1777- THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 99 



son of rank, where there is, perhaps, no instance of 

 a man's being raised from an inferior station by the 

 greatest merit. Rank seems to be the very found- 

 ation of all distinction here, and, of its attendant, 

 power ; and so pertinaciously, or rather blindly ad- 

 hered to, that, unless a person has some degree of it, 

 he will certainly be despised and hated, if he assumes 

 the appearance of exercising any authority. This 

 was really the case, in some measure, with Omai ; 

 though his countrymen were pretty cautious of ex- 

 pressing their sentiments while we remained among 

 them. Had he made a proper use of the presents 

 he brought with him from England, this, with the 

 knowledge he had acquired by travelling so far, 

 might have enabled him to form the most useful con- 

 nections ; but we have given too many instances, in 

 the course of our narrative, of his childish inattention 

 to this obvious means of advancing his interest. His 

 schemes seemed to be of a higher, though ridiculous 

 nature ; indeed, I might say, meaner ; for reyenge, 

 rather than a desire of becoming great, appeared 

 to actuate him from the beginning. This, however, 

 may be excused, if we consider that it is common to 

 his countrymen. His father was, doubtless, a man of 

 considerable property in Ulietea, when that island was 

 conquered by those of JBolabola, and, with many 

 others, sought refuge in Huaheine, where he died, 

 and left Omai with some other children, who by 

 that means became totally dependent. In this situ- 

 ation he was taken up by Captain Furneaux, and car- 

 ried to England. Whether he really expected, from 

 his treatment there, that any assistance would be 

 given him against the enemies of his father and his 

 country, or whether he imagined that his own personal 

 courage and superiority of knowledge would be suf- 

 ficient to dispossess the conquerors of Ulietea, is 

 uncertain ; but, from the beginning of the voyage, 

 this was his constant theme. He would not listen to 

 our remonstrances on so wild a determination, but 



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