LETTER FEOM ME. AEMSTEONG. 193 
and excellent people, both old and young, 
140 in the whole, looking up to me, and 
almost devouring all I said, with eager at- 
tention, and with scarcely a dry eye amongst 
them ; and, ' albeit unused to the melting 
mood,' I found a moisture collecting in my 
own which I could scarcely restrain, they 
were so grateful, so truly thankful, for all 
the kindnesses that had from time to time 
been shown them, and the interest in their 
welfare shown by us and our countrymen. 
I had all the men and most of the women on 
board ; but there was such a sea on, that the 
poor girls were dreadfully sea-sick. I fired 
some guns and let off rockets on the night of 
our departure, and they returned the compli- 
ment by firing an old honeycombed gun 
belonging to the Bounty. I set them com- 
pletely up gave them lOOlbs. of powder, 
ensign and union-jack, casks of salt beef and 
pork, implements of agriculture of all kinds, 
clothes, books, &c. ; and sailed, on the evening 
of the llth, for Tahiti." 
. Mr. Armstrong, in a letter, dated Valpa- 
raiso, Oct. 18, 1849, said : 
" The people tell me they have, for the 
