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Digitized by tine Internet Arciiive in 2011 witin funding from The Library of Congress
http://www.archive.org/details/lifeofjohnledyar01spar
THE LIFE OF JOHN LEDYAKD.
LIFE
JOHN LEDYA
AMERICAN TRAVELLER;
COMPRISIN-G SELECTIONS
FROM HIS JOURNALS AND CORRESPONDENCE.
BY JARED SPARKS,
CAMBRIDGE, i PUBLISHEF^ ^^ HILLIARD AND BROWN ;
AND BY HILLIARD, GRAY, LITT ■'^^' ^^^ WILKINS, AND RICHARDSON AND LORD, BOSTON- G A.^° <^- CARVILL, NEW YORK; CAREY, LEA, ' ■ AND CAREY, PHILADELPHIA.
1828.
DISTRICT OF MASSACHUSETTS, TO WIT.
District Clerk's Office.
Be it remembered, that on the twentyfourth day of November, 1827, in the fiftysecond year of the Independence of the United States of America, Hil- liard & Brown, of the said district, have deposited in this office the title of a book, the right whereof they claim as proprietors, in the words fol- lowing, viz. . „ ,, . . c. I
•' Ihe Life of John Ledyard, the American Traveller; comprising Selec- tions from his Journals and Correspondence. By Jared Sparks."
In coiifoimity to the act of the Congress of the United Slates, entitled " An act for the encouragement of learning, by securing the copies of maps, charts, and books, to the authors and proprietors of such copies, during the limes therein mentioned ;" and also to an act, entitled " An act supplementa- ry to an act, eiitillcd-' An act for the encouiagenient of learning, by securing the copies of maps, charts, and books, to the authors and proprietors of such copies, during the limes therein mentioned,' and extending the benehts thereof to the arts of designing, engraving, and etching historical and other
'"''"'"^^■" JNO. W. DAVIS,
Clerk of the District of Massachiisetts.
CAMBRIDGE.
HilUard, Metcalf, and Company, Printers to the University.
Hj
N
PREFACE.
Soon after the death of John Ledyard, the subject of the fallowing memoir, some progress was made in collecting ma- terials for an account of his life, by Dr Isaac Ledyard, then of New York. The biographer's task was never begun, however, and the project was abandoned j but the papers procured for the purpose have been preserved by the family of Dr Ledyard, and have furnished the facts for much the larger portion of the pres- ent narrative. Researches have also been made in other quar- ters, and important original letters obtained. Particular ac- knowledgment is due to Mr Henry Seymour, of Hartford, Connecticut, for the aid he has rendered in this respect. All the papers that have been used are entitled to the credit of unquestionable authenticity.
Wherever it could be done, without deviating too much from a regular and proportionate train of events, the traveller has been allowed to speak for himself. His manner of thinking, as well as of acting, was so peculiar, that a true picture of his mind and genius, his motives and feelings, could with difficulty be exhibited in any other way with so much distinctness, as through the medium of his own language. Free and full se- lections from his letters and journals are interspersed. His in- cessant activity, want of leisure, and few opportunities of prac-
VI PREFACE.
tising composition as an art, afTord an apology for the imperfec- tions of his style, which the candid reader will regard in the favorable light it deserves. His diction is never polished, and his words are not always well chosen ; but his ideas are often original, copious, well coiTjbined, and forcibly expressed.
In executing this work, the only aim has been to bring together a series of facts, which should do justice to the fame and character of a man, who possessed qualities and performed deeds, that rendered him remarkable, and are worthy of being remembered. If the author has been successful in this attempt, he is rewarded for the labor it has cost him.
fi
f
I
CONTENTS
CHAPTER I.
Birth and parentage. — Early education. — Begins the study of the law.— - Enters Dartmouth College with a view to qualify himself to be a mission- ary among the Indians; — State of the Indian missions at that time. — His fondness for theatrical exhibitions while at College. — Travels among the Indians of the Six Nations. — His return to College, and adventure in visit- ing a mountain. — Consti-ucts a canoe at Dartmouth College with his own hands, and descends the Connecticut river in it alone to Hartford. — Dan- gers of the passage. — His singular appearance when he met his friends. — His enterprise compared to that of Mungo Park on the Niger. - - 1
CHAPTER II.
His singular letters to President Wheelock. — Commences the study of the- ology.— His embarrassments on this occasion. — Visits several clergymen on Long Island, and pursues his studies there for a short time. — Proposes teaching a school. — Returns to Connecticut, and meets with disappoint- ment in his hopes of being settled as a clergyman. — Abandons his purpose of studying divinity. — Sails from New London on a voyage to Gibraltar. — Enlists there as a soldier in the regular service. — Released at the so- licitation of the captain of the vessel in which he sailed. — Returns home by way of the Barbary Coast and the West Indies. — Resolves to visit England, and seek for his wealthy family connexions in that countiy. — Sails from New York to Plymouth. — Travels thence to London in ex- treme poverty. — Realizes none of his expectations. — Enlists in the naval service. — Gains an acquaintance with Captain Cook, and embarks with him on his last voyage roimd the world, in the capacity of corporal of marines. .---.---.-..20
CHAPTER III.
Ledyard's journal of his voyage with Captain Cook. — Testimony in his favor by Captain Burney. — Sails for the Cape of Good Hope. — Thence to Ker- guelen's Islands and the south of New Holland.— Character of the peo-
Vm CONTENTS.
pie on Van Diemen's Land. — Present state of the Colony there. — Arri^'es in New Zealand. — Account of the people, their manners and peculiarities. — Remarkable contrasts exhibited in their character. — Love adventure between an EngUsh sailor and a New Zealand girl. — Omai, the Otahei- tan. — Vessels depart from New Zealand, and fall in with newly discovered islands. — Affecting story of three Otaheitans found on one of them. — Ar- rival at the Friendly Islands. — People of Tongataboo. — Their condition, mode of Uving, and amusements. — Ledyard passes a night -with the king. — Wrestling and other athletic exercises described. — Fheworks exhibited by Cook. — Propensity of the natives to thieving. — An instance in a chief called Feenou, and the extraordinary measures used to recover the stolen property. — Departure from Tongataboo. - - - - . - 37
CHAPTER IV.
Society Islands. — Otaheite. — Ledyard's description of the language, cus- toms, religion, laws, and government of the natives. — Their probable faith in the doctrine of transmigration. — Remarks on his mode of reasoning on this subject. — His theory of the origin of customs and superstitions. — Notions of a Deity among the Otaheitans. — Conduct of Omai. — Difl&cul- ties attending the efforts to civiUze savages. — Sandwich Islands discov- ered.— The vessels proceed to the American continent, and anchor in Nootka Sound. — Appearance and manners of the people. — Indian wam- pum.— The abundance of furs. — Cannibalism. — Curious digression on the origin and practice of sacrifices. — Captain Cook passes Bering's Strait, explores the northern ocean till stopped by the ice, and returns to the island of Onalaska. — Sends Ledyard^ with two Indians in search of a Rus- sian establishment on the coast. — His account of this adventure. — In what manner he was transported in a canoe. — ^Village of Russians and In- dians.— Hot baths. — Their habitations and manner of living described. — Bering's vessel. — Ledyard returns to the ships, and reports to Captain Cook. — Expedition returns to the Sandwich Islands. - - - - 61
CHAPTER V.
The ships anchored in Kearakekua bay. — First interviewwith the natives. — Reverence with which they regarded Cook. — Tents erected for astronom- ical observations. — Ceremonies at the meeting of Cook with the old king. — Ledyard forms the project of ascending the high mountain in Ha- waii, called by the natives Mouna Roa. — Description of his ascent, and cause of his ultimate failure. — The natives begin to show symptoms of tmeasiness at the presence of the strangers, and to treat them with disre- spect.— Offended at the encroachment made on their Moral. — Cook de- parts from Kearakekua bay, but is compelled to retiu-n by a hea\y storm, that overtakes him, and injures his ships. — Natives receive him coldly. —
, CONTENTS. IX
-'rhey steal one of the ship's boats, which Cook endeavors to recover. — Goes on shore for the purpose. — Is there attacked by the natives and slain. — Ledyard accompanied him on shore, and was near his person when kiUed. — His description of the event. — Expedition sails for Kamtschatka, explores again the Polar seas, and returns to England. — Ledyard's opin- ions respecting the first peopling of the South Sea Islands. — Other re- marks relating to this subject, founded on the analogy of languages, and manners of the people. — Characteristics of Ledyard's journal. — Estima- tion in which he held Captain Cook. 92
CHAPTER VL
Ledyard returns to America — Interview with his mother after an absence of «ight years. — Passes the winter in Hartford, and writes his Journal of Cook's Voyage. — Visits New York and Philadelphia to concert with the mer- chants the plan of a commercial expedition. — Robert Morris agrees to en- gage in a trading voyage, under his direction, to the Northwest Coast. — ' Proceeds to Boston, and afterwards to New London and New York to procure a vessel for the purpose. — Failure of the enterprise, after a year had been spent in fruitless attempts to cany it into effect. — Letters to his mother. — Makes a trial in New London to enhst the merchants of that place in his scheme. — Was the first to propose a voyage for a merchan- tile adventure to the Northwest Coast. — Sails for Cadiz. — Letters from that city containing political remarks. — Sails for L'Orient. — Makes an agreement with a company of merchants there to aid him in such a voyage, as he had proposed in America. — After eight months' preparation, it is given up. — Goes to Paris. - 126
CHAPTER VII.
Meets with Mr Jefferson at Paris. — Project of a voyage to the Northwest Coast with Paul Jones, for the purpose of estabUshing a trading factory there. — Proposes travelling across the continent from Nootka Soiond to the United States — Thinks of going to Africa with Mr Lamb. — Remarks on Paris, and various objects that came under his notice. — The king at Versailles. — Mr Jefferson and Lafayette. — The Queen at St Cloud. — Ap- plication through Baron Grimm to the Empress of Russia, to obtain per- mission for him to travel across her dominions to Bering's Strait. — Colonel Humphreys. — Contemplates going to Petersburgh, before the Empress' answer is received. — Curious anecdote of Sir James Hall. — Visit to the hospitals in Paris. — Tour in Normandy. — Proceeds to London, where he engages a passage on board a vessel just ready to sail for the Northwest Coast. — Colonel Smith's letter to Mr Jay. — The voyage defeated. — Re- solves anew to go to Russia. — Sir Joseph Banks and other gentlemen
contribute funds to aid him in his travels. 153
h
X CONTENTS.
CHAPTER VIII.
Ledyard proceeds to Hamburg.— Goes to Copenhagen, where he meets Major Langbom, another American traveller. — Endeavors to persuade Langbom to accompany him on his tour, but in vain. — Continues his route to Sweden, and is disappointed in not being able to cross the Gulf of Bothnia on the ice. — Journey round the Gulf into the Aictic Circle on foot, through Sweden, Lapland, and Finland. — Maupertiiis' description of the cold at Tornea. — Airives at Petersburg, where he is befriended by Professor Pallas and others. — Procures a passport from the Empress, through the agency of Count Segur, the French ambassador. — Sets out for Siberia, and travels by way of Moscow to Kazan, a town on the river Wolga. — Crosses the Uralian Moimtains. Some account of the city of Tobolsk. — Proceeds to Barnaoul and Tomsk. — Desciiptions of the country and the inhabitants — Character and condition of the exiles at Tomsk. — Fossil bones. — Curious mounds and tombs of the ancient natives. — Arrives at Irkutsk. 173
CHAPTER IX.
Residence at Irkutsk. — Miscellaneous remarks on the inhabitants, and the productions of the countr}'. — Accounts of the Tartars. — Unsuccessful at- tempts to civilize them. — Fur trade on the American coast. — Visit to the Lake Baikal. — Further remarks on the character and manners of the Kal- muks and other Tartars. — Leaves Irkutsk for the river Lena. — Scenery around the Baikal. — Rivers flowing into it. — Extraordinary depth of its waters.— They are fresh, but contain seals, and fish, peculiar to the ocean. — Estimate of the number of rivers in Siberia, and of the quantity of water they pour into the Frozen Ocean. — Ledyard proceeds down the Lena in a bateau. — Romantic scenery along the margin of the river. — Hospitality of the inhabitants. — Ends his voyage at Yakutsk. - - 208
CHAPTER X.
Interview with the Commandant at Yakutsk. — Stopped at this place on ac- count of the advanced state of the season. — His severe disappointment at this event. — Detained under false pretences. — Takes up his residence in Yakutsk for the winter. — Elephant's bones on the banks of the Lena, and in other parts of the countiy. — General remarks on the various tribes of Tartars in Siberia. — Characteristics of savages in cold and warm cli- mates.— Kahnuks have two modes of writing. — Their manner of living. — The Yakuti Tartars. — Influence of religion upon them. — The love of free- dom common to all the Tartars. — Their dwellings. — Intermarriages be- tween the Russians and Tartars. — In what degree the color of descend- ants is affected by such intermarriages. — Peculiarities of features in the Tartar countenance. — Form and use of the Tartar pipe. — Dress. — DifB-
CONTENTS. XI
culty of taking vocabularies of unknown languages. — Marriage ceremo- nies.— Notions of theology. — Practice of scalping. — Wampum. — Classifi- cation of the Tartars and North American Indians. — Language a criterion forjudging of the affinity between the different races of men. — Causes of the difference of color in the human race. — Tartars and American Indians the same people. 227
CHAPTER XI.
Climate in Siberia. — Extreme cold. — Congelation of quicksilver. — Images in Russian houses. — Attention paid to dogs. — Ice windows. — Jealousy of the Russians. — Moral condition of the Russians in Siberia. — Ledyard's celebrated eulogy on women. — Captain Billings meets him at Yakutsk, on his return from the Frozen Ocean. — Bering's discovery of the strait called after his name. — Russian voyages of discover}^ — Bering's death. — Russian fur trade. — Billings's expedition. — His incompetency to the un- dertaking.— His instructions nearly the same as those drawn up by Peter the Great for Bering. — Some of their principal features enumerated. - 25S
CHAPTER XII.
Ledyard departs from Yakutsk, and returns to Irkutsk up the Lena on the ice. — Is seized by order of the Empress, and hurried off in the charge of two guards. — Returns through Siberia to Kazan. — His remarks on the pe- culiarity of his fate. — Further observations on the Tartars. — No good account of them has ever been written. — Passes Moscow and arrives in Poland. — Left by his guards, with an injunction never to appear again in Russia. — Health much impaired by his sufferings. — Proceeds to Konigs- berg, and thence to London. — Inquiry into the motives of the Empress for her cruel treatment of him. — Her pretences of humanity not to be credited. — Her declaration to Count Segur on the subject. — Dr Clarke's explanation incorrect. — The true cause was the jealousy of the Russian American Fur Company, by whose influence his recall was procured from the Empress. — Lafayette's remark on her conduct in this particular, 273
CHAPTER XIII.
Interview with Sir Joseph Banks in London. — Engages to travel in Africa under the auspices of the African Association. — Remarkable instance of decision of character. — Letter to Dr Ledyard, containing miscellaneous particulars respecting his travels and circumstances. — Description of his Siberian dresses. — Origin and purposes of the African Association. — An- cient and present state of Africa. — Benefits of discoveries in that conti- nent.— Letter from Ledyard to his mother. — His remarks to Mr Beaufoy on his departvu'e for Egypt. — Visits Mr Jefferson and Lafayette in Paris. —
Xll CONTENTS.
