P E L E W 
ing been difcovered on the day of that apoftle. From fome 
Peiewans, whom they accofted, they received information 
that the true name of thefe ifles was Sonforol: that Pan¬ 
log was to the north-north-eaft, and Pulo to the fouth- 
fouth-eaft. Panlog was afterwards difcovered about fifty 
leagues from Sonforol, in lat. 7. 14. N. This feems to he 
the ifiand now called Babelthouap, and the largeft of the 
group, the fouth extremity of which in Arrowfmith’s maps 
is about lat. 7. 25, Father Cantova’s letter, dated 1722, 
and contained in the collection entitled Lettres Edifiantes , 
gives a brief account of the Pelews, and very unjuftly 
reprefents the natives as cannibals. By his account, the 
group called the Palaos or Pelews, confifted of feven 
principal ifles, fituated from north to fouth. Their 
names were Pelilieu, Coaengal, Tagaleteu, Cogeal, Yalap, 
Mogulibee, and Nagarrol; the king was called Yaray, 
and refided in Yalap. The natives were defended by the 
jefuits as naked cannibals, who were regarded with hor¬ 
ror by the people of the Carolines. 
It was not till the year 1783, that we were able to ob¬ 
tain a juft account of thefe iflands, and of their inhabitants. 
When' captain Wilfon, commander of the Antelope 
packet, in the fervice of the Eaft India Company, was 
wrecked on one of thefe iflands, he derived that informa¬ 
tion which was communicated on his return to Mr. 
Keate; and this ingenious writer, indulging perhaps in 
fome degree the glow of his feelings and imagination, 
drew up that very pleafing and interefting account, 
which, from its firft publication, has paSTed through feve- 
ral editions. The whole group is faid to contain eigh¬ 
teen iflands; but thofe which Mr. Keate mentions are 
Oroolong, Artingall, Pelelew', Emilligue, Emunga, Ara- 
inalorgco, Arraguy, Caragaba, and Pethoull : but the 
names of all were not difcovered ; and it was but lately 
known thatPelew was only the name of the capital of 
the island called Cooroora, and the refidence of the 
king. 
From Mr. Keate we learn that the natives of thefe 
iflands, fo far from being favage cannibals, were remark¬ 
ably mild, hofpitable, and humane. The crew of the 
Antelope confifted of thirty-three Europeans befides the 
captain, and fixteen Cbinefe; and the only pofiible 
means by which they could be delivered from an ifland, 
which at firft appeared to them uninhabited, was by 
building a Ship capable of tranfporting them to the near- 
eft European fettlement in that quarter of the globe. 
Whilft they were meditating ujton this undertaking, the 
natives appeared on the fecond day after their arrival; and 
their intercourfe with them was facilitated by means 
which-appear as fingular as they were providential. Cap¬ 
tain Wilfon had a fervant recommended to him at Macao, 
vvhofpoke both the Malay and Englifh languages perfectly 
well; and they had not been long at Pelew before they 
had the good fortune to meet with a Malay, who had been 
thrown by a tempeft upon this very fpot about a year be¬ 
fore, and had made himfelf acquainted with the language 
of the country ; fo that by this extraordinary event each 
party had an interpreter who could readily explain their 
wants and defires. 
After fome time it was agreed on by Captain Wilfon 
and his people, that fome of the crew (hould be fent to 
the king of the place, in order to folicit his friendlhip, 
and intreat his permission to build a veflel that might 
carry them back to their own country. This buiinefs 
was allotted to the captain’s brother ; and during his ab- 
fence, Raa Kook, the king’s brother, and feveral of the 
natives, remained with our people. This amiable chief 
feemed to place an entire confidence in thofe he was 
among: he endeavoured to accommodate himfelf to 
their manners; would fit at table as they did, inftead of 
Squatting on his hams; and inquired particularly into 
the principles and caufes of every thing he obferved about 
him, lending his perfonal affiftance in all that was going 
forward, and even defiring the cook to let him aid him in 
blowing the fire. 
