a cluster of small islands situated between the latitudes of 5° and 7° north, and the longitudes 134° and 136° east. Various conjectures have been formed respecting the time of their first discovery by Europeans. Mr Keate, the editor of the only voyage in which we have any account of their climate, soil, and produce, together with the manners of their inhabitants, thinks they were first noticed by the Spaniards from the Philippines, and by them named Palos from the number of trees growing in them resembling the masts of ships. This conjecture has been vehemently opposed by a critic, who affirms that the whole of Mr Keate's introduction is erroneous, and that the islands in question were first discovered by a French Jesuit named Pere Papin. The Jesuit, he imagines, was directed to them by one of the inhabitants, who had found his way to the Moluccas, where he was baptized. They are said to have been again noticed by P. Centova in 1724, who saw at Agdane, the capital of the Merian islands, some of the inhabitants; and from their account gives a description not very favourable of these harmless islanders. Centova's description is to be found in the 15th volume, and the relation of the discovery by P. Papin in the 11th volume, of Lettres Edifiantes et Curieuses, published at Paris 1781.

The latest and most authentic account of them, however, is given from the Journals of Captain Wilson of the Antelope, a packet belonging to the East India company, which was wrecked upon one of them in August 1783. This ship was fitted out in England by the court of directors in the summer 1782, as was then generally understood, for a secret expedition. Whatever may have been her destination, as she was proceeding from Macao in equally weather, the man who, on the night of the 12th of August, had the look-out, suddenly called out Breakers! But the sound of the word had scarce reached the ears of the officer on deck, before the ship struck and stuck fast; and in less than an hour bulged and filled with water. Having secured the gunpowder, small arms, bread, and such other provisions as were liable to be spoiled by water, Captain Wilson, after many difficulties, effected a landing. The crew of the Antelope consisted of 33 Europeans besides the captain, and 16 Chinese: and the only possible means by which they could be delivered from an island, which at first appeared to them uninhabited, was by building a ship capable of transporting them to the nearest Euro- pean settlement in that quarter of the globe. Whilst they were meditating upon this undertaking, the natives appeared on the second day after their arrival; and their intercourse with them was facilitated by means which appear as singular as they were providential. Captain Wilson had a servant recommended to him at Macao, who spoke both the Malay and English languages perfectly well; and they had not been long at Pelew before they had the good fortune to meet with a Malay, who had been thrown by a tempest upon this very spot about a year before, and had made himself acquainted with the language of the country; so that by this extraordinary event each party had an interpreter who could readily explain their wants and desires, and by that means prevent a number of misconceptions which might have arisen from making use of signs and gestures only.

The natives are all of a deep copper colour, going perfectly naked. They are of a middling stature, very straight, muscular, and well formed; but their legs, from a little above their ankles to the middle of their thighs, are tattooed so very thick, as to appear dyed of a far deeper colour than the rest of their skin. Their hair is of a fine black, long, and rolled up behind, in a simple manner, close to the back of their heads, which appeared both neat and becoming; but few of them had beards, it being the general custom to pluck them out by the roots.

They began by stroking the bodies and arms of the English, or rather their waistcoats and coat sleeves, as if they doubted whether the garment and the man were not of the same substance; and as the Malay explained the circumstances to them, our people were greatly surprized at the quickness with which they seemed to comprehend every information he gave them. The next thing they noticed was our people's white hands, and the blue veins of their wrists; the former of which they seemed to consider as artificial, and the other as the English manner of tattooing. After being satisfied in this particular, they expressed a further wish to see their bodies; and, among other things, were greatly surprized at finding hair on their breasts, it being considered by them as a great mark of indelicacy, as it is their custom to eradicate it from every part of the body in both sexes.

They afterwards walked about, testifying great curiosity at every thing they saw, but at the same time expressing a fear that they might be thought too intruding. As our people were conducting them to the tents, one of the natives picked up a bullet, which had been casually dropped on the ground, and immediately expressed his surprize, that a substance so small to the eye should be so very ponderous to the touch; and on their entering the tent, a large Newfoundland dog, and a spaniel, which had been tied up there to prevent their being lost, set up a most violent barking, and the natives a noise but little less loud, which at first it was not easy to account for. They ran in and out of the tent, and seemed to wish that they might be made to bark again. This the Malay soon explained to be the effect of their joy and surprize, as these were the first large animals they had ever seen, there being no quadrupeds of any species on these islands, except a very few grey rats in the woods.

