' 794- he then feemed to concur, in opinion with me, that the party from
' Mowee who had landed on the weftern fide o f Owhyhee, could be no
other than the embalfy charged-with my letter, and invefted with powers
to negociate for a general pacification.
It was fome time before I was able to make myfelf thoroughly mailer
of thefe circumftances; yet long before I had afcertained with any tolerable
precifion what was the Hate of the bufinefs, I was perfeftly convinced
that no overtures , of this nature would be attended with fuccefs,
and that nothing but by my paffing backwards and forwards between the
feveral iflands in the manner before Hated, would anfwer any good pur-
pofe; could I have done this, I entertained no doubt ofaccomplifhing'
this defirable objeft; but neither our circumftances nor our time would
admit of my engaging in this talk, particularly at the prefent feafon of the
year, when very boifterous weather ufually pyevails amongftthefe iflands,
againft which we Ihould occafionally have been obliged to beat to
windward. Our fails, rigging, and probably our malls, would neceflarily
have fuffered in point of wear and tear, even Ihould we have been fo for-
tunate to have avoided any material damage‘by accident; and. as-our
Hock of thofe eflential articles, even with the fupply: we had received from
port Jackfon, which was very Ihort.of what I had requefted, demanded
the greateft ceconomy and care to make them laft, without fubje&ing us.
to unpleafant and even difaftrous circumftances, during our progrefs in
the unaccomplilhed part of our voyage; I was under the neeeflity o f
declining any further perfonal interference, notwithftanding that I was
fatisfied the happinefs ajid tranquillity o f many thoufands might have been
fecured, at leall for a time, could I have undertaken this important bufinefs.
This conviftion did not fail to claim a great fhare of my attention; but
the execution of the feveral important objects o f our voyage that yet remained
unfinilhed, and which were of an-extenfive nature, compelled me
to give up all thoughts of fecondary confiderations. The completion of
our bufinefs that appertained to the north pacific ocean, I had fo far
hopes of effefting in the courfe of the enfuing feafon,. that I, had not demanded
the return of the Daedalus with a further fupply of ftores, nor
indeed
indeed was it certain that fueh a fupply could have been obtained from Fe^ j4’,
port Jackfon; we had therefore to rely on-the difpenfations of Divine <--- v—
Providence, and our own care and frugality, for the aecomplilhment of
the remaining part of our furvey with the ftores we had Hill remaining.
Tamaakmmh having become acquainted with our intended route from
Karakakooa, and being watchful to embrace every opportunity by which
he could continue his good offices, either for our prefent comfort, or our
future welfare, ordered one of his principal domellics to depart immediately
for Toeaigh; there to provide according to his directions fuch
things as we Hood in need of, and to have them in readinefs for embarkation
on our arrival.
After’thefe, and other lefs important arrangements had been made relative
to our departure, the king with his companions returned to the
fhore. About this time the gentlemen made their appearance from Mowna
Roa, having defcended from the mountains in a ftraight line to the
fea Ihore, from whence they had returned by water; but had not this
been their route, their journey hither would have occupied fome few
days more. A t firft fight of the travellers I regretted the delay I had fo
recently confented to ; but it was now too late to retraft, efpecially as, on
the moll trivial occafions, I had made it a point to perform all promifes
made to thefe people with fcrupulous punctuality. Two or three days
therefore were not of fufficient importance to us, to induce my breaking
in upon the arrangements I had juft made with Tamaahmaah; who would
eafily have difcovered, that no new caufe had arifen for any alteration in
our plan; and I therefore determined to remain contented until tuefday,
when the reftrifilions of the taboo were to ceafe. This afforded an opportunity
to fome of the officers, whofe attention to their feveral duties
had confined them hitherto to the fea fhore, to make a fhort excurfion
into the adjacent country.
The building of Tamaakmaah’s veflel was now fo far advanced, that I
confidered its completion an eafy talk for his people to perform under
the direction of Boid, who moft probably had, by his attention to our
carpenters, added fome information to his former knowledge in fhip-
building. Her frame was completely fixed, and all that remained to he
H 2 done