r
instruments, to observe the transit of Mercury, Mr Banks and Dr Solander
being of the party; the weather had for some time been very thick, with
much rain, but this day was so favourable that not a cloud intervened
during the whole transit. The observation of the ingress was made by Mr
Green alone, while I was employed in taking the sun's altitude, to
ascertain the time. It came on at 7h 20' 58" apparent time: According to
Mr Green's observation, the internal contact was at 12h 8' 58", the
external at 12h 9' 55" p.m. And according to mine, the internal contact
was at 12h 8' 54", and the external 12h 9' 48"; the latitude of the
place of observation was 30 deg. 48' 5-1/2". The latitude observed at noon
was 36 deg. 48' 28". The mean of this and yesterday's observation gives 36 deg.
48' 5-1/2" S. the latitude of the place of observation; the variation of
the compass was 11 deg. 9' E.

About noon we were alarmed by the firing of a great gun from the ship;
Mr Gore, my second lieutenant, was at this time commanding officer on
board, and the account that he gave was this. While some small canoes
were trading with the people, two very large ones came up, full of men,
one of them having on board forty-seven, all armed with pikes, darts,
and stones, and apparently with a hostile intention: They appeared to be
strangers, and to be rather conscious of superiority over us by their
numbers, than afraid of any weapons which could give us superiority over
them: No attack was however made; probably because they learnt from the
people in the other canoes, with whom they immediately entered into
conference, what kind of an enemy they had to deal with: After a little
time, they began to trade, some of them offering their arms, and one of
them a square piece of cloth, which makes a part of their dress, called
a _haahow;_ several of the weapons were purchased, and Mr Gore having
agreed for a haahow, sent down the price, which was a piece of British
cloth, and expected his purchase: But the Indian, as soon as he had got
Mr Gore's cloth in his possession, refused to part with his own, and put
off the canoe: Upon being threatened for this fraud, he and his
companions began to sing their war song in defiance, and shook their
paddles: Still, however, they began no attack, only defying Mr Gore to
take any remedy in his power, which so provoked him that he levelled a
musket loaded with ball at the offender, while he was holding the cloth
in his ha