A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels Novel Chapters
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Latest Release: Chapter 1 : A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels.Vol. 1.by Robert Kerr.PREFACE.In
A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels.Vol. 1.by Robert Kerr.PREFACE.In this enlightened age, when every department of science and literature is making rapid progress, and knowledge of every kind excites uncommon interest, and is widely d
- 421 SECTION IX._The Pa.s.sage from Easter Island to the Marquesas Islands. Transactions and Incidents which happened while the s.h.i.+p lay in Madre de Dios, or Resolution Bay, in the Island of St Christina._ After leaving Easter Island, I steered N.W. by N.
- 420 On the declivity of the mountain towards the west, they met with another well, but the water was a very strong mineral, had a thick green sc.u.m on the top, and stunk intolerably. Necessity, however, obliged some to drink of it; but it soon made them so s
- 419 Sir Drake, whom well the world's end knew, Which thou didst compa.s.se round, And whom both poles of heaven once saw Which north and south do bound: The stars above would make thee known, If men were silent here; The Sun himselfe cannot forget His fe
- 418 We continued our course to the north with a gentle breeze at west, attended with clear weather, till four o'clock the next morning, when meeting with a quant.i.ty of loose ice, we brought-to, and took on board as much as filled all our empty casks, a
- 417 That the New Zealanders are cannibals, can now no longer be doubted. The account given of this in my former voyage, being partly founded on circ.u.mstances, was, as I afterwards understood, discredited by many persons. Few consider what a savage man is in
- 416 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
- 415 [6] "Upon enquiry, some of the sportsmen who had met with this man near Maria Bay, had been repeatedly told, that he was the chief of the whole island, in the same manner as Cookee (Captain Cook) was chief of our s.h.i.+ps, and that they called him K
- 414 by W. 1/2 W. to N.W. 1/2 W. We had scarcely got to an anchor before we were surrounded by a great number of canoes full of people, who had brought with them cloth, and other curiosities, which they exchanged for nails, &c.Several came on board; among them
- 413 Next morning we paid a formal visit to Oreo, the chief of this part of the isle, carrying with us the necessary presents. We went through no sort of ceremony at landing, but were at once conducted to him. He was seated in his own house, which stood near t
- 412 [1] Perhaps few descriptions of natural scenery excel the following, in real poetic effect:--"It was one of those beautiful mornings which the poets of all nations have attempted to describe, when we saw the isle of Otaheite, within two miles before
- 411 The wind continued in the N.W. quarter, and blew fresh at times, attended with rain; with which we stood to the N.E. On the 1st of August, at noon, we were in the lat.i.tude of 25 1', longitude 134 6' W., and had a great hollow swell from N.W. T
- 410 Living thus dispersed in small parties, knowing no head but the chief of the family or tribe, whose authority may be very little, they feel many inconveniences, to which well-regulated societies, united under one head or any other form of government, are
- 409 SECTION VII._Captain Furneaux's Narrative, from the Time the two s.h.i.+ps were separated, to their joining again in Queen Charlotte's Sound, with some Account of Van Diemen's Land._ On the 7th of February, 1773, in the morning, the Resolut
- 408 In the morning of the 23d, Mr Pickersgill, Mr Gilbert, and two others, went to the Cascade Cove, in order to ascend one of the mountains, the summit of which they reached by two o'clock in the afternoon, as we could see by the fire they made. In the
- 407 The rapidity of the current of moist air would be no doubt greater on the other side, and therefore, as moisture occasions cold, would lower the thermometer on that side. On the weather-side, on the contrary, the air would be less quickly changed, and of
- 406 But, as neither this signal, nor any of the former, was answered by the Adventure, we had but too much reason to think that a separation had taken place; though we were at a loss to tell how it had been effected. I had directed Captain Furneaux, in case h
