Mr. Roberts. As they rowed to wards the flore, Captain Cook ordered the launch to leave her ftation at the west point of the bay, in order to affift his own boat. This is a circumstance worthy of notice; for it clearly fhews, that he was not unapprehensive of meeting with refiftance from the natives, or unmindful of the neceflary preparation for the fafety of himfelf and his people. I will venture to fay, that from the appearance of things juft at that time, there was not one, befide himself, who judged that fuch precaution was abfolutely requifite: fo little did his conduct on the occafion, bear the marks of raflinefs, or a precipitate felf-confidence! He landed, with the marines, at the upper end of the town of Kavaroah: the Indians imme. diately flocked round as ufual, and fhewed him the customary marks of refpect, by proftrating themfelves before him. There were no figns of hostilities, or much alarm among them. Captain Cook, however, did not feem willing to trust to appearances; but was particularly attentive to the difpofition of the marines, and to have them kept clear of the crowd. He first enquired for the king's fons, two youths who were much attached to him, and generally his companions on board. Meffengers being fent for them, they foon came to him, and informing him that their father was afleep, at a houfe not far from them, he accompanied them thither, and took the marines along with them. As he paffed along, the natives every where proftrated themfelves before him, and feemed to have loft no part of that refpest they had always fhewn to his perfon. He was joined by feveral chiefs, among whom was Kanynah, and his brother Koohowrooah. They kept the crowd in order, according to their

ufual cuftom; and being ignorant of his intention in coming on shore, frequently asked him if he wanted any hogs, or other provifions: he told them that he did not, and that his business was to fee the king. When he arrived at the house, he ordered fome of the Indians to go in, and inform Kariopoo, that he waited without to fpeak with him. They came out two or three times, and instead of returning any anfwer from the king, prefented fome pieces of red cloth to him, which made Captain Cook fufpect that he was not in the houfe; he therefore defired the lieutenant of marines to go in. The lieutenant found the old man juft awaked from fleep, and feemingly alarmed at the meffage; but he came out without hesitation. Captain Cook took him by the hand, and in a friendly manner, asked him to go on board, to which he very readily confented. Thus far matters appeared in a favourable train, and the natives did not fem much alarmed or apprehenfive of hostility on our fide; at which Captain Cook expreffed himfelf a little furprized, faying, that as the inhabitants of that town appeared innocent of stealing the cutter, he fhould not moleft them, but that he muft get the king on board. Kariopoo fat down before his door, and was furrounded by a great crowd: Kanynah and his brother were both very active in keeping order among them. In a little time, however, the Indians were obferved arming themfelves with long fpears, clubs, and daggers, and putting on thick mats, which they ufe as armour. This hoftile appearance increased, and became more alarming, on the arrival of two men in a canoe, from the oppolite fide of the bay, with the news of a chief, called Kareemoo, having been killed by one of the N 4 Discovery's

Discovery's boats, in their paffage across they had alfo delivered this account to each of the fhips. Upon that information, the women, who were fitting upon the beach at their breakfafts, and converfing familiarly with our people in the boats, retired, and a confufed murmur fpread through the crowd. An old priest came to Captain Cook, with with a cocoa nut in his hand, which he held out to him as a prefent, at the fame time finging very loud. He was often defired to be filent but in vain he continued importunate and troublesome, and there was no fuch thing as getting rid of him or his noife: it feemed, as if he meant to divert their attention from his countrymen, who were growing more tumultuous, and arming them felves in every quarter. Captain Cook, being at the fame time furrounded by a great crowd, thought his fituation rather hazardous: he therefore ordered the lieutenant of marines to march his fmall party to the water-fide, where the boats lay within a few yards of the fhore: the Indians readily made a lane for them to pafs, and did not offer to interrupt them. The distance they had to go might be about fifty or fixty yards; Captain Cook followed them, having hold of Kariopoo's hand, who accompanied him very willingly he was attended by his wife, two fons, and feveral chiefs. The troublefome old priest followed, making the fame favage noife. Keowa, the younger fon, went directly into the pinnace, expecting his father to follow; but juft as he arrived at the water-fide, his wife threw her arms about his neck, and, with the aliitance of two chiefs forced him to fit down by the fide of a double canoe. Captain Cook expoftulated with them, but to no purpose: they would not fuffer the king to proceed, telling him, that

he would be put to death if he went on board the hip. Kariopoo, whofe conduct feemed entirely refigned to the will of others, hung down his head, and appeared much diftreffed,

While the king was in this fituation, a chief, well known to us, of the name of Coho, was observed lurking near, with an iron dagger, partly concealed under his cloke, feemingly with the intention of stabbing Captain Cook, or the lieutenant of marines. The latter propofed to fire at him, but Captain Cook would not permit it. Coho clofing upon them, obliged the officer to ftrike him with his piece, which made him retire. Another Indian laid hold of the ferjeant's mufket, and endeavoured to wrench it from him, but was prevented by the lieutenant's making a blow at him. Captain Cook, feeing the tumult increase, and the Indians growing more daring and refolute, obferved, that if he were to take the king off by force, he could not do it without facrificing the lives of many of his people. He then paufed a little, and was on the point of giving his orders to reimbark, when a man threw a ftone at him; which he returned with a difcharge of fmall fhot, (with which one barrel of his double piece was loaded). The man, having a thick mat before him, received little or so hurt: he brandifled his fpear, and threatened to dart it at Captain Cook, who being ftill unwilling to take away his life, instead of firing with ball, knocked him down with his mufket. He expoftulated tirongly with the most forward of the crowd, upon their turbulent behaviour. He had given up all thoughts of getting the king on board, as it appeared impracticable; and his care was then only to act upon the defenfive, and to fecure a fafe embarkation for his