After some time it was agreed on by Captain Wilson and his people, that some of the crew should be sent to the king of the place, in order to solicit his friendship, and intreat his permission to build a vessel that might carry them back to their own country. This business was allotted to the captain's brother; and during his absence, Raa Kook, the king's brother, and several of the natives, remained with our people. His amiable chief seemed to place an entire confidence in those he was among; he endeavoured to accommodate himself to their manners; would sit at table as they did, instead of squatting on his hams; and inquired particularly into the principles and causes of every thing he observed about him, lending his personal affluence in all that was going forward, and even desiring the cook to let him aid him in blowing the fire.

In order to conciliate their affections, Captain Wilson had presented Arra Koeker, another of the king's brothers, with a pair of trousers; but having conceived a greater passion for a white shirt, one was immediately given to him; which he had no sooner put on, than he began to dance and jump about with so much joy, that everybody was diverted by his singular gestures, and the contrast which the linen formed with his skin. This prince was about 40, of a short stature, but so plump and fat that he was nearly as broad as he was long. He possessed an abundant share of good humour, and a wonderful turn for mimickry; and had besides a countenance so lively and expressive, that though our people at this time were strangers to almost all he said, yet his face and gestures made them accurately comprehend whatever he was describing.

After three or four days, Abba Thulle the king arrived with a great retinue. He was received with every mark of respect by the ship's company, who were exercised before him, and fired three volleys in different positions. The surprize of the natives, their hooting, hallooing, jumping, and chattering, produced a noise almost equal to the discharge of the muskets; and when one of the men shot a bird, which was done to display the effect of their arms, the surprize it occasioned was wonderful. Some of the natives ran for it, and carried it to the king, who examined it with great attention, but was unable to comprehend how it could be wounded, not having seen any thing pass out of the gun.

Raa Kook expressed great impatience to show the king whatever had impressed his own mind; and taking his brother by the hand, led him to a grindstone which was fixed behind one of the tents. He immediately put it in motion, as he had frequently done before; at the rapidity of which the king was greatly astonished, particularly when he was informed that it would sharpen iron. Captain Wilson ordered a hatchet to be brought and ground, that they might more readily perceive its operation, when Raa Kook eagerly seized the handle, and began turning it, appearing highly delighted to let his brother see how well he understood it. The whole appeared like something supernatural; but the circumstance which most bewildered their ideas was, how the sparks of fire could come, and how a stone so well wetted could become so soon dry.

The king then visited the different tents, and inquired about everything he saw: all was novelty, and of course interested his attention. When he got to the tent where the Chinese men were, who had been brought with them from Macao, Raa Kook, whose retentive mind never lost lost a single trace of any thing he had been informed of, acquainted the king that these were people quite different from the English, and that he had learnt there were many other nations besides these interpenetrated through the world, some of which fought with guns and others with boarding-pikes, an instrument which he held very cheap in comparison with the former.

When the king heard his brother discoursing about a variety of nations, who all spoke differently, and had before him the example of the Chinese, whose language was not the same with the English, he appeared instantly thoughtful and serious, as if struck by conceptions which had never before crossed his mind. He remained a while pensive and bewildered; and this circumstance impressed on every one at the time an idea that there was every reason to imagine that there had never been a communication between those people and any other nation: and indeed it is evident, that if Per Papin did really visit them in 1710, they had before 1783 lost the remembrance of every trace of European manners. This indeed is not surprising, as they had no other record than knots similar to the quipes of Peru at the landing of the Spaniards.

Raa Kook would now show his brother the kitchen, which was in the hollow of a rock, a little above the cove. It was at the time when the cook was preparing dinner; and though the implements were exceedingly scanty, an iron pot, a tea kettle, a tin sauce-pan, with a poker, a pair of tongs, and a frying-pan, were here of sufficient consequence to excite admiration; nor were the bellows now forgotten by Raa Kook, who taking them up, as he explained their use to the king, seemed ambitious to let his brother see what an adept he was at blowing. The little bald cook, who was always close shaven, and never wore any thing on his head, was likewise pointed out to the king as an object of merriment and curiosity.

