_The Day of Sailing fixed.--Peace made with Eimeo.--Debates about it,
and Otoo's Conduct blamed.--A Solemnity at the Morai on the Occasion,
described by Mr King.--Observations upon it.--Instance of Otoo's
Art.--Omai's War-Canoe, and Remarks upon his Behaviour.--Otoo's
Present, and Message to the King of Great Britain.--Reflections on
our Manner of Traffic, and on the good Treatment we met with at
Otaheite.--Account of the Expedition of the Spaniards.--Their Fictions
to depreciate the English.--Wishes expressed that no Settlement may be
made.--Omai's Jealousy of another Traveller._
Early in the morning of the 22d, Otoo and his father came on board, to
know when I proposed sailing. For, having been informed that there
was a good harbour at Eimeo, I had told them that I should visit
that island on my way to Huaheine; and they were desirous of taking a
passage with me, and of their fleet sailing, at the time, to reinforce
Towha. As I was ready to take my departure, I left it to them to name
the day; and the Wednesday following was fixed upon, when I was to
take on board Otoo, his father, mother, and, in short, the whole
family. These points being settled, I proposed setting out immediately
for Oparre, where all the fleet, fitted out for the expedition, was to
assemble this day, and to be reviewed.
I had but just time to get into my boat, when news was brought, that
Towha had concluded a treaty with Maheine, and had returned with
his fleet to Attahooroo. This unexpected event made all further
proceedings, in the military way, quite unnecessary; and the
war-canoes, instead of rendezvousing at Oparre, were ordered home to
their respective districts. This alteration, however, did not hinder
me from following Otoo to Oparre, accompanied by Mr King and Omai.
Soon after our arrival, and while dinner was preparing, a messenger
arrived from Eimeo, and related the conditions of the peace, or
rather of the truce, it being only for a limited time. The terms were
disadvantageous to Otaheite; and much blame was thrown upon Otoo,
whose delay, in sending reinforcements, had obliged Towha to submit
to a disgraceful accommodation. It was even currently reported, that
Towha, resenting his not being supported, had declared, that, as soon
as I should leave the island, he would join his forces to those of
Tiaraboo, and attack Otoo at Matavai, or Oparre. This called upon
me to declare, in the most public manner, that I was determined to
espouse the interest of my friend against any such combination; and
that whoever presumed to attack him, should feel the weight of
my heavy displeasure, when I returned again to their island. My
declaration, probably, had the desired effect; and, if Towha had any
such hostile intention at first, we soon heard no more of the report.
Whappai, Otoo's father, highly disapproved of the peace, and blamed
Towha very much for concluding it. This sensible old man wisely
judged, that my going down with them to Eimeo must have been of
singular service to their cause, though I should take no other part
whatever in the quarrel. And it was upon this that he built all his
arguments, and maintained, that Otoo had acted properly by waiting for
me; though this had prevented his giving assistance to Towha so soon
as he expected.
