dinner was ended, I prefented Tamoocre with nearly a duplicate affort-
ment of the valuables I had, in the forenoon, given to Enemoh, with
fome few other things that feemed particularly to attrafl his attention.
Amongft thefe was a quantity o f wine and rum, for which thefe Wanders,
like our fouthern friends, have acquired no inconfiderable relifh.
I prefented likewife to his friend a colleftion of valuables ; and gave
to each of his attendants fome trivial article, with which they feemed
agreeably furprized, as this compliment was expefted by none of them.
Our countrymen who were in the habit of living with the prince,
were inftrucled to imprefs on the minds of the royal party and the inhabitants
in general, that the liberality they had experienced was wholly
to be afcribed to their own civil, orderly, and honell behaviour ; and,
that, (in addition to what they had received,) as a particular teftimony of
my approbation of their conduct, if they would remain on board until
it was dark they fhould be entertained with a difplay o f fire-works,
Tamoeree, though well fatisfied that our intentions were pacific and
friendly, and though perfeflly reconciled to his fituation on board, yet
requefted he might be permitted to go on Ihore, and, if Enemoh had
no objeftion, tie would return. He intreated us to remain a few
days, to enable him to make us fome return for our civilities, in hogs
and vegetables; a fupply of which, he expected, were already at the
beach; but as we had accomplifhed all the bufinefs for which we had
flopped at this ifi'and, and being defirous of obtaining from Onchow a
flock of yams, (a vegetable that Attowai did not at that time afford) I
gave the young prince to underftand, that if the wind Ihould prove favorable
in the courfe of the night, we fhould, on a certainty, depart for
Onchow.
After vifiting the Chatham with the prince, Mr. Puget returned with
his charge to the fhore; where the party was received with the greateft
cordiality by. a large eoncourfe of the natives, who, under the reftridtions
of the taboo■, were kept in excellent order. The prince was carried on
a man’s- fhoultfcrs and feated in the houfe which our officers occupied.
There he was foon joined by Enemoh, with a large train of attendants, who
unanimoufly expreffed their fatisfaftion and gratitude for the treatment
their
dieir young chief had experienced; of which, the valuable prefents
brought from the fhips bore undeniable teftimony. '—
Not feeing, nor hearing any tidings of, the promifed fupply of prO-
vifions, nor difcovering any inclination in the royal party to return for
the purpofe of attending the fire-works, Mr. Puget took his leave and
repaired on board. Previoufly to his quitting the fhore, the prince found
out that the exhibition could be equally well feen from the beach, and
therefore requefted he might be indulged.
As our young friend was anxioufly waiting, with a large crowd of his
countrymen, in expeftation of fomething new, as foon as it became
dark I ordered fome fky and water rockets to be difplayed. Nomatee-
hetee and Too, who, with feveral of the natives, male and female, had
begged a paffage to Onchow, obferved the rockets with infinite furprize
and admiration, as did the eoncourfe o f people affembled on fhore;
which was announced to us by their repeated burfts o f acclamation,
diftinctly heard, though at the diftance o f nearly two miles.
I fhould be guilty o f an unpardonable injuftice to thefe people, were
I to negleft this opportunity o f obferving, that the faithful performance
of their engagement with Mr. Puget, combined with thofe principles
of honefty that direfted the reiteration of the articles recovered
from the fea, produced in our minds opinions very contrary to thofe
which we had, perhaps too haftily, formed of Attowai, on the report o f the
recent vifitors to this country ; and which, on the prejudice of our firft
impreffions, were confirmed greatly to the difadvantage of the general
charafter, to which, it now appeared, thefe iflanders were entitled. The
reports, however, ought not to be confidered as having originated without
caufe ; though, in all likelihood, tranfgreffions may have been committed
by ftrangers as well as by the natives, and the want of a fufficient
knowledge of each other’s language, may have provoked mutual aggreffi-
on, which, otherways, would not, fo repeatedly, have produced mifunder-
ftandings. That the natives had not bgen faithfully dealt with on all occafi-
ons, feemed evident, from the prince or regent demanding an hoftage for
their fafe return, on their confenting to venture themfelves amongft us;
a circumftance that had never before occurred in any of my vifits to the
iflands