ne of these sort of Canoes in the water, the rest was all
hauled ashore and seemed to be going to decay, neither were there very
many of them upon the Island.* (* The war canoes of Tahiti exist no
longer. The others are still used, and merit all Cook's encomiums on
their sailing qualities.)

The Chiefs and better sort of People generally go from one part of the
island to another in small double Canoes which carry a little movable
House, this not only Skreens them from the Sun by day, but serves them to
Sleep in in the Night, and this way of Travelling is Extremely commodious
about such Islands as are inclosed by a reef as this is; for as these
Canoes draw but Little water they can always keep in the Reefs, and by
that means are never in danger.

They have some few other Canoes, Pahees as they call them, which differ
from those above discribed, but of these I saw but 6 upon the whole
Island, and was told they were not built here. The 2 largest was each 76
feet long, and when they had been in use had been fastned together. These
are built Sharp and Narrow at both Ends and broad in the Middle; the
bottom is likewise Sharp, inclining to a Wedge, yet Buldges out very much
and rounds in again very quick just below the Gunwale. They are built of
several pieces of thick plank and put together as the others are, only
these have timbers in the inside, which the others have not. They have
high Curved Sterns, the head also Curves a little, and both are
ornamented with the image of a man carved in wood, very little inferior
work of the like kind done by common Ship Carvers in England.

When one Considers the Tools these people have one cannot help but
admiring their workmanship; these are Adzes and small Hatchets made of a
hard Stone, Chizels and Gouges made of human bones, generally the bones
of the Forearm, but Spike Nails have pretty well supplyd the place of
these. With these ordinary Tools, that a European would expect to break
the first stroke, I have seen them work surprisingly fast. To plain or
polish their work they rub upon it, with a small stone, Coral Beat small
and Mixed with Water; this is done sometimes by scraping it with Shells,
with which alone they perform most of their Small wood work.

Their Proes or Canoes, large and Small, are row'd and Steer'd with
Paddles, and, notwithstanding the large ones appear to be very unweildy,
they manage them very dexterously, and I believe perform long and distant
Voyages in th