Our debates at Oparre, on this subject, were hardly ended, before a
messenger arrived from Towha, desiring Otoo's attendance, the next
day, at the _morai_ in Attahooroo, to give thanks to the gods for the
peace he had concluded; at least, such was Omai's account to me of
the object of this solemnity. I was asked to go; but being much out of
order, was obliged to decline it. Desirous, however, of knowing what
ceremonies might be observed on so memorable an occasion, I sent
Mr King and Omai, and returned on board my ship, attended by Otoo's
mother, his three sisters, and eight more women. At first, I thought
that this numerous train of females came into my boat with no other
view than to get a passage to Matavai. But when we arrived at the
ship, they told me, they intended passing the night on board, for the
express purpose of undertaking the cure of the disorder I complained
of; which was a pain of the rheumatic kind, extending from the hip
to the foot. I accepted the friendly offer, had a bed spread for them
upon the cabin floor, and submitted myself to their directions. I
was desired to lay myself down amongst them. Then, as many of them as
could get round me, began to squeeze me with both hands, from head to
foot, but more particularly on the parts where the pain was lodged,
till they made my bones crack, and my flesh became a perfect mummy. In
short, after undergoing this discipline about a quarter of an hour,
I was glad to get away from them. However, the operation gave
me immediate relief, which encouraged me to submit to another
rubbing-down before I went to bed; and it was so effectual, that I
found myself pretty easy all the night after. My female physicians
repeated their prescription the next morning, before they went ashore,
and again, in the evening, when they returned on board; after which,
I found the pains entirely removed; and the cure being perfected, they
took their leave of me the following morning. This they call _romee_;
an operation which, in my opinion, far exceeds the flesh brush, or any
thing of the kind that we make use of externally. It is universally
practised amongst these islanders; being sometimes performed by the
men, but more generally by the women. If, at any time, one appears
languid and tired, and sits down by any of them, they immediately
begin to practise the _romee_ upon his legs; and I have always found
it to have an exceedingly good effect.[1]
[Footnote 1: See Captain Wallis's account of the same operation
performed on himself, and his first lieutenant, in this Collection,
vol. xii. p. 197.]
In the morning of the 25th, Otoo, Mr King, and Omai, returned from
Attahooroo; and Mr King gave me the following account of what he had
seen:
"Soon after you left me, a second messenger came from Towha to Otoo,
with a plantain-tree. It was sun-set when we embarked in a canoe
and left Oparre. About nine o'clock we landed at Tettaha, at that
extremity which joins to Attahooroo. Before we landed, the people
called to us from the shore; probably, to tell us that Towha was
there. The meeting of Otoo and this chief, I expected, would afford
some incident worthy of observation. Otoo, and his attendants, went
and seated themselves on the beach, close to the canoe in which Towha
was. He was then asleep; but his servants having awakened him, and
mentioning Otoo's name, immediately a plantain-tree and a dog were
laid at Otoo's feet; and many of Towha's people came and talked with
him, as I conceived, about their expedition to Eimeo. After I had, for
some time, remained seated close to Otoo, Towha neither stirring from
his canoe, nor holding any conversation with us, I went to him. He
asked me if _Toote_ was angry with him. I answered, No: that he was
his _taio_; and that he had ordered me to go to Attahooroo to tell
him so. Omai now had a long conversation with this chief; but I could
gather no information of any kind from him. On my returning to
Otoo, he seemed desirous that I should go to eat, and then to sleep.
Accordingly, Omai and I left him. On questioning Omai, he said, the
reason of Towha's not stirring from his canoe, was his being lame; but
that, presently, Otoo and he would converse together in private. This
seemed true; for in a little time, those we left with Otoo came to us;
and, about ten minutes after, Otoo himself arrived, and we all went to
sleep in his canoe.
"The next morning, the _ava_ was in great plenty. One man drank so
much that he lost his senses. I should have supposed him to be in a
fit, from the convulsions that agitated him. Two men held him, and
kept plucking off his hair by the roots. I left this spectacle to see
another that was more affecting. This was the meeting of Towha and his
wife, and a young girl, whom I understood to be his daughter. After
the ceremony of cutting their heads, and discharging a tolerable
quantity of blood and tears, they washed, embraced the chief, and
seemed unconcerned. But the young girl's sufferings were not yet come
to an end. Terridiri[2] arrived; and she went, with great composure,
to repeat the same ceremonies to him, which she had just performed on
meeting her father. Towha had brought a large war-canoe from Eimeo. I
enquired if he had killed the people belonging to her; and was told,
that there was no man in her when she was captured.
[Footnote 2: Terridiri was Oberea's son. See an account of the royal
family of Otaheite, in this Collection, vol. xii. p. 482.]
"We left Tettaha about ten or eleven o'clock, and landed close to
the _morai_ of Attahooroo a little after noon. There lay three canoes
hauled upon the beach, opposite the _morai_, with three hogs exposed
in each: their sheds, or awnings, had something under them which I
could not discern. We expected the solemnity to be performed the same
afternoon; but as neither Towha nor Potatou had joined us, nothing was
done.
