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: No. 086

                                   GEORGES ISLAND
April 1769

a Pig of 10 or 12 pound weight for anything under a Hatchet. & even those of an inferior or small sort are of no great esteem with them & small Nails such as 10d : 20d: or any under 40d are of no value at all, but beads Particularly white cut glass beads are much valued by them-
Mr Banks & Dr Solander lays ashore to  night for the first time their Markee's[sic] being set up within the Walls of the Fort & fit for their reception-

FRIDAY 21.st. Got the Copper Oven ashore & fixd it in the Bank of the breastwork Yesterday as Mr. Green & Dr. Monkhouse was ^ere taking a walk they hapned[sic] to meet with the Body of the Man we had shott, as the Natives by signs made them fully understand the manner in which the body was interred being a little extraordinary. I went to day with some others to see it, Close by the House wherein he resided when living was built a small shed but whether for the purpose or no I cannot say for it was in all respects like some of the Sheds or Houses they live in, this shed was about 14 or 16 feet long 10 or 12 broad & of a Proportionable height, one end was wholy[sic] open & the other end & the two sides was partly inclosed[sic] with a kind of wickerd[sic] work in this Shed lay the Corps upon a Bier or frame of wood with a matted bottom like a Cott[sic]frame used at Sea & Supported by 4 Posts, about 5 feet from the Ground the body was cover'd[sic] with a Matt & over that a white Cloth, alongside 
[note left margin]- Manner of interring of the Dead-
of the Body lay a wooden Club one of their Weapons of War. the Head of the Corps[sic] lay next the close end of the Shed, & at this end lay 2 Cocoa Nutt Shells such as they sometimes use to carry water in, at the other end of the Shed was a Bunch of Green leaves with some dry'd twigs tied all together & stuck in the Ground & a stone lying by them as big as a Cocoa Nutt, near to these lay a Young Plantain Tree, such as they use as Emblems of Peace & by it lay a stone Axe, at the open end of the Shed was hung in several strings a great number of Palm Nutts, without the Shed was struck upon right in the ground the Stem of a Plantain Tree about 5 feet high on the Top of which stood a Cocoa Nutt Shell full of fresh Water, & on the side of the Post hung a small Bag wherein was a few peices[sic] of Bread Fruit roasted ready for eating some of the Posies were fresh & others Stale, the Natives did not seem to like that we should go near the body & stood at a little distance themselves while we examin'd these matters & appeared to be pleased when we came away it certainly was no very agreeable place for it stunk intollerably[sic] & yet it was not above 10 Yards from the Huts wherein several of the living resided. The first day we landed we saw the Skeleton of a human being laying in this manner under a shade that was just big enough to cover it, & some days after that when some of the Gentlemen went with a design to examine it more narrowly it was gone-
It was at this time thought that this manner of interring their Dead was not common to all ranks of People as this was the first we had seen Except the Skeleton just mentioned; but various were the opinions concerning the Provisions &tc. laid about the Dead, upon the whole it should seem that these People not only believe in a Supream[sic] being but in a future state also & that this must be meant either as an Offering to some Dietie[sic] or for the use of the Dead in the other world, but this last is not very Probable as there appeared to be no Priest Craft in the thing. for what ever Provisions was ^ere put there, it appeared very Plain to us that there it remain'd[sic] until it consumed away of itself. it is most likely that we shall see more of this before we-