or watering
and landing.

It was not above a league distant; and yet we did not reach it till five
o'clock in the afternoon, being considerably retarded by the great
number of canoes that continually crowded round the ships, bringing to
us abundant supplies of the produce of their island. Amongst these
canoes there were some double ones, with a large sail, that carried
between forty and fifty men each. These sailed round us, apparently,
with the same ease as if we had been at anchor. There were several women
in the canoes, who were, perhaps, incited by curiosity to visit us;
though, at the same time, they bartered as eagerly as the men, and used
the paddle with equal labour and dexterity; I came to an anchor in
eighteen fathoms water, the bottom coarse coral sand; the island
extending from E. to S.W.; and the W. point of the westernmost cove
S.E., about three quarters of a mile distant. Thus I resumed the very
same station which I had occupied when I visited Annamooka three years
before; and, probably, almost in the same place where Tasman, the first
discoverer of this, and some of the neighbouring islands, anchored in
1643.

The following day, while preparations were making for watering, I went
ashore, in the forenoon, accompanied by Captain Clerke, and some of the
officers, to fix on a place where the observatories might be set up, and
a guard be stationed; the natives having readily given us leave. They
also accommodated us with a boat-house, to serve as a tent, and shewed
us every other mark of civility. Toobou, the chief of the island,
conducted me and Omai to his house. We found it situated on a pleasant
spot, in the centre of his plantation. A fine grass-plot surrounded it,
which, he gave us to understand, was for the purpose of cleaning their
feet, before they went within doors. I had not, before, observed such an
instance of attention to cleanliness at any of the places I had visited
in this ocean; but, afterward, found that it was very common at the
Friendly Islands. The floor of Toobou's house was covered with mats; and
no carpet, in the most elegant English drawing-room, could be kept
neater. While we were on shore, we procured a few hogs, and some fruit,
by bartering; and, before we got on board again, the ships were crowded
with the natives. Few of them coming empty-handed, every necessary
refreshment was now in the greatest plenty.

I landed again in the afternoon, with a party of marines; and, at the