"A chief from Eimeo came with a small pig, and a plantain-tree, and
placed them at Otoo's feet. They talked some time together; and the
Eimeo chief often repeating the words, _Warry, warry_, 'false,' I
supposed that Otoo was relating to him what he had heard, and that the
other denied it.
"The next day (Wednesday) Towha and Potatou, with about eight large
canoes, arrived, and landed near the _morai_. Many plantain-trees were
brought, on the part of different chiefs to Otoo. Towha did not stir
from his canoe. The ceremony began by the principal priest bringing
out the _maro_ wrapped up, and a bundle shaped like a large
sugar-loaf. These were placed at the head of what I understood to be a
grave. Then three priests came, and sat down opposite, that is, at the
other end of the grave; bringing with them a plantain-tree, the branch
of some other tree, and the sheath of the flower of the cocoa-nut
tree.
"The priests, with these things in their hands, separately repeated
sentences; and, at intervals, two, and sometime all three, sung a
melancholy ditty, little attended to by the people. This praying
and singing continued for an hour. Then, after a short prayer, the
principal priest uncovered the _maro_; and Otoo rose up, and wrapped
it about him, holding, at the same time, in his hand, a cap or bonnet,
composed of the red feathers of the tail of the tropic bird, mixed
with other feathers of a dark colour. He stood in the middle space,
facing the three priests, who continued their prayers for about ten
minutes; when a man, starting from the crowd, said something which
ended with the word _heiva!_ and the crowd echoed back to him, three
times, _Earee!_ This, as I had been told before, was the principal
part of the solemnity.
"The company now moved to the opposite side of the great pile of
stones, where is, what they call, the king's _morai_, which is not
unlike a large grave. Here the same ceremony was performed over
again, and ended in three cheers. The _maro_ was now wrapped up, and
increased in its splendour by the addition of a small piece of red
feathers, which one of the priests gave Otoo when he had it on, and
which he stuck into it.
"From this place, the people went to a large hut, close by the
_morai_, where they seated themselves in much greater order than is
usual among them. A man of Tiaraboo then made an oration, which lasted
about ten minutes. He was followed by an Attahooroo man; afterward
Potatou spoke with much greater fluency and grace than any of them;
for, in general, they spoke in short broken sentences, with a motion
of the hand that was rather awkward. Tooteo, Otoo's orator, spoke
next; and, after him, a man from Eimeo. Two or three more speeches
were made; but not much attended to. Omai told me, that the speeches
declared, that they should not fight, but all be friends. As many of
the speakers expressed themselves with warmth, possibly there were
some recriminations and protestations of their good intentions. In
the midst of their speaking, a man of Attahooroo got up, with a sling
fastened to his waist, and a large stone placed upon his shoulder.
After parading near a quarter of an hour, in the open space, repeating
something in a singing tone, he threw the stone down. This stone,
and a plantain-tree that lay at Otoo's feet, were, after the speeches
ended, carried to the _morai_: and one of the priests, and Otoo with
him, said something upon the occasion.
"On our return to Oparre, the sea-breeze having set in, we were
obliged to land; and had a pleasant walk through almost the whole
extent of Tettaha to Oparre. A tree, with two bundles of dried leaves
suspended upon it, marked the boundary of the two districts. The man
who had performed the ceremony of the stone and sling came with us.
With him, Otoo's father had a long conversation. He seemed very angry.
I understood, he was enraged at the part Towha had taken in the Eimeo
business."
