ongataboo, one of the Friendly Islands. Having finished my business
here, I stood to the Southward with the intention of visiting the group
of islands we had discovered on our way hither, and we got sight of them
again in the afternoon of the 18th.[56-1]

On the 19th, in the morning we ran down on the North side until we came
to an opening through which we could see the sea on the opposite side,
and a kind of sound is formed by some islands to the North East and some
islands of considerable size to the South West, and in the intermediate
space there are several small islands and rocks. On the larboard hand of
the North entrance there is a shoal, on which the sea appears to break
although there is from ten to twelve fathoms of water upon it. In the
other part of the entrance there is forty fathoms of water or more. Our
boat had only time to examine the entrance and the larboard side of the
sound, in which there are interior bays where about 30 fathoms of water
is to be found within a cables length of the shore. The branches of the
sound on the starboard side, and which are yet unexamined, appear to
promise better anchorage than was found on the opposite shore, and should
it turn out so, it will be by far the safest and best anchorage hitherto
known amongst the Friendly Islands.[57-1]

The natives told us there was good water at several places within the
sound, and there is plenty of wood. Several of the inferior chiefs were
on board us, amongst whom were one of Fattahfahe's and one of Toobou's
family, but the principal chief of the island was not on board, but we
supposed he was coming at the time we made sail.[57-2] They brought on
board yams, cocoanuts, some bread fruit, and a few hogs and fowls, and
would have supplied us with more hogs had it been convenient for us to
have made a longer stay with them, and which they entreated us much to
do. We found them very fair in their dealings, very inoffensive and
better behaved than any savages we had yet seen.

They have frequent communication with Annamooka and the other Friendly
Islands, and their customs and language appear to be nearly the same. I
called the whole group Howe's Islands. The islands on the larboard side
of the North entrance I distinguished by the names of Barrington[58-1]
and Sawyer, two to the starboard side with the names of Hotham[58-2] and
Jarvis.[58-3] A high island a considerable way to the North West I called
Gardener's island,[58-4] and another h