Friday 29*
the ifland in any tolerable time, I declined perfifting, and bore tip for
Whymea bay. There I intended to complete our water; and then,
without further delay, to direfil our courfe to the northward; having
ftill remaining o f our Owhyhean flock, a number of hogs, exclulive of
fix hoglheads and ten barrels that had been falted and headed down,
and every man in the fhip having been daily ferved with as much pork
as he liked.,
. Thefe refrelhments, with thofe we had before obtained from our Spa-
nilh friends in New Albion, had fo perfectly re-eftablifhed the health and
ftrength of every individual on board, that I hoped we fltould be able to
encounter the difficulties I had reafon to apprehend in our next campaign,
with all the firmnefs and alacrity that fuch fervices demand.
Poorey and the reft of the chiefs accompanied us, in order that they
might afford us their good offices at Whymea; where, owing to the
light baffling winds in its neighbourhood, we were prevented anchoring
until eleven at night-; when we took our former ftation, conceiving it
to be the bell in the bay, in 33 fathoms water, dark fandy bottom, about
half a league from the fhore.
The nex-t morning, as the few natives who had vifited us brought little
for fale, Poorey and the reft of his friends betook themfelves to the
fhore, for the purpofe o f collecting in the neighbourhood fuch hogs and
vegetables as could be procured. The launch was hoifted out, and fent
with a guard of marines under the orders. o f Lieutenant Swaine, for a
fupply o f water.
I was engaged on fhore mod o f the day, in regulating a comfortable
eftablifhment that I had procured from the chiefs, for our two female
paffengers, the one named Raheina, the other Tymarow, who. we had
met with as already Hated at Nootka, in oCtober, 1792, and had brought
them from thence, to reftore them to this their native country; from
whence they had been forcibly taken, and had endured an uncomfortable
abfence of upwards o f a year. This office of humanity, to which
their behaviour and amiable difpofitions fo juftly intitled them, I was
fortunate enough to accomplifh to. their fatisfaClion.; and. I had the
pleafure of finding that they both acknowledged this, and the civil
S and
and attentive treatment they had each received from every perfon on
board the Difcovery and Chatham, with expreflions o f gratitude, and
the moft affe£lionate regard.
Amongft the various reports induftrioufly circulated at Nootka by
the citizens of the united ftates of America, to the prejudice and difho-
nor of the Britifh fubjeCts trading on the coaft of North Weft America,
it had been pofitively afferted, that fome of the latter had brought
the natives of the Sandwich iflands from thence to the coaft o f America,
and had there fold them to the natives of thofe fhores for furs.
Thefe two young women were particularly inftanced, as having been
fo brought and difpofed of by Mr. Baker, commanding the Jenny, of
Briftol; and the ftory was told with fuch plaufibility, that I believe it
had acquired fome degree of credit with Sen'' Quadra, and moft of the
Spanilh officers who heard it. The arrival of the Jenny, however, in
the port of Nootka, gave a flat contradiction to thefe fcandalous reports,
and proved them to be equally malicious and untrue ; as the two girls
were found ftill remaining on board the Jenny, without having entertained
any idea that they were intended to have been fold; nor did they
mention to have received any ill ufage from Mr. Baker, but on the
contrary, that they had been treated with every kindnefs and attention
whilft under his protection.
Although I had not any perfonal knowledge o f Mr. Baker previous
to his entering Nootka, yet I fhould conceive him totally incapable of
fuch an aCt o f barbarity and injuftice; and if there were the leaft fincerity
in the folicitude he expreffed to me for the future happinefs and welfare
of thefe young women, it is impoffible he could ever have meditated fuch '
a defign. I do not, however, mean to. vindicate the propriety o f Mr.
Baker’s conduCt, in bringing thefe girls from their native country; for
I am decidedly of opinion it was highly improper; and if the young
women are to be credited, their feduClion and detention on board Mr.
Baker’s veffel were inexcufable. They report, that they went on board
with feveral others of their countrywomen, who were permitted to return
again to the fhore; but that they were confined down in the cabin
until the veffel had failed, and was at fome diftance from Onehow. On
G g 2 the