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1794. truth, as we afterwards uriderftood, was that the knife had been given,’
1— -v--- 1 by the purloiner, to a perfon of much confequence, over whom Tamaahmaah
did not wilh to enforce his authority. !t
Thefe knives .had not been ftolen, as might be'naturally imagined, for
their value as irOn inftruments, but for the fake of their ivory handles.
Thefe were intended to1 have been converted into certain neck ornaments,
that are confidered as facred and invaluable. The bones of Tome filh are,
with great labour, appropriated to this purpofe ; but the colour arid texture
of the ivory furpalfing, in fo eminent a degree, the other ordinary
material, the temptation was too greafto.be refilled.
Under the particular circumftances, Which we underftood attended the
miffing knife, I readily put up with its lo fsb e e au fe ,. in fo doing, I was
relieved of the inconvenience which a numher of noify and troublefonie
vifitors had occafioned. Thefe, however, paid dearly, for their dithonefty,
in being abridged the great fource of wealth which they had enjoyed on
board, and which had enabled them to procure many valuable coirimoditieffi
of their own country, at the-expence of diking; only for fuch of our European
articles as the feller demanded., ,,
Monday 27. Gur bufinefs ip the hold being finifhed, the feamen were employed
in a thorough examination of all the rigging’;, and although.this was the
firft time,- with' refpefl 'to the lower rigging, that an examination had taken
place fince the Ihip was commilfiort'ed, we ,had the fatisfaflioniof finding
it in much better condition than, Jrom.lthe trials .it had endured, we
'could realonabiy have,rexpe£led. J
Since the death of Whokaa, Kdhoxanotod had not paid the leaft 'atten-
tion to the Owhyhean tabooi; but as fimilar interdiflions ,wefe<to take
Tuefday 28. place on the 28th, on the illand o'f Mowee, thefe.. he punctually obv
ferved;' and on the following day Tamaahmaah alfo was'again thus .re,
ligioufly engaged; but as.there were no prayers on this day, the people
at large feemed to be' under little reftriftion.
Thurfday2o. On thurfday we were favored with the company of' Terrte-my-tee,
Crymamahoo., TiannUj and fome other chiefs, from the diftant parts of-the
illand.
Their arrival had been in confequence of a fummons; from the- king;
who had called the grand council of the illand, on the fubjeft of its cef-
. lion
fion to the crown of Great Britain,, which was unanimoufly defired.
This important bufinefs, however, for which their attendance had d
been demanded;, appeared to be of fecondary confideration to all of
them; and the happinefs they expreffed on our return, together with
their cordial behaviour, proved, beyond difpute, that our arrival at
Owhyhee was the objeft moll conducive to the pleafure of their journey.
Even Tianna condufted himfelf with an unufual degree of good
humour ; but as neither he, nor his brother Nomatahah, from their
turbulent, treacherous, and ungrateful difpofitioiis, were favorites
amongll us, his humility, on this occafion, -obtained him only the reputation
of polfelfing a very fuperior degree of art and duplicity. But as the
principal objeft I had in view was to preferve the good underllanding
that had been eltablifhed betweeti uS, and, if polfible, to fecure it on a
permanent balls, for the benefit of thofe who might fucceed us at thefe
illands, I waved all retrofpeflive confiderations, and treated Tianna with
every mark of attention, to which his rank, as one of the fix provincial
chiefs, intitled him, and with which, on all occafions, he appeared
to be highly gratified. r . , , , ,
Thefe chiefs brought intelligence, that a quantity of timber which
had been fent for at my requell, was on its way hither; it had been cut
down under the directions of an Englilhman, whofe name was Boid, formerly
the mate of the Hoop Walhington, but who had relinquilhed that
way of life, and had entered into the fervice of Tamaahmaah. He appeared
in the character of a Ihipwright, and had undertaken to build,
with thefe materials, a velfel for the king, after the European falhion;
but not having been regularly brought up to this bufinefs, both himfelf
and his comrades, Young and Davis, were fearful of encountering too
many difficulties ; efpecially as they were all much at a lofs in the firlt out-
fet, that of laying down the keel, and properly fetting up the frame;
but could they be rightly alfifted in thefe primary operations, Boid
(who had the appearance of being very indultrious and ingenious) feemed
to entertain no doubt of accomplilhing the reft of their underta-
king.
V o r. III. D Thls
*794*
January.