THE SANDWICH ISLANDS. 353 



instances of filial love are often met with there, and 

 the monsters even profit by it. For example, when 

 a son hears of the captivity of his father, he has- 

 tens to oflfer himself in exchange, and they accept 

 this generosity, as they prefer the youth to the old 

 man. When the ship has been thus filled, it goes 

 to the north, in latitude 55°, w^hcre the inhabitants 

 of the coasts purchase the wretches for their service 

 with sea-otter skins, which the Europeans*, rejoic- 

 ed at the scandalous bargain, sell very dear in 

 China. They also like to abuse Tamaahmaah's 

 confidence, and an American captain, whom he 

 once entrusted witli a ship with sanders-wood to 

 bring to China, has not returned. Every year 

 several sailors, on account of bad conduct, are dis- 

 charged; and as they give only a bad example, 

 and cause nothing but mischief, it is to be expected 

 that the good disposition of the Sandwich islanders 

 will soon be entirely corrupted. The missionaries 

 do them almost more injury, because, by tlie reli- 

 gious hatred whicli they excite, they destroy wliole 

 nations, t Adams is possessed of the king's highest 



• Quaere, Americans ? — Note of Translator. 



■f Looking over Adams's journal, I found the following 

 notice: — "Brig Forester, the 24th of March, 1815, in the sea 

 near the coast of California, latitude 32° 45' north, longitude 

 233° 3' east. During a strong wind from W.N.W., and rainy wea- 

 ther, we descried this morning, at six o'clock, a ship at a small 

 distance, the disorder of whose sails convinced us that it stood 

 in need of assistance. We immediately directed our course to 

 it, and recognized the vessel in distress to be a Japanese, which 

 VOL. I. A A 



