Archibald Campbell

“ Having repaired the damage, we again set sail next morning, with a fair southerly wind. Our little vessel made better weather than could have been expected, and so long as it continued moderate, she scudded before the sea perfectly dry; we boomed out the foresail on the weather side, and the wind being fair, proceeded on our voyage at a great rate.—About noon it freshened into a smart gale, and the sea rose considerably, frequently curling over the stern in an alarming manner. ”

“ The intervention of a third person between the traveller and the reader, is an [10] evil which ought always, if possible, to be avoided; but in the present instance, some literary assistance was absolutely necessary; and the editor conceives he shall best have executed the task he has imposed upon himself, by stating, with strict fidelity, and in the simplest language, the facts as they were related to him.
A short account of the life of the narrator will enable the reader to judge of the necessity of such assistance, as well as of his qualifications to relate the incidents of his voyage. ”

“ The respect paid to the king’s person, to his house, and even to his food, formed a remarkable contrast to the simplicity of his mode of living.
Whenever he passed, his subjects were obliged to uncover their heads and shoulders. The same ceremony took place upon their entering, or even passing his residence; and every house which he entered was ever after honoured with the same marks of respect. Once, when employed in the house [94] of Isaac Davis, making a loom for the king, I observed him passing, and being ignorant of this custom, requested him to enter and observe my progress ”

“ Tamaahmaah, availing himself of these dissensions, invaded and conquered Mowee, Morotai, and Ranai. Next year, 1795, he invaded Wahoo with one detatchment of his force, leaving Tianna to follow him with the other. Whilst waiting the arrival of that chief, he received the unexpected intelligence that he had gone over to the enemy; while, at the same time, an insurrection had broke out in Owhyhee, headed by Nomataha, brother to Tianna. Instead of being overwhelmed by this unexpected intelligence, he took the resolution of instantly attacking his enemies. ”

“ They are extremely fond of ornaments, particularly beads, with which the women decorate themselves in great profusion, sewing them round the neck, skirts, and wrists of their skin frocks. They also wear them in their ears, or suspend them from a hole made in their under lip, and sometimes hang them round each end of a bone about five inches long, which they pass through the gristle of the nose, called by sailors their spritsail-yard. They do not tattoo themselves like the Sandwich islanders, but they often paint or rather daub their faces in streaks, with red ochre and train oil. ”

“ The ceremonies that took place upon the death of a chief have been already described. The bodies of the dead are always disposed of secretly, and I never could learn where they were interred. My patroness, the queen, preserved the bones of her father, wrapt up in a piece of cloth. When she slept in her own house they were placed by her side; in her absence they were placed on a feather bed she had received from the captain of a ship, and which was only used for this purpose. ”

“ Articles of delicacy, such as pork, turtle, shark, cocoa-nuts, bananas or plantains, are also forbidden. Dog’s flesh and fish were the only kinds of animal food lawful for them to eat; but since the introduction of sheep and [136] goats, which are not tabooed, the ladies have less reason to complain.
Notwithstanding the rigour with which these ceremonies are generally observed, the women very seldom scruple to break them, when it can be done in secret; they often swim off to ships at night during the taboo; and I have known them eat of the forbidden delicacies of pork and shark’s flesh. ”

“ The land produces nothing eatable but berries. To the south lies the dangerous reef upon which we were wrecked; it is of great extent, for when at the ship we observed breakers a considerable distance to the southward.
There is a village of 12 or 15 Indian families at the northern extremity of the island.—These people are under the government of the Russians, for whom they provide furs for the American company. They are a quite inoffensive race, converts to the Greek Church, and if not very devout, are at least extremely attentive to the ceremonial part of crossing themselves. ”

“ Tamaahmaah was so sensible of the advantages which would result from a closer connexion with a civilized power, that he made a formal surrender of the sovereignty of the island to the king of Great Britain, with the reservation, that there should be no interference in their religion, internal government, or domestic economy.
Soon after the departure of captain Vancouver, Titeree died, leaving the island of Wahoo to his son Tritoboorie, and Mowee to his son Korkoranee. ”

“ The supreme government is vested in the king, whose power seems to be completely absolute. He is assisted by the principal chiefs, whom he always keeps about his person; many of these have particular departments to attend to; one chief took charge of the household, and appointed the different surveys to be performed by every individual; another, named Coweeowranee, acted as paymaster; his province was to distribute wages and provisions amongst the people in the king’s service. ”