Sails from Marseilles to Alexandria in Egypt. — Description of Alexandria, in a letter to Mr Jefferson. — Arrives in Cairo. — Description of the city, and of his passage up the Nile. 2S9
CHAPTER XIV.
Remarks on the appearance of the counti-y in passing up the Nile. — Con- dition of a Christian at Cairo. — Interview with the Aga. — Miscellaneous observations on the customs of the Arabs, and other races of people found in Cairo. — Information respecting the interior of Africa. — Visit to the cara- vans and slave markets. — The traveller's reflections on his circumstances and prospects. — His last letter to Mr Jefterson. — Joins a caravan and pre- pares to depart for Sennaar. — He is taken suddenly ill. — His death. — Account of his person and character. 30S
ERRATA.
Page 140, line 20, before Cadiz 'msevt from. " 178, '•' 2, and in several instances aftenvards. lor Langhorn read Lnnsborn.
THE
LIFE AND TRAVELS
JOHN LEDYARD.
CHAPTER L
Birth and parentage. — Early education. — Begins the study of the law. — Enters Dartmouth College with a view to qualify liimself to be a missionary among the Indians. — State of the Indian missions at that time. — His fondness for theatrical exhibitions while at College. — Travels among the Indians of the Six Nations. — His return to College, and adventure in visiting a mountain. Constructs a canoe at Dartmouth College with his own hands, and descends the Connecticut river in it alone to Hartford. — Dangers of the passage. — His sin- gular appearance when he met his friends. — His enterprise compared, to that of Mungo Park on the Niger.
John Ledyard, the celebrated traveller, was born in the year 1751. at Groton, in Connecticut, a small village on the bank of the river Thames, opposite to New London. The place of his birth is but a few hundred yards from Fort Griswold, so well known in the history of the American revolution.
His grandfather, named also John Ledyard, came in early life to America, and settled at Southold, Long Island, as a small trader in dry goods. He was a na- tive of Bristol, England, and had been bred a mer- chant in London. Being prosperous in business at 1
2 LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD.
Southold, he was soon married to a lady of amiable qualities and good fortune, the daughter of Judge Young, a gentleman of character and influence in that place. From Southold he removed to Groton, where he purchased an estate, and resided many years. He had ten children, and after the death of his wife he removed to Hartford, in Connecticut, .and there spent the remainder of his life. For his second wife he married Mrs Ellery, a respectable widow lady of Boston.
To his eldest son, who had the same name as him- self, he gave the estate at Groton. He was a sea captain, engaged in tho West India trade, a man of sound understanding, vigorous constitution, and indus- trious habits. But he died at the age of thirtyfive, leaving a widow and four children, three sons and one daughter, of whom the subject of this memoir was the eldest. Colonel William Ledyard, the brave commander in the memorable action of Fort Griswold, who was slain after the capitula- tion, was the second son.
It thus appears, that John Ledyard, the traveller, was the third of that name in lineal descent. His mother, who was the daughter of Robert Hempsted of Southold, has been described as a lady of many excellencies of mind and character, beautiful in per- son, well informed, resolute, generous, amiable, kind, and above all eminent for piety and the religious vir- tues. Such a mother is the best gift of Heaven to a family of helpless young children. In the present instance all her courage and all her strength of char- acter were necessary, to carry her through the duties
LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD. S
and trials, which devolved upon her. The small estate, which had belonged to her husband in Groton, was, by some strange neglect of her friends, or crimi- nal fraud never yet explained, taken from her soon after his death. During a visit to Long Island, the deed, which she had left with a confidential person, disappeared. As this deed was the only evidence of her title to the property, and her claim could not be substantiated without it, the whole reverted to its former owner, her husband's father, who was still living. The particulars of this transaction are not now known, nor is it necessary to inquire into them. It is enough to state the fact that such an event occur- red, and that the widowed mother with four infant children was thus thrown destitute upon the world. In this condition she and her children repaired to the house of her father in Southold, where they found pro- tection and support. The estate at Groton after- wards fell into the hands of Colonel William Ledyard. It may be supposed, that misfortune did not weak- en her parental solicitude, nor make her neglectful of her high trust. The education of her children was the absorbing object of her thoughts and exertions. Her eldest son was now of an age to receive impres- sions, that would become deeply wrought into his mind, and give a decided bias to his future character. In the marked features of his eventful life, eccentric and extraordinary as it was, full of temptations, cross- es, and sufferings, may often be traced lineaments of virtues, and good impulses, justly referred to such a source, to the early cares and counsels of a judicious, sensible, and pious mother. Nor were these counsels
4 LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD.
scattered in a vacant mind, nor these cares wasted on a cold heart ; in his severest disappointments and pri- vations, in whatever clime or among whatever people, whether contending with the fierce snows of Siberia, or the burning sands of Africa, the image of his moth- er always came with a beam of joy to his soul, and was cherished there with delight. Such of his letters to her, as have been preserved, are written with a tenderness of filial affection, that could flow only from an acute sensibility and a good heart.
A few years after leaving Groton, and settling at Southold, Mrs Ledyard was married to a second hus- band, Dr Moore of the latter place. At this time her son John was taken into the family of his grandfather at Hartford, who, from that period, seems to have considered him as wholly under his charge. Tradi- tion tells of peculiarities in his manners and habits at this early age, of acts indicating the bent of his genius, and the romantic disposition, that gave celebrity to his after life. But no record of his schoolboy adven- tures has come down to us, and we are left to conjec- ture in what manner the wild spirits of a youth like his would exhibit themselves. He attended the grammar school in Hartford, it is to be presumed, with commendable proficiency, since he was at first designed for the profession of the law. Several months were passed by him as a student in the office of Mr Thomas Seymour, a respectable lawyer of that place, who had married his aunt. Meantime his grandfather died, and Mr Seymour became his guar- dian, and took him to his own house. Whether Led- yard turned his thoughts to the law by his voluntary
LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD. 5
choice, or by the advice and wishes of his friends, who desired to quiet his temper, by fixing him in some settled pursuit, is not related ; most probably the lat- ter, for it was soon manifest, that neither the profound wisdom, the abstruse learning, nor the golden prom- ises of the law, had any charms for him. It was decided without reluctance on his part, therefore, that he should leave the path, which he had found so intricate, and in which he had made so little progress, and enter upon one more congenial to his inclination, and presenting objects more attrac- tive to his taste and fancy.
Here was a difficult point to be determined. The pursuit, which would accord best with the propensities, temperament, and wishes of John Ledyard, and best promote his future usefulness and success, was a thing not to be decided, even at that time of his life, by the common rules of judging in such cases ; it was a prelim- inary, which no one probably would have been more perplexed than himself to establish. Never was he ac- customed to look forward with unwavering predilec- tions, to prepare for contingencies, or to mark out a course from which he would not stray. To be seeking some distant object, imposing and attractive in his own conceptions, and to move towards it on the tide of cir- cumstances, through perils and difficulties, was among the chief pleasures of his existence. On enterprises, in which no obstacles were to be encountered, no chances to be run, no disappointments to be appre- hended, no rewards of hazardous adventure to be looked for, he bestowed not a thought ; but let a pro- ject be started, thickly beset with dangers, and prom-
b LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD.
ising success only through toils and sufferings, deeds of courage, and the resolute efforts of an untiring spirit, and not a man would grasp at it so eagerly, or pursue it with so much intenseness of purpose. The wholesome maxim of providing for the morrow rarely found a place in his ethics or his practice ; and as he never allowed himself to anticipate misfortunes, so he never took any pains to guard against them.
He was now at the age of nineteen, with very narrow means, few friends, and no definite prospects. In this state of his affairs, as it was necessary for something to be done, he was compelled to look around him, and for a moment to exercise that fore- sight, which the tenor of his life proves him to have been so reluctant on most occasions to call to his aid. And, after all, he was more indebted to accident, than to his own deliberations, for the immediate events, that awaited him. Dr Wheelock, the amiable and pious founder of Dartmouth College, had been the in- timate friend of his grandfather, and prompted by the remembrance of this tie, he invited Ledyard to enter his institution, recently established at Hanover, New Hampshire, amidst the forests on the banks of the Connecticut river. This offer was accepted, and in the spring of 1772, he took up his residence at this new seat of learning, with the apparent inten- tion of qualifying himself to become a missionary aniong the Indians.
His mother's wishes and advice had probably much influence in guiding him to this resolution. In accord- ance with the religious spirit of that day, she felt a strong compassion for the deplorable state of the
LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD. 7
Indians, and it was among her earliest and fondest hopes of this her favorite son, that he would be edu- cated as a missionary, and become an approved instru- ment in the hands of Providence to bring these de- graded and suffering heathen to a knowledge of a pure religion, and the blessings of civilized life. When she saw this door opened for the realizing of her hopes, and her son placed under the charge of the most eminent laborer of his day in the cause of the Indians, her joy was complete.
From the first settlement of the country much zeal and much disinterested philanthropy have been exer- cised, in attempts to convert the Indians to Christianity, and induce them to adopt the manners and partici- pate the comforts of civilized men. Eliot (rightly named the apostle of the Indians), and the May hews, are entitled to the praises, which succeeding times have bestowed on them ; and the efforts of the Society in Great Britain for propagating the Gospel in foreign parts, were prompted by motives of the noblest kind, and were bestowed with an ardor and with sacrifices, that demand a generous tribute from the pen of histo- ry, and the grateful remembrance of posterity. For many years little had been done, however, till the popular talents and fervent zeal of David Brainerd caused the journals of his missionary tours to be read throughout the country, his labors applauded, and his success regarded as an evidence of the great work, that might be wrought by the use proper of means.
About this time the Reverend Eleazer Wheelock, who was then a settled clergyman in Lebanon, Con- necticut, formed the scheme of an Indian School,
O LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD.
which should have the double object of preparing young preachers for the missionary field, and of edu- cating Indian youth, who should return to their tribes, and become teachers among their own people. With- out show or ostentation Dr Wheelock commenced the school at his own house, and almost at his own charge. He began with two pupils, one of whom was Sampson Occum, an Indian of the Mohegan tribe, afterwards so much celebrated as a preacher, and for his instructions to the Indians. The school gradually increased, and so benevolent an undertaking, pursued with such singleness of purpose, could not fail to attract public notice and approbation. He was aided by contributions from individuals, and tlv3 province of Massachusetts voted to pay, for a certain time, the expense of educating six Indian children. Mr Joshua Moor, who owned lands in Lebanon, gave a portion of them for the benefit of this school, and from this circumstance, the seminary for the education of In- dian boys, afterwards attached to Dartmouth College, was called Moor^s Indian School.
But Dr Wheelock still found, that pupils from the forest flocked to him faster, than he could provide for them. He thought it now time to adopt the expedient of sending to England, and soliciting assistance from the wealthy and charitable on the other side of the water. For this object Sampson Occum, and another clergyman, were sent out as agents, furnished with testimonials of their character, and certificates of ap- probation from eminent persons in the colonies. Oc- cum was looked upon as a wonder in England. He was the first Indian preacher from North America,
LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD. 9
that ever had been seen m the Old World ; wherever he went crowds gathered around him, and it has been the lot of few speakers to address audiences so throng- ed. A North American Indian in a pulpit, eloquently preaching in the English tongue, was a phenomenon too nearly miraculous to pass unseen or unheard. It was said, moreover, that he exhibited in his person and character, a practical example of w^hat might be done with Indians, when fairly brought under the influence of instruction. All this was highly favorable to the great ends of the mission, and in a few months a sub- scription was obtained, and money paid to the amount of nearly ten thousand pounds. The king gave two hundred pounds, and several gentlemen one hundred each. The money was deposited in the hands of trus- tees in England, and drawn out as occasion required. With this addition to his resources, Dr Wheelock began to think of enlarging the plan of his school, and removing nearer to the frontiers, both to diminish the expense of living, and to be nearer the Indians. After examining several situations, he selected Hano- ver, then almost a wilderness, to which place he removed in 1770, cut away the trees, and erected the the institution, which he called Dartmouth College, in honor of Lord Dartmouth, who had manifested zeal and liberality in collecting the Indian fund in England. To this college, about two years after it was found- ed, Ledyard resorted to prepare himself for the arduous office of a missionary among the Indians. The nature of a missionary's life at that time, and the prospects of the young candidate for such a station, may be fully realized by a perusal of the 2
10 , LIFE QF JOHN LEDYARD.
letters from the Reverend Samuel Kirkland to Dr Wheelock, written previously to the removal from Lebanon. Mr Kirkland was a graduate of Nassau Hall, in New Jersey, and when qualified for the minis- try, he undertook a mission to the Seneca Indians, the most remote and fierce of the confederate nations. He continued there more than a year and a half, and gained the confidence of some of the chief persons of the tribe ; but so general was the aversion to the whites, and to the arts of civilized life, that after a thorough experiment, he despaired of any such success as would be adequate to the sacrifices he must make, and the sufferings he must endure. Leaving the Senecas, therefore, he next proceeded to the Oneidas, with whom he took up a permanent residence. Here poverty, and famine, and wretchedness stared him in the face.* Nor were these the worst evils, with
* During the first year of his sojourning with his tribe (1767), he wrote to Dr Wheelock as follows.
" I am distressed to know what to do ; the present poverty of these people cries aloud for the charity of God's people ; two years ago their corn was cut off by the frost, last year destroyed by the vermin, and worms threaten the destruction of one half of the present crop. Many of them for a month past have eat but once a day, and yet continue to v/ork. From week to week I am obliged to go eeling with the Indians at Oneida Lake for my subsistence. I have feasted and starved with them, as their luck depends on wind and weather. If it shoidd be asked, why they do not support me, the answer is ready, They can- not support themselves. They are now half starved. Some of them have no more than two quarts of corn. I fear my appearing in such a servile, beggarly manner will very much disserve the design in -vaew; but I must desist, must go down to the lake for eels this day, and. return tomorrow to hill my corn and potatoes."
Again a few weeks afterwards he wrote, " Through the tender mer- cies of God, I enjoy some degree of health, amidst aU my troubles and distresses, though my strength begins to fail. I cannot subsist long
LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD. 1 1
which he was obliged to contend. The capricious temper and furious passions of the savages, especially when intoxicated, frequently put his life in jeopardy, and kept him in a state of unceasing alarm. All these things were endured by Mr Kirkland with a christian fortitude, which nothing but a deep sense of the sacred nature of his duties could have enabled him to maintain. He triumphed at last ; he lived many years with the Oneidas, and had the satisfaction to see, that his toils were not fruitless. The Indians revered him as a father ; they had the wisdom to respect and some- times to follow his counsels ; a visible change took place in their character and modes of life ; the rough features of the savage vi^ere softened, famine and want chased away, and the comforts of life multiplied. These advantages the sons of the forest saw and felt. No man has ever been more successful than Mr Kirkland in improving the condition of the Indians, and to the last day of his life, he continued to receive from them earnest demonstrations of affection and gratitude.*
without relief. I have ate no flesh in my own house for near eight weeks. Flour and milk with a few eels have been my living. Such diet, with my hard labor abroad, doth not satisfy nature. My poor people are almost starved to death. I am grieved to the heart for them. There is one family, consisting of four, I must support after my fashion, till squashes come on, or they must perish. They have had nothing these ten days, but what I have given them. They have only each an old blanket not worth sixpence, wherewith to buy anything ; and begging here at this season would be a very poor business. I would myself be glad of the opportunity to fall on my knees for such a bone as I have often seen cast to the dogs."