From what I can judge of this solemnity, as thus described by Mr King,
it had not been wholly a thanksgiving, as Omai told us, but rather a
confirmation of the treaty, or perhaps both. The grave, which Mr King
speaks of, seems to be the very spot where the celebration of the
rites began, when the human sacrifice, at which I was present, was
offered, and before which the victim was laid, after being removed
from the sea side. It is at this part of the _morai_ also that they
first invest their kings with the _maro_. Omai, who had been present
when Otoo was made king, described to me the whole ceremony, when we
were here; and I find it to be almost the same as this that Mr King
has now described, though we understood it to be upon a very different
occasion. The plantain-tree, so often mentioned, is always the first
thing introduced, not only in all their religious ceremonies, but in
all their debates, whether of a public or private nature. It is also
used on other occasions; perhaps many more than we know of. While
Towha was at Eimeo, one or more messengers came from him to Otoo every
day. The messenger always came with a young plantain-tree in his hand,
which he laid down at Otoo's feet, before he spoke a word; then seated
himself before him, and related what he was charged with. I have seen
two men in such high dispute that I expected they would proceed to
blows; yet, on one laying a plantain-tree before the other, they
have both become cool, and carried on the argument without farther
animosity. In short, it is, upon all occasions, the olive-branch of
these people.
The war with Eimeo, and the solemn rites which were the consequence of
it, being thus finally closed, all our friends paid us a visit on
the 26th; and, as they knew that we were upon the point of sailing,
brought with them more hogs than we could take off their hands. For,
having no salt left, to preserve any, we wanted no more than for
present use.
The next day, I accompanied Otoo to Oparre; and, before I left it, I
looked at the cattle and poultry, which I had consigned to my friend's
care at that place. Every thing was in a promising way, and properly
attended to. Two of the geese, and two of the ducks were sitting; but
the pea and turkey hens had not begun to lay. I got from Otoo four
goats; two of which I intended to leave at Ulietea, where none had as
yet been introduced; and the other two I proposed to reserve for the
use of any other islands I might meet with in my passage to the north.
A circumstance which I shall now mention of Otoo will shew that these
people are capable of much address and art to gain their purposes.
Amongst other things which, at different times, I had given to this
chief, was a spying-glass. After having it in his possession two or
three days, tired of its novelty, and probably finding it of no use to
him, he carried it privately to Captain Clerke, and told him that, as
he had been his very good friend, he had got a present for him which
he knew would be agreeable. "But," says Otoo, "you must not let
_Toote_ know it, because he wants it, and I would not let him have
it." He then put the glass into Captain Clerke's hands; at the same
time assuring him that he came honestly by it. Captain Clerke, at
first, declined accepting it; but Otoo insisted upon it, and left it
with him. Some days after, he put Captain Clerke in mind of the glass,
who, though he did not want it, was yet desirous of obliging Otoo;
and, thinking that a few axes would be of more use at this island,
produced four to give him in return. Otoo no sooner saw this, than he
said, "_Toote_ offered me five for it." "Well," says Captain Clerke,
"if that be the case, your friendship for me shall not make you a
loser, and you shall have six axes." These he accepted; but desired
again, that I might not be told what he had done.
Our friend Omai got one good thing, at this island, for the many
good things he gave away. This was a very fine double-sailing canoe,
completely equipped, and fit for the sea. Some time before, I had
made up for him a suit of English colours; but he thought these too
valuable to be used at this time; and patched up a parcel of colours,
such as flags and pendants, to the number of ten or a dozen, which
he spread on different parts of his vessel, all at the same time; and
drew together as many people to look at her, as a man of war would,
dressed, in an European port. These streamers of Omai were a mixture
of English, French, Spanish, and Dutch, which were all the European
colours that he had seen. When I was last at this island, I gave to
Otoo an English jack and pendant, and to Towha a pendant, which I now
found they had preserved with the greatest care.
Omai had also provided himself with a good stock of cloth and
cocoa-nut oil, which are not only in greater plenty, but much better
at Otaheite, than at any of the Society Islands, insomuch that they
are articles of trade. Omai would not have behaved so inconsistently,
and so much unlike himself, as he did in many instances, but for his
sister and brother-in-law, who, together with a few more of their
acquaintance, engrossed him entirely to themselves, with no other
view than to strip him of every thing he had got. And they would,
undoubtedly, have succeeded in their scheme, if I had not put a stop
to it in time, by taking the most useful articles of his property into
my possession. But even this would not have saved Omai from ruin, if
I had suffered these relations of his to have gone with, or to have
followed us to, his intended place of settlement, Huaheine. This they
had intended; but I disappointed their farther views of plunder, by
forbidding them to shew themselves in that island, while I remained in
the neighbourhood; and they knew me too well not to comply.
