nine wounded men, being taken. All thefe, in despite of whatever could be urged againft it by the English, were foon difpatched by the victors: the head of one of them, who was a Rupack, was carried to Pelew, and fixed up in triumph, before the King's houfe, on a bamboo. The victors paraded along the coaft, blowing their conch-fhells for fome time, and then left it, and returned home, where great rejoicings were made for the victory.

Thomas Rofe, the Malay, who belonged to our people, ftaid behind the reft at the request of Abba Thulle; but on the 22d, he alfo returned, with a large prefent of yams and molaffes, and was directed to acquaint Capt. W. that the King had been prevented from returning him thanks for the fervices his men bad done him in the late engagement, by the great number of those who had come from other iflands to congratulate him on his victory, and who could not be prevented from going with him, were he to pass over to Oroolong while they were at Pelew; and the number of them was fo great, that he feared they would not only incommode the English in the works which they were carrying on, but would alto be more than the island would fupply with fresh water.

We cannot help remarking that there appears to be a degree of confideration, and what is more, of delicacy, in the conduct of Abba Thulle, which we could not expect to find in an unlettered Indian; and which is not, indeed, always to be met with amongst the moft civilized nations. In the midst of his care not to diftrefs his friends the English, by bringing with him a crowd of people to vifit them, whofe curiofity would impede a work on which he knew the ftrangers were intent, his delicacy was alarmed left they fhould impute the tardiness of his acknowlegements to his forgetfulness of thofe obligations which he felt himfelf under.

On the 28th, in the evening, Raa Kook arrived at Oroolong with an application for fifteen men, and one of the fwivel guns, to go on a third expedition against Artingall, as the two former had not produced in the people of that ifland thofe marks of fubmiffion which he now feemed bent on exacting from them; and we are almoft forry to say that, after requiring an explana tion of fome matters which had lately happened, not quite to the fatisfaction of the English, Capt. W. and his officers con fented to fend the fwivel, and ten men.

After fupper, the General informed Mr. Sharp [the Surgeon] that his fon had been wounded in the foot by a spear, in the laft battle; that the point of the fpear, which was barbed, was broken off, and left in the wound, and could not be extracted by them and he requested him to go to Pelew, and extract it. Mr. Sharp told him he could not go then, as three of their best men were ill; but as the part was very much inAamed and fwelled, he directed him to use fomentation, to abate

Q 2

thofe

thofe fymptoms; and he would fee him as foon as poffible. About noon, the next day, Raa Kook embarked for Pelew, with the fwivel and ten men.

On the 2d of October, the three men being much better, Capt. W. defired the Surgeon to take his inftruments, and go in the jolly-boat to Pelew, and fee if he could be of any fervice to Raa Kook's fon. When he arrived at that place, he found the people returned from Artingall, who informed him that the battle had been more obftinate and bloody than either of the two former, and that much execution had been done by means of the swivel, which they had contrived to fix in a canoe; but the joy that attended this victory had been greatly leffened by the death of Raa Kook's fon, and another Chief. The foot of the former having been greatly reduced by the fomentation, they had been able to force the point of the fpear through the bottom of the foot, and by that mode had extracted it; and the young man finding himself able to ftand, and to throw a spear, though he could not walk, would not be prevailed on to refrain from going in the expedition against Artingall, where he was killed by a spear.