* In speaking of this subject, the name of John Thornton should not be forgotten. He was a wealthy English gentleman, who was active in procuring donations to the Indian fund, and himself a large contribu-
12 LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD.
To this brief sketch it is hardly necessary to add, that when the revokitionary war came on, a check was given to the designs of the benevolent in behalf of the Indians. They engaged in the strife, which had been kindled by their white neighbors, and the voice of the missionary was silenced by the war whoop, and the din of battle. Many of Dr Whee- lock's Indian pupils, having gone through a regular course of instruction, had returned to their homes, and were beginning to scatter the light they had re- ceived ; but their influence was lost amidst the rav- ages of war. Much was it to be lamented, that the agency of a school, to which Dr Wheelock had de- voted the years of a long and toilsome life, and which had awakened a lively interest in the friends of humanity, should be so soon brought to an end, and nothing be seen in the result but a melancholy waste of time, talents, and money.
Such was the condition of a missionary among the Indians, and such the origin and purpose of the Insti- tution, to which Ledyard resorted for an education, which should qualify him to enter upon his destined task. Not many memorials remain of his college life. The whole time of his residence at Dartmouth was not more than one year, and during that period he was absent three months and a half, rambling among the Indians. A classmate still living recollects, that he
tor ; he gave Sampson Occum a pension of one hundred dollars a year, sent private aid to Dr Wheelock and Mr Kirkland, wrote them frequent letters of encouragement, and was never weary, either by personal exertions or charitable gifts, of promoting the cause of Indian Missions.
LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD. 13
had then some amusing singularities, was cheerful and gay in conversation, winning in his address, and a favorite with his fellow students. His journey from Hartford to Hanover was performed in a sulkey, the first vehicle of the kind, that had ever been seen on Dartmouth plain, and it attracted curiosity not more from this circumstance, than from the odd appearance of the equipage. Both the horse and the sulkey gave evident tokens of having known better days ; and the dress of their owner was peculiar, bidding equal defiance to symmetry of proportions and the fashion of the times. In addition to the traveller's own weight, this ancient vehicle was burdened with a quantity of calico for curtains, and other articles to assist in theatrical exhibitions, of which he was very fond. From the character of this outfit we may con- clude, that he did not intend time should pass on heavy wings at Dartmouth. Considering the newness of the country, the want of bridges, and the bad state of the roads, this jaunt in a crazy sulkey was thought to in- dicate no feeble spirit of enterprise. The journey might have been performed with much more ease and expedition on horseback, but in that case his theatrical apparatus must have been left behind.
As a scholar at college he was respectable, but not over-diligent ; he acquired knowledge with facility, and could make quick progress, when he chose, but he was impatient under discipline, and thought nothing more irksome, than to go by compulsion to a certain place at certain times, and tread from day to day the same dull circle of the chapel, the recitation room, the commons hall, and the study. It is not affirmed, that
14 LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD.
he ever ventured to set up any direct hostility to the powers that ruled, but he sometimes demeaned him- self in a manner, that must take from him the praise of a shining example of willing subordination. In those primitive times the tones of a bell had not been heard in the forests of Dartmouth, and the students were called together by the sound of a conch-shell, which was blown in turn by the freshmen, Ledyard was indignant at being summoned to this duty, and it was his custom to perform it w'ith a reluctance and in a manner corresponding to his sense of the degradation.
The scenic materials, brought with so much pains from Hartford, were not suffered to lie useless. The calico was manufactured into curtains, a stage was fitted up, and plays w^ere acted, in which our hero personated the chief characters. Cato was among the tragedies brought out upon his boards, and in this he acted the part of old Syphax, w^earing a long grey beard, and a dress suited to his notion of the costume of a Numidian prince. His tragedies were doubtless comedies to the audience, but they all answered his purpose of amusement, and of introducing a little variety into the sober tenor of a student's life. At this period he was much addicted to reading plays, and his passion for the drama probably stole away many hours, that might have been more profitably employed in preparing to exhibit himself before his tutors.
He had not been quite four months in college, when he suddenly disappeared without previous notice to his comrades, and apparently without permission from the president. The full extent of his travels during
LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD. 15
his absence cannot now be known, but he is under- stood to have wandered to the borders of Canada, and among the Six Nations. It is certain, that he acquired in this excursion a knowledge of Indian manners and Indian language, which was afterwards of essential service to him in his intercourse with savages in various parts of the world. His main object probably was to take a cursoi;y survey of the missionary ground, which he was contemplating as the theatre of his future career, and, judging from what followed, we may suppose that this foretaste put an end to all his anticipations. Nothing more is heard of his missionary projects, although it is not clear at what time he absolutely abandoned them. When three months and a half had expired, he returned to college and resumed his studies.
If his dramatic performances were not revived, as it would seem they were not, his erratic spirit did not sink into a lethargy for want of expedients to keep it alive. In midwinter, when the ground was covered with deep snow, Ledyard collected a party whom he persuaded to accompany him to the summit of a neighbouring mountain, and there pass the night. Dr Wheelock consented to the project, as his heart was bent on training up the young men to be missionaries among the Indians, and he was willing they should become inured to hardships, to which a life among savages would frequently expose them. The projec- tor of the expedition took the lead of his volunteers, and conducted them by a pathless route through the thickets of a swamp and forests, till they reached the top of the mountain, just in time to kindle a fire, and
16 LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD.
arrange their encampment on the snow before it was dark. The night, as may be supposed, was dreary and sleepless to most of the party, and few were they who did not greet the dawn with gladness. Their leader was alert, prompt at his duty, and pleased with his success. The next day, they returned home, all perfectly satisfied, unless it were Ledyard, with this single experiment of their hardihood, without being disposed to make another similar trial. He had a propensity for climbing mountains, as will be seen hereafter, when we meet him at the Sandwich Islands.
After abandoning his missionary schemes he began to grow weary of college, and the more so, probably, as his unsettled habits now and then drew from the president a salutary admonition on the importance of a right use of time, and a regard for the regulations of the establishment. Such hints he conceived to be an indignity, and fancied himself ill treated. That there was value in rules of order and discipline he did not pretend to deny, but seemed at a loss to imagine why they should apply to him. That the whole sub- ject might be put at rest, without involving any puz- zling questions of casuistry, he resolved to escape.
On the margin of the Connecticut river, which runs near the college, stood many majestic forest trees, nourished by a rich soil. One of these Ledyard con- trived to cut down. He then set himself at work to fashion its trunk into a canoe, and in this labor he was assisted by some of his fellow students. As the canoe was fifty feet long and three wide, and was to be dug out and constructed by these unskilful workmen,
LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD. 17
the task was not a trifling one, nor such as could be speedily executed. Operations were carried on with spirit, however, till Ledyard wounded himself with an axe, and was disabled for several days. When recovered he applied himself anew to his work ; the canoe was finished, launched into the stream, and, by the further aid of his companions, equipped and pre- pared for a voyage. His wishes were now at their consummation, and, bidding adieu to these haunts of the muses, where he had gained a dubious fame, he set off alone with a light heart to explore a river, with the navigation of which he had not the slightest acquaintance. The distance to Hartford was not less than one hundred and forty miles, much of the way was through a wilderness, and in several places there were dangerous falls and rapids.
With a bearskin for a covering, and his canoe well stocked with provisions, he yielded himself to the current, and floated leisurely down the stream, seldom using his paddle, and stopping only in the night for sleep. He told Mr Jefferson in Paris, fourteen years afterwards, that he took only two books with him, a Greek Testament, and Ovid, one of which he was deeply engaged in reading when his canoe approached Bellows's Falls, where he was suddenly roused by the noise of the waters rushing among the rocks through the narrow passage. The danger was imminent, as no boat could go down that fall without being in- stantly dashed in pieces. With difficulty he gained the shore in time to escape such a catastrophe, and through the kind assistance of the people in the neighbourhood, who were astonished at the novelty of such a voyage 3
18 LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD.
down the Connecticut, his canoe was drawn by oxen around the fall, and committed again to the water be- low. From that time, till he arrived at his place of destination, we hear of no accident, although he was carried through several dangerous passes in the river. On a bright spring morning, just as the sun was rising, some of Mr Seymour's family were standing near his house on the high bank of the small river, that runs through the city of Hartford, and empties itself into the Connecticut river, when they espied at some distance an object of unusual appearance moving slowly up the stream. Others were attracted by the singularity of the sight, and all were conjecturing what it could be, till its questionable shape assumed the true and ob- vious form of a canoe ; but by what impulse it was moved forward none could determine. Something was seen in the stern, but apparently without life or motion. At length the canoe touched the shore directly in front of the house ; a person sprang from the stern to a rock in the edge of the water, threw off a bearskin in which he had been enveloped, and be- hold John Ledyard, in the presence of his uncle and connexions, who were filled with wonder at this sud- den apparition, for they had received no intelligence of his intention to leave Dartmouth, but supposed him still there diligently pursuing his studies, and fitting himself to be a missionary among the Indians.
However unimportant this whimsical adventure may have been in its results, or even its objects, it was one of no ordinary peril, and illustrated in a forcible man- ner the character of the navigator. The voyage was performed in the last part of April or first of May,
LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD. 19
and of course the river was raised by the recent melting of the snow on the mountains. This circumstance probably rendered the rapids less dan- gerous, but it may be questioned whether there are many persons at the present day, who would willingly run the same hazard, even if guided by a pilot skilled in the navigation of the river.
We cannot look back to Ledyard, thus launching himself alone in so frail a bark upon the waters of a river wholly unknown to him, without being reminded of the only similar occurrence, which has been record- ed, the voyage down the river Niger by Mungo Park, a name standing at the very head of those most re- nowned for romantic and lofty enterprise. The melancholy fate, it is true, by which he was soon arrested in his noble career, adds greatly to the inter- est of his situation when pushing from the shore his little boat Joliba, and causes us to read his last affect- ing letter to his wife with emotions of sympathy more intense if possible, than would be felt if the tragical issue were not already known. In many points of character there was a strong resemblance between these two distinguished travellers, and they both per- ished martyrs in the same cause, attempting to explore the hidden regions of Africa.
20 LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD.
CHAPTER II.
His singular letters to President Wheelock. — Commences the study of theology, — His embarrassments on this occasion. — Visits several clergymen on Long Island, and piu-sues his studies there for a short time. — Proposes teaching a school. — Returns to Connecticut, and meets with disappointment in his hopes of being settled as a clergyman. — Abandons his purpose of studying divinity. — Sails from New London on a voyage to Gibraltar. — Enlists there as a soldier into the regular sei-vice. — Released by the solicitation of the cap- tain of the vessel in which he sailed. — Rettims home by way of the Barbary Coast and the West Indies. — Resolves to visit England, and seek for his wealthy family connexions in that country. — Sails fiom New York to 'Ply- mouth.— Travels thence to London in extreme poverty. — Realizes none of his expectations. — Enlists in the naval service. — Gains an acquaintance with Captain Cook, and embarks with him on his last voyage roimd the world, in the capacity of corporal of marines.
As Ledyard left Hanover when Dv Wheelock was absent, this was probably seized upon by him as a fit opportunity for taking his departure. A few days after his arrival in Hartford, his uncle thought proper to show him some of Dr Wheelock's letters, in which were very just complaints of his conduct, his disregard of discipline, and particularly his thoughtless waste of the small means he possessed, which his friends flat- tered themselves might, with good economy, be made to pay the expenses of his education. These letters of the president were apparently written not so much by way of accusation, as to vindicate himself from any charge of neglect that might be made against him, on account of the ill success of his eflbrts to manage a young man, whom he had no other motive for taking under his particular care, than good will for the grandson of his deceased friend, and regard for
LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD. 21
his family. Ledyard was much incensed at these letters, and replied to them mider the impulse of feelings not the most kindly or respectful. From his nature he was extremely impatient of reproach, and ever deemed it an unpardonable offence in any one to question his motives, or insinuate that he could act deliberately and intentionally wrong. His foibles he could bear to have touched with a gentle hand, but no one ventured a suspicion of his integrity, or of the kind- ness of his heart, with impunity. He often lamented the failure of purposes caused by his fondness for change and love of adventure ; but at no time did he allow himself to think, that he was not pursuing great and worthy objects, and such as would redound to his honor, and the good of mankind. With this disposi- tion, and this confidence in himself, it was natural that he should sometimes regard the opinions, which others entertained of his conduct, with stronger feel- ings of disapprobation, than the merits of the case required. In reading the following extracts from a a letter to Dr Wheelock, these particulars should be kept in mind ; and it should moreover be remembered, that, whether right or wrong, he really fancied himself not well treated at Dartmouth.
" When I sit down to write," says he, " I know not where to begin, or where to end, or what to say, especially since I have the contents of two of your letters concerning my affairs. What do I see ? Who is this that assumes the port of compassion, kindness, benevolence, charity, and writes as he writes ? You begin, sir, with a surprise, that my legacy was so much exhausted. Justly might you, sir, but not more
ZZ LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD.
SO than my unfortunate self; and if truth has not turned liar, if any protestations, any declarations of honesty, uprightness, or anything else can avail, I now, under the most sacred obligations, bond jide declare I was not aware of it ; and when I saw the letters and account, I was so much ashamed of my inadvertency, and so justly culpable before you, that I could not compose myself to come before you, and answer for my misconduct. But from that moment, with much anxiety and care, I studied to remedy the matter. This I declare was- the honest purpose of my heart ; and to make you reparation still is ; and, under Heaven, you shall say you are satisfied. Then, sir, you say, a little after, that you could have no confi- dence in me, after the character given of me by Mr Seymour. I am sorry, sir, you could not.
" I take what you have said, in regard to my pride, very ill-natured, very unkind in you. So far as I know myself, I came to your college under influences of the good kind, whether you, sir, believe it or not. The acquaintance I have gained there is dearer than I can possibly express. Farewell, dear Dartmouth. Doctor, my heart is as pure as the new fallen snow. Farewell, and may the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, bless you and yours. I am, honored and rev- erend sir, though sorely beset, your obliged and duti- ful young servant."
Here end all the particulars, which have come to my knowledge, respecting Ledyard's college life. He next appears before us in the character of a stu- dent in divinity. Within a month after mooring his canoe at the river's bank in Hartford, he is found at
LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD. 23
Preston, in Connecticut, advising with the reverend Mr Hart, a clergyman of that town, on the subject of his theological studies and prospects, and also with the reverend Dr Bellamy, at that time a preacher of wide fame in Connecticut. Both of these clergymen gave him such encouragement, that he resolved to apply himself immediately to a preparation for discharging the sacred functions of a divine, and turn the ruffled tenor of his life into the quiet and grateful occupation of a parish minister. He speaks of his anticipations on this occasion with a heartiness and enthusiasm, which show, at least, that he imagined himself sin- cere, and that in the future he fancied he had only to look for the unalloyed blessings of tranquillity, competence, and peace. Such was his haste to realize these precious hopes, that he had not pa- tience to wait the usual term required of young candidates, who had not been graduated at a col- lege. To facilitate the attainment of this end, his advisers recommended that he should go to Long Island, and there pass through his initiatory studies, where, it was said, smaller attainments were required for admission to the desk ; and when once admitted, he might return and procure a settlement wherever there should be an opening. With this scheme he was well satisfied, and being furnished by the above gentlemen with suitable letters of recommendation, he mounted his horse and set off for Long Island, with the same buoyancy of spirits, as when, two months before, he entered his canoe at Dartmouth, and with a purpose much more definite, and higher expectations.