Vol, XIX. No. 1320. 
ISLANDS. 507 
In order to conciliate their affeCtions, Captain Wilfon 
had presented Arra Kooker, another of the king’s bro¬ 
thers, with a pair of trowfers ; but, having conceived a 
greater pafiion for a white ftiirt, one was immediately 
given to him ; which he had no fooner put on, than 
he began to dance and jump about with fo much joy, 
that every body was diverted by his fingular geftures, 
and the contrail which the linen formed with liis (kin. 
This prince was about forty, of a Ihort ftature, but io 
plump and fat that he was nearly as broad as he was long. 
He poflefied an abundant fliare of good humour, and a 
wonderful turn formimickry; and had befides a coun¬ 
tenance fo lively and expreffive, that, though our people 
at this time were ftrangers to almoft all he faid, yet his 
face and geftures made them accurately comprehend 
whatever he was deferibing. 
After three or four days, Abba Thulle, the king, ar¬ 
rived with a great retinue. He was received with every 
mark of refpedt by the ihip’s company, who were exer- 
cifed before him, and fired three volleys in different po- 
fitions. The furprife of the natives, their hooting, hal¬ 
looing, jumping, and chattering, produced a noife al- 
inoft equal to the difeharge of the muSkets ; and, when one 
of the men fiiot a bird, which was done to difplay the ef¬ 
fect of their arms, the furprife it occafioned was wonder¬ 
ful. Some of the natives ran for it, and carried it to the 
king, who examined it with great attention, but was una¬ 
ble to comprehend how it could be wounded, not having 
feen any thing pafs out of the gun. 
The king then viiited the different tents, and inquired 
about every thing he law: all was novelty, and of courle 
interefted his attention. When begot to the tent where 
the Ciiinefe men were, Raa Kook, whofe retentive mind 
never loft a fingle trace of any thing he had been informed 
of, acquainted the king that thele were a people quite 
different from the Englifii, and that he had learnt there 
were many other nations befides thefe interfperfed 
through the world, fome of which fought with guns, and 
others with boarding-pikes, an inftrument which he held 
very cheap in comparifon with the former. When the 
king heard his brother difeourfing about a variety of na¬ 
tions, who all fpoke differently, and had before him the 
example of the Chinefe, whofe language was not the fame 
with the Englifh, he appeared inftantly thoughtful and 
ferious, as if ltruck with conceptions which had never be¬ 
fore crofted his mind. He remained a while penfive and 
bewildered ; and this circumftance itnprefied on every one 
at the time an idea that there was every reafon to ima¬ 
gine that there had never been a communication between 
thofe people and any other nation : and indeed it is evi¬ 
dent, that, if the Jefuits did really vifit them in 1710, they 
had before 1783 loft the remembrance of every trace of 
European manners. 
Some time after this, the king requefted five of Cap¬ 
tain Wilfon’s men to attend him in a war he was going 
to make againft the inhabitants of a neighbouring ifland 
called Oroolong, who, as he faid, had done him an injury. 
In this enterprife little more was done than braving their 
enemies, Stripping fome cocoa-nut trees of their fruit, and 
carrying off’ a number of yams and other provisions; but 
in another, which was undertaken againft the ifland of 
Artingall, they were more fuccefsful, and Showed figns of 
the fame Sanguinary difpofition which fome demon has 
infufed into the whole human race. Nine prifoners of 
war who had been taken upon this occafion were cruelly 
put to death ; and, notwithstanding the English Strongly 
remonstrated againft this proceeding, all the arguments 
they could ufe were of no avail. In justification of their 
conduft, they alleged the neceflity of doing it for their 
own fecurity, declaring that they had formerly only de¬ 
tained them as menial fervants, but that they always 
found means to get back to their own country, and 
return with fuch a force as frequently made great de¬ 
predations. 
Having given this general account of the charaCterand 
6 O conduit 
