5« ANTIENT METAPHYSICS. Book I. 



hunters ; I mean the New Zealanders. They fliew a fpirit as noble 

 and generous as the men of the Pelew Iflands* I was afTured, by a 

 man who accompanied Captain Cook in that expedition, and who is 

 now our conful at Morrocco, Mr Mattra, that, while we were at 

 war with them, they fcorned to attack any fmall party of our men 

 with any great number of their own : And Dr Solander, now dead, 

 who attended Captain Cook in that expedition, told me a ftoiy of 

 thtm, of which Sir Jofeph Banks is ftill a living witnefs. He faid, 

 while they were yet in terms of hoftility with the New Zealanders, 

 Sir Jofeph and he went to a little ifland off the coaft of New Zea- 

 land to botanize, which the New Zealanders obferving, fet off in 

 their canoe, in order to intercept them ; to prevent which, our people 

 fet out with their long boat. But the canoe got to the ifland before 

 the boat, and laid hold of Sir Jofeph and Dr Solander, who gave 

 themfelves up for loft : And Sir Jofeph, he told me, had his hand at 

 his piftol, refolved to fell his life as dear as he could. But thofe fa- 

 vages, as we call them, were fo generous and noble minded, that 

 they did not offer the lead violence to them, but waiting till their 

 countrymen came up to them, put them into their hands, and then 

 bid them defend themfelves, as the Otaheite man, who was with 

 them, interpreted their words. Upon this they made a very fierce 

 attack upon our people, who were obliged to kill fome of them be- 

 fore they could beat them off. 



Many other examples might be given of the good difpofitions of 



men 



I win coin.lude this long note with obferving, that it is not much to be wondered, 

 that our people, confidering the fituation they were in, (hould be very fufpicious of 

 treachery on the Pelew men. It was very natural for them to judge of the charac- 

 ter of thefe people, by that of the men among whom they had lived ; and it was a 

 very high compliment they paid to the Pelew men, to believe their generofity and 

 noble behaviour incredible, v/hen they had fuch temptation to aft a contrary part. 