Some time after this the king requested five of Captain Wilson's men to attend him in a war he was going to make against the inhabitants of a neighbouring island called Oroolong, who, as he said, had done him an injury. But before this request was made known, he had long struggled with a delicacy of sentiment which no one would have expected to find in regions so disjoined from the rest of mankind. This was no other than that it might prove a temporary inconvenience to the unfortunate strangers who had sought his protection, and might be considered by them as an ungenerous proceeding. It was, however, no sooner made known, than Captain Wilson instantly complied; and every face, which had before been clouded with doubt and apprehension, became immediately brightened and gay.

In this enterprise little more was done than braving their enemies, stripping some cocoa-nut trees of their fruit, and carrying off a number of yams and other provisions; but in another, which was undertaken against the island of Artingall, they were more successful, and showed signs of the same sanguinary disposition which some demon has infused into the whole human race; Nine prisoners of war who had been taken upon this occasion were cruelly put to death; and notwithstanding the English strongly remonstrated against this proceeding, all the arguments they could use were of no avail. In justification of their conduct, they alleged the necessity of doing it for their own security, declaring that they had formerly only detained them as menial servants, but that they always found means to get back to their own country, and return with such a force as frequently made great depredations.

Having given this general account of the character and conduct of these hitherto unknown people, we now proceed to lay before our readers what we have learned of their government, customs, manners, and arts, together with a description of the face of their country. In this the editor of Captain Wilson's voyage must be our guide; and if our narrative do not satisfy the man of science, it is to be observed, that the Antelope was not a ship sent out purposely to explore undiscovered regions, nor were there people on board properly qualified to estimate the manners of a new race of men; they had amongst them no philosophers, botanists, or draughtsmen, experienced in such scientific pursuits as might enable them to examine with judgment every object which presented itself. Difficulties threw them upon these islands; and while they were there, all their thoughts were occupied on the means of liberating themselves from a situation of all others the most afflicting to the mind, that of being cut off for ever from the society of the rest of the world.

It, however, clearly appears, from their uniform testimony, that at Pelew the king was considered as the first person in the government.

"He was looked up to as the father of his people; and though divested of all external decorations of royalty, had every mark of distinction paid to his person. His rupacks or chiefs approached him with the greatest respect; and his common subjects, whenever they passed near him, or had occasion to address him, put their hands behind them, and crouched towards the ground. Upon all occurrences of moment, he convened the rupacks and officers of state; their councils were always held in the open air, where the king first stated the business upon which he had assembled them, and submitted it to their consideration. Each rupack delivered his opinion, but without rising from his seat; and when the matter before them was settled, the king standing up put an end to the council.

"When any message was brought him, whether in council or elsewhere, if it came by one of the common people, it was delivered at some distance in a low voice to one of the inferior rupacks, who, bending in a humble manner at the king's side, delivered it in the same manner with his face turned aside. His commands appeared to be absolute, though he acted in no important business without the advice of his chiefs; and every day in the afternoon, whether he was at Pelew or with the English, he went to sit in public for the purpose of hearing any requests, or of adjusting any difference or dispute which might have arisen among his subjects."

But these, according to our editor, seldom happened; for as their real wants were but few, and they saw nothing to create artificial ones; every one was chiefly occupied with his own humble pursuits; and as far as the ship's crew, who remained among them about three months, could decide, they appeared to conduct themselves towards each other with the greatest civility and benevolence; never wrangling or entering into quarrelsome contentions, as is customary among those who call themselves a polished and enlightened people. Even when when children showed a disposition of this kind, they strongly marked their displeasure, by stifling with rebuke their little animosities.

The character of the king is thus drawn by the editor: "The excellent man who reigned over these sons of nature, showed himself in every part of his conduct firm, noble, generous, and benevolent; there was a dignity in all his deportment, a gentleness in all his manners, and a warmth and sensibility about his heart, that won the love of all who approached him. Nature had bestowed on him a contemplative mind, which he had improved by those reflections that good sense dictated and observation confirmed. The happiness of his people seemed to be always in his thoughts. In order more effectually to stimulate them to useful labour, he had himself learnt all the few arts they possessed, and was looked on in some of them to be the best workman in his dominions. Placed as he was by Providence in its obscurest scenes, he lived beloved by his chiefs, and revered by his people; over whom, whilst he preserved a dignity which distinguished his superior station, he reigned more as the father than the sovereign. The eyes of his subjects beheld their naked prince with as much awe and respect as those are viewed with who govern polished nations, and are decorated with all the dazzling parade and ornaments of royalty; nor was the purple robe or the splendid diadem necessary to point out a character which the masterly hand of nature had rendered so perfect."

