By a fignal from the fhore, the rwo veffels betwen hem now fired a royal falure, whereupon the Englid union was hofted upon a point of the Ifland, and the foundation ftone laid of Fort Abercrombie, for called in honour of the Governor of Bombay and by Abba Thulle's permiffion. Pfeffion of it was taken in name of the English. The land is about four miles in circumference, and well watered by fprings and rivulets, the foil is rich, and fit to produce any thing by culti-, vation. It was refolved by Captain McCluer to leave the Endeavour there, (while he went in the Panther to Car ton) in order to show the natives the ufe of the tools fent them by the Company, and to forward the cultivation of the grounds, which had been fown with rice and garden feeds by the English, and hopes were entertained, that by the veffel's making fome ftay among the lands the natives would become more habituated to the cuftoms and manners of the Europeans, which might hereafter be of fervice. The master of the Endeavour, who had a fhip's company of about o men,, was directed to fecure the provifions and ftores left with him by a Bamboo flockade work, at Fort Abercrombie, but on no account to join with the na-. join with the natives in their wars, and to do his utmoft to reconcile each party, only taking care to be in a state to refent any infult offered to him by the enemies of Abba Thulle. He was alfo directed to examine carefully the different charnels, through the reefs with the different foundings and leading marks, for a complete furvey of the lands.

Before the Panther failed, AbbaTM Thulle went out himself on a fishing party, chiefly for benefit of the Englifh; he was accompanied by Mr White, who was his favourite, and always attended him in his expeditions about the place, by which means Mr White, from what he knew formerly of the language, is now very converfant in it. In the evening they returned with a good cargo, having collected a few from every boat that went out with him, and gave two-thirds of it to the English, who immediately put it in falt for sea store.

-The next mo ning, two Chiefs from the l Ifland Medeg, were introduced to the Captain, as friends of Abba Thulle, he took them on board, fhowed them the veffel, which they examined with a good deal of curiofity and attention; a large lookingglass in the cabin perfectly aftonished them they did what monkies have been feen to do, put their hands to the back of the glafs and feel it, which gave thofe who had been on board before an opportunity of laughing at them. They were prefented with fome beads and a few knives, which made them fo happy, that they inftantly came on deck to how to their com panions in the boat what they had got. Thofe natives belonging to the place who faw the things given, told Abba Thulle of the circumftance, and he told the Captain, through the Malay interpreter, the character of the people of Meedeg," that while he (Abba Thulle) was alone, and had not the English for his friends, they did not come near him, nor give him any affittance in his wars againit Pel elew's, but now that the English are come, they come and with to be friends with him to get what they can from him." The Captan comforted the old man by telling him, that while the English were his friends, he had nobody to fear, and that even his greatest enemies (the Artigalls) would come and beg

dropped the anchor early in the evening: we had feen Mohila, another fifter ifland, in the courfe of the

dav.

The frigate was prefently furrounded with cahoes, and the deck 'foon crowded with batives of all ranks, from the high born chief who walked linen, to the half-naked flave who only paddled. Most of them had letters of recommendation from English men which none of them were able to read, though they fpoke English intelligibly; and fome appeared vain of titles, which our countrymen had given them in play, according to their fuppofed stations: we had lords, dukes, and princes on board, foliciting our custom, and importuning us for prefents. In fact, they were too fenfible to be proud of empty founds, but juftiy imagined, that thofe ridiculous titles would ferve as marks of diftinction, and, by attracting notice, procare for them fomething fubftan tial. The only men of real confequence in the inland, whom we faw be fore we landed, were the Governor Abdullah, fecond coufin to the king, and his brother Alwi, with their feveral fons; all of whom will again be particularly mentioned they under food Arabick; feemed zealots in the Mohanmicdan faith, and admired my copies of the Alkoran; fome verfes of which they read, whilt Alwi perufed the opening of another Arabian manufcript, and explained it in English more accurately than could have been expected.

