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In 1766 the British Admiralty took up the search for the Southern Continent officially, sending out Captain Samuel Wallis in the Dolphin, accompanied by Philip Carteret in the unseaworthy Swallow. On entering the Pacific, bad weather separated the two ships. Wallis’ secret instructions were: ‘to discover and obtain a complete knowledge of the Land or Islands supposed to be situated in the Southern Hemisphere’. On 18 June 1767 the sailors saw a mountain covered with cloud and supposing it to be the Southern Continent, discovered instead the island of Tahiti. The most extensive British account of the discovery is provided by George Robinson, master of the Dolphin, who wrote: ‘…The country hade the most Beautiful appearance its posabel to Imagin, from the shore side one two and three miles Back there is a fine Leavel country that appears to be all laid out in plantations, and the regular built Houses seems to be without number, all allong the Coast, they appeared lyke long Farmers Barns and seemd to be all very neatly thatched, with Great Numbers of Coca Nut Trees and several oyr trees that we could not know the name of all allong the shore – the Interior part of the country is very Mountainous but there is beautiful valeys between the Mountains – from the foot of the Mountains half way up the Country appears to be all fine pasture land, except a few places which seemd to be plowed or dug up for planting or sowing some sort of seed – from that to the very topes of the Mountains is all full of tall trees but what sort they are I know not but the whole was Green. This appears to be the most populoss country I ever saw, the whole shore side was lined with men, women and children all the way that we Saild allong.’ |
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