Next in power to the king was his brother Raa Kook, who was official general of all his forces. It was his duty to summon the rupacks to attend the king for whatever purpose they were wanted. He was also his presumptive heir; the succession of Pelew not going to the king's children till it had passed through his brothers; so that after the demise of Abba Thulle, the sovereignty would have descended to Raa Kook; on his demise to Arra Kooker; and on the death of this last it would have reverted to Qui Bill, the king's eldest son, when Lee Boo, his second son, of whom we have much to say, would have become the hereditary general.

The office of first minister is described as follows: "The king was always attended by a particular chief or rupack, who did not appear to possess any hereditary office, but only a delegated authority. He was always near the king's person, and the chief who was always first consulted; but whether his office was religious or civil, or both, our people could not learn with any certainty. He was not considered as a warrior, or ever bore arms, and had only one wife, whereas the other rupacks had two. The English were never invited to his house, or introduced into it, although they were conducted to those of almost every other chief."

Of the rupacks it is observed, "That they could only be regarded as chiefs or nobles; they were not all of the same degree, as was plain by a difference in the bone (A) they wore: they generally attended the king, and were always ready at his command to accompany him on any expedition with a number of canoes properly manned, and armed with darts and spears, who were to remain with him till they had his permission to return home with their dependents. In this part of their government we may trace an outline of the feudal system; but from the few opportunities our people had of investigating points of internal government, it appeared that the titles of rupacks were personal badges of rank and distinction; nor did they apprehend they were hereditary honours, unless in the reigning family, who must of necessity be of this class."

As to property, it was understood, "That the people possessed only such as arose from their own work and labour, but no absolute one in the soil, of which the king appeared to be general proprietor. A man's house, furniture, or canoe, was considered as his private property, as was also the land allotted him, as long as he occupied and cultivated it; but whenever he removed with his family to another place, the ground he held reverted to the king, who gave it to whom he pleased, or to those who solicited to cultivate it."

All that part of the island which they had an opportunity of seeing is said to have been well cultivated. It was covered with trees of various kinds and sizes, many of which must have been very large, as they made canoes of their trunks, some of which were capable of carrying twenty-eight or thirty men. Among the timber trees was noticed the ebony, and a tree which when pierced or wounded, yielded a thick white liquor of the consistence of cream. "They had also a species of the manchineel tree, in cutting down of which our people frequently got blistered and swelled; the inhabitants pointed out the cause, saying it was owing to their being sprinkled by the sap. This they reckoned among the unlucky trees, and advised our people against the use of it."

But the most singular tree noticed at Pelew, was one in its size and manner of branching not unlike our cherry tree, but in its leaves resembling the myrtle. Its peculiarity was, that it had no bark, but only an outward coat of about the thickness of a card, which was darker than the inside, though equally close in texture. Its colour was nearly that of mahogany, and the wood was so extremely hard, that few of the tools which the English had could work it. They also found cabbage-trees, the wild bread-fruit, and another tree whose fruit something resembled an almond. But yams and cocoanuts, being their principal articles of sustenance, claimed their chief attention.

The island Cooroora, of which Pelew is the capital, likewise produced plantains, bananas, Seville oranges, and lemons, but neither of them in any considerable quantity. None of the islands which the English visited had any kind of grain. As to birds, they had plenty of common cocks and hens, which, though not domesticated, kept running about near their houses and plantations; and what appears extremely singular is, that the natives had never made any use of them, till our people told them they were excellent eating. Pigeons they accounted a great dainty; but none but those of a certain dignity were permitted to eat of them. The English left them two geese, which were the only remains of their live stock.

(A) This was a mark of rank worn upon the wrist, with which Captain Wilson was invested by the king; but what animal it came from our people could not learn. From the description of the country it appears to be very mountainous; but some of the valleys are represented as extensive and beautiful, affording many delightful prospects. The soil being very rich produces great abundance of grass, which, as there are no cattle to eat it, grows very high, and was scorched and burnt up by the sun. Our people saw no river at Pelew; their supplies of fresh water being obtained from small streams and ponds, of which there are a great many.

From this account of the scanty produce of these islands, it is evident that no luxury reigned among their inhabitants, whose principal article of food appears to be fish; they had no salt, nor did they make use of sauce or any seasoning in any thing they ate. Their drink was also as simple as their diet: it principally consisted of the milk of the cocoa nut; but upon particular occasions they used a kind of sweet drink and sherbet, which latter had the addition of some juice of orange.

