38 
AN ACCOUNT OF 
'? 8 3 - them out fome ftrong liquor; but as they were unable to 
find any thing to eat, their emptinefs and hard fatigue had 
made the liquor operate on their heads, fo that on their re¬ 
turn back they were very noify and elated ; Captain Wil¬ 
son therefore now fubmitted to his officers, whether it 
would not be advifeable to ftave all the liquor that remain¬ 
ed aboard the veffel, left our people, becoming inadvertently 
intoxicated, might be difpofed to quarrel among them- 
felves, or engage in difputes with the natives ; or from 
another motive, equally important to the common fafety, left 
the natives themfelves, having already found their w^ay to 
the fhip, might difcover the ftrong liquors, which they would 
be tempted to drink of too freely, and, from never having 
before tafted of fpirits, might grow infuriated, and induced 
to commit fome outrage with our people, and thereby draw 
on a general conteft and difunion. The officers univerfally 
approved the propofition, and defired Captain Wilson 
would the next morning make their willies on this matter 
known to all the ffiip’s company; which was done very 
early, at the time the boatfwain called all hands to work. 
The Captain told them he had fomething to lay before 
them, in which their future welfare, nay perhaps their fu¬ 
ture prefervation, was moft materially involved; he then 
fubmitted to their judgment the meafure upon which he 
and his officers had deliberated the preceding evening; 
urged the propriety of it to them in. very forcible terms, as 
a ftep 
