cipal danger, he was to be placed in the very fingular fituation of being the only rich man in the community to which he was to belong. And having, by a fortunate connection with us, got into his poffeffion an accumulated quantity of a fpecies of treasures which none of his countrymen could create by any art or industry of their own, while all coveted a fhare of this envied wealth, it was natural to apprehend that all would be ready to join in attempting to strip its sole proprietor.

To prevent this, if poffible, I advised him to make a proper diftribution of fome of his moveables, to two or three of the principal chiefs; who, being thus gratified themselves, might be induced to take him under their patronage, and protect him from the injuries of others. He promifed to follow my advice; and I heard, with fatisfaction, before I failed, that this very prudent ftep had been taken. Not trufting, however, entirely to the operations of gratitude, I had recourfe to the more forcible motive of intimidation. With this view, I took every opportunity of notifying to the inhabitants, that it was my intention to return to their island again, after being absent the usual time; and that if I did not find Omai in the fame state of fecurity in which I was now to leave him, all thofe whom I should then discover to have been his enemies, might expect to feel the weight of my refentment.

While we lay in this harbour, we carried afhore the bread, remaining in the bread-room, to clear it of vermin. The number of cockroaches that infefted the fhip at this time is incredible; the damage they did us was very confiderable; and every method devifed by us to deftroy them proved ineffectual. According to Mr

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Anderfon's obfervations, they were of two forts, the blatta orientalis and germanica. The first of thefe had been carred home in the fhip from her former voyage, where they withstood the severity of the hard winter in 1776, though fhe was in dock all the time. The others had only made their appearance fince our leaving New Zealand; but had increased fo faft, that when a fail was loofened, thousands of them fell upon the decks. The orientalis, though in infinite numbers, fcarcely came out but in the night, when they made every thing in the cabin feem as if in motion, from the particular noife in crawling about.

The intercourfe of trade, and friendly offices, was carried on between us and the natives, without being disturbed by any one accident, till the evening of the 22d, when a man found means to get into Mr. Bayly's obfervatory, and to carry off a fextant unobferved. As foon as I was made acquainted with the theft, I went afhore, and got Omai to apply to the chiefs to procure reftitution. He did fo; but they took no fteps towards it, being more attentive to a heeva, that was then acting, till I ordered the performers of the exhibition to defift. They were now convinced that I was in earnest, and began to make fome enquiry after the thief, who was fitting in the midst of them, quite unconcerned, infomuch that I was in great doubt of his being the guilty perfon especially as he denied it. Omai, however, af furing me that he was the man, I fent him on board the fhip, and there confined him. This raised a general ferment amongst the affembled natives; and the whole body filed, in fpite of all my endeavours to ftop them. Having employed Omai to examine the prifoner, with fome difficulty

culty he was brought to confefs where he had hid the fextant; but, as it was now dark, we could not find it till day-light the next morning, when it was brought back unhurt. After this the natives recovered from their fright, and began to gather about us as ufual. As the thief feemed to be a very hardened fellow, I punished him with some severity.

This, however, did not deter him; for, in the night, between the 24th and 25th, a general alarm was spread, occafioned, as was faid, by one of our goats being ftolen by this very man. On examination, we found that all was fafe in that quarter. Probably, the goats were fo well guarded, that he could not put his defign in execution. But his hoftilities had fucceeded against another object; and it appeared that he had deftroyed and carried off feveral vines and cabbage plants, in Omai's grounds; and he publicly threatened to kill him, and to burn his house, as foon as we should leave the island. To prevent the fellow's doing me and Omai any more mifchief, I had him feized, and confined again on board the fhip, with a view of carrying him off the island; and it feemed to give general fatiffaction to the chiefs, that I meant thus to difpofe of him.

Omai's houfe being nearly finished, many of his moveables were carried afhore on the 26th. Amongst a variety of other useless articles, was a box of toys, which, when expofed to public view, feemed greatly to please the gazing multitude, But as to his pots, kettles, dishes, plates, drinking-mugs, glaffes, and the whole train of our domeftic accommodations, hardly any one of his countrymen would fo much as look at them. M 3

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Omai himself now began to think that they were of no manner of use to him; that a baked hog was more favory food than a boiled one; that a plantain leaf made as good a difh or plate as pewter; and that a cocoa-nut thell was as convenient a goblet as a black jack. And, therefore, he very wifely difpofed of as many of thefe articles of English furniture, for the kitchen and pantry, as he could find purchasers for, amongst the people of the fhips; receiving from them, in return, hatchets, and other iron tools, which had a more intrinfic value in this part of the world, and added more to his diftinguifhing fuperiority over thofe with whom he was to pafs the remainder of his days.

Early in the morning of the 30th, the Bolabola man, whom I had in confinement, found means to make his efcape out of the ship. Upon enquiry, it appeared, that not only the fentry placed over the prifoner, but the whole watch, upon the quarter deck, where he was confined, had laid themselves down to fleep. He seized the opportunity to take the key of the irons out of the binnacle drawer, where he had feen it put, and fet himself at liberty. I was not a little pleafed to hear, afterward, that this fellow had tranfported himself to Ulietea.

As foon as Omai was fettled in his new habitation, I began to think of leaving the island; and got every thing off from the fhore this evening, except the horse and mare, and a goat big with kid; which were left in the poffeffion of our friend, with whom we were now finally to part. I alfo gave him a boar and two fows of the English breed; and he had got a fow or twe of his own.

The

The hiftory of Omai will, perhaps, interest a very numerous clafs of readers, more than any other occurrence of the voyage. Every circumftance, therefore, which may ferve to convey a fatisfactory account of the exact fituation in which he was left, will be thought worth preferving; and the following particulars are added, to complete the view of his domeftic eftablishment. He had picked up, at Otaheite, four or five Toutous; the two New Zealand youths remained with him; and his brother, and fome others, joined him at Huaheine; fo that his family confifted already of eight or ten perfons; if that can be called a family, to which not a single female, as yet, belonged. At prefent Omai did not feem at all difpofed to take unto himself a wife.

The house that we erected for him was twen ty-four feet by eighteen; and ten feet high. It was fettled that, immediately after our departure, he fhould begin to build a large house, after the fashion of his country; one end of which was to be brought over that which we had erected, so` as to inclofe it entirely, for greater fecurity. In this work, fome of the chiefs promifed to affift him; and, if the intended building thould cover the ground which he marked out, it will be as large as moft upon the island.

His European weapons confifted of a mufket, bayonet, and cartouch box; a fowling-piece; two pair of piftols; and two or three fwords or › cutlaffes. The poffeffion of thefe made him quite happy; which was my only view in giving him fuch prefents, For Lavas always of opinion, that he would have been happier without firearms, and other European weapons, than with them;