Though Mr. Sharp told Raa Kook, as foon as he saw him, the purport of his journey to Pelew, the latter took no notice of his fon's death, but led him to the place where the King and Rupacks were fitting with the English; but after they had taken fome refreshment, he came up to him and the boatswain, who was always a great favourite of his, and defired them to follow him. He led them to the fea-fhore, and they found there a large canoe, in which they embarked, with the General and twenty-one other Rupacks; and foon found that they directed their courfe toward the fmall island which lies between Pelew and Oroolong. On landing there, he took them a little way up the country, to a place where there was a fquare pavement, inclofed by four or five houses, feemingly uninhabited; as no people were feen moving about, and the grafs was growing between the ftones of the pavement. After they had feated themfelves, Raa Kook difpatched one of his attendants on a meffage, who was abfent near an hour; during which time, all the natives remained very grave and filent; and Mr. Sharp and the boatfwain were, as yet, totally ignorant of the purport of their invitation to the place. When the meflenger returned, they all arofe, and the General conducted them to a town, which was about half a mile diftant from the place where they had waited. Here they arrived at another fquare pavement inclosed with houfes, where many people were fitting, who all arofe very refpectfully, when the General and his company appeared. In the middle of the fquare, were great quantities of yams and cocoanuts, in piles, with fweet drink and fherbet; and as foon as the G:

neral

neral and his friends were feated, the attendants began to ferve out the provifions, firft to him and his companions, and afterwards to those round about. But our people obferved that, contrary to the cuftom at all other entertainments which they had seen, the nuts were all old: however, they took away the old ones which had been set before the two Englishmen, and put young nuts in their places. During this repaft, the most profound filence was observed; and when it was nearly ended, there was heard, at fome distance, the lamentation of women. Raa Kook touched Mr. Sharp on the fleeve, without fpeaking, and made figns that he and the boatfwain fhould go and fee what it was that occafioned this diftrefs. They arofe and went directly toward the part whence thefe founds of forrow feemed to proceed; and foon faw a great number of women following a dead body, which was tied up in a mat, and laid on a kind of bier, formed of bamboos, and carried on the fhoulders of four men ; and no other males were attending. Mr. Sharp was now fatiffied that this must be the funeral of Raa Kook's fon, but could not conceive why it had been conducted fo filently, and why not a word or hint of the matter had been imparted to them. They arrived at the place of burial just as they were ready to lay the body in the grave which had been prepared for it. The corpfe was depofited without any ceremony, and the men who had carried it began, immediately, to throw the earth over it, and fill up the grave, with their hands and feet, whilst the women knelt down, and, with loud cries, feemed as if they would tear it up again, and as if refolved not to be feparated from the beloved object which death had fnatched from them. A heavy fhower, which juft then happened, drove our countrymen, together with fome of the natives, away to the first shelter they could obtain; and after it cleared up, they returned to Raa Kook and the Rupacks, who they found had alfo taken fhelter in an adjoining houfe.

The weather turning out tempeftuous, they did not return to Pelew that night, but lay where they were; and next morning, before they fet out, Raa Kook took Mr. Sharp and the boatfwain to a houfe in the neighbourhood of the place where his fon had been interred the preceding evening. There was only one old woman in the houfe; who, on receiving fome order from the General, went out, and returned with two old cocoa-nuts, a bundle of betle-nut with the leaves, and fome red ochre. He took up one of the cocoa-nuts, and croffing it tranfverfely with the ochre, placed it on the ground by his fide; and after fitting penfive awhile, he repeated fome words, which, by his geftures, our people took to be a prayer, and then did the fame by the other cocoa-nut. He afterward croffed the bundle of betle nut, and then fitting penfively over it, he

Q 3

called

called the old woman, delivered it and the cocoa-nuts to her, with directions; and Mr. Sharp obferved the carried them toward the place where the young man was buried; but notwithftanding their curiofity was very ftrong to have feen the end of this ceremony, their refpect for the General's forrow, and the fear of giving him offence, reftrained them from gratifying it by following her. They foon after returned to Pelew, and thence to Oroolong; the General accompanying them thither.

