Encyclopaedia Britannica, or, a Dictionary of arts, sciences, and miscellaneous literature : enlarged and improved. Illustrated with nearly six hundred engravings > Volume 6, CHI-Crystallization

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agahrit their enemies, he refufed to take any concern
in the affair, alleging, by way of excufq, that the
people of Eimeo had never offended him. This feemed
to fatisfy moft of the chiefs j but one, named Towha,
was fo much difpleafed, that Captain Cook could ne¬
ver regain his favour. He even threatened, that as
foon as the captain fliould be gone, he would make
war upon Otoo, one of the princes of thefe illands whom
he knew to be in ftrici friendftup with him • but from
this he was deterred by the captain’s threatening to
return and challile him if he made any fuch attempt.
As a mark of Otoo’s friendlhip, he gave our navigator
a canoe, which he defired him to carry to the king of
Britain, having nothing elfe, as he faid, worth his ac¬
ceptance. <
From Otaheite Captain Cook proceeded to Eimeo,
where, on account of fome thefts committed by the
natives, he was obliged to commence hoftilities, by
burning a number of their war canoes, and even fome
•lioules. Thefe tranlaftions gave him much concern;
and the more that he had been fo much folicited to
make war on thefe people by his friends at Otaheite,
to whole intreaties he had refufed to lillen. From
Eimeo he proceeded to Huaheine, where he faw Omai
■finally fettled, and left with him the two New Zealand
youths already mentioned. The youngeff of thefe was
fo much attached to the Englilh, that it was neceffary
to carry him out of the {hip and put him afhore by
force. During his ftay on this ifland, the captain was
obliged to puniih a thief with greater feverity than he
-had ever done before, viz. by caufing his head snd
beard to be fhaved, and his ears cut off. Some other
thfagreeable tranfa&ions took place, particularly the
defertion of two of his people, who were not recovered
without the greateft difficulty. In the courfe of his
exertions for their recovery, he found it neceffary to
detain the fon, daughter, and fon-in-law, of the chief
of an ifland named Otaha. This had almoff produced
very ferious confequences, the natives having formed
a plot for carrying off Captain Cook himfelf, as well
as Captain Clerke and Mr Gore. With regard to the
commander, they w.me difappointed by his own cau¬
tion and vigilance : but Meffrs Clerke and Gore wrere
in particular danger •, and it was only owing to the
circumftance of one of them having a piftol in his hand
-as they walked together on fhore, that they were not
•feized.
Having left the Society illands, and difeovered
"a new group, which in honour of his patro* the
earl of Sandwich, our commander named the Sand-
iv;ch Ifies, he fet out on . the 2d of January 1778 on
his voyage northward. In this he was very luccefs-
i J, afeertaining the vicinity of the continents of Afia
and America, which had never been done, or but very
imperfectly, before. From thefe defolate regions he
returned to the ifland of Oonalaffika } whence, having
refitted and taken in provifions, he returned to the
feuthward, and on the 26th of November reached
the Sandwich iflands, where he'difeovered a new one
named Mowee, and on the 30th of the fame month
another of much larger extent, named O-wJiy-hee, Se¬
ven weeks were fpent in exploring the coaffs of this
iiland; and during all this time he continued to have
the moff friendly jntercourfe with the people, who,
however, appeared to be much more numerous and
3
coo
powerful than thofe of any ifland our navigators had Cool
yet touched at. Several of the chiefs and principal't
people had attached themfelves greatly to the com¬
mander, and in general the people appeared to be
much more honeff in their difpofitions than any whom
he had ever vifited. But by the time he had finilhed
his circumnavigation of the ifland, and caff anchor
in a bay called Karakakooa, matters were greatly al¬
tered. An univerfal difpofition to theft and plunder
had now taken place; and in this it was evident that
the common people were encouraged by their chiefs
who fhared the booty with them. Still, however, no
hoftilities were commenced : the greateft honours were
paid to the commander j and, on his going afhore, he
was received with ceremonies little fhort of adoration,
A valt quantity of hogs and other provifions were
procured for the fiiips ; and on the 4th of February
I779» they hfft the illand, not without moft magni¬
ficent preients from the chiefs, and fuch as they had
never before received in any part of the world. Un¬
luckily they met with a ftorm on the fixth and feventh
of the fame month 5 during which the Refolution
fprung the head of her fcremint in fuch a manner that
they were obliged to return to Karakakooa bay to
have it repaired. As they returned, Captain Cook
had an opportunity of (bowing his humanity to the
people, by the relief he afforded to fome of their canoes
which had fuffered in the ftorm. The fame friendly
intercourfe which had formerly been held with the na¬
tives now commenced, and Captain Cook wms treated
with the ufual honours j but on the 13 th of this month
it was unhappily broken off on the following account.
One of the natives being detefted in ftealing the
tongs from the armourer’s forge in the Difcovery, was
difmiffed with a pretty fevere flogging-, but this example
was fb far from being attended ■with any good effeft,
that in the afternoon another, having (hatched up the
tongs and a chiffel, jumped overboard with them and
(warn for the (bore. The mafter and midfhipman were
inflantly difpatched in purfuit of him 5 but he efcaped
on board a canoe, -which paddled away fo quickly that
the cutter could not come near it. A chief named Pa-
reak, wTho was at this time on board the Refolution, un-
derftanding what had happened, promifed to go afhore,
and get back the ftolen goods j but before this could
be done, the thief had made his efcape into the coun¬
try. Captain Cook, who was at that time afliore,
had endeavoured to intercept the canoe when it land¬
ed, but was led out of the way by fome of the na¬
tives who pretended to be his guides. The tongs and
chiffel, how-ever, were brought back to the mafler as
he advanced to the landing place, but he being now
joined by fome of the reft of the people in the pin¬
nace, could not be fatrsfied with the recovery of the
ftolen goods, but infilled upon having the thief or the
canoe which carried him by way of reprifal. On
his preparing to launch this laft into the water, he wa-s
interrupted by Pareab, who infifted that it was his
property, and that he fhculd not take it arvay. As
the officer paid no regard to his remonftrances, Pa-
reah, who feems to have been a very ftrong man, fei¬
zed him, pinioned his arms behind, and held him
fall by the hair of the head. On this one of the failors
ftruck the chief with an oar 5 on which, quilting the
officer, he inftantly fnatched the oar out of the man’s
hand,