A General History & Collection of Voyages and Travels ... - Nauticus

with a clean sandy bottom. The channel, by which he went in and out, lies close to the point, and has onlythree fathoms water; but he believes, that farther to the N.E. is a channel with a much greater depth, whichhe had not time to examine. Indeed, it would have taken up far more time than I could spare to havesurveyed these parts minutely; as there lies a number of small islets and reefs of rocks along the N.E. sideof the island, which seemed to extend to the N.E. farther than the eye could reach. The island ofAmsterdam, or Tongatabu, is wholly laid out in plantations, in which are planted some of the richestproductions of nature, such as bread-fruit, cocoa-nut trees, plantains, bananoes, shaddocks, yams, and someother roots, sugar-cane, and a fruit like a nectarine, called by themFighegea, and at Otaheite Ahuya: In short, here are most of the articles which the Society Islands produce,besides some which they have not. Mr Forster tells me, that he not only found the same plants here that areat Otaheite and the neighbouring isles, but several others which are not to be met with there. And Iprobably have added to their stock of vegetables, by leaving with them an assortment of garden seeds,pulse, &c. Bread-fruit here, as well as at all the other isles, was not in season; nor was this the time forroots and shaddocks. We got the latter only at Middleburg.[3][3] Much of the difference betwixt the Society and Friendly Isles, seems to depend on the greaterabundance of water in the former. This is noticed very judiciously by Mr G.F., as will be seen in afollowing note. His father too was well aware of it. "The Friendly Isles," says he, "seem to bedestitute of springs; for though on some of them, as Eaoowhe and Anamocka, there are small hillsand rising grounds; they are, however, far from being so high as to attract the clouds, or to cause,from their perpetual moisture, a continual flood of spring water. The natives have ponds, some ofwhich are large, wherein they collect the rain water, but it is sometimes brackish from the vicinity ofthe sea." He speaks, it may be added, of a large lagoon of salt water in Anamocka, about three mileslong, full of small isles, ornamented with clusters of trees, and surrounded by bushes of man- grovesand hills, so as altogether to form a romantic landscape. In his opinion, the soil is much the same inboth clusters.--E.The produce and cultivation of this isle is the same as at Amsterdam; with this difference, that a part onlyof the former is cultivated, whereas the whole of the latter is. The lanes or roads necessary for travelling,are laid out in so judicious a manner, as to open a free and easy communication from one part of the islandto the other. Here are no towns or villages; most of the houses are built in the plantations, with no otherorder than what conveniency requires; they are neatly constructed, but do not exceed those in the otherisles. The materials of which they are built are the same; and some little variation in the disposition of theframing, is all the difference in their construction. The floor is a little raised, and covered with thick strongmats; the same sort of matting serves to inclose them on the windward side, the other being open. Theyhave little areas before the most of them, which are generally planted round with trees, or shrubs ofornament, whose fragrancy perfumes the very air in which they breathe. Their household furniture consistsof a few wooden platters, cocoa-nut shells, and some neat wooden pillows shaped like four-footed stools orforms. Their common clothing, with the addition of a mat, serves them for bedding. We got from them twoor three earthen vessels, which were all we saw among them. One was in the shape of a bomb-shell, withtwo boles in it, opposite each other; the others were like pipkins, containing about five or six pints, and hadbeen in use on the fire. I am of opinion they are the manufacture of some other isle; for, if they were oftheir own, we ought to have seen more of them. Nor am I to suppose they came from Tasman's ships; thetime is too long for brittle vessels like these to be preserved.We saw no other domestic animals amongst them but hogs and fowls. The former are of the same sort as atthe other isles in this sea; but the latter are far superior, being as large as any we have in Europe, and theirflesh equally good, if not better. We saw no dogs, and believe they have none, as they were exceedingly