On the 28th, Otoo came on board, and informed me that be had got a
canoe, which he desired I would take with me, and carry home, as a
present from him to the _Earee rahie no Pretane_; it being the only
thing, he said, that he could send worth his majesty's acceptance. I
was not a little pleased with Otoo, for this mark of his gratitude.
It was a thought entirely his own, not one of us having given him the
least hint about it; and it shewed, that he fully understood to whom
he was indebted for the most valuable presents that he had received.
At first, I thought that this canoe had been a model of one of their
vessels of war; but I soon found that it was a small _evaa_, about
sixteen feet long. It was double, and seemed to have been built for
the purpose; and was decorated with all those pieces of carved work
which they usually fix upon their canoes. As it was too large for me
to take on board, I could only thank him for his good intention; but
it would have pleased him much better if his present could have been
accepted.
We were detained here some days longer than I expected, by light
breezes from the west, and calms by turns; so that we could not get
out of the bay. During this time, the ships were crowded with our
friends, and surrounded by a multitude of canoes; for not one would
leave the place till we were gone. At length, at three o'clock in the
afternoon of the 29th, the wind came at east, and we weighed anchor.
As soon as the ships were under sail, at the request of Otoo, and to
gratify the curiosity of his people, I fired seven guns, loaded with
shot; after which, all our friends, except him, and two or three more,
left us with such marks of affection and grief, as sufficiently shewed
how much they regretted our departure. Otoo being desirous of seeing
the ship sail, I made a stretch out to sea, and then in again; when be
also bid us farewell, and went ashore in his canoe.
The frequent visits we had lately paid to this island, seem to
have created a full persuasion, that the intercourse will not be
discontinued. It was strictly enjoined to me by Otoo, to request, in
his name, the _Earee rahie no Pretane_ to send him, by the next ships,
red feathers, and the birds that produce them; axes; half a dozen
muskets, with powder and shot; and by no means to forget horses.
I have occasionally mentioned my receiving considerable presents from
Otoo, and the rest of the family, without specifying what returns I
made. It is customary for these people, when they make a present, to
let us know what they expect in return; and we find it necessary to
gratify them; so that, what we get by way of present, comes dearer
than what we get by barter. But, as we were sometimes pressed by
occasional scarcity, we could have recourse to our friends for a
present, or supply, when we could not get our wants relieved by any
other method; and, therefore, upon the whole, this way of traffic was
full as advantageous to us as to the natives. For the most part,
I paid for each separate article as I received it, except in my
intercourse with Otoo. His presents generally came so fast upon me,
that no account was kept between us. Whatever he asked for, that I
could spare, he had whenever he asked for it; and I always found him
moderate in his demands.
If I could have prevailed upon Omai to fix himself at Otaheite,
I should not have left it so soon as I did. For there was not a
probability of our being better or cheaper supplied with refreshments
at any other place than we continued to be here, even at the time
of our leaving it. Besides, such a cordial friendship and confidence
subsisted between us and the inhabitants, as could hardly be expected
any where else; and it was a little extraordinary, that this friendly
intercourse had never once been suspended by any untoward accident;
nor had there been a theft committed that deserves to be mentioned.
Not that I believe their morals, in this respect, to be much mended,
but am rather of opinion that their regularity of conduct was owing to
the fear the chiefs were under, of interrupting a traffic which
they might consider as the means of securing to themselves a more
considerable share of our commodities, than could have been got
by plunder or pilfering. Indeed, this point I settled at the first
interview with their chiefs, after my arrival. For, observing the
great plenty that was in the island, and the eagerness of the natives
to possess our various articles of trade, I resolved to make the most
of these two favourable circumstances, and explained myself, in the
most decisive terms, that I would not suffer them to rob us, as they
had done upon many former occasions. In this, Omai was of great use,
as I instructed him to point out to them the good consequences of
their honest conduct, and the fatal mischiefs they must expect to
suffer by deviating from it.
