It was managed principally by Mr Banks, who was indefatigable in procuring provisions
and refreshments while they were to be had.Banks himself had an eye for dusky maidens, as he describes in his own journal.
Drawn to the delights offered by the Delta of Venus he spent most of his nights ashore
with the island beauties practising his language skills. The young Sydney Parkinson
was obviously not so smitten and wrote disapprovingly of the activities of his employer
and his shipmates:
Most of our ship’s company procured temporary wives amongst the Natives, with whom
they occasionally cohabitated; an indulgence which even many reputed virtuous Europeans
allow themselves, in uncivilized parts of the world, with impunity. As if a change of place
altered the moral turpitude of fornification: and what is a sin in Europe, is only a simple
innocent gratification in America; which is to suppose that the obligation of chastity is local,
and restricted only to particular parts of the globe.Notwithstanding so many distractions the crew
prepared a stockade on what they named Point Venus
in which Mr Green could set up his astronomical
equipment and readied himself for the all-important
observation of the transit of Venus. Pilfering was a
continuing problem for the Endeavour, especially of
anything composed of metal. Despite the stockade
being continuously guarded by sentries, the brass
quadrant needed for the determination of longitude
was stolen and there was no second quadrant in
reserve.
This would jeopardize the whole purpose of the
expedition. With no observation of the transit, the
Admiralty and the Royal Society would be acutely
embarrassed, there would have to be an official naval
enquiry and there was no doubt that heads would
roll. Banks, Green, a midshipman and a Tahitian
interpreter set off immediately into the interior of the island in search of the persons
who they learned were responsible for the theft. When they reached their village they
found them hostile and, following a Tahitian custom, Banks quickly drew a circle
on the ground and sat down in the middle. Here he began to explain the situation, to
quietly negotiate, and after some time the quadrant appeared. To their great relief all
28 Where Australia Collides with Asia
Self-portrait by Sydney Parkinson,
Natural History Museum, Londonhttp://www.ebook3000.com