to wait for the Adventure. There were several people on Portland,
but none seemed inclined to come to us; indeed the wind, at this time, blew
rather too fresh for them to make the attempt.
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