On the 8th of October, Capt. W. fet out with Raa Kook on a vifit to Abba Thulle. When they arrived at Pelew, they found he was gone to another island, called Emungs, which is very large, and lies about ten or twelve leagues to the northward of Pelew; but he had left his eldest fon to entertain them, and conduct them to him. Our people fuppofed this island to be fubject to another Rupack, from feveral circumftances; and yet there were fome reafons for concluding that he was not of equal rank with Abba Thulle. Here was great feafting, with entertainments of finging and dancing; and Capt. W. was loaded with prefents, which he had reafon to fuppofe they esteemed coftly. On the 12th, they returned to Pelew, where they arrived about 10 o'clock in the evening. Next morning Abba Thulle made a fourth request to the Captain for his men to go -once more to battle with him, to which he confented, on condition that he found them ail well on his return to Oroolong; for which place he fet out with Raa Kook that morning, and arrived about 4 o'clock in the afternoon. On the 16th, a canoe arrived at Orodlong to inform Raa Kook that the people of Artingall, tired of war, had fent ambaffadors to fue for peace. Abba Thulle himself arrived on the 17th with eight or nine women, and many attendants, all of whom teftified great furprife at the works which they faw carrying on. The King with his retinue left them on the 21st, but not without reminding Capt. W. of his promife of fending him the men and arms.

On the 27th, he returned with Raa Kook for the men; and our people now learned that the expedition they were going on was against Pelelew, an ifland which lies to the fouthward of Pelew and Oroulong. On the 31ft fome of the English returned, and the reft foon after, and informed Capt. W. there had been no battle, the Pelelew people having afked for peace. The King of Pelelew returned with Abba Thulle, and both paid a vifit to the English at Oroolong.

The veel being now almoft completed, Abba Thulle requefted that Capt. W. would not leave the island without aoquainting him, because he wished to fend two men with him to England; they made but a short stay, and returned to Pelew.

On the 9th of November, about 7 in the morning, they fuccefsfully launched their new vefiel, which, at the request of

Abba

Abba Thulle, who was prefent, with his brothers, on the occafion, they called the Oroolong, after the island on which it was built. On the 10th Abba Toulle fent to requeft Capt. W.'s attendance at the watering place, on the other fide of the ifland; and being arrived, he told the Captain that it was his intention to confer on him the honour of a Rupack of the firft rank; and having received the Captain's acknowlegements for this intended honour, the King and all the Rupacks retired under the fhade of fome large trees, and Capt. W. was requested to fit down at a little diftance: then Raa Kook receiving a hoop made of the bone of fome animal, and which is the badge of the order, from the King, put it on Capt. Wilfon's arm. But before he did this, he was very particular in determining which hand Capt. W. chiefly used, and when he had done fo, he rafped the infide of the hoop away, until, by the affiftance of feveral of the Rupacks, he could just force it over the Captain's hand and wrift. During all this time, a moft profound filence was obferved, both by the Rupacks who affifted in the ceremony, and the people who attended as fpectators; but Abba Thulle did not refrain from fpeaking, but frequently fuggefted in what manner they might facilitate the operation of paffing the bone over the hand. After it was effected, Abba Thulle addreffed the Captain with great folemnity, and told him, That the bone must be rubbed bright every day, and carefully preferved as a testimony of the rank which he held among them; that this mark of dignity must, on every occafion, be defended valiantly, nor be fuffered to be torn from his arm but with the lofs of his life. The ceremony being ended, all the Rupacks congratulated Capt. W. on being admitted into their order, and the people paid their refpects to him.-And why, ye who may be fuppofed to know the value by being in poffeffion of it, fhould not the Order of the Bone be as honourable as that of the Gar ter?

In the evening, they put all the tents and other ftores on board from the Cove; which being done, they failed out of the harbour, and anchored off the well of fresh water which was on the other fide of the island. Raa Kook and Arra Kooker went round with them, but the King chofe to walk across the island. As foon as they had anchored, Capt. W. went on fhore to the King, who now introduced to him his second son, by name Lee Boo, a youth of about seventeen or eighteen years of age, whom he wished to fend to England with him; and, as he expreffed it, that he might be made an Englishman, and be, by that means, enabled to benefit his country on his return. The account here given of this young man, and of his behaviour while he lived, is a pleasing one indeed! We are forry to add, that he died of the small pox, about five months after he arrived in England,