GEORGES ISLAND
April 1769
but not one of them came off to the Ship during the whole day in the evening I went onshore with only a Boats crew & some of the Gentlemen the Natives gathered about us to the Number of about 30 or 40 & brought us Cocoa,Nuts &tc. & seem'd as friendley[sic] as ever-
MONDAY 17.th At 2 o'Clock this morning departed this life Mr Alex.r Buchan Landskip[sic] Draftman[sic] to Mr Bank's a Gentleman well skill'd in his Profession & one that will be greatly missed in the Course of this Voyage, he had long been subject to a disorder in his Bowels which had more than once brought him to the very point of Death & was at the sametime subject to fits of one of which he was taken on Saturday morning; this brought on his former disorder which put a Period to his life, Mr Banks thought it not so advisable to Inter the Body ashore in a Place where we was utter strangers to the Custom of the Natives on such occasions it was therefore sent out to sea & committed to that Element with all the decency the Circumstance of the place would admit of-
[note left margin] - We are Visited by several of the Chiefs-
This morning several of the Chiefs came from the Westward made us a visit they brought with them Emblems of Peace which are Young Plaintain[sic] Trees these they put onboard the Ship before they would venture themselves they brought us a Present of 2 Hogs ( an Article we find very Scarce) & some Bread fruit, for these they had Hatchets & other things in the afternoon we set up one of the Ships Tents ashore & Mr Green & myself stay'd there the night to observe an Eclipse of Jupiters first Satilite[sic] which we was hinderd from seeing by Clouds-
TUESDAY 18.th Cloudy wea.r with some showers of rain this morning took as many People out of the Ship as could Possibly be spared & set about Erecting a Fort some where[sic] employ'd in throughing[sic] up intrenchmants[sic] while others was cutting fachine, Puguets &tc. the Natives were so far from
[note left margin] - Begin to erect a Fort-
hindering us that several of them assisted in bringing the Puguets & fachines out of the woods & seem'd quite unconcern'd at what we was about the wood we made use of, for this occasion we purchased of them & we cut no Tree down before we had first obtain'd their Consent, By this time all the Ships sails were unbent & the Armourers Forge set up to repair the Iron work &tc. served fresh Pork to the Ships Comp this day for the first time, this is like to be a very scarce Article with us but as to Bread fruit Cocoa Nutts & Plantains the Natives supply us with as much as we can destroy-
WEDNESDAY 19.th. This morning Lysurgus. whose real name is Tooboura Tomita came with his family from the Westward in order from what we could understand to live near us, he brought with him the covering of a House with several other Materials for building one, we intend to requite the Confidence this man seems to put in us by treating him with all imaginable kindness. got onshore some Empty Casks which we placed in a double row along the Bank of the River by way of a breast work on that side-
THURSDAY 20.th Wind at SE.t & Squally with rain all hands employ'd onshore & nothing remarkable excepting a Hog weighing about 90 Pound was brought alongside the Ship for Sale, but those who brought it would not part with it for anything we could offer them but a Carpenters broad Axe & as this was what we could not part with, they carried it away, thus we see those very People who but 2 Years ago Prefer'd a spike Nail to an Axe of any Sort, have now so far learnt the use of then that they will not part with a