sticks, which seemed to be ensigns of authority, as the people who bore them kept the rest of the natives back.  In return for the pig and the cock, he gave them some beads, a looking-glass, a few combs, with several other trinkets, and a hatchet.  The women, who had been kept at a distance, as soon as they saw the trinkets, ran down in a crowd to the beach, with great eagerness, but were soon driven away by the men, at which they expressed much disappointment and vexation.  While this traffic was carrying on, a man came secretly round a rock, and diving down, took up the boat’s grappling, and at the same time the people on shore who held the warp, made an effort to draw her into the surf.  As soon as this was perceived by the people on board, they fired a musket over the man’s head who had taken up the grappling, upon which he instantly let it go, with marks of great terror and astonishment; the people on shore also let go the rope.  The boats, after this, lay some time upon their oars, but the officer, finding that he could get nothing more, returned on board.  Mr Furneanx told me, that both the men and women were clothed, and he brought a piece of their cloth away with him.  The inhabitants appeared to him to be more numerous than the island could support, and for this reason, especially as he saw some large double canoes upon the beach, he imagined there were islands of larger extent, not far distant, where refreshments in greater plenty might be procured, and hoped that they might be less difficult of access.  As I thought this a reasonable conjecture, I hoisted in the boats, and determined to run farther to the westward.  To this place, which is nearly circular, and about two miles over, I gave the name of Osnaburgh Island, in honour of Prince Frederick, who is bishop of that see.  It lies in latitude 17 deg.51’S., and longitude 147 deg.30’W.; the variation here was 7 deg.10’ E.[51]

[Footnote 51:  The islands spoken of in this section, with several more, constitute a pretty considerable cluster, to which Bougainville gave the name of Dangerous Archipelago; and by this name they are usually designated in modern maps.—­E.]

SECTION V.

An Account of the Discovery of King George the Third’s Island, or Otaheite, and of several Incidents which happened both on board the Ship, and on Shore.

At two o’clock, the same day, we bore away, and in about half an hour, discovered very high land in the W. S.W.  At seven in the evening, Osnaburgh Island bore E. N.E. and the new discovered land, from W.N.W. to W. by S. As the weather was thick and squally, we brought to for the night, or at least till the fog should break away.  At two in the morning, it being very clear, we made sail again; at day-break we saw the land, at about five leagues distance, and steered directly for it; but at eight o’clock, when we were close under it, the fog obliged us again