- 405 Mr Gilbert, ditto 39 48 45 Mr Smith, ditto 39 18 15 ---------- Mean 39 42 12 Mr Kendal's watch made 38 41 30 which is nearly the same difference as the day before. But Mr Wales and I took each of us six distances of the sun and moon, with the telesco
- 404 In the night the wind veered to N.W. which enabled us to steer S.W. On the 12th we had still thick hazy weather, with sleet and snow; so that we were obliged to proceed with great caution on account of the ice islands. Six of these we pa.s.sed this day; s
- 403 We had no sooner anch.o.r.ed than we were visited by the captain of the port, or master-attendant, some other officers belonging to the company, and Mr Brandt. This last gentleman brought us off such things as could not fail of being acceptable to persons
- 402 [18] Is it not both likely and somewhat allowable, that Cook should speak of the _fine writer_ and _professed book-maker_, with a feeling of disgust or irritation; more especially when he could not but well remember, that his own simple personality had be
- 401 Of _malt_ is made _sweet wort_, which is given to such persons as have got the scurvy, or whose habit of body threatens them with it, from one to five or six pints a-day, as the surgeon sees necessary._Sour krout_ is cabbage cut small, to which is put a l
- 400 A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels.Volume 14.by Robert Kerr.PART III. BOOK II.AN ACCOUNT OF A VOYAGE TOWARDS THE SOUTH POLE, AND ROUND THE WORLD; PERFORMED IN HIS MAJESTY'S s.h.i.+PS THE RESOLUTION AND ADVENTURE, IN THE YEARS 177
- 399 Bougainville bestowed on it the name of _Isle des Lanciers_, from the circ.u.mstance of his noticing about fifteen or twenty of its inhabitants carrying very long pikes, as in the act of brandis.h.i.+ng them against the s.h.i.+p, with signs of threatening
- 398 After the b.o.o.bies had left us, we saw no more birds till we got nearly abreast of Madagascar, where, in lat.i.tude 27 3/4 S., we saw an albatross, and after that time we saw them every day in great numbers, with birds of several other sorts, particular
- 397 In eating, they are easily satisfied, though the few that are rich have many savory dishes. Rice, with a small proportion of flesh or fish, is the food of the poor; and they have greatly the advantage of the Mahometan Indians, whose religion forbids them
- 396 These are all sold about the streets every evening at sunset, either strung upon a thread, in wreaths of about two feet long, or made up into nosegays of different forms, either of which may be purchased for about a half-penny. Besides these, there are, i
- 395 Rice, which is well known to be the corn of these countries, and to serve the inhabitants instead of bread, grows in great plenty; and I must here observe, that in the hilly parts of Java, and in many of the eastern islands, a species of this grain is pla
- 394 [Footnote 125: They reckon two seasons or monsoons in this climate. The east, or good one, begins about the end of April, and continues till about the beginning of October. During this, the trade-winds usually blow from the south-east and east-south-east,
- 393 [Footnote 114: This is related in the preceding volume.--E.]At seven o'clock a breeze sprung up at S.S.W., with which having weighed, we stood to the N.E. between Thwart-the-way-Island and the Cap, sounding from eighteen to twenty-eight fathom: We ha
- 392 The boats in use here are a kind of proa.This island was settled by the Portugueze almost as soon as they first found their way into this part of the ocean; but they were in a short time supplanted by the Dutch. The Dutch however did not take possession o
- 391 In the morning of the 19th I went ash.o.r.e with Mr Banks, and several of the officers and gentlemen, to return the king's visit; but my chief business was to procure some of the buffaloes, sheep, and fowls, which we had been told should be driven do
- 390 In the afternoon of Thursday, August the 23d, after leaving b.o.o.by Island, we steered W.N.W. with light airs from the S.S.W. till five o'clock, when it fell calm, and the tide of ebb soon after setting to the N.E., we came to an anchor in eight fat
- 389 Their manner of hunting we had no opportunity to see; but we conjectured, by the notches which they had every where cut in large trees in order to climb them, that they took their station near the tops of them, and there watched for such animals as might