The islands appeared to be populous, though to what extent could not be ascertained. Their houses were raised about three feet from the ground, upon stones which appeared as if hewn from the quarry. The interior part of them was without any division, the whole forming one great room, which rose in a ridge like our barns, the outside being thatched thick and close with bamboos or palm leaves. All their implements, utensils, weapons of war, and canoes, are much of the same kind with those which were found in the South sea islands.

In their marriages they allow a plurality of wives, though not in general more than two. When a woman is pregnant, the utmost attention is paid to her; but upon other occasions no more respect is shown to one sex than the other. "One of our people endeavouring to make himself agreeable to a lady belonging to one of the rupacks, by what we should call a marked affability, Arra Kooker, with the greatest civility, gave him to understand that it was not right to do so."

They have places particularly appropriated to sepulture; their graves being made nearly the same as they are in our country churchyards. The corpse is attended only by women, who at the place of interment make a great lamentation. The men, however, assemble round the body before it is carried to the grave, on which occasion they prefer a solemn silence; "their minds, from principles of fortitude or philosophy, being armed to meet the events of mortality with manly submission, divested of the external testimony of human weakness."

On the article of religion our editor observes, "That among all the race of men whom navigation has brought to our knowledge, few appear to be without a sense of something like religion, however it may be mixed with idolatry or superstition. And yet our people, during their continuance with the natives of Pelew, never saw any particular ceremonies, or observed anything that had the appearance of public worship. But though there was not found on any of the islands they visited any place appropriated to religious rites, it would perhaps be going too far to declare that the people of Pelew had absolutely no idea of religion. Independent of external testimony, there may be such a thing as the religion of the heart, by which the mind may in awful silence be turned to contemplate the God of Nature; and though unblest by those lights which have pointed to the Christian world an unerring path to happiness and peace, yet they might, by the light of reason only, have discovered the efficacy of virtue, and the temporal advantages arising from moral rectitude.

"Superstition is a word of great latitude, and vaguely defined: though it hath in enlightened ages been called the offspring of ignorance, yet in no time hath it existed without having some connection with religion. Now the people of Pelew had beyond all doubt some portion of it, as appeared by the wish expressed by the king when he saw the ship building, that the English would take out of it some particular wood, which he perceived they had made use of, and which he observed was deemed an ill omen, or unpromptious.

"They had also an idea of an evil spirit, that often counteracted human affairs. A very particular instance of this was seen when Mr Barker, a most valuable member in the English society, fell backwards from the side of the vessel, whilst he was on the stocks: Raa Kook, who happened to be present, observed that it was owing to the unlucky wood our people had suffered to remain in the vessel, that the evil spirit had occasioned this mischief to Mr Barker."

They likewise appeared to entertain a strong idea of divination, as was evident from the ceremonies they practised before they undertook any enterprise of moment. A few occurrences, which are mentioned in the course of the narrative, would also lead us to believe that they could not be altogether unacquainted with the nature of religious worship; for when they were present at the public prayers of the English, they expressed no surprise at what was doing, but seemed desirous to join in them, and constantly preserved the most profound silence. The general even refused to receive a message from the king which arrived during divine service. And upon another occasion, when Captain Wilson told Lee Boo, that good men would live again above, he replied, with great earnestness, "All sane Pelew; bad men stay in earth; good men go into sky; become very beautiful;" holding his hand up, and giving a fluttering motion to his fingers. Some later voyagers, however, have affirmed, that these people, notwithstanding their superstition, have no notion whatever of a Deity; a circumstance to which it is extremely difficult to give full credit.

The most wonderful circumstances in the history of this people, except that last mentioned, are the acuteness of their understanding, their hospitality, and the implicit confidence which they placed in utter strangers. That their manners were pleasing, and their society not disagreeable, is evident from the conduct of Madan Blanchard, one of the seamen, who, when the vessel was built and ready to take her departure with his captain and his companions, was left behind at his own particular request. That they had the fullest confidence in Captain Wilson and his crew, is put beyond a doubt by the behaviour of the king and Raa Kook when their guests were to leave them. Raa Kook solicited his brother's permission to accompany the English, but from prudential motives was refused. The sovereign, however, resolved to entrust his second son Lee Boo to Captain Wilson's care, that he might improve his mind, and learn such things as at his return would benefit his country.

