XII INTRODUCTION. 



ness that may be in your power, taking care that 

 when any purchases, by barter or otherwise, are 

 made, an officer of the ship may always be present 

 to prevent disputes : and you are particularly to 

 impress on the minds of your officers and men the 

 necessity of being extremely guarded in their in- 

 tercourse with the females of those places, so as to 

 avoid exciting the jealousy of the men. 



" Having completed the survey of this groupe of 

 islands, if you find that your time will admit of it, 

 you are to direct your course to the Navigator's 

 Islands, settling in your way thither the true posi- 

 tion of Suwarrow's Islands ; from whence, in your 

 progress to the northward, you will touch at Owhy- 

 hee, to deliver the despatches and packages address- 

 ed by the Foreign Office for his Majesty's consul at 

 that island, and to procure refreshments and water. 



" You are, however, to be particularly careful not 

 to prolong your stay at any of those islands, so as 

 to retard your arrival at the appointed rendezvous 

 in Beering's Strait later than the 10th July, 1826" ; 

 which period, together with the rendezvous, has 

 been fixed by Captain Franklin and yourself, by a 

 memorandum, a copy of which is annexed, and we 

 desire and direct you to pay particular attention to 

 the various matters contained therein. 



" You are to remain at the said appointed rendez- 

 vous until the end of October, or to as late a period 

 as the season will admit, without incurring the risk 

 of being obliged to winter there, provided you shall 

 hear nothing of Captain Franklin or his party ; but 

 in the event of his joining, you are to receive him 

 and his party on board, and convey him either to 

 Kamtschatka, the Sandwich Islands, Panama, or to 

 China, as he may determine, in order to procure a 