- 388 The island that forms the streight or channel through which we had pa.s.sed, lies about four miles without these, which, except two, are very small: The southermost is the largest, and much higher than any part of the main land. On the north-west side of
- 387 The next morning, at low water, I went and sounded and buoyed the bar, the s.h.i.+p being now ready for sea. We saw no Indians this day, but all the hills round us for many miles were on fire, which at night made a most striking and beautiful appearance.T
- 386 The scurvy now began to make its appearance among us, with many formidable symptoms. Our poor Indian, Tupia, who had some time before complained that his gums were sore and swelled, and who had taken plentifully of our lemon juice by the surgeon's di
- 385 At six in the morning we weighed, with a gentle breeze at south, and stood away to the N.W. between the outermost range of islands and the main, leaving several small islands between the main and the s.h.i.+p, which we pa.s.sed at a very little distance;
- 384 Our people went ash.o.r.e as usual, and with them Mr Banks and Dr Solander; who, in search of plants, repaired to the woods. Our men, who were employed in cutting gra.s.s, being the farthest removed from the main body of the people, a company of fourteen
- 383 We continued to stand westward till two in the morning, when we made a trip to the eastward, and afterwards stood westward till noon, when, by our reckoning, we were in the lat.i.tude 42 23', and longitude from Cape West 3 55' E. We now tacked a
- 382 As soon as we got out of the Sound I stood over to the eastward, in order to get the streight well open before the tide of ebb came on. At seven in the evening, the two small islands which lie off Cape Koamaroo, the south-east head of Queen Charlotte'
- 381 longitude 184 42' W.; and is distant seven leagues, in the direction of S. 17 W. from Woody Head. On the north side of this point the sh.o.r.e forms a bay, in which there appears to be anchorage and shelter for s.h.i.+pping. Our course and distance f
- 380 At eight o'clock the next morning we were within a mile of a group of islands which lie close under the main, at the distance of two-and-twenty miles from Cape Bret, in the direction of N.W. by W. 1/2 W. At this place, having but little wind, we lay
- 379 [Footnote 62: Savages in general, and more especially when in unfavourable circ.u.mstances as to the means of rendering life comfortable, shew little sympathy for each other; and accordingly, the principle of fort.i.tude, which, as justly observed by Mr M
- 378 In the afternoon of the 23d, as soon as the s.h.i.+p was moored, I went on sh.o.r.e to examine the watering-place, accompanied by Mr Banks and Dr Solander: The boat landed in the cove, without the least surf; the water was excellent, and conveniently situ
- 377 When these people had recovered from the first impressions of fear, which, notwithstanding their resolution in coming on board, had manifestly thrown them into some confusion, we enquired after our poor boys. The man who first came on board immediately an
- 376 To these six islands, Ulietea, Otaha, Bolabola, Huaneine, Tubai, and Maurua, as they lie contiguous to each other, I gave the names of _Society Islands_, but did not think it proper to distinguish them separately by any other names than those by which the
- 375 [Footnote 41: Mr Parkhurst, in his Hebrew Lexicon, takes notice of this circ.u.mstance, and admits the resemblance. But in fact, there is no need to have recourse to the Jews in particular, for something similar to what is here mentioned. The Egyptians, a
- 374 Oh! lives there, heaven! beneath thy dread expanse, One hopeless, dark idolater of chance, Content to feed, with pleasures unrefined, The lukewarm pa.s.sions of a lowly mind; Who, mouldering earthward, 'reft of every trust, In joyless union wedded to
- 373 In numeration they proceed from one to ten, the number of fingers on both hands; and though they have for each number a different name, they generally take hold of their fingers one by one, s.h.i.+fting from one hand to the other, till they come to the nu
- 372 [Footnote 18: The missionary account tells us, that the n.o.ble Women are the princ.i.p.al cloth-makers. Among these people, it seems, that it is far from being thought disgraceful, for the higher orders to engage in domestic concerns and useful manufactu
