Captain Fisk ordered the natives out of the vessel, and directed his course to the Fiji islands, to lay in a stock of sandal wood for the China market. It may be proper here to mention, that the conduct of one of those (who chose to remain behind) was very suspicious. He did not originally belong to the Port au Prince, but was taken by her in one of her prizes (a Spanish vessel), when he gave himself out to be an American, though it appeared afterwards that he was a native of Cornwall. He resided at lapai, with a chief named Lioofau, who was known to be a cunning, treacherous character, and, according to the accounts of many natives, this man was as bad. Thus much, however, is certain, that when Mr. Mariner took leave of the king, the latter taking him on one side, whispered to him to have a watchful eye upon Lioofau, and the Papalangi, mentioning his name, for that they certainly meant to take a vessel the first favourable opportunity. When the ship arrived at the Hapai islands, this man came on board, expressing his wish to return to Europe, and, as he was not to be judged upon mere hearsay evidence, the captain gave him a pair of trowsers and shirt, and he fulfilled his duty with the rest of the sailors though there was, as Mr. Mariner

conceived, a great deal in his manner and watchful eye that looked badly. Just upon the ship's departure, however, he got into a canoe, and told the captain that he had changed his mind and would remain where he was, and went on shore without returning the trowsers and shirt. Mr. Mariner afterwards heard, in China, that he had served the captain of the schooner before mentioned exactly in the same way. The gentleman from whom he had this information in China received it from the captain himself, who, at the same time, expressed his firm opinion, that this man meant to take an European ship the first opportunity, or at least to be instrumental in doing it, by giving the natives instructions how it was best to be done. We forbear repeating the name of this individual, lest the reports of him should have been greatly exaggerated; there is too much reason to fear, however, that his designs were bad, and this notice may serve as a hint to ships who may hereafter touch there. The character of the Hapai people is not naturally more treacherous than that of the people of Vavaoo; but as they have more petty chiefs whose interest they have to consult, the opportunity for treachery is perhaps more frequent: and if our great circumnavigator, whose death the world has so

much reason to deplore, had known them in this respect, he would not have misnamed them friendly; for, in fact, they had deliberately planned a conspiracy against him, and which would infallibly have been put in execution, if the chiefs who planned it had not disputed about the exact mode and time of making the assault. Finow (at that time tributary chief of the Hapai islands, Toogoo Ahoo being king), was not the designer of this conspiracy, but he gave counsel and advice, respecting it. The other chiefs proposed to invite the captain and his officers to a grand bo-méë (a night dance by torch-light), and at a signal to massacre him, his officers, and all the marines; but Finow (the late king's father), objected to this, as the darkness of the night would be unfavourable to their operations in taking the two vessels, and proposed rather that it should be done by day, and that they should seize the opportunity of making the attack on the occasion of a grand entertainment which was shortly to be given to him in honour of his arrival, and after they were all destroyed, the men, who would naturally come in search of him, were to be conducted to the further part of the island under pretence that he was there, and they were then to be destroyed in like manner and thus

the two ships, their crews being so weakened, might be taken (as they supposed), with ease. The entertainment was prepared, and Captain Cook and several officers being invited were present; it happened, however, a little before the appointed time when the signal was to be given, that most of the chiefs still expressed their opinion that the night-time would have been better than the day, and Finow, finding that the majority were of this opinion, was much vexed, and immediately forbad it to be done at all. Thus, no signal being given, the amusements went on without interruption, and Captain Cook and his officers were much pleased with their entertainment, acknowledging it to be far better than any other that they had received at the Friendly islands. (See his third voyage.) Mr. Mariner had this information at different times from several chiefs who were present, and in particular from Finow himself, (the father of the present king, and son of the chief who was at the head of the conspiracy.)

As every information must be interesting which regards the history or fate of this great and good man, to whom society owes so much, we cannot omit mentioning some circumstances, subsequent to his death, upon which. the above anecdote so naturally leads the mind

to reflect. The people of the Tonga islands behaved towards Cook with every external demonstration of friendship, whilst they secretly meant to kill him; and the people of the Sandwich islands, although they actually did kill him, have paid, and still continue to pay him, higher honours than any other nation of the earth; they esteem him as having been sent by the gods to civilize them, and one to whom they owe the greatest blessings they enjoy. His bones (the greater part of which they have still in their possession!) they devoutly hold sacred; they are deposited in a house consecrated to a god, and are annually carried in procession to many other consecrated houses, before each of which they are laid on the ground, and the priest returns thanks to the gods for having sent them so great a man. When the Port au Prince was at Woahoo (one of the Sandwich islands), Mr. Mariner was informed of the above circumstances by an Englishman (or perhaps an American), who was a resident there: his name was

Harebottle; he seemed a man of some information and respectability, and was formerly the mate of an American vessel that touched there, but, in consequence of some disagreement with the captain, he chose to remain at those islands,