so united as
to form one body politic. The head of each tribe, or family, seems to be
respected; and that respect may, on some occasions, command obedience; but
I doubt if any amongst them have either a right or power to enforce it. The
day we were with Tringo-boohee, the people came from all parts to see us,
which he endeavoured to prevent. But though he went so far as to throw
stones at some, I observed that very few paid any regard either to his
words or actions; and yet this man was spoken of as a chief of some note. I
have, before, made some remarks on the evils attending these people for
want of union among themselves; and the more I was acquainted with them,
the more I found it to be so. Notwithstanding they are cannibals, they are
naturally of a good disposition, and have not a little humanity.

In the afternoon a party of us went ashore into one of the coves, where
were two families of the natives variously employed; some sleeping, some
making mats, others roasting fish and fir roots, and one girl, I observed,
was heating of stones. Curious to know what they were for, I remained near
her. As soon as the stones were made hot, she took them out of the fire,
and gave them to an old woman, who was sitting in the hut. She placed them
in a heap, laid over them a handful of green celery, and over that a coarse
mat, and then squatted herself down, on her heels, on the top of all; thus
making a kind of Dutch warming-pan, on which she sat as close as a hare on
her seat. I should hardly have mentioned this operation, if I had thought
it had no other view than to warm the old woman's backside. I rather
suppose it was intended to cure some disorder she might have on her, which
the steams arising from the green celery might be a specific for. I was led
to think so by there being hardly any celery in the place, we having
gathered it long before; and grass, of which there was great plenty, would
have kept the stones from burning the mat full as well, if that had been
all that was meant. Besides, the woman looked to me sickly, and not in a
good state of health.

Mr Wales, from time to time, communicated to me the observations he had
made in this Sound for determining the longitude, the mean results of which
give 174 deg. 25' 7" 1/2 east, for the bottom of Ship Cove, where the
observations were made; and the latitude of it is 41 deg. 5' 50" 1/2 south. In
my chart, constituted in my former voyage, this place is laid down in 184 d