The next morning fhewed as the island in all its beauty; and the fcene was fo diverfified, that a diftinct view of it could hardly have been exhibited by the beft pencil; you muft, therefore, be fatisfied with a mere defeription, written on the very fpot, and compared attentively with the natural landfcape. We were at anchor in a fine bay, and before us was a vaft amphitheatre, of which you may form a general notion by picturing in your

minds a multitude of hills infinitely varied in fize and figure, and then fuppofing them to be thrown together, with a kind of art:efs fymmetry, in all imaginable poficions. The back ground was a feries of mountains, one of which is pointed, near half a mile perpendicularly high from the level of the fea, and little more than three' miles from the fhore: all of them were richly clothed with wood, chiefly fruit-trees, of an exquifite verdure. I had feen many a mountain of a tupendous height in Wales and Switzerland, but never faw one before, round the bofom of which the clouds were almoft continually rolling, while its green fummit rofe flourishing above them, and received from them an additional brightnefs. Next to this diftant range of hills was another tier, part of which appeared charmingly verdant, and part rather barren; but the contraft of colours changed even this nakedness into a beauty nearer fill were innumerable mountains, or rather cliffs, which brought down their verdure and fertility quite to the beach; fo that every fhade of green, the sweeteft of colours, was displayed at one view by land and by water. But nothing conduced more to the variety of this enchanting profpect, than the mamy rows of plain-trees, especially the tall and graceful Arecas, on the fhores, in the valleys, and on the ridges of hills, where one might almost fuppofe them to have been planted regularly by defign. A more beautiful appearance can fearce be conceived, than fuch a pumber of elegant palms in fuch a fituation, with luxuriant tops, like verdant plumes, placed at just intervals, and fhowing between them part of the remoter laufcape, while they left the reft to be supplied by the beholder's imagination. The town of Matfamudo lay on our left, remarkable at a diftance for the tower of the principal moique, which was built by Haliniah, a queen of the island, from whom the prefent king is ce

fcended:

fcended: a little on our right was a fmall town, called Bantani. Neither the territory of Nice, with its olives, date trees, and cypreffes, nor the ifles of Hieres, with their delightful orange-groves, appeared fo charm ing to me, as the view from the road of Hinzuan; which, nevertheless, is far furpaffed, as the Captain of the Crocodile affured us, by many of the iflands in the fouthern ocean. If life were not too short for the complete discharge of all our refpective duties, public and private, and for the acquifition even of neceffary knowledge in any degree of perfection, with how much pleafure and improvement might a great part of it be spent in admiring the beauties of this wonderful orb, and contemplating the nature of man in all its varieties!

We haftened to tread on firm land, to which we had been fo long difufed, and went on fhore, after breakfalt, to fee the town, and return the Governor's vifit. As we walked, attended by a crowd of natives, I furprized them by reading aloud an Arabick infcription over the gate of a mofque, and fill more, when I entered it, by explaining four fentences, which were written very diftinctly on the wall, fignifying, that the world was given us for our own edification, not for the purpose of railing fumptuous buildings; life, for the difcharge of moral and religious duties, not for pleafurable indulgences; wealth, to be liberally beltowed, not avaritioully hoarded; and learning, to produce good actions, not emprys dilputes.” We could not but refpe&t the temple even of a falfe prophet, in which we found fuch excellent morality: we faw nothing better among the Romish trumpery in the church at Madeira. When we came to Abdullah's house, we were conducted through a small court-yard into an open room, on each fide of which was a large and convenient fofa, and above it a high bed-place in a dark recefs, over which

a chintz counterpane hung down from the ceiling: this is the general form of the best rooms in the island; and most of the tolerable houses have a fimilar apartment on the oppofite fide of the court, that there may be at all hours a place in the fhade for dinner or for repole. We were entertained with ripe dates from Yemen, and the milk of cocoa-nuts; but the heat of the room, which feemed acceffible to all who chose to enter it, and the fcent of musk or civet, with which it was perfumed, foon made us defirous of breathing a purer air; nor could I be detained long by the Arabick manufcripts, which the Governor produced, but which appeared of little ufe, and confequently of no value, except to fuch as love mere curiofities one of them, indeed, relating to the penal law of the Mohammedans, I would gladly have purchafed at a just price: but he knew not what to afk, and I knew that better books on that fubject might be procured in Bengal. He then offered me a black boy for one of my Alkotans, and preffed me to barter an

dndian drefs, which

and

he had teen on beard the fhip, for a cow and a calf: the cow and a calf: the golden lippers attracted him moit, fince his wife, he faid, would like to wear them for that reafon I made him a present of them; but had defined the book and the robe for his fuperior. No high opinion could be formed of Sayyad Abdullah, who feemed very eager for gain, and very fe vile where he expected it.

Our next vifit was to Shaikh Salim, the king's eldelt fon; and if we had feen him first, the late of civilization in Hinzuan would have appeared at its loweft ebb; the wort Engh hackney in the worft flable is better lodged, and looks more princely than this heir apparent; but though his mien and apparel were extremely favage, yet allowance fhould have been made for his illness, which, as we afterwards learned, was an abfcefs in 2

"

the