“ According to their account, the sea once overflowed the whole world, except Mouna Kaa, in Owhyhee, and swept away all the inhabitants but one pair, who saved themselves on that mountain, and are the parents of the present race of mankind. ”

“ Their [13] king is surrounded by workmen of every description, native and European; his guards are regularly trained to the use of fire arms; and he possesses a navy of nearly sixty sail of decked vessels, built upon the islands; whilst almost every ship which navigates the Pacific, finds shelter, provisions, or trade, in his harbors.
In Tamaahmaah these islanders possess one of those remarkable characters, who, like Alfred or Peter the Great, seems destined to hasten the progress of civilization. ”

“ The king has a considerable number in his service, chiefly carpenters, joiners, masons, blacksmiths, and bricklayers; these he rewards liberally with grants of land. Some of these people are sober and industrious; but this is far from being their general character; on the contrary, many of them are idle and dissolute, getting drunk whenever an opportunity presents itself. They have introduced distillation into the island; and the evil consequences, both to the natives and whites, are incalculable. ”

“ Three miles to the west of Whyteete is the town of Hanaroora, now the capital of the island, and residence of the king. The harbour is formed by the reef, which shelters it from the sea, and ships can ride within in safety in any weather, upon a fine sandy bottom. There is a good channel through the reef, with three or four fathoms water; [113] but if there is a swell it is not easily discovered, as the sea often breaks completely across. Pilots, however, are always to be had; John Hairbottle, captain of the Lily Bird, generally acted as such. ”

“ The island of Mowee is of great height. At a distance it appears like two islands; a low flat piece of land running completely across, and dividing it into two peninsulas. Maccallum informed me that it was very fertile; that provisions were abundant, and much cheaper than at either Owhyhee or Wahoo.
We weighed on the morning of the 29th, and passing between the islands of Morokai and Ranai, reached the harbour of Hanaroora, on the south side of Wahoo, the same evening.
A number of natives came off, as usual, the moment the ship hove in sight. King Tamaahmaah was in a large double canoe ”

“ The tides upon this coast do not rise more than four feet at springs; it is high water about three at full and change of the moon. The force of the current is scarcely perceptible.
The flat land along shore is highly cultivated; taro root, yams, and sweet potatoes, are the most common crops; but taro forms the chief object of their husbandry, being the principal article of food amongst every class of inhabitants.
The mode of culture is extremely laborious, as it is necessary to have the whole field laid under water; it is raised in small patches, which are seldom above a hundred yards square ”

“ The island of Kodiak is the principal possession of the Russians on the northwest coast of America. It is above a hundred miles long, from northeast to southwest, and about fifty across at the wider part; but its breadth is very irregular, the shore being indented with deep bays and inlets.
The climate is by no means favourable; the snow lies on the ground till the end of April, and although the cold in winter is not very intense, the season is seldom free from fogs, snow, or rain. The summers are also very wet, and subject to frequent fogs. ”

“ When the islands were discovered, pigs and dogs were the only useful animals they possessed; but Tamaahmaah has paid so much attention to the preservation of the breeds left by Vancouver, and other navigators, that in a short time the stock of horned cattle, horses, sheep, and goats, will be abundant.
At Owhyhee I was informed that there were many hundreds of cattle running wild, and several in a domestic state. The king had introduced the breed into Wahoo; and at the time I was there he had a herd of nine or ten upon the north side of the island.
Sheep and goats are already very numerous. ”

“ Many of the trees are large enough to make spars of considerable dimensions.
Alexandria, [15] the principal town on the island, and the residence of the governor, is situated on the eastern side of an extensive bay. It possesses an excellent harbour, being well sheltered by several small islands that lie to the southwest. The eastern entrance, which is the safest, is not above a mile wide, and is defended by a battery or small fort. There is also an entrance to the west; but it is narrow and intricate, and requires a leading wind to pass through. ”

“ A few days afterwards we made the Falkland islands; the land is of great height, and seems perfectly barren.
Upon the 25th we saw the coast of Brazil, and next day entered the harbour of Rio Janeiro.
Being apprehensive of a mortification in my legs, I applied for admission into the English hospital, which is situated in a small island that lies off the harbour. When captain Spence, who took me thither in his boat, mentioned that I had lost my feet in the service of the Americans, he was informed, that since that was the case, I must apply to them to take care of me. ”

