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Discovery's boats, in their paffage acrofs: they had alfo delivered this account to each of the fhips. Upon that information, the women, who were hitting upon the be ch at their breakfasts, and converfing famili arly with our people in the boats, retired, and a confufed mu mur 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 troublefome, 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 themfelves 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 follow-ed them, having hold of Kariopoo's hand, wh accompanied him very willingly he was attended by his wife, two fons, and feveral chiefs. The troublefome old priest follow. ed, making the fame favage noife, Keowa, the younger for, went directly into the pinnace, expecting his father to follow; but jufl as he arrived at the water-fide, his wife threw her arms about his neck, and, with the affiftance of two chiefs forced him to fit down by the fide of a double canoe. Captain Cook expoftulated with them, but to no purpofe: they would not fuffer the king to proceed, telling him, that

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

The

While the king was in this fituation, a chief, well known to us, of the name of Coho, was obferv. ed lurking near, with an iron dagger, partly concealed under his cloke, feemingly with the intention of ftabbing Captain Cook, or the lieutenant of marines. 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 muiket, and endeavoured to wrench it from him, but was prevented by the lieutenant's making a blow at him. Captain Cook, seeing the tumult increafe, 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 fone at him; which he returned with a discharge of fmall fhot, (with which one barrel of his double piece was loaded). man, having a thick mat before him, received little or no hurt: he brandifhed his fpear, and threatened to dirt it at Captain Cook, who being ftill unwilling to take away his life, infead of firing with ball, knocked him down with his musket. He expoftulated tirongly with the mot 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

The

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fmall party, which was clofely preffed by a body of feveral thoufand 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 fhore 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 miffed 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 difcharge of mufketry, which was inftantly followed by a fire from the boats. At this Captain Cook was heard to exprefs his aftonfhment: 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 clofe to the fhore as he could, without grounding, notwithstanding the flowers of ftones that fell among the people; but Mr. John Williamfon, the lieutenant, who commanded in the launch, instead of pulling in to the affittance of Captain Cook, withdrew his boat further off, at the moment that every thing feems to have depended upon the timely exertions

of those in the boats. By his own account, he mistook the signal: 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 efcaping 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 uling their fire-arms, or giving what affistance they might have done, to Captain Cook; fo that he feems, at the molt 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 fi tuation to which they removed in that boat, the fatal confufion 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 Captain 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 musket under the other arm. An Indian was feen following him, but with caution and timidity; for he flopped once or twice, as if undetermined to proceed. At last he

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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 ftroke feemed 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 struggling 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 distant from him, yet from the crowded and confused state 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 ipent in the ftruggle, he naturally turned to the rock, and was endeavouring to fupport himfelf by it, when a favage gave him a blow with a club, and he was feen alive no more. They hauled him up lifelefs on the rocks, where they feemed to take a favage pleasure 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 barbarous 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 dif perfed through the town: so that there feemed no great obstacle 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 subject, 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 depo fitions of his accufers down in writ ing. The Captain's bad ftate of health and approaching diffolution, it is fuppoled, induced him to destroy thefe papers a fhort time before his death.

It is a painful task, to be obliged to notice circumstances, which feem to reflect upon the character of any man. Aftrict 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.

POETRY.

ODE for the NEW YEAR.

By the Rev. T. WARTON, B. D. Poet-Laureat.

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EAR to Jove, a genial ifle,
Crowns the broad Atlantic wave;

"The feafons there in mild affemblage fmile,
"And vernal bloffoms clothe the fruitful prime :
"There, in many a fragrant cave,
"Dwell the Spirits of the brave,

"And braid with amarinth their brows fublime."
So feign'd the Grecian bards, of yore;

And veil'd in Fable's fancy-woven vest

A vifionary fhore,

That faintly gleam'd on their prophetic eye
Through the dark volume of futurity:
Nor knew, that in the bright attire they drest
Albion, the green-hair'd heroine of the Weft;
Ere yet the claim'd old Ocean's high command,
And fnatch'd the trident from the Tyrant's hand.

Vainly flow'd the myflic rhime!
Mark the deeds from age to age,
That fill her trophy-pictur'd page:

And fee, with all its ftrength, untam'd by time,
Still glows her valour's veteran rage,
O'er Calpe's cliffs, and fleepy towers,
When stream'd the red fulphurcous fhowers,
And Death's own hand the dread artillery threw ;
While far along the midnight main

Its glaring arch the flaming volley drew;
How triumph'd Elliott's patient train,
Baffling their vain confederate foes!
And met the unwonted fight's terrific form;
And hurling back the burning war, arofe
Superior to the fiery storm!

Is there an ocean, that forgets to roll
Beneath the torpid pole?

Nor to the brooding tempeft heaves ?
Her hardy keel the ftubborn billow cleaves.

The

The rugged Neptune of the wintry brine
In vain his admantine breast-plate wears :

To fearch coy Nature's guarded mine,
She burits the barriers of th' indignant ice;
O'er funless bays the beam of Science bears :
And rouzing far around the polar fleep,

Where Drake's bold enfigns fear'd to sweep,
She fees new nations flock to fome fell facrifice,
Shee fpeeds, at GEORGE's fage command,
Society from deep to deep,

And zone to zone the binds;

From shore to fhore, o'er every land,
The golden chain of commerce winds.

Mean time, her patriot-cares explore
Her own rich woof's exhaustless store;
Her native fleece new fervour feels,
And wakens all its whirling wheels,
And mock's the rainbow's radiant dye:
More wide the labours of the loom the fpreads,
In firmer bands domeftic commerce weds,
And calls her Sifter-ifle to fhare the tie :
Nor heeds the violence that broke
From filial realms her old parental yoke!

Her cities, throng'd with many an Attic dome,
Afk not the banner'd baftion, maffy-proof;
Firm as the castle's feudal roof,

Stands the Briton's focial home.

Hear, Gaul, of England's liberty the lot!-
Right, Order, Law, protect her fimpleft plain;
Nor fcorn to guard the shepherd's nightly fold,
And watch around the foreft-cot.

With confcious certainty, the fwain
Gives to the ground his trusted grain,
With eager hope the reddening harvest eyes;
And claims the ripe autumnal gold,
The meed of toil, of induftry the prize.
For our's the King, who boasts a parent's praise,
Whofe hand the people's fceptre fways:
Ours is the Senate, not a fpecious name,
Whofe active plans pervade the civil frame :
Where bold debate its nobleft war difplays,
And, in the kindling ftrife, unlocks the tide
Of manlieft eloquence, and rolls the torrent wide.

Hence then, each vain complaint, away,
Each captious doubt, and cautious fear!

Nor blast the new-born year,

That anxious waits the fpring's flow-fhooting ray :

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