24 LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD.
In describing this tour I shall let him speak in his own language, as contained in a letter written to a friend at the time.
" Equipped with my credentials, I embarked for Long Island. The next day I fortunately arrived at Southold, surprised my mother with a visit, and after remaining with her twenty-four hours, I rode to the eastward. With another recommendatory letter from the reverend Mr Storrs, I crossed Shelter Island ferry, and thence to East Hampton, where I met with a kind reception from the reverend Mr Buell, modera- tor of the Synod, an influential man, and a glorious preacher. Here I was introduced to a very large library, and, in company with another young candi- date, I spent about a month with intense application to study. But this was only an interregnum. Mr Buell let me know, that the presbytery here proceed in these matters with a perfect extreme of delibera- tion ; and since my circumstances were as they were, he advised me to comply with the dispensations of Providence, and seek a school, and study under some divine. I knew his advice to be as that from a father to a son, and, without a moment's hesitation, wiping the sweat of care from my brow, I bestrided my Rosinante with a mountain of grief upon my shoul- ders, but a good letter in my pocket. I jogged on groaning, but never desponding, passed to Bridgetown, thence to Southampton, and through many little villa- ges to Sataucket Quorum, then to Smithtown, Fire- place, Oyster Bay, and so on, visiting and making acquaintance with the clergy wherever I went.
LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD. 25
" At length, after a ride of almost one hundred miles, by crossing the island I arrived at Huntington, a large town about forty miles from New York, where I visited the minister of the place, old Mr Prime. After about twelve days' feasting upon his great libra- ry, and a quickly made friendship with the ingenious Dr Prime formerly of New York, and a fruitless attempt to get a school, I was returning, but stopped to become acquainted with the excellent Irishman, the reverend Mr Caldwell of Elizabeth Town, and the popular Dr Rogers of New York ; and, after some cordials of consolation and encouragement, they bade me go on, and God speed me. They told me that the sufferings I met with, and the contemptuous ideas the people where I was born and educated had of me, were nothing strange, but reflected honor on me, — that a prophet is hardly accepted in his own country, and the like.
" I returned after a very fatiguing journey to Mr BuelPs, and staid a short time wdth that hermit, where and with whom I longed to be buried in ease ; but I scorned to be a coward, and chose to die in front of battle if anywhere. We advised together anew, and it w^as resolved, that since I was so disappointed I should proceed with renewed vigor. Accordingly, with warm letters I came again to the continent, where I arrived in the evening, but thought it most prudent not to stop there, no, not where I was born. I dropped a tear upon the occasion, and rode on toward Preston till eleven at night, when, feeling quite ex- hausted, for I had been severely sea-sick, I dismount- ed, left my horse to graze, looked up to heaven, and 4
26 LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD.
under its canopy fell asleep. The next morning I rode to my cousin Isaac's house, and being refreshed, I. advanced once more to Mr Hart's, where I was again handsomely and kindly received."
Thus disappointed in his expectations on Long Island, his ardor were somew^hat damped, but his re- solution remained unshaken. He made up his mind to apply again to his old friends, and seek their sym- pathy and counsel. As they had expressed themselves warmly in his favor, and recommended him in flatter- ing terms to the Long Island clergy, he was sanguine in the faith, that they would not, when things came to an extremity, hesitate to do, on their own part, what they had encouraged so earnestly in their brethren. With some confidence, therefore, he repeated his soli- citations to Mr Hart. The result shall likewise be given in his own words.
" We have advised together, and read the aforesaid letters. The amount of all is this, ' Don't be dis- couraged, Mr Ledyard ; you will think the better of fair weather after this storm. My private sentiments, and my public conduct in your case, are two things. I don't doubt one single instant of your probity and well-meaning. What the world does, I cannot say ; but as I officiate in a public character, I must deal with you as so officiating, and for that reason, as well as securing your future tranquillity in the ministry, by making a good beginning, I by all means advise, first, that you write speedily to the reverend Mr Whitman, and get him to write to us respecting you what he can, as you have lived long under him ; secondly, that you write also to Dartmouth, to procure a regular dis-
LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD. 27
mission from the president. When we have these, we shall proceed with confidence in the face of all men, and not be ashamed to introduce you anywhere.' Now, Sir, though but very brief, I have given you an exact account of my situation, and the fatigues of my pursuits. You see what bars my sitting directly down. " As Dartmouth is at such a distance, the clergy here do not insist on a return from that place so soon as from Hartford, but the sooner I have an answer from Mr Whitman, the sooner w^ill my mind be at rest. There are four ministers that stand ready to advance me the moment this is done, among whom the famous Dr Bellamy is one. The clergy are very exact in these things, and I have sometimes thought that they meant to keep me humming around them till I was tired, and so get clear of an absolute refusal, or, as Dr Young expresses it, to
Fright me, with terrors of a world unknown, From joys of this, to keep them all their own.
They have found me affliction-proof, if this was their motive ; but I plainly see they mean it for my honor — and their own too. The request, in short, which I make of you is, that you will please to wait on Mr Whitman with my letter, hurry him for an answer, and send it to me by the earliest opportunity."
That such an answer never came, may be inferred from the fact, that he was never licensed as a preach- er; and the judgment of his friends, the clergymen, is not to be so much censured in this, perhaps, as in the unjustifiable encouragement they held out to him. They could not suppose him qualified for the clerical office, with the limited knowledge and experience he
28 LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD.
possessed, and it was wrong to delude him with the notion, that they would under any circumstances pub- licly approve him as such, merely upon receiving two letters, which at most could testify only to his general character. His attainments were afterwards to be made. He was doubtless importunate, and Mr Hart and Dr Bellamy were goodnatured, but their kindness would have been better applied, especially on a mind like that of Ledyard's, if they had been more frank and decided in the outset. His sensibility was keenly touched by the disappointment, which, as much as anything perhaps, drove him, somewhat disgusted, from prosecuting his theological studies. That he engaged in them with considerable ardor, no one can doubt after reading his remarks above ; that he would have continued long of the same mind is not very likely ; but it was a mistaken exercise of bene- volence to foster hopes, which there was no chance of seeing ripened into realities, and thus enticing him into a profession, for which he was hardly in any one re- spect fitted. As a further proof, that he was in earnest at the beginning, it may be mentioned, that he not only applied himself assiduously to study, but was accus- tomed to declaim in the woods and retired places, that he might discipline his voice, and prepare himself for public speaking.
But his studies in theology were of short duration. He was mortified at the ill success of his application to the clergy for being approved as a candidate, and other circumstances concurred to annoy and wound him. The effect of these on his feelings will appear in the follow- ing postscript to a letter, written three months after the
LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD. 29
one last quoted. " I send you this from Groton, even the little Groton, where it seems I must at last hide mj head, and relinquish all the glorious purposes I had in view. 'Tis hard. Do you not wonder that I still live, when there is such inquiry about the strange man in Hartford, when I am the mark of impertinent curiosity, when everything around me opposes my designs ? Do you not wonder, that I have my senses in so great a degree as to let you know, that I am as unmoved as my observers and opposers ? " These hints are enough to show that obstacles of a serious kind, whether imaginary or real, met him in various quarters, and that a weight of corroding cares hung upon his soul.
But we are not left long to sympathize with him in his griefs. All thoughts of divinity being now aban- doned, he is introduced to us a few weeks afterwards in a totally new character, that of a sailor on board a vessel bound to Gibraltar. Captain Deshon, who re- sided in New London, and sailed from that port, had been his father's friend, and the hero of our narrative now shipped with him for a voyage to the Mediterra- nean. He entered as a common sailor, but was treat- ed by the captain rather as a friend and associate, than as one of the ordinary crew, and his good humour, suavity of manners, and comparative intelligence, made his company highly acceptable to all on board. The voyage was first to Gibraltar, next to a port on the Barbary coast for taking in a cargo of mules, and thence homeward by way of the West Indies.
One incident only has been transmitted, as worthy of notice during this voyage. While the ship was
30 LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD.
lying at Gibraltar, Ledyard was all at once missing, and it was some time before anything could be heard of him. There came a rumor at length, that he was among the soldiery in the barracks. A person was sent to make inquiry, who descried him in the ranks, dressed in the British uniform, armed and equipped from head to foot, and carrying himself with a martial air and attitude, which proved that to what- ever vocation he might be called, he was not to be out- done by his comrades. Captain Deshon went to his quarters, and remonstrated with him for this strange freak, and urged him to return. He said he enlisted because he was partial to the service, and thought the profession of a soldier well suited to a man of honor and enterprise ; but that he would not be obstinate, and was willing to go back, if the captain insisted on it, and would procure his release. When the circum- stances were made known to the British commanding officer, he consented to release his new recruit, who returned on board the ship and prosecuted his voyage.
While at Gibraltar he wrote home a very full and amusing account of what he saw in that place, but the letter has been lost.
Within a year from the time of sailing from New London, the vessel anchored again in the same har- bor, and the only profit yielded by the voyage to our young adventurer was a little experience of the hard- ships of a sailor's life, and knowledge of the myste- ries of his profession. However valuable might be this species of gain as stock on hand for future use, it had no power to satisfy immediate want ; poverty stared him in the face ; and at the age of twenty-two
LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD. 31
he found himself a solitary wanderer, dependent on the bounty of his friends, without employment or prospects, having tried various pursuits and failed of success in all. Neither his pride, nor his sense of duty, would suffer him to remain in this condition one moment longer, than till he could devise a method of escape from it ; yet the peculiar frame of his mind and temper was such, that nothing would have been more idle, either in himself or any other person, than to think of chaining him down to any of the dull courses of life, to which the great mass of mankind are contented to resort, as the means of acquiring a fortune, gaining a competence, or driving want from the door. That he must provide for himself by his own efforts, was a proposition too forcibly impressed upon him to be denied ; but there seemed not a single propensity of his nature, which inclined him to direct these efforts in the same manner as other people, or to attain common ends by com- mon means. Poverty and privation were trifles of no weight with him, compared with the irksome necessity of walking in the same path that all the world walked in, and doing things as all the world had done them before. He thought this a very tame pursuit, unwor- thy of a rational man, whose soul should be fired with a nobler ambition.
Entertaining such views of the objects of human life, it is not surprising that he should feel himself hanging loosely upon society, and should discover that while he continued without purpose and without pro- perty, he would exhibit slender claims to the respect of the community, or the confidence of his friends.
32 LIFE OF JOHN LED YARD.
Their sympathy he might have, but this was a boon which he disdained to accept, when elicited by misfor- tunes springing from his own improvidence, or by evils which he had power to avoid. That he had no intention of fixing himself down in any steady occu- pation, is proved by a remark in a letter written from Gibraltar. " I allot to myself," said he, " a seven years' ramble more, although the past has long since wasted the means I possessed." Often had he heard his grandfather descant on his ancestors, and his wealthy connexions in England ; and the thought had entered our rambler's head, that one day it might be no unwise thing for him to visit these relatives, and claim alli- ance with them as a hopeful branch of so worthy a stock. In this stage of his affairs he was convinced, that the proper time had come, and he suffered now and then a bright vision to play before his fancy, of the happy change that would ensue, by the aid and in- fluence of his newly found friends in England, who would receive with joy so promising a member of their family from America. Elated with dreams like these, he took a hasty leave of the place of his nativi- ty, and the associates of his youth, and made the best of his way to New York, there to seek out a passage to the land of promise.
The first vessel about to sail for England was bound to Plymouth, and in this he obtained a birth, probably on condition of working as a sailor. His trip to the Mediterranean was now to yield its fruits. On his arrival in Plymouth and leaving the vessel, he was re- duced to the extreme of want, without money in his pocket, or a single acquaintance to whom he could
LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD. 33
apply for relief. Thus situated it behoved him to make haste to London, where he looked for an imme- diate welcome and a home among the relations, whose wealth and virtues he had heard so much extolled by his grandfather. As the good fortune of the moment would have it, he fell in with an Irishman, a genuine specimen of the honesty, frankness, and good nature, which characterize many of the sons of Erin ; whose plight so exactly resembled his own, that they formed a mutual attachment almost as soon as they came in contact with each other. There is a sym- pathetic power in misfortune, which is heedless of the forms of society, and acts not by any cold rule of calculation. Both the travellers were pedestrians bound to London, both were equally destitute, having nothing wherewith to procure a subsistence. They agreed to take turns in begging on the road. In this manner they travelled harmoniously together, till they reached London, without having any reason to com- plain that Providence had neglected them on the way, or that there was a lack of generous and disinterested feeling in the human kind.
Ledyard's thoughts were now gay, for although in beggary, he fancied that the next step would place him at the summit of his wishes, and open to him wide the door of prosperity. Had he possessed the very lamp of Aladdin, and been endued with the Dervise's power, he could not have been more confident or happy. To find out his relations was now his only anxiety. By acci- dent he saw the family name on a carriage, and he inquired of the coachman where the owner lived, and what was his occupation. The answer was, that 5
34 LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD,
he was a rich merchant, and the place of his resi- dence was pointed out. Our eager traveller hastened to the house, inquired for the occupant, and ascer- tained that he was not at home. A son was there, however, who listened to his story, but gave him soon to understand, that he put no faith in his representa- tions, as he had never heard of any such relations as he told of in America. He observed, moreover, that he resembled one of the family, who had been absent some years in the East Indies, and whom they were extremely anxious to see, assuring him, that if he were really the person, he would be received with open arms. This was a very unlucky interview, for nothing ever raised Ledyard's anger to so high a pitch, as a suspicion expressed or implied of his integrity and honest intentions. He seemed from that moment determined to prosecute his inquiry after his family connexions no further, but to shun all that bore the name. The son pressed him to remain till his father should return, but he abruptly left the house, and never went back.
Some time afterwards, when he had gained ac- quaintances of respectable name in London, to whom he related his story, they went with it to the same gentleman, telling him, that the young man seemed honest, and they doubted not the truth of what he had stated. The gentleman refused at first to credit him, unless he would bring some written evidence. Upon further inquiry, however, he was better satisfied, and sent for Ledyard to come to his house. This in- vitation was declined in no very gracious manner ; and when money was sent to him afterwards by the same
LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD. 35
person, who had heard that he was m distress, he rejected it with great iodigoation, and commanded the bearer to carry it back to his master, and tell him that he belonged not to the race of the Ledyards. Such was the end of his dreams about his rich relations, and it must be acknowledged, that his own haughty spirit seems to have been the chief enemy to his success. He would probably have called it magnanimous self- respect ; and, name it as we will, since it operated wholly against himself, he must certainly be freed from any charge of mean motives, or selfish ends.
