porter's journal, 



213 



Mr. Thomas, an American gentleman, who exhibited the 

 ship's papers, she was, after a short detention, permitted 

 to proceed. The Cherub, in company with the Charon 

 and Sir Andrew Hammond, soon after, hove to off Whymea 

 Bay, at the island of Otooi, and Captain Whittemore 

 having, for some cause or other, come off to the Charon, 

 the evening before, he was brought on board the Cherub, 

 and, to the surprise of lieut. Gamble, introduced into the 

 steerage of the ship. There being property near this Bay, 

 to the amount of eighty thousand pounds, belonging to the 

 Captains Whittemore and Jonathan Winship, the latter 

 then being on the Island, Captain Tucker, for four days, 

 employed every stratagem to gain possession of it, without 

 effect. He at first began to wheedle the proprietor or 

 king of the Island ; using all his efforts to entice him on 

 board the Cherub ; but the king declared his determination 

 to protect the property at the risk of his life, and would by 

 no means condescend to pay Captain Tucker a visit. He, 

 at the same time, despatched several messengers in suc- 

 cession, to inform him, that he would supply the ships 

 with whatever swine and vegetables they might want, pro- 

 vided they came to an anchor; but not otherwise. Not 

 disheartened, however, by this resolute behaviour of the 

 king. Captain Tucker next adopted a more imposing 

 scheme. His first lieutenant, Mr. Whitewood, being looked 

 upon as a very artful and plausible man/ was sent on shore 

 in the evening, to see Captain Winship, and to pay his re- 

 spects to the king. Of his conference with the latter, little 

 is known, except that he persisted, as usual, in his deter- 

 mination not to visit the ship, and to protect, to the utter- 

 most, the neutral property under his care. Captain Win- 

 ship received him with the politeness of a gentleman, and 

 soon convinced him of the folly of his errand. Not willing, 

 however, to dismiss the baffled emissary, without some w 

 compensation for his trouble, Captain Winship presented 

 him with six bottles of Madeira wine ; together with seve- 

 ral other articles for the use of the ship, and then bade him 

 a hearty adieu. Soon after his return on board the 

 Cherub, Captain Whittemore was very properly removed 

 from the steerage into the ward-room, and introduced to 

 $he gentlemen who occupied that part of the ship. 



On the 22d, Captain Tucker despatched the Charon 



