IjH COOKS VOYAGE TO MAY, 



able strangers, with the best grace we could ; but ou 

 condition, that we might be made acquainted with 

 the price of the articles we were to be supplied with ; 

 and that Captain Clerke should give bills to the 

 amount, upon the Victualling-Office in London. 

 This the major positively refused ; and whenever it 

 was afterward urged, stopped us short, by telling us, 

 he was certain, that he could not oblige his mistress 

 more, than in giving every assistance in his power to 

 her good friends and allies the English ; and that it 

 would be a particular satisfaction to her, to hear, that 

 in so remote a part of the world, her dominions had 

 afforded any relief to ships engaged in such services 

 as ours ; that he could not therefore act so contrary 

 to the character of his empress, as to accept of any 

 bills ; but that, to accommodate the matter, he would 

 take a bare attestation of the particulars, with which 

 we might be furnished ; and that this he should trans- 

 mit to his court, as a certificate of having performed 

 his duty. I shall leave (he continued) to the two 

 courts, all farther acknowledgments ; but cannot 

 consent to accept any thing of the kind alluded to. 



When this matter was adjusted, he began to inquire 

 about our private wants, saying he should consider 

 himself as ill-used if we had any dealings with the 

 merchants, or applied to any other person except 

 himself. 



In return for such singular generosity, we had little 

 to bestow but our admiration and our thanks. For- 

 tunately, however, Captain Clerke had sent by me a 

 set of prints and maps belonging to the last voyage 

 of Captain Cook, which he desired me to present in 

 his name to the commander, who being an enthusiast 

 in every thing relating to discoveries, received it with 

 a satisfaction which showed that, though a trifle, 

 nothing could have been more acceptable. Captain 

 Clerke had likewise entrusted me with a discre- 

 tionary power of showing him a chart of the discove- 

 ries made in the present voyage j and as I judged 



