1777- in g them upon it. It was to one o f them, that m y yo u n g
September. . .
*, v j ram re II a victim.
When thefe ihips le ft the ifland, four Spaniards remained
' behind. T w o were priefts, One a fervant, and the fourth
made h im fe lf ve ry popular among the natives, who dif-
tinguifh him by the name o f Mateema. He feems to have
been a períbñ w ho had ftudied their language"; or, at leaft,
to have fpoken it fo as to be underftood ; and to have taken
uncommon pains to imprefs the minds o f the iftanders with
the mo|t exalted ideas o f the greatnefs o f the Spanifh nation,
and to make them think meanly o f the Engliih. He
even went fo fa r as to allure them, that w e no longer ex-
ifted as an independent n a t io n ; that Pretane was only a.
fm a ll ifland, w h ich they, the Spaniards, had entirely de-
flro y ed ; and,, for me, that they had met w ith m e at fea,
and, w ith a few" ihot, had fent m y ihip, and every foul in
her, to the b o ttom ; fo that m y vifiting Otaheite, at this
time, was, o f courfe, very unexpeéted. A ll this, and many
other improbable falfehoods, did this Spaniard make thefe
people believe. I f Spain had no other views, in this expedition,
but to depreciate the En gliih, the y had better have
kept their ihips at h om e ; for m y returning again to Otaheite,
was confide red as a complete confutation o f a ll that
Mateema had faid.
With what deiign the priefts flayed, we can only guefs-
I f it was to convert the natives to the catholic faith, they
have not fucceeded in any one inftance. But it does not appear,
that they ever attempted i t ; for, i f the natives are to
be believed, they never converfed w ith them, either on this,
or on any other fubjetft. T h e priefts refidéd conftantly in.
• the houfe at Oheitepeha; b u t Mateema roved about, vifiting;
moil parts o f the ifland. At length, after he and his com-
. - & panions
panions had ftaid ten months, two ihips came to Oheitepeha, s^ ^ r.
took them on board, and failed again in five days. T his »— ->
hafty departure fhews, that, whatever deiign the Spaniards
migh t have had upon this ifland, they had now laid it afide.
And yet, as I w as informed b y Otoo, and many others, b efore ■
they went away, they wou ld have the natives believe, that
they ftill meant to return, and to b r in g w ith them houfes,
all kinds o f animals, and men and women w ho were to
fettle, live , and die, on the ifland. Otoo, when he tok^me
this, added, that i f the Spaniards ihould return, he wou ld
not let them come to Matavai Fort, which, he faid, was ours.
It was eafy to fee, that the idea pleafed h im ; little thinking,
that the completibn o f u r w ou ld , at once, deprive him o f
his kingdom, and the people o f their liberties. This (hews
with what fa c ility a fettlement might be made at Otaheite ;
w h ich , g rate fu l as I am for repeated good offices,- I hope
w ill never happen. Our occafional vifirs may, in fome re-
fpetils, have benefited its inhabitants ; but a permanent
eftabliihment amongft them, conducted as moft E u ropean •
eftablifhtnents amongft Indian nations have unfortunately
been, would, I fear, giv e them ju ft caufe to lament, th a t,
our ihips had ever found them out. Indeed, it is ve ry un* ,
lik e ly , that any meafure o f this kind ihould ever be f e r i - -
oufly thought of, as it can neither ferve the purpofes o f
public am b ition ,, nor o f private avarice ; and, withou t fu cb .-
inducements, I may. pronounce, that it w ill never be u n dertaken.
I have already mentioned the- vifit that I had from one of-
the two natives o f this ifland, who had been carried by the ■
Spaniards to Lima. I.n eve r faw him a fterward; w hich I;
rather wondered at, as I had received him with uncommon •
civ ility . I believe, however, that Omai had kept him at a
diftance