THE PE LEW ISLANDS. 
93 
ing. poffeffion of it for the Engli/fi ,*—Our people faying, as 
they returned in the canoes from Pelew, that the natives 
were conftantly pointing to the ifland, calling it Engli/b , and 
Englishmen 's land, the King had fent his brother to make 
known to Captain Wilson this grant of the ifland, as alfo 
to give the Captain an invitation to Pelew : he excufed 
himfelf for the prefent, having fo much to attend to at 
Oroolong ; but fent Mr. Benger, who had been Firft Mate 
of the Antelope, and his brother, Mr. M. Wilson, with the 
linguift, Tom Rose, and one of the China-men , who were 
accompanied by the General, Raa Kook, to compliment the 
King upon his victory, and to prefent the refpehs of him¬ 
felf and all his countrymen on the oecafion. The reafon of 
Captain Wilson’s fending one of the China-men was this, 
that he might notice more particularly the produce of the 
country, and examine if there might not be vegetables good 
to eat which the natives overlooked, or did not attend to; 
he alfo gave him in charge to be very accurate in obferving 
if they had not plants at Pelew fimilar to thofe in his own 
country. The Chinefe being all tolerable BotaniJls y and liv¬ 
ing fo much on- vegetables, that turn a China-man on any 
fpot, he would contrive to pick a meal for himfelf from it. 
The truth of this remark Captain Wilson had experienced 
from repeated voyages he had made to China , as well as 
from the general character of thofe peoplei 
This afternoon* after feeing one of the frame timbers up, 
the 
1783. 
u g u s r 
