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State of the BAROMETER in inches and decimals, and of Farenheit's THERMOMETER in the open air, taken in the morning before fun-rife, and at noon; and the quantity of rain-water fallen, in inches and decimals, from the 30th of Dec. 1789, to the 30th of January 1790, near the foot of Arthur's Seat.

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EDINBURGH MAGAZINE,

OR,

LITERARY MISCELLANY.

VIEWS IN SCOTLAND.

ROSLIN CASTLE.

THIS caftle is fituated about feven miles fouth of Edinburgh, it is built

upon a rock, and the only accefs to it formerly was by a draw-bridge; but, when the castle was last repaired, a ftone bridge was built as a more commodious entry. Efk water paffes within twenty yards of the bottom of the rock.

It was built by William Sinclair, prince of Oldenburg, Earl of Orkney and Caithness, Lord Chancellor, and Lord Admiral of Scotland, the greatest fubject for wealth and power in this kingdom, in the reign of king James II.

He also built Roflin chapel, the most entire religious houfe in Scotland. The castle went to ruin before the Reformation. It was in part rebuilt in the reign of king James VI. and that part has lately been repaired, and a few apartments in it are still habitable.

To this place crowds of the inhabitants of Edinburgh resort during the fummer time, to regale themselves with strawberries, and other fruits, which are found here in great perfection.

Roflin derives its name from Ros (a promontory) and Lin (a water-fall) as the promontory of the water-fall.

D. E.

Extract of Lieutenant Watts's Narrative of the Return of the Lady Penrhyn Transport; containing an Account of the Death of Omai, and other interesting Particulars, at Otaheite +.

N arriving at Otaheite, their first care was naturally to procure fome refreshments, and it was a pleasing circumftance for them to fee the natives flock round the ship, calling out, Tayo, Tayo,' which fig

nifies Friends; and Patri no Tutti,' Cook's fhip; and, bringing in very great plenty cocoa-nuts, bread-fruit, plantains and taro, and a fruit known by the name of the Otaheite apple; they also brought fome hogs and fowls.

From Phillip's Voyage to Botany Bay.

All

All the Indians appeared glad to fee them, and difpofed of their various commodities on very moderate terms, and, indeed, their whole behaviour indicated the most friendly intentions. In the evening, the Chief of Matavai came on board, and in him Lieutenant Watts recollected an old friend the Chief was greatly pleafed to see Mr Watts, as he was the only perfon in the fhip who had been here before, except the fteward, who had been before the mast in the Refolution; therefore, when Mona (which was the Chief's name) faw his old acquaintance, he explained to his companions who he was, and that he had been with Captain Cook, and they feemed very glad to have fome of their old vifitors again. Mr Watts learned from Mona, that O'too was still living, that he was always called Earee Tutti, and then was abfent on a vifit to the eastward, but expected to return in four or five days: At the fame time, he faid, meffengers had been fent to acquaint him of the fhip's arrival. He alfo informed Mr Watts, that Maheine, the Chief of Eimeo, to retaliate the mischief done him by Captain Cook, had, after the departure of the Refolution and Discovery from the islands, landed in the night at Oparree, and destroyed all the animals and fowls he could lay hold of, and that O'too was obliged to fly to the mountains. He likewife intimated, that the Attahooroo men joined Maheine in this bufinefs. Indeed, it occurred to Mr Watts, that, when here in the Refolution, Taha, the Chief of that district, threatened fomething of the kind in a quarrel with O'too, and probably fmothered his refentment only for a time, fearful of Captain Cook revenging it, fhould it come to his knowledge. The next day, Oediddee agreeably furprifed them with a vifit on board: he was greatly rejoiced to fee them, and enquired after all his friends in a very affectionate manner: He took great

pleasure in recounting his route in the Refolution, had treasured up in his memory the names of the feveral places he had been at in her, nor had he forgot his English compliments. He informed them that no ship had been at the islands fince Capt. Cook: therefore, they concealed his death, and Captain Sever made Oediddee a prefent, as coming from Capt. Cook. Oediddee confirmed the report of the cattle, &c. being deftroyed by Maheine, and likewife informed them that Omai, and the two New Zealand boys, had been dead a confiderable time through illness, and that one horfe only was alive at Huaheine, but they could not learn any further particulars from him.

In the evening of the 13th, a meffenger came on board with a present from O'too of a small pig, a dog, and fome white cloth, and intimated that he would be at Matavai the next day. Early in the next morning, but few canoes came off to the fhip, and the natives were observed affembling on the fhore in prodigious numbers: foon afterwards, a canoe, came alongfide and informed them that O'too was on the beach; on this, the Capt. and Mr Watts went on fhore immediately, and found him furrounded by an amazing concourfe of people, amongst whom were feveral women cutting their foreheads very much with the fhark's tooth; but what both furprifed and pleafed them very much, was, to fee a man carrying the portrait of Captain Cook, drawn by Webber, in 1777. Notwithstanding fo much time had elapfed fince the picture was drawe, it had received no injury, and they were informed that O'too always carried it with him wherever he went.