- 371 A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels.Vol. 13.by Robert Kerr.PART III--BOOK I.CHAP, IV. SECTION XVII._A particular Description of the Island of Otaheite; its Produce and Inhabitants; their Dress, Habitations, Food, Domestic Life and Amus
- 370 On Monday morning the 10th, the marines, to my great concern, not being returned, an enquiry was made after them of the Indians, who frankly told us, that they did not intend to return, and had taken refuge in the mountains, where it was impossible for ou
- 369 Mr Banks, in his morning walk this day, met a number of the natives, whom, upon enquiry, he found to be travelling musicians; and having learnt where they were to be at night, we all repaired to the place. The band consisted of two flutes and three drums,
- 368 Friday, the 12th of May, was distinguished by a visit from some ladies whom we had never seen before, and who introduced themselves with very singular ceremonies. Mr Banks was trading in his boat at the gate of the fort as usual, in company with Tootahah,
- 367 On the 24th, Mr Banks and Dr Solander examined the country for several miles along the sh.o.r.e to the eastward: For about two miles it was flat and fertile; after that the hills stretched quite to the water's edge, and a little farther ran out into
- 366 _The Arrival of the Endeavour at Otaheite, called by Captain Wallis, King George the Third's Island. Rules established for Traffic with the Natives, and an Account of several Incidents which happened in a Visit to Tootahah and Toubourai Tamaida, two
- 365 SECTION VI._A general Description of the S.E. Part of Terra del Fuego, and the Streight of Le Maire; with some Remarks on Lord Anson's Account of them, and Directions for the Pa.s.sage Westward, round this Part of America, into the South Seas_.Almost
- 364 [Footnote 79: The Portuguese have a name for what is here spoken of.They call it the gra.s.sy sea. There is reason to think that it is a vegetable, and not an animal production. But, on the whole, the subject has been little investigated.--E.]On the 11th
- 363 In this situation I determined, rather than be made a prisoner in my own boat, to go on sh.o.r.e no more; for the officer who, under pretence or a compliment, attended me when I was ash.o.r.e, insisted also upon going with me to and from the s.h.i.+p: But
- 362 One reason, perhaps, why art and industry have done so little for Madeira is, nature's having done so much. The soil is very rich, and there is such a difference of climate between the plains and the hills, that there is scarcely a single object of l
- 361 28, P.M. 29 45 79 50 9 40 } 31, P.M. 26 26 82 15 8 10 } June 1, P.M. 25 51 84 23 8 8 } 7, P.M. 27 23 97 16 5 45 } 8. A.M. 27 20 97 51 5 45 } 10. A.M. 26 30 98 25 5 40 } 12, P.M. 26 53 100 21 4 13 }In Crossing the South Sea 16, P.M. 28 11 111 15 2 00 } 17,
- 360 After this, I waited in a fruitless expectation till the 15th, when the same three gentlemen came to me the third time, and said, they had been sent to tell me that the council had protested against my behaviour at Maca.s.sar, and my having refused to sig
- 359 The next day, we made some islands which lie not far from that place, and saw, what sometimes we took for shoals, and sometimes for boats with men on board, but what afterwards appeared to be trees, and other drift, floating about, with birds sitting upon
- 358 Though we cleared the streight in the morning of Sunday the 13th of September, we had no observation of the sun till the 15th, which I could not but greatly regret, as it prevented my being so exact in my lat.i.tude and longitude as might be expected. The
- 357 As the expedition to find a better place for the s.h.i.+p had issued thus unhappily, I determined to try what could be done where we lay; the next day, therefore, the s.h.i.+p was brought down by the stern, as far as we could effect it, and the carpenter,
- 356 The next morning, as soon as it was light, I sent the boats out again, to examine any place where they could get on sh.o.r.e. They returned with a few casks of water, which they had filled at a small rill, and reported, that the wind being at S.E. blew so
- 355 Pulo Aroe Nov. 15. 2 28 N. 258 0 W. 255 0 W. 1 0 W.Luc.i.p.ara Nov. 25. 4 10 S. 254 46 W. None.Batavia Dec. 1. 6 8 S. 254 30 W. 2 25 W.Prince's Island Dec. 16. 6 41 S. 256 0 W. 256 30 W. 3 0 W.1768 At Sea Jan. 26. 34 24 S. 328 0 W. 323 30 W. 24 0 W.