“ We proceeded on our voyage for China on the 24th of November, and anchored at Wampoa on the 18th of January, 1807.
Having remained there nearly six weeks, and taken in about half of our cargo, an unfortunate dispute took place between the crew of the Neptune and some Chinese, in which one of the latter lost his life. In consequence of this, the government insisted that a man should be given up in his place, and stopped the loading of the ships to enforce compliance with this demand, threatening, at the same time, to prevent their departure by choking up the second bar. ”

“ A camboose for our fire was made, by sawing a cask in two, and filling it with gravel, and secured by lashing it to the mast. We also provided ourselves with a compass, the want of which we had experienced in our voyage thither, our view of the land having been almost [57] constantly intercepted by fogs and snow showers.
Mr. Baranoff, the governor, gave us a chart of the Fox islands and adjoining continent; and furnished us with letters, in case we should find it necessary to touch at any of the Russian settlements; he also sent three carpenters to assist in the construction of our vessel. ”

“ A range of mountains run almost parallel to the shore, from which it is separated by a fertile plain, which varies in breadth; at Hanaroora, where it is broadest, the distance from the sea to the mountains is about five miles.
A reef of coral runs along the whole extent of this shore, within a quarter of a mile of the land; the greater part of it dries at low water, and in the inside it is in many places [111] too shallow even for canoes, except at full tide. ”

“ In catching seals, and other amphibious animals, these people show great dexterity and ingenuity. Concealing themselves behind rocks, they decoy them by throwing a seal skin, blown out like a bladder, into the sea. ”

“ But since Tamaahmaah has established his power, he has regulated his conduct by such strict rules of justice, that strangers find themselves as safe in his port as in those of any civilized nation.
Although always anxious to induce white people to remain, he gives no encouragement to desertion, nor does he ever attempt to detain those who wish to depart.
In 1809 the king seemed about fifty years of age; he is a stout, well-made man, rather darker in the complexion than the natives usually are, and wants two of his front teeth. ”

“ Had he remained in this country during the time when the public impression was strongly in his favour, there is reason to believe that something might probably have been done to provide the means of comfortable retirement to one whose errors, in themselves venial, had been so severely punished in the person of the offender, and had furnished a lesson so capable of doing good to others. ”

“ The huts of the natives lie below the town towards the shore. They are almost wholly under ground, nothing but the roof [26] being seen, which is long and rounded at the top, resembling a vessel with the bottom upwards.
On a rising ground on the north side of the harbour, near the governor’s house, stands an obelisk, erected to the memory of Captain Clerke, the coadjutor of Captain Cook, who died at sea, and was buried at this place. The monument is about sixteen or eighteen feet high, built of hewn stone, with a ship on the top ”

“ Vessels are supplied with fresh provisions, live-stock, salt, and other articles of outfit, for which they give in return cloth, fire-arms, and ammunition, the teeth of the sea-lion, carpenter’s tools, hardware, and, in general, European articles of every description.
Sandal-wood, pearls, and mother-of-pearl shells, are also the produce of these islands, and are frequently purchased for the China market. ”

“ Here, as at Kamschatka, most of the Russians are married to native women.
This is the principal depot of the American Company; [16] the furs collected at the different settlements on the coast are sent here, and lodged in the Company’s stores till ships arrive to carry them to Kamschatka, whence they are sent to China, or overland to St Petersburgh.
The natives, in return for the furs which they procure for the Company, receive cloth, powder and shot, beads, toys, and articles of luxury, such as rum, tobacco, and snuff, of which they are immoderately fond. ”

“ The occupiers or proprietors of land are entitled to the privilege of fishing upon their own shores as far as the tallest man in the island can wade at low water, and they may exercise that right at all seasons; but beyond that the sea is tabooed, except at two periods in the [143] year, of six weeks each, during which unlimited fishing is allowed. At these times it is the general employment of the natives, and they cure enough to serve them through the tabooed season. ”

“ The ship Iphigenia, commanded by captain Douglas, arrived at Owhyhee in 1788, being the first which touched at that island after the death of captain Cook. There was on board of her a chief of Atooi, named Tianna, who had the preceding year accompanied captain Meares to Canton, and had been enriched by the kindness of his English friends, with a valuable assortment of European articles, arms, and ammunition.
Tianna was a man of great activity and ambition, and a distinguished warrior. ”