The instructions which he gave the young man, and the fortitude which he showed upon this occasion, would would have done honour to the most enlightened mind.

Upon delivering him to Captain Wilson, he used these expressions: "I would with you to inform Lee Boo of all things which he ought to know, and make him an Englishman. The subject of parting with my son I have frequently revolved; I am well aware that the distant countries he must go through, differing much from his own, may expose him to dangers, as well as diseases, that are unknown to us here, in consequence of which he may die; I have prepared my thoughts to this: I know that death is to all men inevitable; and whether my son meets this event at Pelew or elsewhere is immaterial. I am satisfied, from what I have observed of the humanity of your character, that if he is sick you will be kind to him; and should that happen, which your utmost care cannot prevent, let it not hinder you, or your brother, or your son, or any of your countrymen, returning here; I shall receive you, or any of your people, in friendship, and rejoice to see you again." How noble! This is the language of a king, a father, and a philosopher, who would have been delighted to see his son with European accomplishments. But, alas! the subsequent history of this amiable youth must force a tear from the eye of every reader whose heart is not callous to the genuine feelings of nature and humanity. As soon as they arrived at Macao, the house into which he first entered; and the different articles of furniture, fixed him in silent admiration; but what struck his imagination most was the upright walls and flat ceilings of the rooms, being utterly unable to comprehend how they could be so formed. When he was introduced to the ladies of the family, his deportment was so easy and polite, that it could be exceeded by nothing but his abundant good nature; and at his departure, his behaviour left on the mind of every one present the impression, that, however great the surprise might be, which the scenes of a new world had awakened in him, it could hardly be exceeded by that which his own amiable manners and native polish would excite in others.

They were now conducted to the house of an English gentleman, who introduced them into a large hall, which was lighted up, with a table in the middle, covered for supper, and a sideboard handsomely decorated. Here a new scene burst at once upon Lee Boo's mind; he was all eye, all admiration. The vessels of glass particularly riveted his attention; but when he surveyed himself in a large pier glass at the upper end of the hall, he was in raptures with the deception. It was in truth, to him, a scene of magic, a fairy tale.

Soon after the people of the vessel came on shore, some of them went to purchase things they were in want of; in doing which they did not forget Lee Boo, who was a favourite with them all. Among the trinkets they brought him was a string of large glass beads, the first sight of which almost threw him into an ecstacy; he hugged them with a transport which could not have been exceeded by the interested possessor of a string of oriental pearls. His imagination suggested to him that he held in his hand all the wealth the world could afford him. He ran with eagerness to Captain Wilson to show him his riches, and begged he would get him a Chinese vessel to carry them to the king his father, that he might see what the English had done for him; adding, that if the people faithfully executed their charge, he would at their return present them with one or two beads as a reward for their services.

Having no quadrupeds at Pelew, the sheep, goats, and other cattle, which he met with at Macao, were viewed with wonder; but soon after, seeing a man pass the house on horseback, he was so much astonished, that he wanted every one to go and look at the strange sight. After the matter, however, was explained to him, he was easily persuaded to get upon horseback himself; and when he was informed what a noble, docile, and useful animal it was, he besought the captain to send one to his uncle Raa Kook, as he was sure it would be of great service to him.

Omitting a number of other particulars of this kind, which excited his curiosity and showed the excellent disposition of his heart, we shall follow him to England, the country from which he was never to return. Here he had not been long before he was sent to an academy to be instructed in reading and writing, which he was extremely eager to attain, and most assiduous in learning. His temper was mild and compassionate in the highest degree; but it was at all times governed by discretion and judgment. If he saw the young alking relief, he would rebuke them with what little English he had, telling them it was a shame to beg when they were able to work; but the entreaties of old age he could never withstand, saying, "Must give poor old man, old man no able to work."

He always addressed Mr Wilson by the name of Captain, but never would call Mrs Wilson by any other name than mother, looking on that as a mark of the greatest respect; and such was the gratitude of his heart for the kindness they showed him, that if any of the family were ill, he always appeared unhappy, would creep softly up to the chamber, and sit silent by the bedside for a long time together without moving, peeping gently from time to time between the curtains, to see if they slept or lay still.

He was now proceeding with hasty strides in gaining the English language, writing, and accounts, when he was overtaken by that fatal disease, the smallpox, which the greatest pains had been taken to guard him against; and notwithstanding the utmost care and attention of his physician, he fell a victim to this scourge of the human race.