It was just at this time, that Captain Cook was making preparation for his third and last voyage round the world. So successful had he been in his former expeditions, and so loud was the sound of his fame, that the whole country was awake to his new under- taking, and the general sensation was such, as to in- spire adventurous minds with a wish to participate in its glory. Nothing could more exactly accord with the native genius and cherished feelings of Ledyard. As a first step towards becoming connected with this expedition, he enlisted in the marine service, and then by his address he gained an introduction to Captain Cook. It may be presumed, that on an occasion of so much moment to him, he would set himself forward to the best advantage ; and he had great power in re- commending himself to the favor of others, whenever he chose to put it in action. His manly form, mild but animated and expressive eye, perfect self-possession, a boldness not obtrusive, but showing a consciousness of his proper dignity, an independent spirit, and a glow of enthusiasm giving life to his conversation and his
36 LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD.
whole deportment, — these were traits which could not escape so discriminating an eye as that of Cook ; they formed a rare combination peculiarly suited to the hardships and perils of his daring enterprise. They gained the confidence of the great navigator, who im- mediately took him into his service, and promoted him to be a corporal of marines.
In this capacity he sailed from England, but tradi- tion reports, on what authority I know not, that he was in due time raised to the post of sergeant. That he should have been willing to undertake so long a voyage, in so humble a station, can be ac- counted for only from his burning desire to be con- nected with the expedition. His skill in nautical matters was not yet such as to qualify him for a higher place, even if he had been able to exhibit stronger pretensions through the agency and influence of friends. But he was in the midst of strangers, without any other claims to notice, than such as he presented in his own person. These were his only passport to the favor of Cook, and in relying on them no one was ever deceived.
LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD. 37
CHAPTER III.
Ledyard's journal of his voyage with Captain Cook. — Testimony in his favor hy by Captain Burney. — Sails for the Cape of Good Hope. — Thence to Kergue- len's Islands and the south of New Holland. — Character of the people on Van Diemen's Land. — Present state of the colony there. — Arrives in New Zea- land.— Account of the people, their manners and peculiarities. — Remarkable contrasts exhibited in their character. — Love adventure between an English sailor and a New Zealand girl. — Omai, the Otaheitan. — ^Vessels depart from New Zealand, and fall in with newly discovered islands. — Affecting story of three Otaheitans found on one of them. — Arrival at the Friendly Islands. — People of Tongataboo. — Their condition, mode of living, and amusements. — Ledyard passes a night with the King. — Wrestling and other athletic exercises described. — Fireworks exhibited by Cook. — Propensity of the natives to thieving. — An instance in a chief called Feenou, and the extraordinary mea- sures used to recover the stolen property. — Departure from Tongataboo.
The particulars of this voyage have been so often repeated from the official narrative, and are so well known, that any formal attempt to give a connected series of events would be superfluous and without interest. I shall, therefore, chiefly confine myself to such incidents as came under our traveller's observa- tion, and to such remarks and reflections of his own, as indicate his opinions and the character of his mind. He kept a private journal of the whole voyage, but on the return of the expedition, before any person had landed, all papers of this description were taken away, from both officers and men, by order of the comman- der, and Ledyard's journal among the rest. This precaution was necessary to prevent an imperfect ac- count of the voyage going abroad, before one could be issued under the sanction of the admiralty.
38 LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD.
Ledyard never recovered his papers, but when he returned to Hartford, more than two years after the termination of the voyage, his friends induced him to write the short account, which appeared with his name. To satisfy public curiosity till a complete work could be prepared, a very brief sketch of the voyage in a single volume had already been published by authority in England. This volume Ledyard had pro- cured, and he relied on it for dates, distances, the courses of the vessels, and for other particulars serving to revive his recollection of what he had experienced and witnessed. Extracts are made without alteration in two or three instances, and several of the last pages are literally copied. With no other written materials Ledyard produced his manuscript journal, which ho sold to Mr Nathaniel Patten, publisher in Hartford, for twenty guineas. It was printed in a duodecimo volume containing a chart, and a dedica- tion to Governor Trumbull, expressive of the author's gratitude for the generosity and kindness, which he had received from that veteran patriot.
A narrative thus drawn up must of course be in many respects imperfect, but the narrator makes no high pretensions; he never taxes our faith beyond the obvious bounds of probability, nor calls our atten- tion to hearsay reports and speculations of others. He describes what he saw and heard, and utters his own sentiments. In a few instances he varies from the accounts afterwards published in England ; but these commonly relate either to occurrences as to which he had a better opportunity for personal knowledge, or concerning which for various reasons it was the policy
LIFE OF JOHN LEDTARD- 39
of the leaders of the expedition to preserve silence. The train of events at the Sandwich Islands, which led to the death of Captain Cook, is narrated by Ledyard in a manner more consistent and natural, than appears in any other account of it. The precipitancy of the officers, and of Cook particularly, or at least their want of caution, which was the primary cause of the tragical issue, was kept out of sight by the authorized narrators, and a mystery long hung over that catas- trophe, owing to the absence of any obvious coherency between causes and effects. On this point Ledyard's narrative is full and satisfactory, as will be seen in its proper place.
As a proof of our traveller's activity of mind, and his ardor of inquiry, during this voyage, I shall here quote a passage from a work recently published by Captain James Burney, entitled, A Chronological History of Northeastern Voyages of Discovery. The author of this book was a lieutenant mider Cook in his two last voyages, son of Dr Burney, and consequently brother of Madame D'Arblay, the celebrated novelist. He is repeated);' mentioned in Ledyard's journal, and was a very enterprising officer. The estimation in which our hero was held by him will appear by the fol- lowing extract, as well as by other parts of the work.
" With what education I know not," says Captain Burney, " but with an ardent disposition, Ledyard had a passion for lofty sentiment and description. When corporal of marines on board of the Resolution, after the death of Captain Cook, he proffered his services to Captain Clerke to undertake the office of historio- grapher to our expedition, and presented a specimen,
40 LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD.
which described the manners of the Society Islanders, and the kind of life led by our people whilst among them. He was not aware how many candidates he would have to contend with, if the office to which he aspired had been vacant ; perhaps not with fewer than with every one in the two ships who kept journals. Literary ambition and disposition to authorship led us in each ship to set up a weekly paper. When the paper in either ship was ready for delivery, a signal was made, and when answered by a similar signal from the other ship, Captain Cook, if the weather was fine, would good-naturedly let a boat be hoisted out to make the exchange, and he was always glad to read our paper, but never favored our editors with the con- tribution of a paragraph. I believe none of these papers have been saved, nor do I remember by what titles we distinguished them. Ledyard's performance was not criticised in our paper, as that would have entitled him to a freedom of controversy not consistent with military subordination. His ideas were thought too sentimental, and his language too florid. No one, however, doubted that his feelings were in accord with his expressions ; and the same is to be said of the little, which remains of what he has since written, more worthy of being preserved, and which its worthiness will preserve, and particularly of his celebrated com- mendation of women in his Siberian Tour."
Ledyard's contributions to the paper here mention- ed, and his account of the Society Islanders, were probably taken from him with his manuscript journal, as I have found no remnants of them among his papers. His printed Journal contains a graphic and animated
LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD. 41
description of the Society Islands, but it was evidently written from recollection, like the rest of the volume. This testimony of Captain Burney in favor of his habits of observation, and literary industry, may justly inspire confidence in his writings.
The last expedition under Captain Cook, and the one in which our traveller was engaged, left England on the twelfth of July, 1776. It consisted of two ships, the Resolution and Discovery, the former com- manded by Captain Cook, and the latter by Captain Clerke. After touching at Teneriffe, they proceeded to the Cape of Good Hope, and came to anchor in Table Bay, where they were to refit, lay in a new stock of provisions, and prepare for encountering the inconveniences and dangers of a long voyage in the great Southern Ocean, with the certainty that many months must elapse, before they could hope to arrive again in a port of civilized people.
Several days were passed here in getting all things in readiness ; the men of science employed themselves in short excursions into the country ; provisions were collected by the proper officers, and the sailors were busy at their daily tasks. Last of all were taken on board various live animals, designed to be left at the islands where they did not exist, making, in con- nexion with those brought from England, a motley collection of horses, cattle, sheep, goats, hogs, dogs, cats, hares, rabbits, monkeys, ducks, geese, turkeys, and peacocks ; thus, says our voyager, " did we resemble the Ark, and appear as though we were going as well to stock as to discover a new world." iEsop might have conversed for weeks with such a 6
42 LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD.
congregated multitude. The monkeys and peacocks seem to have been out of place m this assembly of sober and useful animals, and in the end they did little credit to their community. The monkeys never ceased from mischief, and the gay attire of the peacocks tempted a chief of Tongataboo to steal and carry them off.
On the first of December, Cook departed from the Cape of Good Hope, and proceeded in a southeasterly direction, intending to shape his course around the southern extremity of New Holland. After sailing twentyfive days and passing two islands, the tops of which were covered with snow, although it was mid- summer in those latitudes, he came to anchor at an island, which had been recently discovered by Kergue- len, a French navigator. A bottle was found sus- pended by a wire between two rocks, sealed, and con- taining a piece of parchment, on which was written in French and Latin an account of Kerguelen's voyage and discovery. The island was desolate, without inhabitants, trees, or shrubs. A little grass was obtained for the cattle, and a species of vegetable was found resembling a wild cabbage, but of no value. It rained profusely, streams of fresh water came down from the hills, and the empty casks were replenished. The shore was covered with seals and sea-dogs, the former of which, apparently unconscious of danger, were killed without difficulty, and they afforded a seasonable supply of oil for lamps and other pur- poses. Vast flocks of birds hovered around, and the penguins, so little did they understand the char- acter of their visiters, would allow themselves to
LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD. 43
be approached and knocked down with clubs. Man was an enemy, whose sangumary prowess these tenants of the lonely island had never learnt to fear, and the simple penguin received his death blow with a composure and unconcern, that would have im- mortalized a stoic philosopher. The sailors were indulged in celebrating Christmas at Kerguelen's Island, after which the ships sailed, and the next har- bor to be gained was Adventure Bay, in Van Diemen's Land, being at the southern limits of New Holland. As no discoveries were to be attempted during this run, they proceeded directly to the point of destina- tion, at which they safely arrived within less than two months after leaving the Cape of Good Hope.
The ships being moored in this bay, called by Tas- man, who discovered it, Frederic Henry's Bay, the sailors were sent out in parties to procure wood, water, and grass, all of which existed there in great plenty. No inhabitants appeared, although columns of smoke had been seen here and there rising through the woods at some distance, affording a sign that people were in the neighbourhood. After a day or two the natives came down to the beach in small parties, men, women, and children, but they seemed the most wretched of human beings, wearing no clothes, and carrying with them nothing but a rude stick about three feet long, and sharpened at one end. Their skin was black, hair cm*ly, and the beards of the men, as well as their hair, besmeared with a red oily substance. They were inoffensive, neither manifesting fear, nor offer- ing annoyance to their visiters. When bread was given them, it was thrown away without being tasted,
44 LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD.
although they were made to understand that it was to be eaten ; the same they did with fish, which had been caught in the harbor ; but they accepted birds, and intimated a fondness for that kind of food. When a gun was fired, they all ran off like wild deer to the woods, and were seen no more that day ; but their fright was not of long duration, for they came again the next morning with as little unconcern as ever. In all respects these people appeared in the lowest stage of human advancement. " They are the only people," says Ledyard, " who are known to go with their per- sons entirely naked, that have ever yet been discover- ed. Amidst the most stately groves of wood, they have neither weapons of defence, nor any other species of instruments applicable to the various purposes of life ; contiguous to the sea, they have no canoes ; and exposed from the nature of the climate to the inclem- ency of the seasons, as well as to the annoyances of the beasts of the forest, they have no houses to retire to, but the temporary shelter of a few pieces of old bark laid transversely over some small poles. They appear also to be inactive, indolent, and unaffected with the least curiosity." Cook remarked, that the natives here resembled those, whom he had seen in his former voyage on the north part of New Holland, and from this and other circumstances it was inferred, that New Holland from that point northward was not divided by any strait. Subsequent discoveries over- threw this conjecture, and it has since been made known, that Van Diemen's Land is an island separated from New Holland by a passage, or strait, nearly one hundred miles broad, and containing many small
LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD. 45
islands. It is remarkable, that no resemblance has been discovered between the language of the natives here, and that spoken by the New Hollanders.
On Van Diemen's island are now some of the most flourishing settlements in the British dominions. The wilderness is disappearing before the strong arm of enterprise, and under the hand of culture the hills and valleys yield in abundance all the products, common to similar latitudes in the north. Emigrants from Eng- land annually flock to that country, invest their capital in lands, and engage in agricultural pursuits. Towns have been built, and commerce established. Wheat, maize, wool, cattle, and other articles, are largely ex- ported, and there is hardly recorded in history an instance of a new colony having increased so rapidly in numbers and wealth. The wild men, like our North American Indians, retreat and leave their native soil to a better destiny.
When Cook had provided his ships with wood and water, they were unmoored, and their course directed to New Zealand, where they entered a cove in Queen Charlotte's Sound. Here they remained a month, which aflbrded time for observations, and for laying in such provisions as were found in the country. New Zealand consists of two islands, which are situate be- tween parallels of latitude on the south of the equator, nearly corresponding with those of the United States on the north, thus having a variable climate, and a soil suited to most of the productions of temperate regions. In the character of the inhabitants are exhibited con- trasts never perceived in any other people. They are cannibals, devouring human victims with eagerness
46 LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD.
and delight, ferocious beyond example in their wars, deadly in their revenge, and insatiable in their thirst for the blood of their enemies ; yet they have many of the opposite traits, strong attachment to friends, with a quick sensibility to their sufferings, and grief incon- solable at the death of a relative ; nor are they devoid of generosity, or unsusceptible of the tender passion. Living as they do in a temperate climate, they are an athletic, hardy race of people, whose progress in re- finement bears no proportion to their natural powers of body and mind ; and thus no proper balance being maintained, the contending elements of human nature, the propensities, passions, and affections, shoot forth into the wildest extremes. How they should differ so entirely from their neighbours, the New Hollan- ders, who are in nearly the same external condition, is a question upon which the curious may speculate, but will hardly come to a satisfactory conclusion. Plau- sible reasons may nevertheless be adduced to prove, that the New Zealanders and New Hollanders, not- withstanding their proximity, have originated from stocks widely remote.
While the ships lay at anchor in Queen Charlotte's Sound, a singular love adventure occurred between a young English sailor and a New Zealand girl, the par- ticulars of which are related in Ledyard's journal, as they are also in Cook's Voyages, and which prove the softer sex among savages, even the daughters of can- nibals, to be capable of deep affection and strong- attachment. An intimacy was contracted between a sailor and a native girl about fourteen years of age, which grew stronger from day to day, till at length all
LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD* 47
the time he could spare from his duties was devoted to her society. He furnished her with combs to decorate her hair, and with ornaments for her person ; and, to make himself more attractive in her eyes, he submit- ted to be tattooed according to the custom of the country. His passion was reciprocated in the most ardent and artless manner by the maiden, Gowanna- hee, whom no conventional rules had taught to conceal the emotions of nature ; and although they understood not each other's language, yet love whis- pered in accents, which they found no difficulty in comprehending. Thus their days and hours flew rapidly away, till the time of separation approached, Gowannahee was much distressed when such an event was hinted at ; she would throw her arms around her lover's neck, and insist that he should not go ; and such were the alluring arts she used, and such the willingness of the youth to be led by them, that he resolved to desert from the ship and remain behind. He contrived to remove his clothing and other effects on shore, and to escape by the stratagem of dressing himself in the costume of the natives and mingling in the crowd, just as orders were given to sail, and the New Zealanders were required to leave the ships. When the roll was called to ascertain if all hands were on board, his absence was discovered. The cause was easily apprehended, and some of the officers were dis- posed to let such an instance of true love have its re- ward, and not to disturb the enamored sailor in his dreams of future felicity among the savages of New Zealand. The less sentimental Cook was not moved by these mild counsels ; he saw mischief in such a
48 LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD.
precedent, and he was inflexible ; a guard of marines was despatched to search for the truant, and bring him back to duty. He had proceeded to the interior and secreted himself with his faithful Gowannahee, but his hiding-place was at last discovered. As soon as she perceived their intention to take him away, she was overwhelmed with anguish, and at the parting scene on the beach she yielded herself up (o expres- sions of grief and despair, which the stoutest heart could not witness unmoved. The young sailor was examined and tried for his misdemeanor, but Cook was so much amused with the schemes he had devised for himself, and the picture he had drawn of his future prospects and greatness, as the husband of Gowanna- hee, and a chief of renown, that he forbore to aggra- vate the pains of disappointed hope by any formal punishment.