- 354 On the 26th and 27th, being in lat.i.tude 34 16', and becalmed, we had several observations, by which we determined the longitude of the s.h.i.+p to be 323 30'; and it appeared that we were several degrees to the eastward of our reckoning.At six
- 353 When we first came to an anchor, the north part of the bay bore N. 39 W. Cocoa point N. 7 W. the landing-place N.E. by N. and the south end of the island S. 28 E.; but next morning, the master having sounded all the bay, and being of opinion that there wa
- 352 Their food consists of pork, poultry, dog's flesh, and fish, bread-fruit, bananas, plantains, yams, apples, and a sour fruit, which, though not pleasant by itself, gives an agreeable relish to roasted bread-fruit, with which it is frequently beaten u
- 351 Sunday the 28th was marked by no incident; but on Monday the 29th, one of the gunner's party found a piece of saltpetre near as big as an egg.As this was an object of equal curiosity and importance, diligent enquiry was immediately made from whence i
- 350 I stood off and on with the s.h.i.+p all night, and as soon as the day broke, I sent the boats again, with orders to make a landing, but without giving any offence to the natives, that could possibly be avoided. When our boats came near the sh.o.r.e, the
- 349 The best place for anchoring is Pa.s.sage Point, at half a mile distance, bearing S.E. and the river bearing N.E. by E. distant three cables'length; in this situation, a bank or shoal, which may be known by the weeds, bears W.N.W. distant a cable
- 348 When they left the s.h.i.+p I went on sh.o.r.e with them, and by this time several of their wives and children were come to the watering-place. I distributed some trinkets among them, with which they seemed pleased for a moment, and they gave us same of t
- 347 We continued our course till Sat.u.r.day the 13th, when our lat.i.tude being 50 34' S. and our longitude 68 15' W. the extremes of the land bore from N. 1/2 E. to S.S.W. 1/2 W. and the s.h.i.+p was about five or six miles distant from the sh.o.r
- 346 On Sunday the 16th, at six in the morning, we saw the island of St Helena, bearing W. by N. at the distance of about sixteen leagues, and about noon, a large s.h.i.+p, which shewed French colours. We pursued our course, and a few days afterwards, as we we
- 345 "And now perhaps it may be wondered at, that an island so exquisitely furnished with the conveniences of life, and so well adapted, not only to the subsistence, but likewise to the enjoyment of mankind, should be entirely dest.i.tute of inhabitants,
- 344 Close to the houses of these people, we saw buildings of another kind, which appeared to be burying-places, and from which we judged that they had great veneration for their dead. They were situated under lofty trees, that gave a thick shade; the sides an
- 343 The cutter returned the next morning, at six o'clock, having been about five leagues to the westward upon the north sh.o.r.e, and found two anchoring-places. The officer reported, that having been on sh.o.r.e, he had fallen in with some Indians, who
- 342 SECTION VI._The Pa.s.sage through the Strait of Magellan as far as Cape Monday, with a Description of several Bays and Harbours, formed by the Coast on each Side._ We continued to make sail for Port Desire till Wednesday the 6th of February, when about on
- 341 _Pa.s.sage up the Strait of Magellan to Port Famine; with some Account of that Harbour, and the adjacent Coast._ Soon after I returned on board I got under way, and worked up the strait, which is here about nine leagues broad, with the flood, not with a v
- 340 A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels.Vol. 12.by Robert Kerr.PART III.[Ill.u.s.tration] A GENERAL HISTORY AND COLLECTION OF VOYAGES AND TRAVELS.PART III. BOOK I.CHAPTER I.AN ACCOUNT OF THE VOYAGES UNDERTAKEN BY THE ORDER OF HIS MAJESTY G
- 339 Whilst the s.h.i.+ps lay here, the merchants of Macao finished their agreement for the galleon, for which they had offered 6000 dollars; this was much short of her value, but the impatience of the commodore to get to sea, to which the merchants were no st
