INTERROGATIONS. 183 
friendly reception on the island—for the presents 
she had made me, and for the high honour con- 
ferred on me in this visit. She received my 
thanks very graciously, and ordered some ques- 
tions to be put me, which I answered with all 
due respect. She inquired how old I was?— 
whether my voyage had been long ?—whe- 
ther I was a Christian?—and how often I 
prayed daily? ‘This last question afforded me 
an opportunity, had I thought fit, to give her 
Majesty some new ideas on the subject of the 
Missionary religion; but I did not feel myself 
quite capable of entering into a theological dis- 
pute, and therefore merely replied, that Chris- 
tianity taught us, that we should be judged 
according to our actions rather than the num- 
ber of our prayers. I do not know how the 
interpreter rendered my answer, or whether the 
@ueen considered me as a heretic, but this I 
conjectured, from her speaking no more on re- 
ligious subjects, and asking me, in order to 
change the conversation, whether the earth were 
really round? I assured her Majesty that I 
could answer from my own experience, as I was 
now sailing round it for the third time. This 
