James Cook - A Journal of the proceedings of His Majesty's Bark Endeavour on a voyage round the world, by Lieutenant James Cook, Commander, commencing the 25th of May 1768 - 23 Oct. 1770 - Page 98

page 98
                       GEORGES ISLAND

JUNE 1769-

Cession of the Master & a Promise of behaving better for the future-                                                     
FRIDAY 23d This morning Emanuel Parreyrah Portugue was missing & I had some reason to think that he was gone with an intent to slay hares. It was not long before I was informed that he was at Apparra with Tootaha the man who gave us this information was one of Tootaha's servants, he was offer'd a hatchet if he would go to Apparra & bring him to us this was perhaps the very thing he came for, for he immediately set out & return'd with the man in the evening, the man said in his defence that as he was going to the boat to go onboard last night, he was taken away by force by 3 men, & upon enquiring farther into this matter I found it to be so, & that Tootaha wanted to have kept him, only that he was purswaided to the contrary or perhaps he thought that the hatchet he would get by returning would do him more service than the man-                       
SATURDAY  24th}                                                   
SUNDAY      25th}  Nothing remarkable
MONDAY 26th Very early this morning I set out in the Pinnace accompanied by Mr. Banks with an intent to make his Circuit of the Island in order to Examine & draw a
[margin]began the Circuit of the Island [/margin] 
 sketch of the Coast & Harbours thereof, we took our rout to the Eastward & this night reached the Ishmus, which is a low neck of Land running Across the Island which &  divides it into two districts or Governments wholy independant of each other as we was informed, the first thing we saw which struck our attention in this days rout was a small Pig that had been roasted above a Day or 2 laid upon one of their Altars near to a place where lay the Body or Bones of a Dead Person. this Pig must have been put their[sic]as an offering to their God but on what account we know not .The Boat from Royal Bay [?]  E byS & ESE 10 Miles then SSE & So 11 Miles to the Isthmus in the first direction the shore is mostly open to the Sea but in the last it is cover'd by reefs of rocks, these  forms several good Harbours wherein are safe Anchorage for Shipping in 16,18, 20 & 24 Faom with other Conveniences, it was in one of those Harbours the Spanish Ships before mentioned lay the Natives shew'd us the place where they Pitched their Tent & the Brook they water'd at otherways there was not the least signs of Shipping having been there -

TUESDAY 27th Winds Easterly & fine wea.r It was late last night before we reached the Isthmus & all the Observations I could make this morning was that it appeared to be a Marshey flatt of about 2 Miles in Extent across which the Natives haul their canoes partly by land & partly by water from the Isthmus the land trends Et Southerly near 3 Leagues to the SEt point of the Great Bay which lies before the Isthmus on the west side of this point is a Bay called Ohidepapa which is in many respects similar to Royal Bay & is situated in every bit as fertile & populus apart of the Island there are other places formed by the Reefs that lay along the Shore between this and the Isthmus where Shipping can lay in perfect security the Land then trend SE & So to the SEt part of the Island which is near 3 Leagues & covered all the way by Reef of Banks but no Harbour, we took up our Quarters at the Eastp.t of the Island being conducted thither by a Young Chief we had often seen onboard the Ship & the next morning proceeded round the SE point of the Island part of which is not cover'd by any reef by lies wholy open to the Sea & here