Recent observations have confirmed all that was said by Cook and his companions of the New Zealan- ders. English missionaries have for some years past been stationed among them, and possessed the means of becoming perfectly acquainted with their character and habits. They have witnessed their banquets of human flesh, their extremes of passion, their savage barbarity at one time, and their docile, affectionate temper, and keen sensibility at another War is their highest delight, and in pursuing an enemy, nothing of the human being seems left, except his reason mad- dened with revenge, and making him adroit in the work of death. In several instances, boats' and ships' crews have been cut off and devoured by them. Yet these people are superstitious and full of religious fear,
LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD. 49
imagining themselves to be surrounded by invisible spirits, who have powder over them, and who must be conciliated by prayers and ceremonies ; who control the elements, bring rain on the land, and rouse up the winds and waves at sea. The missionaries have known persons become so frantic, at the death of a near relation, as to commit suicide ; and it is a common thing for them to wound and mangle their bodies in a frightful manner on such occasions. When Mr Mars- den made his second missionary tour to these islands, after having been away two or three years, his old acquaintances burst into tears in talking of their friends, who had died during his absence. History^ does not acquaint us with more eminent examples of humanity and pious efforts, of resolution and self- denial, than are manifested in the missionaries, who have forsaken even the common comforts of civilized life, and settled down with a determination to pass their days in this region of moral darkness and human debasement.
While Cook was at New Zealand he was greatly assisted in his intercourse with the people by Omai, a native of the Society Islands, whom he had taken to England on a former voyage, and who was now re- turning to his country, loaded with presents from the king, and other persons whom curiosity had drawn around him, in Great Britain. Although Omai had never before seen a New Zealander, yet the language so much resembled his own, that he could easily con- verse with the inhabitants. As he knew English, he thus became a ready interpreter. This was an advan- 7
50 LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD.
tage, which Cook had never been able to enjoy on any former occasion.
The vessels weighed anchor and departed from Queen Charlotte's Sound, destined to Otaheite, or, as it is now called, Tahiti, the largest of the Society Islands, and about fifteen hundred miles distant from New Zealand. Head winds and boisterous weather forced them out of their course ; grass and water for the cattle, as well as fresh provisions for the men, be- gan to fail ; and it was thought best to bear away for the Friendly Islands, where a supply could be at once obtained. On this passage they fell in with several islands never before discovered, but their shores were so closely bound with coral reefs as to prevent the ap- proach of the ships. The natives came off in canoes, and brought hogs and fruit, which they gave in ex- change for articles of little value.
A small party, consisting of Mr Burney, three or four other officers, and Omai, landed on one of these islands, called Watteeoo, where they were immediate- ly plundered of everything they had about them, and detained through the day. Great crowds gathered around, and annoyed them much, but no violence was offered to their persons. Here Omai was astonished to find three of his own countrymen. Their story- was affecting. Several years before, they had set off in a large canoe with a party of about twenty persons, men, women, and children, to pass from Otaheite to Ulietea, a neighbouring island. A storm overtook them, and, after continuing three days, drove them so far out to sea, that they knew not where they were, nor what course to steer. Some of the women and
LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD. 51
children had perished in the storm, and others were so much exhausted as to survive no longer. The canoe was carried along by the current from day to day ; water and provision failed ; some of the survivors died of hunger and fatigue ; others in the frenzy of despair jumped overboard and were drowned ; and after thir- teen days, when the canoe was discovered by the natives of Watteeoo, it contained but four men, and these so much reduced by famine and suffering, as to be unconscious of their situation, and scarcely to be dis- tinguished from the dead bodies, with which they were promiscuously lying, in the bottom of the boat. They were taken on shore, and by kind treatment they gradually recovered their consciousness and strength. One had since died, but the other three said they were happy in their adopted country, and declined Omai's invitation to return with him to their native islands, adding that their nearest relatives had perished before their eyes on the disastrous voyage, and it would only be renewing their grief to visit again the places, in which they had formerly known them.
The distance between Otaheite and Watteeoo is more than fifteen hundred miles, and this voyage of a canoe affords an important fact in solving the great problem, which has so long perplexed geographers and speculating philosophers, as to the manner in which the innumerable clusters of islands in the Pacific ocean have been peopled. We here have proof incontestible, that a communication between remote islands was possible, even by such means only as the natives themselves possessed. This single fact, in short, is enough to settle the question.
52 LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD.
After touching at Anamoca, and remaining some days at the Happaee Islands, Cook came to anchor in a harbor of Tongataboo, on the ninth of June. Here they staid twenty-six days, collecting a great abun- dance of provisions, and living on social and friendly terms with the natives. This island is exceedingly fertile, covered with forests and luxuriant herbage. Agriculture and the arts of life were carried to a much greater extent here, than at New Zealand, or indeed most of the South Sea islands. The kind disposition of the people had given to Tongataboo, and the clus- ter of islands in its neighbourhood, the name of the Friendly Islands. Later experience has proved, that they had a smaller claim to this distinction, than was at first supposed. It is very probable, however, that their acquaintance with civilized men was the principal cause of their apparent change of character. They learnt new vices faster than they acquired a knowledge of their criminality, or the moral power of resisting temptation. Nowhere have the missionaries found their situation more uncomfortable, or their task more difficult, than at the Friendly Islands. When visited by Cook, the people were comparatively amiable, sim- ple, and happy, addicted to the weaknesses, but not to the grosser crimes of the savage state ; accustomed to warlike enterprises, but not making them, as did the New Zealanders, the chief source of their pleasure, and the great business of their lives. On the contrary, they had amusements of an innocent kind, as well as curious religious ceremonies, which occupied much of their time, and were suited to a state of peace and tranquillity. These were often
LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD. 53
exhibited, and obviously as much with a desire to please their visitants, as to show off their skill to ad- vantage, or promote their own gratification. The king, or great chief, whose name was Poulaho, treated Cook with marked respect, and caused all his people to do the same, as far as he could exercise his power to that end. Ledyard describes in an agreeable man- ner the scenes, that came under his observation at Tongataboo. The day after landing, it was his duty to be on shore, and he passed the night with Poulaho, who had declined Cook's invitation to go with him on board.
" It was just dusk," says Ledyard, " when they parted, and as I had been present during a part of this first interview, and was detained on shore, I was glad he did not go off, and asked him to my tent ; but Pou- lako chose rather to have me go with him to his house, where we went and sat down together without the entrance. We had been here but a few minutes, be- fore one of the natives advanced through the grove to the skirts of the green, and there halted. Poulaho observed him, and told me he wanted him, upon which I beckoned to the Indian, and he came to us. When he approached Poulaho, he squatted down upon his hams, and put his forehead to the sole of Poulaho's foot, and then received some directions from him, and went away, and returned again very soon with some baked yarns and fish rolled up in fresh plantain leaves, and deposited in a little basket made of palm leaves, and a large cocoanut shell full of clean fresh water, and a smaller one of salt water. These he set down, and went and brought a mess of the same kind, and
54 LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD.
set them down by me. Poulaho then desked I would eat ; but preferring salt, which I had in the tent, to the sea water which they used, I called one of the guard, and had some of that brought me to eat with my fish, which was really most delightfully dressed, and of which I ate very heartily.
" Their animal and vegetable food is dressed in the same manner here, as at the southern and northern tropical islands throughout these seas, being all baked among hot stones laid in a hole, and covered over first with leaves and then with mould. Poulaho was fed by the chief who waited on him, both with victuals and drink. After he had finished, the remains were carried away by the chief in w^aiting, who returned soon after with two large separate rolls of cloth, and two little low wooden stools. The cloth was for a covering while asleep, and the stools to raise and rest the head on, as we do on a pillow. These were left within the house, or rather under the roof, one side being open. The floor within was composed of coarse dry grass, leaves, and flowers, over which were spread large well wrought mats. On this Poulaho and I re- moved and sat down, while the chief unrolled, and spread out the cloth ; after which he retired, and in a few minutes there appeared a fine young girl about seventeen years of age, who, approaching Poulaho, stooped and kissed his great toe, and then retired and sat down in an opposite part of the house. It was now about nine o'clock, and a bright moonshine ; the sky was serene, and the winds hushed. Suddenly I heard a number of their flutes, beginning nearly at the same time, burst from every quarter of the surrounding
LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD- 55
grove ; and whether this was meant as an exhilaratmg serenade, or a soothing soporific to the great Poulaho, I cannot tell. Immediately on hearing the music he took me by the hand, intimating that he was going to sleep, and showing me the other cloth, which was spread nearly beside him, and the pillow, invited me to use it."
After describing the occupations of the natives, their traffic, articles of trade, and some of their cus- toms, he speaks of their amusements.
" The markets being over, there were generally an hour or two, and those before dark, in which the na- tives, to entertain us and exhibit their own accom- plishments, used to form matches at wrestling, boxing, and other athletic exercises, of which they were very vain, and in which they were by far the best accom- plished of all the people we ever visited before or after. These exercises were always performed on the green within the circle, and among the Indian specta- tors there were a certain number of elderly men, who presided over and regulated the exercise. When one of the wrestlers, or combatants, was fairly excelled, they signified it by a short sonorous sentence, which they sung, expressing that he was fallen, fairly fallen, or that he was fairly conquered, and that the victor kept the field. From this there was no appeal, nor indeed did they seem to want it, for among their roughest exercises I never saw any of them choleric, envious, malicious, or revengeful ; but preserving their tempers, or being less irascible than we generally are, they quit the stage with the same good nature with which they entered it.
56 LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD.
" When they wrestle, they seize each other by a strong plaited girdle, made of the fibres of the cocoa- nut, and worn round the waist for that purpose ; and they describe nearly the same operations in this con- test that we do in what we call hugging or scuffling. In boxing their manoeuvres are different. They had both hands clenched, and bound round separately wdth small cords, which perhaps was intended to prevent their clenching each other when closely engaged, thus preventing foul play ; or it might be to preserve the joints of the fingers, and especially the thumb, from being dislocated. Perhaps the best general idea I can convey of their attitudes in this exercise, is to com- pare them with those of the ancient gladiators of Rome, which they much resembled.
" They are very expert and intrepid in these per- formances, but as they are mere friendly efforts of skill and prowess, they continue no longer than till the pur- poses of such a contention are answered ; and the combatant, as soon as he finds that he shall be con- quered, is seldom such an obstinate fool, as to be beat out of his senses to be made sensible he is so, but re- tires most commonly with a whole skin. But the exercise of the club is not so, and as these contests are very severe, and even dangerous, they are seldom performed. We never saw but one instance of it, but it was a most capital one, as the performers were capital characters ; and though we expected the exhi- bition to be very short, yet it lasted nearly twenty minutes, protracted by the skill of the combatants in avoiding each other's blows, some of which were no less violent than artful. After being pretty well buf-
LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD. 57
feted about the body, a fortuitous blow upon the head of one decided the matter, and the conquered was carried off, while the victor, elated with success, stood and enjoyed the subsequent shouts of praise, that pro- ceeded from the spectators. When these shouts end- ed, the young women round the circle rose, and sang, and danced a short kind of interlude in celebration of the hero."
Not to be outdone by the monarch of the Friendly Isles in politeness and attempts to please, Cook got up a brilliant exhibition of fireworks, with which Poulaho and all his people were greatly astonished and delight- ed. The mathematical and astronomical instruments, which had been fitted up in tents on shore, were also matters of curiosity and wonder. The natives were particularly amused, likewise, with the horses, cows, sheep, goats, and other animals, which Ledyard said, on leaving the Cape of Good Hope, made the ships resemble Noah's ark. As dogs and hogs were the only animals found on the islands, and of course the only ones ever before seen by the inhabitants, they seemed completely puzzled to know what to make of these new orders of the creation. The sheep and goats they called birds ; but the horses, cows, cats, and rabbits, were nondescripts for which no place had been assigned in their scientific arrangement.
Thus agreeably passed the days at Tongataboo; the good-natured people omitted nothing, which was in their power, to gratify their visiters, whether by supplying them with the best provisions the islands afforded, or by amusing them with innocent pastimes. One thing only marred the harmony of their inter-
58 LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD.
course. These simple and hospitable people, each and all, from the highest rank downwards, were incor- rigible thieves ; that is, they made no scruple to take whatever they could lay their fingers upon, and appro- priate it to their own use. This habit was prevalent throughout all the South Sea islands, but nowhere had the voyagers been so much annoyed by it, as at these islands of friendship. Cook resorted to summary and severe measures to teach the natives what he thought of this vice, and sometimes inflicted punishments little suited to the moral light of the people, whom he arraigned as transgressors. It does not appear that pilfering was deemed a crime, or a disreputable of- fence, and indeed the historian of Cook's Voyages declares, that " the inhabitants of the South Sea islands in their petty larcenies were actuated by a childish disposition, rather than a thievish one." In this view of the subject, it can hardly be imagined that there was any natural right in the civilized visi- ters to inflict harsh punishment on their ignorant and kind entertainers ; on the contrary, it was cruel and unjust ; it was the last way to gain friends, or to in- spire the natives with a love of the moral code. Led- yard speaks with warmth of some examples of this kind, which came under his notice, but adds, alluding to Cook, " It must be remembered that the ability of performing the important errand before us, depended very much, if not entirely, upon the precarious supplies we might procure from these and other such islands, and he must of consequence be very anxious and soli- citous in this concernment ; but perhaps no considera- tion will excuse the severity, which he sometimes used
LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD. 69
towards the natives on these occasions ; and he would probably have done better to consider, that the full ex- ertion of extreme power is an argument of extreme weakness ; and nature seemed to inform the insulted natives of the truth of this maxim, for before we quit- ted Tongataboo, we could not go anywhere into the country upon business or pleasure without danger."