fmall

fmall party, which was closely preffed by a body of feveral thousand people. Keowa, the king's fon, who was in the pinnace, being alarmed on hearing the first firing, was, at his own entreaty, put on shore again; for even at that time, Mr. Roberts, who commanded her, did not apprehend that Captain Cook's perfon was in any danger: otherwife he would have detained the prince, which, no doubt, would have been a great check on the Indians. One man was obferved, behind a double canoe, in the action of darting his fpear at Captain Cook, who was forced to fire at him in his own defence, but happened to kill another clofe to him, equally forward in the tumult: the ferjeant obferving that he had miff. ed the man he aimed at, received orders to fire at him, which he did, and killed him. By this time, the impetuofity of the Indians was fomewhat repreffed; they fell back in a body, and feemed ftaggered: but being pushed on by thofe behind, they returned to the charge, and poured a volley of ftones among the marines, who, without waiting for orders, returned it with a general discharge of musketry, which was inftantly followed by a fire from the boats. At this Captain Cook was heard to exprefs his aftonhment: he waved his hand to the boats to cease firing, and to come nearer in to receive the marines. Mr. Roberts immediately brought the pinnace as close to the thore as he could, without grounding, notwithstanding the fhowers of ftones that fell among the people; but Mr. John Williamfon, the licutenant, who commanded in the launch, inded of pulling in to the affiftance of Captain Cook, withdrew his boat further off, at the moment that every thing feems to have depended upon the timely exertions

of thofe in the boats. By his own account, he mistook the fignal: but be that as it may, this circumftance appears to me, to have decided the fatal turn of the affair, and to have removed every chance which remained with Captain Cook, of escaping with his life. The business of faving the marines out of the water, in confequence of that, fell altogether upon the pinnace; which thereby became fo much crowded, that the crew were, in a great meafure, prevented from ufing their fire-arms, or giving what affiftance they might have done, to Captain Cook; fo that he feems, at the moft critical point of time, to have wanted the affiftance of both boats, owing to the removal of the launch. For notwithstanding that they kept up a fire on the crowd from the fituation to which they removed in that boat, the fatal confution which enfued on her being withdrawn, to fay the leaft of it, must have prevented the full effect, that the prompt co-operation of the two boats, according to Captain Cook's orders must have had, towards the prefervation of himself and his people. At that time, it was to the boats alone, that aptain Cook had to look for his fafety; for when the marines had fired, the Indians rushed among them, and forced them into the water, where four of them were killed their lieutenant was wounded, but fortunately escaped, and was taken up by the pinnace. Captain Cook was then the only one remaining on the rock: he was obferved making for the pinnace, holding his left hand against the back of his head, to guard it from the ftones, and carrying his mufket under the other arm. An Indin was feen following him, but with caution and timidity; for he flopped once or twice, as if undetermined to proceed. At laft he

advanced

advanced upon him unawares, and with a large club, or common stake, gave him a blow on the back of the head, and then precipitately retreated. The stroke seemed to have ftunned Captain Cook: he staggered a few paces, then fell on his hand and one knee, and dropped his musket. As he was rifing, and before he could recover his feet, another Indian ftabbed him in the back of the neck with an iron dagger. He then fell into a bite of water about knee-deep, where others crowded upon him, and endeavoured to keep him under: but ftruggling very strongly with them, he got his head up, and cafting his looks towards the pinnace, feemed to folicit affiftance. Though the boat was not above five or fix yards diftant from him, yet from the crowded and confufed ftate of the crew, it seems, it was not in their power to fave him. The Indians got him under again, but in deeper water: he was, however, able to get his head up once more, and being almost spent in the ftruggle, he naturally turned to the rock, and was endeavouring to fupport himself by it, when a favage gave him a blow with a club, and he was feen alive no more. They hauled him up lifeless on the rocks, where they feemed to take a favage pleafure in ufing every barbarity to his dead body, fnatching the daggers out of each other's hands, to have the horrid fatisfaction of pierc ing the fallen victim of their bar barous rage.

I need make no reflection on the great lofs we fuffered on this occafion, or attempt to defcribe what we felt. It is enough to fay, that no man was ever more beloved or admired and it is truly painful to reflect, that he feems to have fallen a facrifice merely for want of being properly fupported; a fate, fingu

larly to be lamented, as having fallen to his lot, who had ever been confpicuous for his care of those under his command, and who feemed, to the laft, to pay as much attention to their prefervation, as to that of his own life.

If any thing could have added to the fhame and indignation univerfally felt on the occafion, it was to find, that his remains had been deferted, and left expofed on the beach, although they might have been brought off. It appears, from the information of four or five midfhipmen, who arrived on the spot at the conclufion of the fatal bufinefs, that the beach was then almost entirely deferted by the Indians, who at length had given way to the fire of the boats, and difperfed through the town: so that there feemed no great obftacle to prevent the recovery of Captain Cook's body; but the lieutenant returned on board without making the attempt. It is unneceffary to dwell longer on this painful fubject, and to relate the complaints and cenfures that fell on the conduct of the lieutenant. It will be fufficient to obferve, that they were fo loud, as to oblige Captain Clerke publicly to notice them, and to take the depofitions of his accufers down in writ ing. The Captain's badftate of health and approaching diffolution, it is fuppofed, induced him to deftroy these papers a fhort time before his death.

It is a painful task, to be obliged to notice circumftances, which feem to reflect upon the character of ary man. A ftrict regard to truth, however, compelled me to the infertion of these facts, which I have offered merely as facts, without prefuming to connect with them any comment of my own: efteeming it the part of a faithful hiftorian, "to extenuate nothing, nor fet down aught in malice."

POETRY.