After the first falutations were over, Mr Watts afked O'too to accompany him to the fhip, to which he readily agreed; but previoufly to his entering the boat he ordered the portrait in, and, when he got alongside the ship, he observed

the

the fame ceremony. When on board he appeared much pleafed, afked after his old friends, and was very particular in his inquiries after Capt. Cook. He vifited the fhip between decks, was astonished to fee fo few people on board, and the greatest part of them in a debilitated state, and inquired if they had loft any men at fea. He acquainted them with the revenge taken by the Eimeo people, and asked why they had not brought out fome cattle, &c. He alfo mentioned the death of Omai, and the New Zealand boys, and added, that there had been a fkirmish between the men of Uliatea and those of Huaheine, in which the former were victorious, and that a great part of Omai's property was carried to Uliatea. O'too was confiderably improved in his perfon, and was by much the best made man of any that they faw; nor was he, as yet, disfigured by the baneful effects of the ava. He preserved his original character in fupplying the fhip with provifions of every kind in the moft liberal manner; and, when any of the natives who had come from a confiderable diftance, begged his interceffion with them on board to take their hogs, &c. off their hands, which, on account of the few people they had, they were often obliged, much against their inclination, to refufe, he was very moderate: indeed, he generally left the matter to themfelves, and whenever he undertook to difpofe of another person's property was always well paid for his trouble. During their stay at Otaheite, he daily paid them a vifit, and importuned the Captain very much to move the fhip into the Refolution's old birth: where fhe then lay, she was nearly in the fituation of the Dolphin on her first anchoring; and, though at some distance from the watering-place, yet, confidering the small number of people on board, and their weak fituation, the Captain judged it prudent to re

main where he was, as in cafe of ne ceffity he could put to fea inftantly.

O'too was always accompanied by a woman, whofe advice he afked up. on every occafion; fhe was by no means handfome, neither did fhe poffefs that delicacy, or those engaging manners, that fo much diftinguifh her country women in general: fhe was of the Earree class, and feemed to have great anthority; but whether or no fhe was his wife they did not learn, though Mr Watts was rather inclined to think they were married, and he appeared to be greatly attached to her. The King and all the Chiefs were very urgent for Captain Sever to go to Eimeo and revenge their quarrel, and feveral of them offered to get a stock of provifions and accompany him; however, to this requeft he gave a pofitive refufal. About three days before they quitted Matavai Bay, O'too brought the ring of an anchor on board, obferving it might be made into small hatchets ; Mr Watts, upon examining it, recollected that it certainly belonged to an anchor which Captain Cook bought of Opooni, at Bola Bola, in 1777: as there was no forge on board the Lady Penrhyn, the Captain offered O'too three hatchets for it, which he readily took. When Captain Cook bought the anchor just mentioned, it wanted the ring and one of the the palms, and, at that time, they knew that it had been carried from Otaheite, and belonged to Monf. Bougainville: how O'too came by the ring Mr Watts could not learn, but, had he poffeffed it when the Refolution was here, it is reasonable to fuppofe he would have brought it to Captain Cook, and the more fo, as at that time the natives ufed to bring many large pieces of iron (which they had obtained from the Spaniards) to be either worked up or exchanged for trinkets. Though from the feafon of the year they had reafon to

expect a scarcity of vegetables, yet they were agreeably furprised to find them in the greatest plenty and profufion; hogs were multiplied amazingly, and, from the proceedings of the natives, Mr Watts was induced to think they were defirous to thin them, as they brought none to barter but fows, and the greatest part of them were with pig; fowls were obtained in tolerable plenty, but they were all cocks, and old; the natives likewife brought goats alongfide for fale, and fome of them brought cats and offered them in barter. Captain Sever purchased a fine male and milch goat with two kids.

Cocoa-nuts are a never-failing article at this place, and the breadfruit, which was fo fcarce when the Endeavour was here at the fame feafon of the year, was now exceeding ly plentiful, and in high perfection, as was the Otaheite apple; plantains, both ripe and green, and taro, the natives brought in great quantities, but yams and fweet potatoes were very fcarce. They purchased feven or eight dozen of pumkins, and a quantity of chilipods, which were fome of the produce of the Refolution's garden, and one of the Indians brought fome cabbage leaves on board, but the cabbages, as well as fundry other vegetables, were gone to ruin for want of proper care and attention. The natives could not be enticed to eat any of the pumkins, and the chilipods they faid poifoned them.

It already has been obferved, that no fhip of any nation had visited this ifland fince Captain Cook, and, from appearances, the iron which the natives obtained at that time was pretty well exhausted, as the only iron now feen was the blade of a table-knife; neither did they bring any tools on board to be fharpened, which certainly would have been the cafe had they been poffeffed of any, and fuch

was their avidity to obtain hatchets, knives, &c. that every produce the illand afforded was purchafed at very reasonable rates, nor were the first prices given attempted to be altered during their ftay. Befides hatchets, knives, and nails, the natives were very defirous to have gimlets, files, and fciffars; they alfo asked for looking-glaffes, and white tranfparent beads, but of these latter articles they had none on board: red feathers, which had formerly been held in great efteem, were now of no value; they would accept them as prefents indeed, but would not barter any one article for them.

As their fituation was not a very eligible one, Mr Watts did not think it prudent to go any great diftance from the fhip, or even to be much on fhore, fo that he was prevented from gaining much information, or feeing into many matters that might have enabled him to judge whether the whole of their report refpecting Omai, and the lofs of his property, &c. was true or not; however, he was inclined to think that the cattle and all the animals were killed, except goats, as Oediddee, when he confirmed the revenge of the Eimeo people, never mentioned that any one animal was faved: goats, indeed, had been left on former voyages, and, from increase, had become the property of many, but Maheine's refentment, it feems, was levelled at O'too only.

Great numbers of the natives had been carried off by the venereal difeafe, which they had caught from their connections with the crews of the Refolution and Difcovery; nor were the women fo free from this complaint as formerly, especially the lowest clafs, the better fort feemingly not wishing to hazard the catching fo terrible adiforder.

A Narrative

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