England, and work his passage home. It happened, however, luckily, that he fell in with the officers of the Company's cruiser, the Antelope, who, taking an interest in his story, corroborated by the account of Captain Fisk, invited him on board the Antelope, where, with the permission of Captain Ross, he remained for a couple of months, till an opportunity offered of going to England. He is happy to acknowledge, through this medium, his deepest sense of obligation to this gentleman in particular, and the officers in general of the Antelope, for their extraordinary civility and kindness to him whilst he remained on board; and not less to Captain Robert Welbank, of the Honourable East India Company's ship, the Cuffnells, who received him on board with a letter of recommendation from Captain Ross, and gave him his passage to England.

The Cuffnells arrived at Gravesend in June 1811, when Mr. Mariner went on shore, and immediately came up to town; but, whilst looking out for his father's house, who in the mean while had changed his residence, he was impressed and sent on board the tender: he immediately wrote to a friend, to acquaint his father with his arrival and his situation. His father, not less overjoyed than surprised at this

unexpected information, repaired on board to visit his son, whom, an hour before, he had imagined (if he was even alive), to be resident among a savage people on the other side of the globe, with little or no view of making his escape*. After seven years long, hopeless absence, the hour of meeting arrived; the circumstances and sentiments of which we leave to the imagination. Mr. Mariner found his father in mourning for his mother: each had much to relate to the other: but this was not the time for free and unreserved communication: whilst the son was a prisoner, the father had to exert himself to procure his liberation, and in which he at length succeeded, after a week's detention.

As it may be considered interesting to know the fate of all the ship's company of the Port au Prince, we shall conclude this chapter with a list of those who, along with Mr. Mariner, survived her capture. Besides the eight natives of the Sandwich islands, there were belonging to the ship fifty-two persons: twenty-six (in

* Mr. Mariner's father had heard from William Towel, who had escaped about eighteen months before him, that his son was living, and still at Vavaoo; but he had represented his situation as rather hazardous and hopelers. (See note, p. 58.).

cluding Mr. M.), were on board at the time the ship was taken, and, of these twenty-six, there were twenty-two massacred on the spot: of those who were on shore, three, besides Mr. Brown, the whaling-master, were also murdered, making, in all, twenty-six, who lost their lives on that disastrous occasion. The remaining twenty-six are correctly accounted for in the following list. The eight natives of the Sandwich islands, probably, had a hint from their countryman, Tooi-Tooi, to keep themselves out of harm's way, which they effectually did. The ensuing statement is drawn up in the order in which the different events happened.

JOHN SCOTLAND, Gunner; JACOB MYERS, Seaman; WILLIAM FORD, Seaman.-Left Namooca in a small paddling canoe, and were never afterwards heard of: supposed to have been lost, as a paddle belonging to that canoe was found shortly afterwards, washed on shore at Namooca Igi.

JOHN HEARSEY, Sail-maker.-Left the island of Tonga inan American vessel; but was accidentally drowned at the Fiji islands, as reported by some Englishmen at Fiji. HUGH WILLIAMS, Seaman; JOHN PARISH, and JEREMIAH HIGGINS, Landsmen.-Escaped from Vavaoo in an American vessel, nearly two years before Mr. Mariner left. The captain of this vessel, whose name is not recollected, refused to take Mr. Mariner on board, stating that he had hands enough.

WILLIAM TOWEL, Captain's steward; ROBERT FITZGerald, a boy. Left Vavaoo in a Botany Bay vessel, at a time when Mr. Mariner was at the Hapai islands. William Towel is now residing in Cross-street, Westmorland-place, City-road.

JOHN WATSON, Seaman.-Had gone to the Fiji islands with a Tonga chief, but Mr. Mariner did not hear any thing of him there. SAMUEL CARLTON, Boatswain; GEORGE WOOD, Carpenter's mate; WILLIAM SINGLETON, Landsman; ALEXANDER MACAY, a boy.-Were at the island of Tonga at the time the Favourite arrived at the Hapai islands, and lost that opportunity of escape. Mr. Mariner has since heard that Samuel Carlton came away afterwards in another vessel.

JAMES WATERS, Ordinary seaman.-Refused to leave Vavaoo on account of age and infirmities.

NICHOLAS BLAKE, Seaman; WILLIAM BROWN, and THOMAS EVERSFIELD, boys; JOHN ROBERTS, a black native of the island of Tortola, a boy.-Refused to leave the Hapai islands under various pretences.

WILLIAM STEVENSON, a child of two years of age, native of the Sandwich islands, the son of a Botany Bay convict, resident at Woahoo, whence the sail-maker had taken him in the Port au Prince, at the request of his father, that he might be brought to his relations in Scotland to be educated. This child was adopted by the daughter of the late king, (the widow of the late Tooitonga,) and was much noticed: he probably still remains at Vavaoo, and must now be about twelve years old, being two when he left his father.

ROBERT BROWN, Cooper; THOMAS DAWSON, Seaman ; THOMAS BROWN, Landsman; MANUEL PEREZ, Seaman;

JOSEF, a black.-These came away with Mr. Mariner i the Favourite; all but Thomas Brown were under the necessity of remaining in the East Indies. Thomas Brown got employment on board one of the homeward-bound vessels from China, and came to England in the same feet with Mr. Mariner. Thomas Dawson has since been in London.

Mr. Mariner regrets very much not being able to furnish dates; his only method of keeping time was by cutting certain notches on certain trees (unknown to any one,) but even with such rude memoranda, he was only out in his calculation one day at the time of the Favourite's arrival.

In the ensuing pages, we shall endeavour to furnish a correct view of all the manners, customs, and sentiments of the Tonga people, that have not been mentioned, or sufficiently dwelt upon in the foregoing part of the work, and which it is hoped will be found exceedingly interesting, as offering a striking contrast to the manners, customs, and sentiments of civilized nations; and upon these subjects we shall speak in the following order: viz. Rank in society, religious, civil and professional; religion; religious ceremonies; knowledge; dress; domestic habits; pastimes; mu sie and poetry; and lastly, language.