- 338 SECTION x.x.xI._Transactions in the River of Canton._ The commodore, having taken pilots on board, proceeded with his prize for the river of Canton; and on the 14th of July, came to an anchor short of the Bocca Tigris, which is a narrow pa.s.sage forming
- 337 [Footnote 8: Captain Krusenstern, in his very interesting work already referred to, relates an anecdote, which it may amuse the reader to compare with the reasoning of Commodore Anson's now given: "An English brig (The Harrier) of eighteen guns,
- 336 It was the 27th of September in the morning, that is, five days after our departure, when we thus secured our anchor; And the same day we got up our main-yard: And having now conquered in some degree the distress and disorder which we were necessarily inv
- 335 [Footnote 1: Some remarks respecting the nature and treatment of this disease are now given in the original, but being imperfect and conjectural, are omitted here.--E.]Our surgeon (who, during our pa.s.sage round Cape Horn, had ascribed the mortality we s
- 334 Besides the care we had taken to prevent the galleon from pa.s.sing us un.o.bserved, we had not been inattentive to the means of engaging her to advantage, when we came up with her: For, considering the thinness of our hands, and the vaunting accounts giv
- 333 [Footnote 1: The intelligent reader will demand more than the _tradition of the country_ to induce his belief, that this diving business is not most certainly destructive of the miserable wretches who are compelled to pursue it. The divers in the Persian
- 332 SECTION XVI._Capture of Payta, and Proceedings at that Place._ The town of Payta is in lat 50 12' S. [long. 81 15' W.] being situated in a most barren soil, composed only of sand and slate. It is of small extent, being about 275 yards in length
- 331 As soon as the vessel came within hail of us, the commodore ordered her to bring to under his lee quarter; and having the boat hoisted out, sent our first lieutenant, Mr Saumarez, to take possession of the prize, with orders to send all the prisoners on b
- 330 being then about four leagues from sh.o.r.e. On the first sight of it, they wore s.h.i.+p and stood to the southward; but their fore-sail splitting, and the wind being strong at W.S.W. they drove towards the sh.o.r.e. The captain, either unable to clear t
- 329 The northern part of this island is composed of high craggy hills, many of them inaccessible, though generally covered with trees. The soil of this part is loose and shallow, so that very large trees in the hills frequently perish for want of root, and ar
- 328 35 40' W. a difference of longitude of no less than eleven degrees.][Footnote 2: The centre of Falkland's Islands is in 51 45' S.Janson's Islands, the most north-westerly of the group, or the Sebaldines, is in 51; and Beauchene's
- 327 Although these dogs are said to prowl in vast packs, even some thousands together, they do not diminish the number, nor prevent the increase of the cattle, as they dare not attack the herds, by reason of the vast numbers that feed together, but content th
- 326 The soil of this island is truly luxuriant, producing many kinds of fruits spontaneously, and is covered over with one continued forest of trees, in perpetual verdure, and which, from the exuberant fertility of the soil, are so entangled with thorns, bria
- 325 Over and above their complements of sailors and marines, these s.h.i.+ps had on board an old Spanish regiment of foot, intended to reinforce the garrisons on the coast of the South-Sea. Having cruised some days to leeward of Madeira, as formerly mentioned
- 324 These considerations have occasioned the compiling the ensuing work; which, in gratifying the inquisitive disposition of mankind, and contributing to the safety and success of future navigators, and to the extension of our commerce, may doubtless vie with
- 323 The island of _San Michael_ is seven or eight leagues S.E. of Tercera, and is about twenty leagues in length, having several towns and villages. The capital of this island is _Ponta del Guda_, which drives a considerable trade in _woad_, sent to Tercera,
- 322 SECTION XVI._Account of the Colony of the Cape of Good Hope._ Nothing remarkable occurred to the author of this voyage, while on the way from Batavia to the Cape of Good Hope, except seeing the wreck of the Schonenberg, a s.h.i.+p belonging to the Company