April 1830. QUARREL WITH THE NATIVES. 317 
and which they were not permitted to pass. At noon, after 
observing the sun’s transit, I went to the barrier, and while 
the people were at dinner, endeavoured to amuse our visitors, 
who were from fifteen to twenty in number, by showing them 
several trifles ; among the rest, a pocket set of coloured glasses, 
belonging to the transit. They looked through them at the 
sun, but handled them rather roughly, and broke the frame ; 
upon which I expressed my anger, and turned them away. 
Soon afterwards, however, I walked towards them, and select- 
ing the Indian who had offended me, gave him a bunch of 
beads, and thus restored peace ; but desired them, at the same 
time, to go to their wigwams, which they did. In their way, 
they mischievously broke down a part of my meridian mark ; 
seeing which, I sent a carpenter, attended by a marine, to repair 
it, and went myself to inspect its being again set up. The 
natives were collected round it, evidently in expectation of my 
being angry, and awaited my approach. Upon my coming near, 
I showed them that I was much displeased, and ordered them 
into their canoes; when one of the party, muttering a few 
words, picked up a stone from the ground, and was fixing it 
in his sling, when I took the marine’s musket, and presented it 
at him, upon which the whole took to their heels ; the principal 
offender and another ran along the beach, and the rest to their 
canoes. I could not resist the opportunity of letting them know 
we were prepared for them, by firing over the heads of the two 
who were running near the water. 
The report of the musket attracted the attention of Lieutenant 
Mitchell, who was on board on the look-out, expecting some 
fracas would, sooner or later, take place; and seeing four or five 
canoes paddling across, and the two Indians running along the 
beach, he manned a boat, and pulled towards the canoes, which 
tried to evade him, and stones were thrown at him as he ap- 
proached. A musket fired over their heads, soon quieted them, 
when he pulled round their canoes, to show them they were 
in his power, but did not molest them, and then allowed the 
party to proceed. 
This affair alarmed the women at the wigwams, and hastily 
