P E L E W ISLANDS. 
510 
the fortitude which he (bowed upon this occafion, w'ould 
have done honour to the moft enlightened mind. Upon 
delivering him to Capt. Wilfon, he ufed thefe expreflions: 
“I W'ould wifh you to inform Lee Boo of all things 
which he ought to know, and make him an Englifhman. 
The fubjefilof parting with my fon I have frequently re¬ 
volved ; I am well aware that the diftant countries he 
mult go through, differing much from his own, may ex- 
pofe him to dangers, as well as difeafes, that are unknown 
to us here, in confequence of which he may die ; I have 
prepared my thoughts to this; I know that death is to 
all men inevitable ; and whether my fon meets this event 
at Pelew or elfewhere is immaterial. I am fatisfied, from 
w'hat I have obferved of the humanity of your character, 
that, if he is fick, you will be kind to him; and, fhould that 
happen which yourntmofl care cannot prevent, let it not 
hinder you or your brother, or your fon, or any of your 
countrymen, returning here ; I (hall receive you, or any 
of your people, in friendfhip, and rejoice to fee you again.” 
This is the language of a king, a father, and a philofo- 
pher, who would have been delighted to fee his fon with 
European accomplifhments. But, alas! the fubfequent 
hiftory of this amiable youth mud force a tear from the 
eye of every reader whofe heart is not callous to the ge¬ 
nuine feelings of nature and humanity. 
As foon as they arrived at Macao, the houfe into which 
he fir ft entered, and the different articles of furniture, 
fixed him in filent admiration ; but what (truck his ima¬ 
gination moft was the upright w>alls and fiat ceilings of 
the rooms, being utterly unable to comprehend how they 
could be fo formed. When he was introduced to the la¬ 
dies of the family, his deportment was fo eafy and polite, 
that it could be exceeded by nothing but his abundant 
good-nature ; and at his departure, his behaviour left on 
the mind of every one prefent the imprefiion, that, how¬ 
ever great the furprife might be which the fcenes of a new 
world had awakened in him, it could hardly be exceeded 
by that which his ow n amiable manners and native polifh 
would excite in others. 
They were now conducted to the houfe of an Englifh 
gentleman, who introduced them into a large hall, which 
was lighted up, with a table in the middle, covered for 
fupper, and a fideboard handfomely decorated. Here a 
new' fcene burft at once upon Lee Boo’s mind : he was all 
eye, all admiration. The veflels of glafs particularly ri- 
vetted his attention ; but, when he furveyed himfelf in a 
large pier-glafs at the upper end of the hall, he was in 
raptures with the deception. It was in truth, to him, a 
fcene of magic, a fairy tale. 
Soon after the people of the veflel came on-fhore, fome 
of them went to purchafe things they were in want of ; 
in doing which they did not forget Lee Boo, who was a 
favourite with them all. Among the trinkets they 
brought him was a firing of large glafs beads, the firft 
fight of which almoft threw him into an ecftacy; he hugged 
them with a tranfport which could not have been ex¬ 
ceeded by the interefted pofieffor of a firing of oriental 
pearls. His imagination prefented to him that he held 
in his hand all the wealth the world could afford him. 
He ran with eagernefs to Capt. Wilfon to (how him his 
riches, and begged he would get him a Chinefe veflel to 
carry them to the king his father, that he might fee what 
the Englifh had done for him ; adding, that if the people 
faithfully executed their charge,'he would at their return 
prefent them with one or two beads as a reward for their 
Cervices. 
Having no quadrupeds at Pelew, the flieep, goats, and 
other cattle, which he met with at Macao, were viewed 
with wonder ; but foon after, feeing a man pafs the houfe 
on horfeback, he was fo much aftonifhed, that he wanted 
every one to go and look at the llrange fight. After 
the matter, however, was explained to him, he was 
eafily perfuaded to get upon horfeback himfelf; and when 
he was informed what a noble, docile, and uf'eful, animal 
it was, he befought the captain to fend one to his uncle 
Raa Kook, as he w r as fure it would be of great fervice to 
him. 
Omitting a number of other particulars of this kind, 
which excited his curioflty and fliowed the excellent dif- 
pofition of his heart, we (hall follow him to England, 
the country from which he was never to return. Here 
he had not been long before he was fent to an academy, 
to be inflrudled in reading and writing, which he was 
extremely eager to attain, and moft afliduous in learn¬ 
ing. His temper was mild and compaftionate in the 
higheft degree ; but it was at all times governed by dis¬ 
cretion and judgment. If he faw the young afking relief, 
he would rebuke them with what little Englifh he had, 
telling them it was afhameto beg when they were able to 
work; but the intreaties of old age lie could never with- 
ftand, faying, “ Mull give poor old man, old man no able 
to work.” 
He always addrefled Mr. Wilfon by the name of Cap¬ 
tain, but never would call Mrs. Wilfon by .any other 
name than Mother, looking on that as a mark of the 
greateft refpedl; and, fuch was the gratitude of his heart 
for the kindnefs they fhowed him, that, if any of the fa¬ 
mily were ill, he always appeared unhappy, would creep 
foftly up to the chamber, and fit filent by the bedfide for 
a long time together without moving, peeping gently 
from time to time between the curtains, to fee if they flept 
or lay Hill. 
He was now proceeding with liafly ftrides in gaining 
the Englifh language, writing, and accounts, when he 
was overtaken by that fatal difeafe, the fmall-pox, which 
the greateft pains had been taken to guard him againft ; 
and, notwithftanding the utmoft care and attention of his 
phyfician, he fell a vi6llm to this fcourge of the human 
race. Upon this trying occafion, his fpirit was above 
complaining, his thoughts being all engrofled by the 
kindnefs of his benefadtors and friends. He told his at¬ 
tendant that his father and mother would grieve very 
much, for they knew he was lick. This lie repeated 
feveral times, “ and begged him to go to Pelew, and 
tell Abba Thulle that Lee Boo take much drink to 
make fhiall-pox go away; but he die; that the captain 
and mother very kind ; all EngiiPn very good men; 
much lorry he could not fpeak to the king the number 
of fine things the Englifh had got.” Then he reckoned 
up the prefents which had been given him, defiring that 
they might be properly dillributed among the chiefs, and 
requefling that particular care might be taken of two 
glafs pedeftals, which he begged might be prefented to 
liis father. 
We have given this fhort hiftory of Lee Boo, becaufe 
it exhibits in a ftrong light the manners of the natives of 
the Pelew iflands, to which we know nothing fimilar in 
the hiftory of man from the favage flate to that of civili¬ 
zation. They appear to have had no communication 
with any other people ; and were yet neither treacherous, 
cruel, nor cowardly. They are a ftriking inflance of the 
weaknefs of all the philofophic theories by which man¬ 
kind are ufually traced from their origin through the fe¬ 
veral flages of favagifm, barbarifm, and civilization, down 
to the period of refinement, ending in effeminacy. 
Since the publication of Capt. Wilfon’s voyage we have 
fome further accounts of thefe iflands, all confirming 
what we were firft told of the gentlenefs of the people. 
Two armed (hips were, by order of the courr of directors, 
fitted out at Bombay, for the purpofe of furveying the 
iflands of Pelew, and furnifhing the natives with doinef- 
tic animals, and fuch other things as might add to the 
comforts of life. Among the prefents to the king were 
fwords and other European implements of war; of which' 
it is at lead poffible that he and his people might have 
been equally happy had they remained for ever in total 
ignorance. The foundation of a fort was likewife laid on 
one of the iflands, and pofleflion of it taken in the name 
