442

tasman’s 'voyage of discovery.

trees that we are not ufed to: in one of the trees the fteps were fo frefh, that wcjudged they could not have been cut above four days.

The noife we heard refembled the noife of fome fort of trumpet; it feemed to be atno great diftance, but we faw no living creature not with handing. I perceived alfo inthe fand, the marks of wild beads’ feet, refembling thofe of a tiger, or fome fuchcreature ; I gathered alfo fome gum from the trees, and likewife fome lack. The tideebbs and flows there about three feet. The trees in this country do not grow veryclofe, nor are they encumbered with bullies or underwood. I obferved fmoke in feveralplaces ; however, we did nothing more than fet up a poll;, on which every one cut hisname, or his mark, and upon which I hoifted a flag. I obferved that, in this place,the variation was changed to 3 0 eaftward. On December 5th, being then, byobfervation, in the latitude of 41 0 34', and in the longitude 169°, I quitted VanDiemen’s Land, and refolved to fleer eaft to the longitude of 195°, in hopes of dis-covering the iflands of Solomon.

5. On September 9th, I was in the latitude of 42 0 37' fouth, and in the longitudeof 176° 29'; the variation being there 5 0 to the eaft. On the 12th of the fame month,finding a great rolling fea coming in on the fouth-weft, I judged there was no land tobe hoped for on that point. On the 13th, being in the latitude of 42 0 io' fouth, andin the longitude of 188° 28', I found the variation 7 0 30' eaftward. In this fituationI difcovered an high mountainous country, which is at prefent marked in the charts,under the name of New Zealand . I coafted along the Ihore of this country to thenorth-north-eaft, till the 18th; and being then in the latitude of 40° 50' fouth, and inthe longitude of 191 0 41', I anchored in a fine bay, where I obferved the variation tobe 9 0 towards the eaft.

We found here abundance of the inhabitants : they had very hoarfe voices, andwere very large-made people. They durft not approach the fhip nearer than a ftone’sthrow ; . and we often obferved them playing on a kind of trumpet, to which weanfwered with the inftruments that were on board our veflel. Thefe people were of acolour between brown and yellow, their hair long, and almoft as thick as that of theJapanefe, combed up, and fixed on the top of their heads with a quill, or fome fuchthing, that was thickefl in the middle, in the very fame manner that Japanefe faftenedtheir hair behind their heads. Thefe people cover the middle of their bodies, fomewith a kind of mat, others with a fort of woollen cloth ; but, as for their upper andlower parts, they leave them altogether naked.

On the 19th of December, thefe lavages began to grow a little bolder, and morefamiliar, infomuch that at laft they ventured on board the Heemfkirk, in order to tradewith thofe in the veflel: as foon as I perceived it, being apprehenfive that 4hey mightattempt to furprife that fhip, I fent my fhallop, with feven men, to put the people inthe Heemfkirk upon their guard, and to direct them not to place any confidence inthofe people. My feven men, being without arms, were attacked by thefe favages,who killed three" of the feven, and forced the other four to fwim for their lives ; whichoccafioned my giving that place the name of the Bay of Murderers. Our fhip’s com-pany would, undoubtedly, have taken a fevere revenge, if the rough weather had nothindered them. From this bay we bore away eaft, having the land in a manner allround us. This country appeared to us rich, fertile, and very well fituated ; but asthe weather was very foul, and we had at this time a very ftrong weft wind, we foundit very difficult to get clear of the land.

6 . On the 24th of December, as the wind would not permit us to continue our

way to the north, as we knew not whether we fhould be able to find a paflage on that

fide,