ey did not appear to have any house, or other shelter from the
weather, the inclemencies of which, custom has probably enabled them to
endure without any lasting inconvenience. Their whole behaviour was
affable, obliging, and unsuspicious; they presented each person with
fish, and a brand of fire to dress it, and pressed them many times to
stay till the morning, which they would certainly have done if they had
not expected the ship to sail, greatly regretting that they had not
become acquainted with them sooner, as they made no doubt but that more
knowledge of the manners and disposition of the inhabitants of this
country would have been obtained from them in a day, than they had yet
been able to acquire during our whole stay upon the coast.

On the 6th, about six o'clock in the morning, a light breeze sprung up
at north, and we again got under sail, but the wind proving variable, we
reached no farther than just without Motuara; in the afternoon, however,
a more steady gale at N. by W. set us clear of the Sound, which I shall
now describe.

The entrance of Queen Charlotte's Sound is situated in latitude 41 deg. S.
longitude 184 deg. 45' W. and near the middle of the south-west side of the
streight in which it lies. The land of the south-east head of the Sound,
called by the natives _Koamaroo_, off which lie two small islands and
some rocks, makes the narrowest part of the streight. From the
north-west head a reef of rocks runs out about two miles, in the
direction of N.E. by N.; part of which is above the water, and part
below. By this account of the heads, the Sound will be sufficiently
known: At the entrance, it is three leagues broad, and lies in S.W. by
S.S.W. and W.S.W. at least ten leagues, and is a collection of some of
the finest harbours in the world, as will appear from the plan, which is
laid down with all the accuracy that time and circumstances would admit.
The land forming the harbour or cove in which we lay, is called by the
natives _Totarranue_: The harbour itself, which I called _Ship Cove_, is
not inferior to any in the Sound, either for convenience or safety: It
lies on the west side of the Sound, and is the southermost of three
coves, that are situated within the island of Motuara, which bears east
of it. Ship Cove may be entered, either between Motuara and a long
island, called by the natives _Hamote_, or between Motuara and the
western shore. In the last of these channels are two ledges of rocks,