It is not always in the power of the chiefs to prevent robberies; they
are frequently robbed themselves, and complain of it as a great evil.
Otoo left the most valuable things he had from me in my possession,
till the day before we sailed; and the reason he gave for it was, that
they were no where so safe. Since the bringing in of new riches, the
inducements to pilfering must have increased. The chiefs, sensible of
this, are now extremely desirous of chests. They seemed to set much
value upon a few that the Spaniards had left amongst them; and they
were continually asking us for some. I had one made for Otoo, the
dimensions of which, according to his own directions, were eight feet
in length, five in breadth, and about three in depth. Locks and bolts
were not a sufficient security; but it must be large enough for two
people to sleep upon, by way of guarding it in the night.
It will appear a little extraordinary that we, who had a smattering of
their language, and Omai, besides, for an interpreter, could never
get any clear account of the time when the Spaniards arrived, how long
they stayed, and when they departed. The more we enquired into this
matter, the more we were convinced of the inability of most of these
people to remember, or note the time, when past events happened;
especially if it exceeded ten or twenty months. It however appeared,
by the date of the inscription upon the cross, and by the information
we received from the most intelligent of the natives, that two ships
arrived at Oheitepeha in 1774, soon after I left Matavai, which was
in May, the same year. They brought with them the house and live-stock
before mentioned. Some said that, after landing these things, and some
men, they sailed in quest of me, and returned in about ten days. But
I have some doubt of the truth of this, as they were never seen either
at Huaheine, or at Ulietea. The live-stock they left here consisted
of one bull, some goats, hogs, and dogs, and the male of some other
animal, which we afterward found to be a ram, and, at this time, was
at Bolabola, whither the bull was also to have been transported.
The hogs are of a large kind; have already greatly improved the breed
originally found by us upon the island; and, at the time of our late
arrival, were very numerous. Goats are also in tolerable plenty, there
being hardly a chief of any note who has not got some. As to the dogs
that the Spaniards put ashore, which are of two or three sorts, I
think they would have done the island a great deal more service if
they had hanged them all, instead of leaving them upon it. It was to
one of them that my young ram fell a victim.
When these ships left the island, four Spaniards remained behind. Two
were priests, one a servant, and the fourth made himself very popular
among the natives, who distinguish him by the name of Mateema. He
seems to have been a person who had studied their language; or, at
least, to have spoken it so as to be understood; and to have taken
uncommon pains to impress the minds of the islanders with the most
exalted ideas of the greatness of the Spanish nation, and to make them
think meanly of the English. He even went so far as to assure them,
that we no longer existed as an independent nation; that _Pretane_
was only a small island, which they, the Spaniards, had entirely
destroyed; and, for me, that they had met with me at sea, and, with a
few shot, had sent my ship, and every soul in her, to the bottom;
so that my visiting Otaheite, at this time, was, of course, very
unexpected. All this, and many other improbable falsehoods, did this
Spaniard make these people believe. If Spain had no other views, in
this expedition, but to depreciate the English, they had better have
kept their ships at home; for my returning again to Otaheite was
considered as a complete confutation of all that Mateema had said.
With what design the priests stayed, we can only guess. If it was to
convert the natives to the catholic faith, they have not succeeded in
any one instance. But it does not appear that they ever attempted
it; for, if the natives are to be believed, they never conversed with
them, either on this, or on any other subject. The priests resided
constantly in the house at Oheitepeha; but Mateema roved about,
visiting most parts of the island. At length, after he and his
companions had stayed ten months, two ships came to Oheitepeha, took
them on board, and sailed again in five days. This hasty departure
shews that, whatever design the Spaniards might have had upon this
island, they had now laid it aside. And yet, as I was informed by
Otoo, and many others, before they went away, they would have the
natives believe that they still meant to return, and to bring with
them houses, all kinds of animals, and men and women who were to
settle, live, and die on the island. Otoo, when he told me this,
added, that if the Spaniards should return, he would not let them come
to Matavai Fort, which, he said, was ours. It was easy to see that the
idea pleased him; little thinking that the completion of it would, at
once, deprive him of his kingdom, and the people of their liberties.
