Saturday io*
vifits to thefe iflands, its itnpreflions could not have been effaced, and
it muff have been recollefted at this time with all the abhorrence which
it would at firft have naturally created ; but as no remembrance of fuch
behaviour occurred, I was induced to conlider this licentioufnels as a
perfeftly new acquirement, taught, perhaps, by the different civilized voluptuaries,
who, for fome years part, have been their conftant vilitors.
A t Woahoo, and alfo on our arrival here, we were given to under-
Hand that there were Englilhmen refident on this ifland.
One of them, a young man about feventeen years o f age, whofe name
was Rowbottom, came on board in a large double canoe; who faid he was
o f Derbylhire, that he had failed from England about five years lince in an
Indiaman to China, which (hip he had quitted in order to engage with
fome o f the veflels in the fur trade between North-Weft America and
China; and that he had, ever fince, been thus employed in the American
fervice. He informed me, that himfelf, John Williams a Welchman, and
James Coleman an Irilhman, had been left at Onchow, in order that they
might return to this ifland for the purpofe o f collefting fandal-wood, and
pearls, for their mafter John Kendrick, an American, commanding the
brig Lady Walhington, in whofe fervice they Hill remained at the wages
of eight dollars per month. The Lady Walhington had quitted thefe
iflands the preceding October, bound to New England, with a cargo o f
furs to difpofe o f in her way thither at China; Ihe was immediately to return
from Bofton, and having fpent the next winter in North-Weft America,
was, in the autumn of the enfuing year, to call for thefe- men at
Attowai, and take in a cargo of fandal-wood for the Indian market,
with fuch pearls as they might have collefted.
With Rowbottom came two chiefs, the one named No-ma-tee-he-teey
the other Too; both o f whom he faid would be ufeful at Attowai and
Onchow. On making thefe chiefs each a prefent, with which they were
greatly pleafed, they faid they were directed by the king, or rather the
prince Ta-moo-eree, (who is a boy, and the eldeft fon of Taio the fove-
reign of this and the neighbouring iflands) to fay, that Enemoh, the regent
in Taio’s abfence, and Tamooeree, would be with us in a day or
tw o; giving me to underftand that Enemoh was the principal aiding
officer.
officer. A meflenger was immediately difpatched to requeft of his high- itMl»-
nefs, that, as my ftay would be very (hort, he would do me the favor ' ’
to lofe no time in giving us the honor o f his company; and, as a
pledge o f our friendly difpolition, I font him a large axe as a prefent.
Our young countryman faid it was highly important to have the ftrift-
eft watch over the behaviour of thefe people ; for although he conceived
our force was too great for them to attempt any thing hoftile with the
leaft profpeft of fuccefs, yet he could not determine how far their ambitious
views might lead them, as, fince their fuccefs in taking a fchoon-
er at Owhyhee, they had become fo elated, that they had attempted
to take a brig at Mowee.
The fchooner belonged to a Mr. Medcalf, an American trader, who
having been fuccelsful in the fur trade, equipped and entrufted her to
the command of his fon, who failed with eight men from Macoa, in order
to profecute that branch of commerce. This veflel was captured at
Owhyhee; but as Rowbottom’s narrative of the fafts was afterwards
found erroneous, the particulars of the enterprize, from better authority,
will be given in a future chapter.
Nomateehetee and Too, with other natives prefent, confirmed the intelligence
of this atrocious aft, and, at the fame time, highly reprobated
the inhuman murder of the crew, who were all put to death excepting
one man. Tianna was accufed by them of having projected this wicked
fcheme, and of having perpetrated the horrible mafia e re ; but they po-
fitively denied that Taio, who had been fufpefted of meditating the capture
of the brig at Mowee, had any knowledge of that bufinefs; faying, that
it was intirely the aft of the people of Mowee.. On becoming acquainted
with thefe daring and ambitious defigns, I inquired, what reception
Tianna would have experienced had he accompanied us from Owhyhee ?
Every one prefent feemed to be aftonifhed at his entertaining fuch an
idea, and agreed that he would have been put to death the inftant he
had landed, as they all confidered him as their moll inveterate enemy.
Thefe reports, and the obfervations. that were made by the natives in
eonfequence of their being related to me, gave me great reafon to apprehend
that Tianna’s intentions o f accompanying us hither, which on
refleftion
(