Discovery Of

Rarotonga

Important New Evidence

THE average person, if asked who was the discoverer of Rarotonga, would invariably reply: “The Rev. John Williams”. Such, however, was not the case, though Williams, obviously under a misapprehension, made that claim for himself.

The late Mr. Ralph W. G. Gosset, of Sydney, who lived on the island as a young man, and was deeply versed in its history since European contact, made re search into this aspect of European dis covery in the Mitchell Library, in Sydney.

The last article that he wrote, “Notes on the Discovery of Rarotonga”, appears in the August issue of “The Australian Geographer”. (Mr. Gosset, at the time of his death, in June, was the president of the Geographical Society of N.S.W.) His conclusions are summarised as follows: — (1) The “Bounty”, with Fletcher Christian in charge, in May, 1789, was the first European vessel to sight Rarotonga.

No one landed, but natives visited the ship. (2) The “Seringapatam”, on May 23, 1814, was the second ship to sight the is

land. Again no one landed, but natives went off to the ship. (3) The “Cumberland” (Captain Good enough) in August, 1814, entered Ngatan giia Harbour, and anchored. The ship re mained there for some time, and the crew were the first white people to land, and leave some account of their visit. (4) The “Endeavour” (Captain John Dibbs), with the Rev. John Williams, landed missionary teachers there, also some Rarotongan natives, (who had been at Aitutaki) on July 25. 1823. (5) The “Medway” (Captain White) arrived there on March 5, 1824. No one landed, nor did any natives go off to the vessel.

Mr. Gosset pointed out that consider able research vet remains for the in vestigator, especially in connection with early Calcutta papers, the Honourable East India Company’s papers, and the whaling records at Nantucket and New Bedford (U.S.A.). “There is a wide field open for this work”, he wrote, “and doubtless in the fullness of time someone with the leisure and means will carry it out, and thus add considerably to our geographical knowledge (of Rarotonga).”

His note on the “Seringapatam” was important, inasmuch as his extracts from the pencilled log (one of the treasures of the Mitchell Library) have not, appar ently, been published previously. This vessel had been captured by the U.S. frigate “Essex” and kept a prisoner at Nukuhiva, in the Marquesas Islands, Fourteen British seamen, however, obtained possession of the “Seringapatam”, and sailed for Sydney. There was no officer on board to navigate but, as the log testifies, one member of the crew must have had some knowledge of navigation.

The Mitchell Library possesses a set of old Arrov/smith charts, the earliest dated October 1, 1789. There is no record of their origin, or even how the Library came into possession of them. On the back of one was written in pencil the log

of the voyage from Nukuhiva to Sydney.

Mr. Gosset came to the conclusion that the pencilled record of the voyage men tioned can be accepted as authentic.

Although the log did not mention the name of the island found on May 23, 1814, it did give the island’s latitude and longitude, which agree approximately with that of Rarotonga. One extract he gives says: “. . . Made an island, name unknown. . . . Calm. Natives came along side. We permitted several to come aboard . . . they seemed to have no knowledge of ever seeing a ship or any white person as they came and smelt us and seemed to discredit our being alive.” (The “smelling” refers to the hongi, or ancient Maori form of greeting by pressing noses.) It was known, of course, that John Williams had knowledge of Rarotonga be fore he set eyes on the island. Mr.

Gosset has the following to say concern ing the famous missionary: “As Williams’s pioneering nature would make him avid for information of new island discoveries in order to diffuse Christianity, he would necessarily endeavour to obtain all the knowledge he could of the Eastern Pacific. To that end he would have been a subscriber to what was then the only newspaper in the South Pacific, ‘The Sydney Gazette’, and he would probably have seen Goodenough’s account of Raro tonga in 1814, nine years before he him self went there.”

If so, one wonders, why did Williams make such a positive claim to being its discoverer?

Goodenough’s “Cumberland”, by the way, is credited by Mr. Gosset with hav ing introduced the first fleas in Raro tonga. On that voyage she was absent from Sydney for nine months. Well might one ask, as did the writer of this article, what was she doing during that period? “Goodenough’s reputation was not of the best”, said Mr. Gosset. There fore, that still elusive character probably had a good reason for his silence.—E.R.