Prostitution in Overseas France were female, 20% male and 50% transsexual (known as "raerae"). When Captain Samuel Wallis discovered Tahiti in 1767, he traded with the islanders for fresh provisions. The Polynesians had no source of iron, and the women sold sex for nails. Wallis had to ban shore leave for the crew for fear of the ship collapsing as so many nails had been removed from the structure. When Captain Cook arrived in 1769, the price had risen from one nail to three nails. By the time of Cook's 3rd visit in 1774, the currency had changed from nails to European clothes and
RMS Tahiti "Tahiti"′s passengers and crew if needed. At 9:30 a.m. on 17 August, "Tahiti"′s passengers and some of her crew abandoned ship, with all lifeboats away in 13 minutes; some of her crew remained behind in order to continue efforts to slow the flooding. The American steamer was just arriving on the scene, having signaled that she could take "Tahiti"′s passengers and crew aboard, and she picked them up soon after they abandoned ship. Members of "Tahiti"′s crew, assisted by a boat from "Penybryn", then returned to "Tahiti" in "Tahiti"′s boats and began efforts to save the first class mails and