approach, were seen to be
well planted with all sorts of trees, and produced herbs, corn,
and roots in great plenty, to which they gave the name of _Bowman's
Islands_, after the captain of the Tienhoven, by whom they were first
seen.[6] As soon as they were seen by the natives, they came off in
their canoes to the ships, bringing fish, cocoa-nuts, Indian figs,
and other refreshments, in return for which the Dutch gave them small
mirrors, strings of beads, and other trifles. These islands were very
fully peopled, as many thousands of men and women came down to the
shore to view the ships, most of the men being armed with bows and
arrows. Among the rest, they saw a majestic personage, who, from the
peculiar dress he wore, and the honours that were paid him, evidently
appeared to be chief or king of these islanders. This person soon
afterwards went into a canoe, accompanied by a fair young woman, who
sat close by his side, and his canoe was immediately surrounded by a
vast number of others, which seemed intended for his guard.

[Footnote 6: These appear to have been the most northerly of the
Society islands, about 70 marine leagues, or 3-1/2 degrees W. by N.
from Recreation island, in lat. 15 deg. 20' S. long. 152 deg. W.]

All the inhabitants of these islands were white, differing only from
Europeans in being sun-burnt, and they seemed a very harmless good
sort of people, of brisk and lively dispositions, behaving to each
other with much civility, and shewing no appearance of wildness or
savageness in their behaviour. Their bodies were not painted like
those of the islanders they had seen hitherto, but very handsomely
cloathed from the waist downwards, with a sort of silk fringes very
neatly arranged. On their heads they wore hats of a very neat-looking
stuff, very large and wide spreading, in order to keep off the sun,
and their necks were adorned with collars or garlands of beautiful
odoriferous flowers. The islands appeared quite charming, being
agreeably diversified with beautiful hills and intermediate vallies.
Each family or tribe appeared to have its separate district, and
to compose a separate government or community, all the land being
regularly laid out into regular and fair plantations, as had formerly
been observed at _Pasch_, or _Easter_ island. In all respects, the
natives were the most civilized and best disposed people they had seen
in the South Seas. Instead of shewing any terror or apprehension at
the