2 - Receiving strangers
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 September 2012
Summary
People meet me full of friendship; they show me a thousand civilities; they render me services of all sorts. But that is precisely what I am complaining of. How can you become immediately the friend of a man whom you have never seen before?
– RousseauWhen HMB Endeavour anchored at Matavai Bay, Tahiti, known to James Cook as Royal Bay, George's Island, for the first time on 13 April 1769, Cook posted a notice to his crew members with the aim of regulating relations with the islanders. It effectively publicized the section of his secret Admiralty Instructions most directly applicable to the scene of contact: the instructions on friendship formation and trade that I discussed in the Introduction.
RULES to be observe'd by every person in or belonging to His Majestys Bark the Endevour, for the better establishing a regular and uniform Trade for Provisions &ca with the Inhabitants of George's Island.
1st To endeavour by every fair means to cultivate a friendship with the Natives and to treat them with all imaginable humanity.
2d A proper person or persons will be appointed to trade with the Natives for all manner of Provisions, Fruit, and other productions of the earth; and no officer or Seaman, or other person belonging to the Ship, excepting such as are so appointed, shall Trade or offer to Trade for any sort of Provisions, Fruit, or other productions of the earth unless they have my leave to do so.
3d Every person employ'd a Shore on any duty what soever is strictly to attend to the same, and if by neglect he looseth any of his Arms or woorkingtools, or suffers them to be stole, the full Value thereof will be charge'd againesthis pay according to the Custom of the Navy in such cases, and he shall recive such farther punishment as the nature of the offence may deserve.
4th The same penalty will be inflicted on every person who is found to imbezzle, trade or offer to trade with any part of the Ships Stores of what nature soever.
5th No Sort of Iron, or any thing that is made of Iron, or any sort of Cloth or other usefull or necessary articles are to be given in exchange for any thing but provisions.
J. C. (Cook 1955:75–6)- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Intimate StrangersFriendship, Exchange and Pacific Encounters, pp. 61 - 103Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2010