■ January. eveninS to Oparre, for the purpofe of procuring us fuch fupplies as he
V— ,---- - thought would be acceptable previoufly to our failing.
Friday *c. A great number of prefehts were received on board on friday morn-
fromrt°htJCed ing’ confiding of hogs, fowls, goats*, roots and vegetables, from our fe-
nSly db?1' veral friends ; who had uniformly condufted themfelves- with the greateft
biiihed by propriety, and who'all appeared to regret that the period o f ' our de-
apt. Cook, parture was now fo near at hand. In . the midft of this happy inter:
courfe and defirable harmony, a circumftance Unfortunately occurred,
which occafioned much concern. A bag, containing a large quantity o f
linen belonging to Mr. Broughton, had been artfully taken out o f the
marquee. Moerree, who had offered to be a cutter: of'-woody had
neither fent any down lince the firll or fecond day, nor had he returned
the axes with which he had been furnifhed. This-,led me to fufpeft
he intended fomething unfair; o f which, as well as o f the:-theft, I acquainted
Urripiah, who immediately replied he would go in quell both
o f the_axes and the linen. He feemed, by no means,; to be ignorant of
the theft, and requefted I would apply to Wkytooa, who, having in a more
particular manner attached himfelf to Mr. Broughton, was the moll
proper perfon to exert himfelf on this oceafion; efpecially as he had
reafon to believe the linen had been taken to a part o f the'country
where Wkytooa’s influence was very confiderable. Several lhirts alfo had
been, the preceding evening, reported miffing from the people’s -tents -
but as circumllances induced me to believe the inhabitants-' were little
concerned in their removal, no means were purfued for their.-recovery:
■ Mr- Broughton’s linen was, however, too ferious a- Mis,; and was a robbery
too audacious to be palled over, in filence; particularly, as it became
evident the chiefs knew of the linen having been llolen, before
we difcovered the theft; which was ftrongly Mpe-filed to have -been projected
by themfelves. 1
Urripiah had prepared a heava, clofe to the lines of the-encampment,
for our amufement; but, to ffiew my difapprobation, I deemed it
expedient to forbid the performance, and told Urripiah, that, whilft his
people conduced, themfelves fo treacheroufly, the lefs connexion there
fubfilted between us the more agreeable it would be ; and that, unlefs the
articles
articles purloined were immediately returned, I ffiould be under the >79*-
difagreeable neceffity, though greatly againll my inclination, o f enforc- . Janualy-f
ing the reltoratiori o f them by the adoption o f very ferious meafures.
On this he-immediately departed; and about noon returned with one of
the axes,, and faid that he had difpatched people in fearch of the linen,
which he hoped would foon be found; but that Moerree would not give
up the other axe, alledging as an eXcufe for with-holding it, that he had
left an adz with me to be altered, which when done and fent to him,
he Would fend back the other axe ; but this was a kind of bargaining with
which I did not think proper to comply. The queen-mother, who
was our guelt, informed me that Pomurrey would be at the tents the
next , morning, and for that reafon I deferred any further proceedings
until his arrival.
A favorable opportunity occurred in the evening to- fend on board the
obfervatory, chronometers, inllruments, together with a large quantity of
lumber from the encampment; and apprehending that the-natives might
attempt to commit other depredations on our moveable property, additional
centinels were polled; and, as a fummary and immediate punilh-
ment when caught in the faCl, feemed moll likely to prevent in future
a repetition of crime, orders were ilfued- to Ihoot any perfon who might
be found in the aft of Healing; but, on no' pretence, to fire without the
prefence of an officer, who had the llridtelt injunctions to be extremely
circumfpeCt.
On going on board the next morning, I had the additional mortifica- Saturday 21.
tion to underlland that a much more material eircumllance than the lofs
of the linen had occurred to interrupt, the harmony which had fo long
fubfilted.
Towereroo the Sandwich illander had, in the courfe of the preceding
night, found means to elope from the Ihip. O f this his intention, we
had not for lome time been free of fufpicion ; but I did not like to .im-
pofe abfolute confinement upon him without fome proof. He had
formed an attachment with the daughter of Poeno, the Chief of Mata-
vai, on whom, by examination,, we now found he had lavilhly bellowed
nearly all he had polfelfed. This- was of no fmall value, for,, indepen-
.i-criY.. ' dent