One instance is related with more particularity than others, as it occurred in high life, and was made a state concern. In Tongataboo was a chief called Feenou, a man of fine personal appearance, graceful and commanding in his carriage, frank in his disposi- tion, generous, enterprising, and bold ; in short, he was the idol of the people, and throughout all the isles there was no chief, whose renown was so loudly and heartily trumpeted as that of Feenou. He was the man, whom the great Poulaho delighted to honor above others. When the strangers came, Feenou was their early and devoted friend, and his attachment and kind offices held out to the last. " If they lost any goods, and these were carried either to the interior of Tongataboo, or to any of the detached islands, their only confidential resource was Feenou ; or if any other emergency required despatch, policy, courage, or force, Feenou was the man to advise and act." Such were the character and deeds of this chief. He could subdue the hearts of men, and the strength of an ene- my, but he could not conquer the tyranny of habit. From day to day he had gazed with inward raptures upon the gaudy plumage of the peacocks, which had been brought with much care and trouble from Eng- land ; their charms were irresistible ; just as the ves- sels were about to sail, the peacocks disappeared ;
60 LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD.
Feenou was also out of the way ; he had stolen the birds, and concealed himself with his booty.
The affront was resented by Cook in an extraordi- nary manner ; he immediately ordered Poulaho, the king, to be arrested, and placed a guard over him in his own house, giving him to understand that he should be held a prisoner till the peacocks were re- stored. This was a novel mode of making a king answerable for the acts of his subjects. Much disor- der ensued ; the chiefs felt the insult offered to their sovereign, and began to assume a warlike attitude, and threaten the guard ; but Poulaho advised them to de- sist, and preserve peace till a reconciliation should be attempted ; and when Cook appeared, the khig salut- ed him with dignity and respect, but with a manifest sense of the injustice that was practised upon him. His coolness and counsel kept the people from offering violence to the guards, who surrounded him with fixed bayonets; and the next day Feenou himself came forward, entreated for the release of the king, and assured Cook that the birds should be returned to him before sunset. Thus the affair was happily termi- nated, leaving a much stronger proof of the firmness than the prudence of the great navigator. The re- conciliation was followed by magnificent presents of red feathers and provisions on the part of Feenou, and others equally valuable from Cook. He gave Poulaho some of the domestic animals, which he had brought from England for the purpose of distributing among the islands. All parties separated mutually satisfied with each other, and with as warm tokens of friend- ship from the natives, as could be expected after the recent transactions.
LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD. 61
CHAPTER IV.
Society Islands. — Otaheite. — Ledyard's description of the language, customs, religion, laws, and government of the natives. — Their probable faith in the doctrine of transmigration. — Remarks on his mode of reasoning on this sub- ject.— His theoiy of the origin of customs and superstitions. — Notions of a Diety among the Otaheitans. — Conduct of Omai. — Difficulties attending the efforts to civilize savages. — Sandwich Islands discovered. — The vessels proceed to the American continent, and anchor in Nootka Sound. — Appearance and manners of the people. — Indian wampmn. — The abundance of furs. — Canni- balism.— Curious digression on the origin and practice of sacrifices. — Captain Cook passes Bering's Straits, explores the northern ocean till stopped by the ice, and returns to the island of Onalaska. — Sends Ledyard with two Indians in search of a Russian establishment on the coast. — His account of this adventure. — In what manner he was transported in a canoe. — Village of Russians and Indians. — Hot baths. — Their habitations and manner of Uving described. — Bering's vessel. — Ledyard rettirns to the ships, and reports to Captain Cook.- — Expedition returns to the Sandvidch Islands.
We shall next join our navigators at the Society Islands, where they arrived on the fourteenth of Au- gust. Many of the officers and seamen, who had been there on a former voyage, were recognised by the na- tives, and received with great cordiality ; the day of landing at Otaheite was given up to festivity and mutual congratulations between old acquaintances.
The occurrences during their stay at these islands, are related in a lively manner by Ledyard. He de- scribes the natural productions of the Society Islands, the appearance and condition of the natives, their food, clothing, and houses, their language, customs, religion, laws, and government. From the minute- piBss with which he speaks on most of these subjects, it is evident that the principal points in the essay
62 LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD.
mentioned by Mr Burney were still fresh in his memory, and moreover that he was a close and in- quisitive observer of everything, which came within his reach or knowledge.
" The inhabitants," he remarks, " are of the largest size of Europeans ; the men are tall, strong, well limbed, and fairly shaped. The women of superior rank among them are also in general above our middle size, but those of the inferior rank are far below it ; some of them are quite small. Their complexion is a clear olive, or brunette, and the whole contour of the face quite handsome, except the nose, which is generally a little inclined to be flat. Their hair is black and coarse ; the men have beards, but pluck the greatest part of them out ; they are vigorous, easy, graceful, and liberal in their deportment, and of a courteous, hospitable disposition, but shrewd and artful. The women cut their hair short, and the men wear theirs long. They have a custom of staining their bodies in a manner that is universal among all those islands, and is called by them tattooing ; in doing this they prick the skin with an instrument of small sharp bones, which they dip as occasion requires into a black com- position of coal dust and water, which leaves an in- delible stain. The operation is painful, and it is some days before the wound is well.
" Their clothing consists of a cloth made of the inner rind of the bark of three diiferent kinds of trees, the Chinese paper mulberry, the bread-fruit tree, and a kind of wild fig tree, which, in the formation of dif- ferent kinds of cloth, are differently disposed of by using one singly, or any two, or all of them together.
LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD. 63
The principal excellences of this cloth are its coolness and softness; its defects are its being pervious to water and easily torn. They sometimes, especially if it is wet, wear fine mats of which they have a great variety.
*' Their amusements are music, dancing, wrestling, and boxing, all which are like those of Tongataboo.
" As to the religion, laws, and government of these people, much has been said about them by former voyagers ; and in truth too much, especially about their religion, which they are not fond of discovering, and therefore, when urged on the matter, they have often, rather than displease those who made the in- quiry, told not only different accounts, but such as were utterly inconsistent with what we knew to be true from ocular demonstration. They assured us, for instance, that they never sacrificed human bodies, but an accident happened, that contradicted it, and gave us the full proof of it, the operation and design.
" They believe in the immortality of the soul, at least its existence in a future state ; but how it exists, whether as a mere spiritual substance, or whether it is united again to a corporeal or material form, and what form, is uncertain. It is supposed they have notions of transmigration. Our conjectures originate from observing that universal, constant, and uniform regard, which they pay in a greater or less degree to every species of subordinate beings, even to the minut- est insect, and the most insignificant reptile. This was never esteemed a philosophical sentiment, nor a mere dictate of nature, because the people who enter- tain these notions are not led to embrace them by the
64 LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD.
unbiassed impulses of nature, which would lead them to regard their own species more than any other. It must, therefore, be from other motives, and I know of none so probable as religion or superstition, which are indeed synonymous terms when applied to these peo- ple ; besides, it is well known to have been a religious sentiment among many other people, both ancient and modern, who have claimed the appellation of civilized. It exists now among several Asiatic sects, both east and west of the Ganges, particularly among the Banians, who abstain from all animal food. It is well known, that some tribes in Asia have built hospitals for certain species of subordinate beings."
The author's reasoning here about the doctrine of transmigration is somewhat curious, but his inference that the natives believed in it, because they showed a regard for inferior animals, is at least questionable. He goes on to enforce his opinion, however, by re- marking that they eat little animal food, and abstain from the flesh of some kinds of birds altogether. In killing animals, also, they are careful to inflict as little pain as possible ; they are extremely indulgent to rats, with which they are much infested, and rarely do them any harm ; when stung by flies or musquitoes, they only frighten them away. This lenity towards animals, however commendable in those who practise it, will hardly prove their faith in the doctrine of transmigration, or that these savages refrained from crushing a fly or musquito, because they apprehended a spirit, which had once animated a human form, had been doomed to an existence in one of these insects. It is a favorite theory of the author, at which
LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD. 65
he hints on several occasions, that such habits and superstitions of a people, as are woven into their char- acter and history, must have come dovj^n from some very remote time, and not have sprung out of casual or local circumstances, of which any knowledge exists. He says, " all the customs of mankind appear to be derivative and traditionary." How far he would carry back the tradition, he does not add ; but this doctrine of transmigration he traces to Asia, and supposes it to have found its way to the islands of the Pacific with the first settlers, who came from that quarter, and to have kept its place through all subsequent changes among the superstitions of their descendants.
" Their notions of a Deity," he continues, " and the speculative parts of their religion, are involved even among themselves in mystery, and perplexed with inconsistencies ; and their priests, who alone pre- tend to be informed of it, have, by their own indus- trious fabrications and the addition of its traditionary fables, shut themselves up in endless mazes of inex- tricable labyrinths. None of them act alike in their ceremonies, and none of them narrate alike when in- quired of concerning the matter ; therefore, what ihey conceive respecting a God we cannot tell ; though we conclude upon the whole that they worship one great Supreme, the author and governor of all things ; but there seems to be such a string of subordinate gods intervening between him and the least of those, and the characters of the whole so contrasting, whimsical, absurd, and ridiculous, that their mythology is very droll, and represents the best of the group no better than a harlequin. 9
66 LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD.
" The government of Otaheite resembles the early condition of every government, which, in an unim- proved and unrefined state, is ever a kind of fe"dal system of subordination, securing licentious liberty to a few, and a dependant servility to the rest."
Having above spoken of Omai, the native of the Society Islands, whom Cook had taken with him to England on a former voyage, and who had received every possible advantage for becoming acquainted with the habits, arts, and enjoyments of civilized life, the reader may be curious to know, in what manner he demeaned himself when he returned to his native country, and what were the prospects of his being benefited by his acquisitions and experience. In this case, as in many others, it will be seen, that the at- tempt to enlighten the ignorance and change the character of the savage was unsuccessful. On landing at Otaheite, says Ledyard, " we had a number of visiters, among whom w^as a sister of Omai, who came to welcome her brother to his native country again ; but the behavior of Omai on that occasion was conso- nant to his proud, empty, ambitious heart, and he refused at first to own her for his sister ; the reason of which was, her being a poor obscure girl, and as he expected to be nothing but king, the connexion would disgrace him." In a few days the vessels sailed over to Hueheine, the native island of Omai, at which he was finally to be left. Here a small house was built for him, in which his effects were deposited. About an acre of ground adjoining the house was pur- chased of the natives, surrounded with a ditch, and converted into a garden, in which various European
LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD. 67
seeds were planted. Several of the live animals, broUg'it from England, were also put onshore, and left under his charge.
" When ready to sail, Captain Cook made an enter- tainment on behalf of Omai at his little house, and in order to recommend him still further to the chiefs of the island, he invited them also. Every body enjoyed himself but Omai, v^'ho became more dejected as the time of his taking leave of us for ever approached ; and when he came finally to bid adieu, the scene was very affecting to the W'hole company. It is certainly to be regretted, that Omai will never be of any service to his country by his travels, but perhaps will render his countrymen, and himself too, the more unhappy."
The subsequent fate of Omai is not known, but had his knowledge, his efforts, or his example pro- duced any valuable effects in his native island, the monuments of them would havo been obvious to future voyagers. There has never been a more idle scheme of philanthropy, than that of converting a savage into a civilized man. No one attempt, it is believed, has ever been successful. Even Sampson Occum, before his death, relapsed into some of the worst habits of his tribe, and no North American In- dian of unmixed blood, whatever pains may have been taken with his education, has been known to adopt the manners of civilized men, or to pass his life among them. The reason is sufficiently plain, without resort- ing to natural instinct. In a civilized community, a man who has been a savage, must always feel himself inferior to those around him ; this feeling will drive him to his native woods, where he can claim and
68 LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD.
maintain an equality with his associates. This is the universal sentiment of nature, and none but a slave can be without it. When a man lives with savages, he will assume the habits of a savage, the light of education will be extinguished, and his mind and his moral sense will soon adapt themselves to his con- dition.
The vessels at length departed from the Society Islands, and took a northerly course, with the inten- tion of falling in with the coast of America, at about the fortieth degree of north latitude. After sailing six weeks, without approaching any other land, than an uninhabited island, consisting chiefly of a bed of coral rocks, and abounding in turtle of a fine quality, the mariners were greeted with a view of high land at a distance, which was not marked on the charts. It proved to be a new discovery, and was one of the group of islands, named afterwards by Cook the Sand- wick Islands. A safe harbor was found and entered, in which the vessels were no sooner anchored, than they were surrounded by canoes filled with the natives, who regarded the new comers with mex- pressible surprise, though not with apparent fear. A source of astonishment to the navigators was, that the people should speak a language differing but little from those of the Society Islands and New Zealand, which were distant, the first nearly three thousand, and the other four thousand miles, with an ocean intervening. The wide extent of the Polynesian dialects was not then known. Although very shy at first, the natives "w^ere not long in summoning courage to go on board. They looked with wonder upon the objects around
LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD. 69
them, examined the hands, faces, and clothes of the sailors, and inquired if thej could eat. When satisfied on this head, by seeing them devour dry biscuit, the simple islanders were eager to show their hospitality, and presented them with pigs, yams, sweet potatoes, and plantains, thus verifying a, declaration of Ledyard on another occasion, that " all uncivilized men are hospitable." A friendly intercourse was established, and provisions were given in barter for old iron, nails, and other articles of little intrinsic value, but impor- tant to the natives.
Cook remained ten days only at these islands, and then sailed for the American coast, intending to visit them again on his return from the north in the follow- ing winter. It was now the first of February, and no time was to be lost in hastening his voyage to the northward, for his plan was to proceed along the American shore, and run through Bering's Strait, so as to explore the polar latitudes at the proper season. Without any remarkable accident or adventure he reached the continent, and anchored in Nootka Sound. This is an extraordinary bay, extending several leagues into the country, and completely land-locked. On the *first night he ships were anchored in water nearly five hundred feet deep, and in other parts it was more than six hundred. A convenient harbor was found the next day. The bay is surrounded by lofty hills, and the shore is so bold, that the ships were secured by ropes fastened to trees.
Our wanderer was now on his native continent, and although more than three thousand miles from the place of his birth, yet he could not resist the sensa-
70 LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD.
tions kindled by the remembrance of home. All the deep emotions, says he, " incident to natural attach- ments and early prejudices played around my heart, and I indulged them." The feeling was spontaneous and genuine. Ledyard saw in the inhabitants, like- wise, indications of an affinity between them and the Indians, whom he had visited in his native country. In ail his travels he manifests a remarkable acute ness in observing the human character in its various grada- tions of improvement, and particularly in detecting resemblances between uncivilized people of different regions. Whether among the South Sea Islands, on the Northwest Coast of America, in Kamtschatka, Si- beria, or Egypt, remarks of this sort escape him con- tinually. He seems to have had in his mind a scale upon which he graduated the nations of men, and which he studied so carefully, that he could assign to each its proper place. His observations w ere not restricted to one class of qualities or circumstances, but they extended to all that constitute individual and national peculiarities, to the intellect, physical charac- teristics, modes of living, dress, warlike implements, habitations, furniture, government, religion, social state, and domestic habits. Nor was he merely ob- serving and inquisitive ; he was addicted to thought and redeciion. His theories were raised on the basis of facts ; his results were sustained by reasons, satis- factory at least to himself. He was fond of pursuing analogies, especially in regard to the origin, customs, and characters of the various races of men, and here the wide compass of his inquiries supplied him with so many materials not accessible to others, that he
LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD. 71
sometimes came to conclusions less obvious to those who follow him, than they were to his own mind. His description of the people of Nootka is here in- serted.
