March on deck> endeavouring to afcertain the number o f men on duty in the
v V» _< different parts of the fhip.
• The retinue o f Tianna on this occafion was to confift of a confidera-
ble number; part were to attend him on board the Difcovery, and the
remainder was to proceed in the Chatham. His refidence was a little to
the north of Karakakooa; and as it was propofed his fuite fhould be
taken on board the next afternoon, we kept off that ftation. A mef-
fenger, apparently o f fome confequence, was difpatched to the Ihore
Sunday 4. with direftions for this purpofe the preceding evening; in the forenoon,
however, feveral confultations took place with thofe about him, which
finally ended in his declining to accompany us to Attowai. The conver-
lation he had held with Towereroo had induced him to believe, that the
fervices of this.lad might be of great importance to him ; and as he pro-
mifed Towereroo a very handfome eftablilhment, of houfe, land, -and
other advantages, I thought it advifeable to fix him with Tianna for the
prefent, that, on my return in the winter, I might be enabled to form
fome judgment of his treatment. Morotoi, the native ifland of Towereroo,
was in a ftate o f great confufion, in confequence of its being the general
rendezvous of Titeere and Taio, the fovereigns of Woahoo and
.Attowai, who were then meditating a war againft this ifland. This was
an additional reafon for confenting to the arrangement. Towereroo,
though exceedingly anxious to accept Tianna’s offer, feemed to entertain
great doubts as to the future fafety of himfelf and his property ; to
the laft moment he had his choice of remaining on board, or departing
with Tianna ; and, notwithftanding he did not hefitate to prefer the latter,
yet he earneftly requefted the few clothes he had left, and the articles
I had given him, fince our leaving Otaheite, might be taken care of on
board, until our return; and he would take with him a very fmall
affortment of the different articles of traffic only, to fupply his prefent
neceffities.
As Tianna had feveral goats, I did not prefent him with any o f thefe
animals, but made him very happy by giving him fome vine and orange
plants, fome almonds, and an affortment of garden feeds, to all of
which he promifed the moft particular care and attention. After receiving
R O U N D T H E W O R L D . 157
ceiving fome acceptable valuables in return for ten fmall ho’gs, he took ^arch
his leave of us with Towereroo about five in the afternoon ; and though v—
he affefted to be pretty well fatisfied with his reception, and flattered
with being faluted with four guns on his departure, yet it was very
evident he was extremely difappointed and *■ chagrined in not having
been able to procure any fire arms or ammunition; which were anx-
ioufly folicited, not only by himfelf but by all his countrymen, and by
us as uniformly refufed.
To the care of Towereroo I intrufted a' letter, addreffed to the officer
commanding the veffel Charged with flores and provifions for our fer-
vice, acquainting him with our departure from Owhyhee, and of my intention
to call at the Leeward iflands to recruit, our water, after which,
we fhould proceed immediately to the coaft of America : and I directed
him to follow Us thither without lofs of time, agreeably to the arrangements
I had previoufly made with the Secretary of State’s office.
As we flood along fhore with a light breeze, we were in the evening
greatly furprized on being hailed, from a large canoe which was meeting
us, in broken Englifh; demanding, who we were, and to what country
we belonged, and very civilly requefling to be admitted on board. This
being granted, the fpeaker proved to be a young man named Tarehooa, a
native of Attowai, who had accompanied a Mr. John Ingram commanding
an American fhip laden with furs, from North Weft America, bound
to Bofton in New England by the way of China. Tarehooa had been
with Mr. Ingram in North America about feven months, and had returned
in a brig with him fome months before.
His prefent mailer, he informed me, was a chief named Kahowmotoo,
of great importance, and nearly equal in confequence with Tianna; and
who like him had been very inftrumental in gaining for Tamaah-maaha the
fovereignty of the whole ifland. We were inftantly made known to this
chief, who prefented me with a letter written in Spanilh, dated “ Sloop
Princefs Royal, march 28, 1791,” (probably ■ the fame veffel that was
captured at Nootka) attended by an Engliffi tranflation of the fame
date, and both figned “ Emanuel Kimperrecommending in the
flrongell terms Tamaah-maaha, Tianna, and this chief Kahowmotoo, for
their