Winds as yesterday. P.M. rainy weather, the remainder fair
and Cloudy. Pretty early in the A.M. an old man, who had made us several
visits upon our first Arrival here, came on board, and told us that one
of our boats had fir'd upon and wounded 2 of their people, one of which
was dead of his wounds. This affair hapned on Sunday was a week, and
never before now came to my Knowledge; on that day the Master and 5 Petty
officers desir'd to have a small boat to go a fishing; but instead of
Keeping within the usual bounds and under the protection of the Ship,
they went over to the Hippa on the Island, from which some of the
inhabitants put off in 2 Canoes, as they thought to attack them; this
Caused the Master to fire, and, according to the report of the old Man,
wounded 2, one of which is since dead; but this last circumstance was
soon after contradicted by another of the Natives, who Mr. Green and
Tupia saw ashore, and I wish this last report may be true, because I find
the reasons for firing upon them are not very Justifiable. This morning I
went out to the Mouth of the Inlet and landed upon the West point, and
from the Top of a pretty high hill which is there I had a view of this
Coast to the North-West. The farthest land I could see in that Quarter
was an Island* (* Stephens Island. Cape Stephens, off which it lies,
forms the western termination of the strait, Cook's, between the two
islands of New Zealand. The Coast between this and Cape Jackson, where
Cook was standing, is thickly indented with inlets of great extent. The
two Capes were named after the Secretaries of the Admiralty.) about 10
Leagues off, and lying pretty near the Main, and is the same as hath been
before mentioned. Between this Island and the place where I was lay some
other Islands close under the Shore, which forms several Bays, where
there appears to be safe Anchorage for Shipping. After I had set the
different points, etc., we Erected upon the Top of the Hill a Tower or
Pile of Stones, in which we left a Piece of Silver Coin, some Musquet
Balls, Beads, etc., and left flying upon it a piece of an old Pendant.
After this we return'd to the Boat, and in our way to the Ship visited
some of the Natives we met with along shore, and purchased of them a
small quantity of fish.
Joseph Banks Journal
This morn Our Old Man (Topaa by name, he that came first on board the ship) came with 3 more Indians in a canoe and unfolded the story of the 19th, saying that 2 Indians were struck with the balls one of whoom was dead, this causd a good deal of conversation in the ship and totaly unfolded the whole affair which had till now been kept a secret from most people. After breakfast the Captn and Dr Solander went out in the Pinnace, myself went ashore to air plants etc. etc. In the even when we all returnd Tupia who had been with some of our people and seen the Indians Told us that what we heard in the morn was absolutely false, that so far from dead nobody was even hurt by the shot. Our Freind Topaa is he says given too much to Lying.
Sydney Parkinson Journal
An old man came and told us one person was dead of a wound which he received. In this Hippa there are about thirty-two houses, containing upwards of two hundred inhabitants. Some of our people saw the bones of a girl, the flesh of which, they said, they ate the day before. Another party of our people, going to an isle on the other side of the bay, met with a canoe, and were told, that a young girl had been taken from them.
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