The Meeting Was Unexpected To Both Parties, And Considering
The Critical Situation Of Affairs, Perhaps Not Very Pleasing To Our Side,
Which Consisted But Of Twelve Persons, Until The Peaceable Disposition
Of The Indians Was Manifest.
After the strictest search the Governor
was obliged to return without having gained any information.
The laudable
perseverance of his Excellency to throw every light on this unhappy
and mysterious business did not, however stop here, for he instituted
the most rigorous inquiry to find out, if possible, whether the convicts had
at any time ill treated or killed any of the natives; and farther,
issued a proclamation, offering the most tempting of all rewards, a state of
freedom, to him who should point out the murderer, in case such an one existed.
I have thus impartially stated the situation of matters, as they stand,
while I write, between the natives and us; that greater progress in attaching
them to us has not been made, I have only to regret; but that all ranks of men
have tried to effect it, by every reasonable effort from which success might
have been expected, I can testify; nor can I omit saying, that in the higher
stations this has been eminently conspicuous. The public orders of
Governor Phillip have invariably tended to promote such a behaviour
on our side, as was most likely to produce this much wished-for event.
To what cause then are we to attribute the distance which the accomplishment
of it appears at? I answer, to the fickle, jealous, wavering disposition
of the people we have to deal with, who, like all other savages, are either
too indolent, too indifferent, or too fearful to form an attachment
on easy terms, with those who differ in habits and manners so widely
from themselves. Before I close the subject, I cannot, however, omit to relate
the following ludicrous adventure, which possibly may be of greater use
in effecting what we have so much at heart, than all our endeavours.
Some young gentlemen belonging to the Sirius one day met a native, an old man,
in the woods; he had a beard of considerable length, which his new acquaintance
gave him to understand, by signals, they would rid him of, if he pleased;
stroaking their chins, and shewing him the smoothness of them at the same time;
at length the old Indian consented, and one of the youngsters taking a penknife
from his pocket, and making use of the best substitute for lather
he could find, performed the operation with great success, and, as it proved,
much to the liking of the old man, who in a few days after reposed a confidence
in us, of which we had hitherto known no example, by paddling along-side
the Sirius in his canoe, and pointing to his beard. Various arts were
ineffectually tried to induce him to enter the ship; but as he continued
to decline the invitation, a barber was sent down into the boat along-side
the canoe, from whence, leaning over the gunnel, he complied with the wish
of the old beau, to his infinite satisfaction. In addition to the consequences
which our sanguine hopes led us to expect from this dawning of cordiality,
it affords proof, that the beard is considered by this people more as
an incumbrance than a mark of dignity.
CHAPTER XII.
The Departure of the French from Botany Bay; and the Return of the 'Supply'
from Norfolk Island;
with a Discovery made by Lieutenant Ball on his Passage to it.
About the middle of the month our good friends the French departed from
Botany Bay, in prosecution of their voyage. During their stay in that port,
the officers of the two nations had frequent opportunities of testifying
their mutual regard by visits, and every interchange of friendship and esteem.
These ships sailed from France, by order of the King, on the
1st of August, 1785, under the command of Monsieur De Perrouse, an officer
whose eminent qualifications, we had reason to think, entitle him to fill
the highest stations. In England, particularly, he ought long to be remembered
with admiration and gratitude, for the humanity which marked his conduct,
when ordered to destroy our settlement at Hudson's Bay, in the last war.
His second in command was the Chevalier Clonard, an officer also of
distinguished merit.
In the course of the voyage these ships had been so unfortunate as to lose
a boat, with many men and officers in her, off the west of California;
and afterwards met with an accident still more to be regretted, at an island
in the Pacific Ocean, discovered by Monsieur Bougainville, in the latitude
of 14 deg 19 min south, longitude 173 deg 3 min 20 sec east of Paris.
Here they had the misfortune to have no less than thirteen of their crews,
among whom was the officer at that time second in command, cut off
by the natives, and many more desperately wounded. To what cause this
cruel event was to be attributed, they knew not, as they were about to quit
the island after having lived with the Indians in the greatest harmony
for several weeks; and exchanged, during the time, their European commodities
for the produce of the place, which they describe as filled with a race
of people remarkable for beauty and comeliness; and abounding in refreshments
of all kinds.
It was no less gratifying to an English ear, than honourable to
Monsieur De Perrouse, to witness the feeling manner in which he always
mentioned the name and talents of Captain Cook. That illustrious
circumnavigator had, he said, left nothing to those who might follow
in his track to describe, or fill up. As I found, in the course
of conversation, that the French ships had touched at the Sandwich Islands,
I asked M. De Perrouse what reception he had met with there. His answer
deserves to be known: "During the whole of our voyage in the South Seas,
the people of the Sandwich Islands were the only Indians who never gave us
cause of complaint.
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