THEPACIFICOGEAN. lop 



only free from any averfion to him, but the perfon, men- '777- 



■' ^ November, 



tioned before, whom we found at Tiaraboo as an ambaf- 

 fador, prieft, or God, abfolutely offered to reinftate him in 

 tlic property that was formerly his father's. But he refufed 

 this peremptorily ; and, to the very laft, continued deter- 

 mined to take the firfl opportunity that offered of fatisfying 

 his revenge in battle. To this, I guefs, he is not a little fpur- 

 rcd by the coat of mail he brought from England ; clothed 

 in which, and in poireffion of fome fire-arms, he fancies 

 that he fhall be invincible. 



Whatever faults belonged to Omai's character, they were 

 more than overbalanced by his great good nature and do- 

 cile difpofition. During the whole time he was with me, I 

 very feldom had reafon to be ferioufly difpleafed with his 

 general condudl. His grateful heart always retained the 

 highefl fcnfc of the favours he had received in England; 

 nor will he ever forget thofe who honoured him with their 

 protecfkion and friendfliip, during his flay there. He had a 

 tolerable Iharc of underflanding, but wanted application 

 and pcrfeverance to exert it; fo that his knowledge of things 

 was very general, and, in many inftanccs, imperfecfl:. He 

 was not a man of much obfervation. There were many 

 ufeful arts, as well as elegant amufements, amongft the 

 people of the Friendly Iflands, which he might have con- 

 veyed to his own ; where they probably would have been 

 readily adopted, as being fo much in their own way. But 

 I never found that he ufed the leaft endeavour to make 

 himfclf mader of any one. This kind of indifference is, 

 indeed, the characSleriftic foible of his nation. Europeans 

 have vifited them, at times, for thefe ten years part ; yet 

 we could not difcovcr the llightcft trace of any attempt to 

 profit by this intercourfci nor have tliey hitherto copied 



after 



