we proceeded on, and presently found sport enough, for in the south side of the island were abundance of geese.  It happened to be the moulting season; and most of them were on shore for that purpose, and could not fly.  There being a great surf, we found great difficulty in landing, and very bad climbing over the rocks when we were landed; so that hundreds of the geese escaped us, some into the sea, and others up into the island.  We, however, by one means or other, got sixty-two, with which we returned on board all heartily tired; but the acquisition we had made overbalanced every other consideration, and we sat down with a good appetite to supper on part of what the preceding day had produced.  Mr Pickersgill and his associates had got on board some time before us with fourteen geese; so that I was able to make distribution to the whole crew, which was the more acceptable on account of the approaching festival.  For had not Providence thus singularly provided for us, our Christmas cheer must have been salt beef and pork.

I now learnt that a number of the natives, in nine canoes, had been alongside the ship, and some on board.  Little address was required to persuade them to either; for they seemed to be well enough acquainted with Europeans, and had, amongst them, some of their knives.

The next morning, the 25th, they made us another visit.  I found them to be of the same nation I had formerly seen in Success Bay, and the same which M. de Bougainville distinguishes by the name of Pecheras; a word which these had, on every occasion, in their mouths.  They are a little, ugly, half-starved, beardless race.  I saw not a tall person amongst them.  They are almost naked; their clothing was a seal-skin; some had two or three sewed together, so as to make a cloak which reached to the knees; but the most of them had only one skin, hardly large enough to cover their shoulders, and all their lower parts were quite naked.  The women, I was told, cover their nakedness with the flap of a seal-skin, but in other respects are clothed like the men.  They, as well as the children, remained in the canoes.  I saw two young children at the breast entirely naked; thus they are inured from their infancy to cold and hardships.  They had with them bows and arrows, and darts, or rather harpoons, made of bone, and fitted to a staff.  I suppose they were intended to kill seals and fish; they may also kill whales with them, as the Esquimaux do.  I know not if they resemble them in their love of train-oil; but they and every thing they had smelt most intolerably of it.  I ordered them some biscuit, but did not observe them so fond of it as I had been told.  They were much better pleased when I gave them some medals, knives, etc.

The women and children, as before observed, remained in their canoes.  These were made of bark; and in each was a fire, over which the poor creatures huddled themselves.  I cannot suppose that they carry a fire in their canoes for this purpose only, but rather that it may be always ready to remove ashore wherever they land; for let their method of obtaining fire be what it may, they cannot be always sure of finding dry fuel that will kindle from a spark.  They likewise carry in their canoes large seal hides, which I judged were to shelter them when at sea, and to serve as covering to their huts on shore, and occasionally to be used for sails.