420 APPENDIX. 
You will, therefore, see the necessity of pushing beyond that place as 
quickly as possible. 
The letter to Captain Eagleston you will deliver on board the Leonidas 
as you pass her. 
On your meeting the boats of Lieutenant Walker, you will take 
under your command his best boat and crew, and put Mr. Blunt in 
charge of her, and proceed as rapidly as possible. 
After the Kai-viti is loaded with yams, &c., at Somu-somu, you will 
give her orders to proceed at once to this place to join the ships here. 
I need say nothing to you about Mr. Hunt, for I am sure you will 
take good care of him, and see him safely landed at his home. 
Iam, &c., 
Cuartes WixLkKEs, 
Commanding Exploring Expedition. 
Lirurenant A. L. Case, 
U.S. Ship Vincennes. 
P.S. If you should meet with the Porpoise, you will show these 
orders to Lieutenant-Commandant Ringgold. 
Respectfully, 
C. W. 
COPY OF STATEMENT RELATIVE TO THE DEATH OF JAMES CUNNINGHAM. 
I sartep from the ship, then at Ragi-ragi, to cruise to Muthuata, in 
the cutter Young Philips. We arrived at Muthuata on the 14th of 
March. On the same day, and at a place called “ Navendarra,” the 
natives made signal for us by smokes. It being inconvenient for us to 
stop, I proceeded to Muthuata, and concluded to call there on my 
return, which | accordingly did on the afternoon of the 15th of March. 
Soon after we had anchored, I sent James Cunningham on shore in 
the boat, to ascertain if there was any shell on shore. He soon 
returned, and reported that there were three heads of shell, and that if 
he would come on shore in the morning they would bring it off to sell. 
I accordingly despatched him early the next morning, with orders not 
to remain any length of time, as 1 was anxious to get back to the ship 
as soon as possible. After waiting two hours, I fired a gun as a signal 
for him to return; immediately after which, the natives gave the war- 
shout and fired their muskets at us, the balls all falling short of us. I 
then got under way and stood across the bay several times, but neither 
saw nor heard any thing of the man until I arrived at Tavea, when I 
was informed that he had been killed and eaten; and I have no doubt 