Upon this trying occasion, his spirit was above complaining, his thoughts being all engrossed by the kindness of his benefactors and friends. He told his attendant, that his father and mother would grieve very much, for they knew he was sick. This he repeated several times, "and begged him to go to Pelew, and tell Abba Thulle that Lee Boo take much drink to make smallpox go away, but he die; that the captain and mother very kind; all English very good men; muchorry he could not speak to the king the number of fine things the English had got." Then he reckoned up the presents which had been given him, desiring that they might be properly distributed among the chiefs, and requesting that particular care might be taken of two glass pedetals, which he begged might be presented to his father.

We have given this short history of Lee Boo, because it exhibits in a strong light the manners of the natives of the Pelew islands, to which we know nothing similar in the history of man from the savage state to that of civilization. civilization. They appear to have had no communication with any other people, and were yet neither treacherous, cruel, nor cowardly. They are a striking instance of the weakness of all the philosophic theories by which mankind are usually traced from their origin through the several stages of savagism, barbarism, and civilization, down to the period of refinement, ending in effeminacy.

Since the publication of Captain Wilson's voyage we have some further accounts of these islands, all confirming what we were first told of the gentleness of the people. Two armed ships were, by order of the court of directors, fitted out at Bombay, for the purpose of surveying the islands of Pelew, and furnishing the natives with domestic animals, and such other things as might add to the comforts of life. Among the presents to the king were swords and other European implements of war; of which it is at least possible that he and his people might have been equally happy had they remained for ever in total ignorance. The foundation of a fort was likewise laid on one of the islands, and possession of it taken in the name of the English; we trust with no remote view of enslaving the people, or of driving them from their native country. It has been likewise announced in a late publication, that Captain M'Cluer, who commanded the armed ships, was so delighted with the manners of the king and his subjects, that he has resolved to pass the remainder of his days on those islands at the early age of 34. The following is the sequel of the adventure here alluded to. The two vessels called the Panther and Endeavour, under the command of Captain M'Cluer, were fitted out for a voyage to the Pelew islands, to acquaint Abba Thulle the king with the death of his favourite son Lee Boo, who went to England with Captain Wilson in the Antelope in 1783, where he died. On the 24th of August 1790 Captain M'Cluer sailed from Bombay, having on board Messrs White and Wedgeborough, who had been shipwrecked with Captain Wilson, and were much esteemed by the king of those islands, at which he arrived in January 1791. Abba Thulle, the king, received them with demonstrations of joy as Englishmen, of whom he had previously found reason to entertain a very favourable opinion. The presents which the company sent to Abba Thulle were landed with all convenient speed. These consisted of a considerable quantity of live stock, such as cows, bulls, ewes, rams, goats, pigs, and poultry, together with arms, ammunition, and packages of hardware, comprising a number of articles which could not fail to be of singular advantage to the natives. The grateful king was astonished at the meaning of all this, and being informed that it was a small acknowledgment for his generous treatment of the crew of the Antelope when wrecked on his coast, he expressed his regret that it was not in his power to have done more.

With the nature and situation of these islands, as well as the amiable and engaging manners of the natives, Captain M'Cluer was so well pleased, that he considered them as a paradise, where he could spend with pleasure the remainder of his days. Soon after these transactions the Panther sailed in the month of February from the Pelew islands for China, the Endeavour remaining behind till her return, which happened on the 10th of June the same year. Having visited these islands a third time, after a survey of the coast of New Guinea, he signified to the officers of the Panther his intention of resigning the command of the expedition, and remaining on the islands. To render his new situation as comfortable as possible, he requested from Mr Wedgeborough about 20 muskets with bayonets, 12 pistols, 12 pole-axes, 2 wall-pieces, fusee and pistol ammunition, an anvil, bellows, frame-faw, standing vice, &c. After a consultation with the other officers, it was agreed on to send him these articles, on condition that they should be accounted for by his attorneys, if the East India Company should not be satisfied with the measure. This resolution was carried into effect in the month of February 1793.

Scarcely, however, had he been 15 months in his new settlement till he became impatient to abandon it, and he soon after set sail for Macao. He returned to the Pelew islands in the year 1795, for the purpose of removing his family; and failing from thence to Bombay, he touched at Bencoolen, where he met with a frigate bound for Bombay, into which he put a part of his family with six Pelew women, failing himself with the other natives towards Bengal, from which last place he set sail some time after; but neither he nor any of his crew have been since heard of.