Page:Journal of the Right Hon. Sir Joseph Banks.djvu/253

Rh accessible, besides which they were guarded by a deep fosse and a high paling within it, so that probably these people are much given to war. In the evening many towns were in sight, larger than those seen at noon, and always situated like them on the tops of cliffs and fenced in the same manner: under them, upon the beach, were many very large canoes, some hundreds I may safely say, some of which either had or appeared to have awnings, but not one of them put off. From all these circumstances we judged the country to be much better peopled hereabouts, and inhabited by richer people than we had before seen; maybe it was the residence of some of their princes. As far as we have yet gone along the coast from Cape Turnagain to this place, the people have acknowledged only one chief, Teratu. If his dominion is really so large, he may have princes or governors under him capable of drawing together a vast number of people, for he himself is always said to live far inland.

3rd. The continent appeared this morning barren and rocky, but many islands were in sight, chiefly with such towns upon them as we saw yesterday. Two canoes put off from one, but could not overtake us. At breakfast a cluster of islands and rocks was in sight, which made an uncommon appearance from the number of perpendicular rocks or needles (as the seamen call them) which were in sight at once. These we called the Court of Aldermen, in respect to that worthy body, and entertained ourselves some time with giving names to each of them from their resemblance, thick and squab or lank and tall, to some one or other of those respectable citizens. Soon after this we passed an island, on which were houses built on the steep sides of rocks, inaccessible, I had almost said, to birds. How their inhabitants could ever have got to them surpassed my comprehension. At present, however, we saw none, so that these situations are probably no more than places to retire to in case of danger, which are totally evacuated in peaceable times.

5th. Two Indians were seen fighting about some quarrel