Series 03: Joseph Banks - Endeavour journal, 25 August 1768 - 12 July 1771 (vol. 2) - No. 0069
Primary tabs
Transcription
[Page 69]
65.
Novr. 1769. Bay of Plenty
at all frightned by the musquet but content with having shewd their courage by twice insulting us we now begin to know these people & are much less afraid of any daring attempt from them than we were at 12 the countrey appeard low with small cliffs near the shore but seemingly very fertile inland we saw plainly with our glasses villages larger than any we had before seen situated on the topps of cliffs in places almost inaccessible besides which they were guarded by a deep fosse & a high paling within it so that probably these people are much given to war in the evening the countrey low as before many towns were in sight larger than those at noon always situated like them on the topps of cliffs &fenc'd in the same manner under them upon the beach were many very large canoes some hundreds I may safely say some of which either had or appeard to have awnings but not one of them were put off from all these circumstances we judgd the countrey to be much better peopled hereabouts & inhabited by richer people than we had before seen may be it was the residence of some of their princes as far as we have yet gone along the coast from Cape Turnagain to this place the people have acknowledgd