214 
AN ACCOUNT OF 
* 7 8 3 - 
NOVEMBER. 
Wednefday 
5 - 
a good look out to prevent furprize.—The alarm our peo¬ 
ple felt, was, that being near leaving the ifiands, the natives 
(who had experienced the great utility the JLnglifh were of to 
them) might endeavour to detain them, by attempting to 
feize their arms, and poffefs themfelves of their veffel.—It 
was in vain that Captain Wilson ftrove to remove thefe ap- 
prehenfions, by recalling to their remembrance the genero- 
fity the King and all his people had fhewn them, on every 
occalion, iince they had been thrown upon his territories; 
that his behaviour had been always to them humane, unre- 
ferved, and unfufpicious; that therefore there could be no 
room now to doubt the fincerity of a people, who had, in all 
the time they had been under their protection, never given 
them any real caufe for miftruft; that it materially behoved 
them, in their prefent fituation, not to let the natives fee they 
entertained any; that by doing otherwife they might put 
ideas into their minds, which, but for their own indifcretion, 
might never have occurred. Nor did he fail to fet before 
them the little avail of all the force of the Englijh , if the 
natives were refolved upon any fuch enterprize as they fuf- 
peCIed ; he reprefented to them, that their ammunition muft 
be foon expended, in cafe of hostilities ; that the natives 
could hinder their embarking, even if their veffel was 
launched; that it was in their power, without coming to ex¬ 
tremities, to make them fubmit to any terms, by depriving 
them of the fpring of frefh water, fhould they chufe to 
come to the iiland in any number. 
2 . All 
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