This shews with what facility a settlement might be made at Otaheite,
which, grateful as I am for repeated good offices, I hope will never
happen. Our occasional visits may, in some respects, have benefitted
its inhabitants; but a permanent establishment amongst them,
conducted as most European establishments amongst Indian nations have
unfortunately been, would, I fear, give them just cause to lament that
our ships had ever found them out. Indeed, it is very unlikely that
any measure of this kind should ever be seriously thought of, as it
can neither serve the purposes of public ambition, nor of private
avarice; and, without such inducements, I may pronounce that it will
never be undertaken.[3]
[Footnote 3: We may have occasion hereafter to make mention of several
subsequent visits to this island, on the part of our countrymen. It
is evident, that Captain Cook was far from being well pleased with the
consequences which had already resulted to its inhabitants from their
intercourse with Europeans. Unfortunately, it is impracticable to give
a more agreeable picture of the condition of the island as influenced
by future visits. Cook's solicitude, in behalf of these people, is
extremely commendable, and it is to this we must ascribe his opinion
of the impolicy of attempting settlements amongst them. Is it
wonderful, that to a man of his humanity and discernment, any other
effect should seem likely to proceed from the undertaking, than what
would augment his concern that ever Otaheite felt the necessity
of being obliged to his countrymen? One motive alone, perhaps, not
contemplated by him in reasoning on the purposes which might induce to
such an attempt, gave some promise of compensating for former evils,
without being likely to entail others, which would still leave the
balance of good and bad consequences a subject of regret. We allude
to the _intentions_ of the missionaries, who projected a settlement on
the island in 1796, &c. But the friends of humanity have not hitherto
had cause to rejoice at the amount of the new benefits conferred. The
advocates for such labours, indeed, require to arm themselves with
patience, unless they can satisfy themselves with the conviction of
having _willed_ a good work. Besides, even they ought to anticipate
the certainty, that, were their intentions realized, intruders of very
different principles, and with very different motives, would speedily
mar the fruits of their benevolence. Such reflections, it may be said,
are discouraging. What opinion, then, ought we to entertain of the
wisdom of labours, which had been undertaken without a full view of
obvious causes threatening their ultimate failure? It would little
alleviate the mortification of disappointment, to exclaim, as is often
done on such occasions, "Who could have thought it?" But the most
enlightened judges of such undertakings, will not only advert to the
probable occurrence of such mischief, but also be well aware of the
existence of _other untoward circumstances_, extremely well
calculated to render any fears of subsequent deterioration altogether
superfluous!--E.]
I have already mentioned the visit that I had from one of the two
natives of this island, who had been carried by the Spaniards to
Lima. I never saw him afterward, which I rather wondered at, as I had
received him with uncommon civility. I believe, however, that Omai
had kept him at a distance from me, by some rough usage; jealous that
there should be another traveller upon the island who might vie with
himself. Our touching at Teneriffe was a fortunate circumstance for
Omai; as he prided himself in having visited a place belonging to
Spain as well as this man. I did not meet with the other, who had
returned from Lima; but Captain Clerke, who had seen him, spoke of
him as a low fellow, and as a little out of his senses. His own
countrymen, I found, agreed in the same account of him. In short,
these two adventurers seemed to be held in no esteem. They had
not, indeed, been so fortunate as to return home with such valuable
acquisitions of property as we had bestowed upon Omai; and, with the
advantages he reaped from his voyage to England, it must be his own
fault if he should sink into the same state of insignificance.