Page:Voyage of discovery to the North Pacific Ocean, and round the world in the years 1791-95, volume 2.djvu/117

Rh Hergeft to forbear cutting down any of the cocoa-nut trees as he had at firfl intended to do ; and he procured by other means as many of the fruit as fcrved the whole crew, with five to eacli perfon.

The landing was but indifferent on account of the furf; but water is cafily obtained.

After afcertaining the lafl mentioned ifland to be eight miles long and two miles broad, and to be fituated in fouth latitude 7*53', longitude 219" 47' call, ihey took leave ofthefe iflands the next morning; and to the N.E. of the lall, at the didance of about a league, they difcovered another, nearly round and much fmaller, with two iflets lying off its s.w. point ; to this was given the name of Roberts's Island.

Mr. Hergeft flates, that during the time he was amongfl thefe iflands and at the Marquefas, they were fubjeft to frequent heavy fqualls and much rain. He compares the inhabitants of this group to thofe of the Marquefas, in colour and in fize : but in manners, behaviour, drefs, and ornaments, excepting that of their being lefs punftured, they more refembled the people of Otaheite and the Society iflands. On the firfl information of the Daedalus having vifited thefe iflands, I concluded they had not been feen before, and to commemorate the difcovery of a very worthy though unfortunate friend and fellow tra- veller in my more early periods of navigating thefe feas, I diflinguifhed the whole group by the name of Herges r's Islands. But I have fince been informed, that thefe iflands had been difcovered and landed upon by fome of the American traders, and that in fine weather the fouthernmofl is vifible from Hood's ifland, the mofl northern of the Mar- ((uefas. Hence they are confidered by fome as properly appertaining to that group, although neither the Spanifh navigator, nor Captain Cook who vifited the Marquefas after him, had any knowledge of fuch iflands cxifiing.

This is the amount of all the information I have been able to colleft from Mr. Hergeft's papers refpefting his voyage thus far ; the imperfeft arrangement of which offers an additional caufe, if an additional caufe could be wanting, to lament the untimely and melancholy fate of that valuable officer ; who, in feveral interefling particulars in his obfervations on thefe iflands, refers to documents which I have never ken, and which would