206 cook's voyage to may, 



sailors, at their own desire, gave him three cheers. 

 The next morning, Mr. Webber and myself attended 

 him a few miles up the Awatska River, where we 

 met the Russian priest, his wife and children, who 

 were waiting to take the last farewell of their com- 

 mander. 



It was hard to say, whether the good priest and 

 his family, or ourselves, were most affected on taking 

 our leave of Major Behm. Short as our acquaintance 

 had been, his noble and disinterested conduct had 

 inspired us with the highest respect and esteem for 

 him; and we could not part with a person to whom 

 we were under such obligations, and whom we had 

 little prospect of ever seeing again, without feeling 

 the most tender concern. The intrinsic value of 

 the private presents we received from him, exclusive 

 of the stores which might be carried to a public 

 account, must have amounted, according to the cur- 

 rent price of articles in that country, to upward of 

 two hundred pounds. But this generosity, extraor- 

 dinary as it must appear in itself, was exceeded by 

 the delicacy with which all his favours were con- 

 ferred, and the artful manner in which he endeavoured 

 to prevent our feeling the weight of obligations, 

 which he knew we had no means of requiting. If 

 we go a step further, and consider him as supporting 

 a public character, and maintaining the honour of a 

 great sovereign, we shall find a still higher subject of 

 admiration, in the just and enlarged sentiments by 

 which he was actuated. " The service in which you 

 are employed," he would often say, " is for the ge- 

 neral advantage of mankind, and therefore gives you 

 a right, not merely to the offices of humanity, but to 

 the privileges of citizens, in whatever country you 

 may be thrown. I am sure 1 am acting agreeably to 

 the" wishes of my mistress, in affording you all the 

 relief in our power; and I cannot forget either her 

 character, or my own honour, so much, as to barter 

 for the performance of a duty." At other times, he 



