﻿106 REMARKS ON THE ISLAND 



though bad enough in itself, appears to have been ad- 

 ministered with advantage to the original inhabitants. 

 We have lately heard of civil commotions in Hin- 

 zuan, which, we may venture to pronounce, were not 

 excited by any cruelty or violence of Ahmed, but 

 were probably occasioned by the indolence of an oli- 

 garchy naturally hostile to king arnH people. That 

 the mountains in the Comara islands contain dia- 

 monds, and the precious metals, which are studiously 

 concealed by the policy of the several governments, 

 may be true, though I have no reason to believe it, 

 and have only heard it asserted without evidence; 

 but I hope, that neither an expectation of such trea- 

 sures, nor of any other advantage, will ever induce 

 an European power to violate the first principles of 

 justice by assuming the sovereignty of Hi?izuan y 

 which cannot answer a better purpose than that of 

 supplying our fleets with seasonable refreshment ; 

 and,, although the natives have an interest in receiv- 

 ing us with apparent cordiality, yet, if we wish their 

 attachment to be unfeigned and their dealings just, 

 we must set them an example of strict honesty in the 

 performance of our engagements. In truth, our nation 

 is not cordially loved by the inhabitants ot H'mzuan, 

 who, as it commonly happens, form a general 

 opinion from a few instances of violence or breach 

 of faith. Not many years ago an European, who 

 had been hospitably received and liberally supported 

 at Matsamudo, behaved rudely to a young married 

 woman, who, being of low degree, was walking 

 veiled through a street in the evening. Her husband 

 ran to protect her, and resented the rudeness, pro- 

 bably with menaces, possibly with actual force ; and 

 the European is said to have given him a mortal 

 wound with a knife or bayonet, which he brought, 

 after the scuffile, from his lodging. This foul mur- 

 der, which the law of nature would have justified 

 the magistrate in punishing with death, was reported 