" I had no sooner beheld these Americans, tlian I set them down for the same kind of people, that inhabit the opposite side of the continent They are rather above the middle stature, copper-colored, and ol' an athletic make. They have lon^ black hair, which they generally wear in a club on the top of the head ; they fill it, when dressed, with oil, paint, and the down of birds. Tney also paint their faces with red, blue? and white colors, but from whence they had them, or how they were prepared, they would not inform us, nor could we tell. Their clothing generally consists of skins, but they have two other sorts of garmeiits ; the one is made of the inner rind of some sort oi bark, twisted and united together like the woof of our coarse cloths ; the other very strongly resembles the New Zealand toga, and is also principally made with the hair of their dogs, which are mostly white and of the domestic kind. Upon this garment is displayed, very well executed, the manner of their catching the whale ; we saw nothing so well done by a savage in our travels. Their garments of all kinds are worn mantlewise, and the borders of them are fringed, or terminated wifh some particular kind of ornament. Their richest skins, whe;i converted to garments, are edged with a great curiosity. This is nothing less, than the very species of ivampnm, so well known on the opposite side of the co'itiiseot. It is identically the same ; and this wampum was not only found
72 LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD.
among all the aborigines we saw on this side of the continent, but even exists unmutilated on the opposite coasts of Norvh Asia. We saw them make use of no coverings to their feet or legs, and it was seldom they covered their heads. When they did, it was with a kind of a basket covering, made after the manner and form of the Chinese and Chinese Tartars' hats. Their language is very guttural, and if it were possi- ble to reduce it to our orthography, it would very much abound with consonants. In their manners they resemble the other aborigines of North America. They are bold and ferocious, sly and reserved, not easily provoked, but revengeful ; we saw no signs of religion or worship among them, and if they sacrifice, it is to the god of liberty."
The fact here stated, respecting wampum, is curious, and confirms a remark of the author, that the diffusive power of commerce extended at that time throughout the whole continent of North America. " Nothing," says he, " can impede the progress of commerce among the uninformed part of mankind, but an intervention of too remote a communication by water." Civilized nations may impose restrictions, or adopt regulations, under the name of protecting laws, and thereby embar- rass commerce, but when left free to move in its own channels, there is no obscure nook of human society^ which it will not pervade. Ledyard discovered, among the natives on the Northwest coast, copper bracelets and knives, which could only have come to them across the continent from Hudson's Bay. Clap- perton found articles of English manufacture in the heart of Africa ; and the Russian embassy to Buka-
LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD. 73
ria met with others from the same source in central Asia. The wampum of the North American Indians has been an article of traffic, and probably passed as a kind of currency among all the tribes from time immemorial.
Ledyard's views of the commercial resources of Nootka Sound, and other parts of the Northwest Coast, must not be overlooked in this place, because they were the foundation of many important succeed- ing events of his life, in suggesting to him the benefits of a trafficing voyage to that coast. It will be seen hereafter, that he was the first, whether in Europe or America, to propose such a voyage as a mercantile enterprise, and that he persevered against numerous obstacles for several years, though with fruitless en- deavors, to accomplish his object. The furs, pur- chased of the natives for a mere trifle, were sold in China at an enormous advance, which had not been anticipated, but which gave ample proof of the advan- tages of such a commerce, undertaken upon a large scale. After enumerating some of the productions of the soil, he adds, " The light in which this country will appear most to advantage respects the variety of its animals, and the richness of their furs. They have foxes, sables, hares, marmosets, ermines, weazles, bears, wolves, deer, moose, dogs, otters, beavers, and a species of weazle called the glutton. The skin of this animal was sold at Kamtschatka, a Russian factory on the Asiatic coast, for sixty rubles, which is near twelve guineas, and had it been sold in China, it would have been worth thirty guineas. We purchased while here about fiteen hundred beaver, besides other skins, but 10
74 LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD.
took none but the best, having no thoughts at that tune of using them to any other advantage, than con- verting them to the purposes of clothing ; but it after- wards happened that skins, which did not cost the pur- chaser sixpence sterlins:, sold in China for one hundred dollars. Neither did we purchase a quarter part of the beaver and other fur skins we might have done, and most certainly should have done, had we known of meeting the opportunity of disposing of them to such an astonishing profit."
At Nootka Sound, and at the Sandwich Islands, Ledyard witnessed instances of cannibalism. In both places he saw human flesh prepared for food, but on one occasion only at each ; for, he says, the sailors ex- pressed such a horror at the sight, that the natives never ventured to repeat the act in their presence. In this part of his narrative he makes a digression on sacrifices, which I shall quote, not so much for its originality, or the conclusiveness of its reasoning, as to show his manner of considering the subject. His notion is, that cannibalism, or the custom of eating human flesh, which has by no means been uncommon among savage tribes, had its origin in the custom of sacrificing human victims. There is good evidence, that other tribes of North American Indians, besides those at Nootka, have been cannibals, if they are not so even at the present day. There was a time, when some philanthropists professed to doubt the existence of this habit, so shocking to humanity, but the mass of testimony brought to light since Cook's first voyage is such, as to conquer the most obstinate reluctance to conviction. Let the skeptic look at New Zealand, and cease to doubt.
Ji
LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD. 75
" The custom of sacrificing is very ancient. The first instance we have of it is in the lives of Cain and Abel. Their sacrifices consisted in part of animal flesh, burnt upon an altar dedicated to God. This custom exists now among all the uncivilized and Jewish nations, in the essential rites requisite to prove it analogous to the first institution. The only material change in the ceremony is, that the barbarous nations have added human flesh. Whether this additional ingredient in the oblation took place at a remote subsequent period, by the antecedent intervention of any extraor- dinary circumstance independent of the original form, does not appear, unless we place the subsequent period below the time of Abraham, or perhaps below the time of Jephthah. The circumstance of Abraham's intended sacrifice of Isaac, to which he was enjoined by the Deity, though he absolutely did not do it, yet was sufficient to introduce the idea, that such a sacri- fice was the most pleasing to God, and as it was an event very remarkable, it probably became an histori- cal subject, and went abroad among other tribes, and was handed down among them by tradition, and liable to all the changes incident thereto ; and in time the story might have been, that Abraham not only oftered, but really did sacrifice his own son. But perhaps the story of Jephthah, judge of Israel, is more to the point. It is said, he sacrificed his daughter as a burnt-oflering to the god, who had been propitious to him in war ; which does appear to be an act independent of custom, or tradition, as it was performed wholly from the obliga- tions of a rash vow, made to the Deity in the fulness of a heart surcharged with hopes and fears. It is also
76 LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD.
a fact, that after this, particularly in the reign of the wicked Ahaz, it was a general custom, especially among the heathen, to make their children ' pass through the fire ; ' by which I suppose it is understood, that they were sacrificed with fire.
" It seems, then, that the circumstance of adding human flesh in the ceremony of sacrificing, did take place in the years antecedent to Christ, and most probably from the example of Jephthah. After this we find it shifting places, attending the diffusive emigra- tions of the tribes, and commixing with mankind in general, but especially with those disunited from the chosen descendants of the great Abraham ; whose de- scendants, being constantly favored with civil and religious instructions from Heaven itself, were not only preserved from superstition and barbarity themselves, but were the means of furnishing the detached heathen with a variety of customs and ceremonies, that from the mere light of nature they never could have thought of ; nor could they preserve them pure and uncorrupt after they had adopted them. Even the favored Israelites were perpetually deviating into schisms and cabals, and frequently into downright idolatry, and all the vanity of superstition and unbridled nonsense, from the imbecility of human policy, when uninflu- enced by heavenly wisdom and jurisprudence. No wonder, then, that the separate tribes from the house of Abraham, though they primarily received many of their principles of civil and religious government from a pure fountain, should debase and contaminate them by the spurious conjunction of things derived from their own imaginations. And this seems to have been
LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD. 77
the course of things to this day. There hath always been a part of mankind conspicuous for knowledge, superior in wisdom, and favored by Heaven, from whom others are separated ; and these, like the moon, have only shone with borrowed light. Some customs may be local and indigenous to particular times and circumstances, both in the civilized and uncivilized world, but far the greater part are derivative, and were originally bestowed on man by his supreme Governor ; those that we find among the civilized and wise, measured on a philosophic scale, are uncorrupt- ed, while those that we find existing in parts remote from civilization and knowledge, though they have a resemblance which plainly intimates from whence they came, are yet debased, mutilated, and by some hardly known. But who, that had seen a human body sacri- ficed at Otaheite to their god of war, w^ould not per- ceive an analogy to ancient custom on those occasions, and attribute it rather to such custom, than to any other cause whatever. And the custom is not con- fined to Otaheite alone ; it pervades the islands throughout the Pacific ocean. It was the case with the ancient Britons. The Mexicans depopulated society by this carnivorous species of sacrifice. This could not be the effect of accident, want, or caprice. It may be worthy of notice to remark furthermore, that in the time of Ahaz, these sacrifices were made in high places. It was so in Mexico, and is so at Otaheite and other islands. The Mexicans flung their victims from the top of their temple, dedicated to their god of war. The Otaheitans and the other islanders prepare those oblations on their Morals."
78 LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD.
Captain Cook remained a few days only at Nootka Sound, and then sailed northward coasting along the American shore, and making various geographical dis- coveries till he came to Bering's Strait, which sepa- rates Asia from America. In passing through this Strait, Ledyard says both continents were distinctly seen at the same time. Cook traversed the polar seas in the month of August, as far north as the ice would permit, in search of a northwest passage, but without success. As the season advanced, he returned to the south, intending to renew his attempts the next year.
Few occurrences are recorded in the voyage back to the Sandwich Islands. There is one, however, which merits particular attention in this narrative, since our hero was the chief actor. The adventure is mentioned in Cook's Voyages, and by Captain Burney, as highly creditable to the enterprise and dis- creticui of Ledyard. It happened at the island of Onalaska, on the Northwest Coast. Ledyard himself wrote a particular description of it, which hardly admits of abridgment, and which may best be given, therefore, in his own words.
" I have before observed, that we had noticed many appearances to the eastward of this, as far almost as Sandwich Sound, of an European intercourse, and that we had at this island in particular met with cir- cumstances, that did not only indicate such an inter- course, but seemed strongly to intimate, that some Europeans were actually somewhere on the spot. The appearances that led to these conjectures were such as these. We found among the inhabitants of this
LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD. 79
island two different kinds of people, the one we knew to be the aborigines of America, while we supposed the others to have come from the opposite coasts of Asia. There were two different dialects also ob- served, and we found them fond of tobacco, rum, and snuff. Tobacco we even found them possessed of, and we observed several blue linen shirts and drawers among them. But the most remarkable circumstance was a cake of rye meal newly baked, with a piece of salmon in it, seasoned with pepper and salt, which was brought and presented to Cook by a comely young chief, attended by two of those Indians, whom we supposed to be Asiatics. The chief seemed anxious to explain to Cook the meaning of the pre- sent, and the purport of his visit ; and he was so far successful as to persuade him, that there were some strangers in the country, who were white, and had come over the great waters in a vessel somewhat like ours, and though not so large, was yet much larger than theirs.
" In consequence of this. Cook was determined to explore the island. It was difficult, however, to fix upon a plan, that would at once answer the purposes of safety and expedition. An armed body would proceed slowly, and if they should be cut off by the Indians, the loss in our present circumstances would be irreparable ; and a single person would entirely risk his life, though he would be much more expeditious if unmolested, and if he should be killed the loss would be only one. The latter seemed the best, but it was extremely hard to single out an individual, and com- mand him to go upon such an expedition ; and it was
80 LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD.
therefore thought proper to send a volunteer, or none. I was at this time, and indeed ever after, an intimate friend of John Gore, first lieutenant of the Resolution, a native of America as well as myself, and superior to me in command. He recommended me to Captain Cook to undertake the expedition, with which I im- mediately acquiesced.* Captain Cook assured me.
* The following biographical sketch has been furnished from a source which gives it a claim to confidence.
Captain John Gore was born about the year 1730, in the Colony of Virginia. It may be reasonably inferred, that he was brought up to the sea, as he served a long time on board the Windsor man-of-war, during the contest which preceded the American Revolution. In the suc- cessive voyages of the Dolphin, under Byron and Wallis, he served as a master's mate, and on his return to England with the latter, was promoted to a lieutenancy. The Endeavour was then preparing for a similar expedition, and having beon appointed her second lieutenant, he accompanied Captain Cook in his first voyage round the world. In the following year, 1772, he was appointed to the command of a mer- chant-ship, which had been engaged by Sir Joseph Banks for the pur- pose of visiting Iceland and the Hebrides ; and did not return again until after the departure of the Resolution and Adventure.
In the last voyage of Captain Cook, he served as first lieutenant of the Resolution, and on the death of the navigator, and of Captain Gierke, he respectively succeeded to the captaincy of the Discovery and to the chief command. On his arrival in England, he was imme- diately promoted to the rank of Post Captain, and shortly after to the station in Greenwich Hospital, which was to have been resumed by Captain Cook, in the event of his having returned. He remained in this honorable retirement till his death, which is recorded in a publica- tion of the time, in the foUov/ing words.
" August 10, 1790 — At his apartments in Greenwich Hospital, sin- cerely regretted by all who had the pleasure of his acquaintance. Cap- tain John Gore, one of the Captains of Greenwich Hospital, a most experienced seaman, and an honor to his profession. He had sailed four times round the world ; first with Commodore Byron ; secondly, with Captain Wallis, and the two last times with Captain James Cook."
LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD. 81
that he was happy I had undertaken it, as he was convinced I should persevere ; and after giving me some instructions how to proceed, he wished me well, and desired I would not be longer absent than a week if possible, at the expiration of which he should ex- pect me to return. If I did not return by that time, he should wait another week for me, and no longer. The young chief before-mentioned, and his two at- tendants, were to be my guides. I took with me some presents adapted to the taste of the Indians, brandy in bottles, and bread, but no other provisions. I went entirely unarmed, by the advice of Captain Cook. The first day we proceeded about fifteen miles into the interior part of the island, without any remarkable occurrence, until we approached a village just before night. This village consisted of about thirty huts, some of them large and spacious, though not very high. The huts are composed of a kind of slight frame, erected over a square hole sunk about four feet into the ground ; the frame is covered at the bottom with turf, and upwards it is thatched with
In the theoretical attainments of his profession, Captain Gore may have been equalled by many, but as a practical navigator he was surpassed by none. As an officer, he appears to have blended a proper degree of prudence with the most unshaken intrepidity ; and his illus- trious commander declares, that he ever reposed the fullest confidence in his diligence and ability. In his disposition he was benevolent ; and his generosity (as is remarked by Captain King) was manifested on all occasions. But the character of a " very worthy man," ascribed to him by Van Troil, in his letters on Iceland, will comprise the enumera- tion of his virtues.
Of his particular kindness and attention to his countrymen, we have a striking proof in the case of Ledyard. 11
82 LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD.
coarse grass ; the whole village was out to see us, and men, women, and children crowded about me. I was conducted by the young chief, who was my guide, and seemed proud and assiduous to serve me, into one of the largest huts. I was surprised at the behavior of the Indians, for though they were curious to see me, yet they did not express that extraordinary curi- osity, that would be expected had they never seen an European before, and 1 was glad to perceive it, as it was an evidence in favor of what I wished to find true, namely, that there were Europeans now among them. The women of the house, which were almost the only ones I had seen at this island, were much more tolerable, than I expected to find them ; one, in par- ticular, seemed very busy to please me ; to her, there- fore, I made several presents, with which she was extremely well pleased. As it was now dark, my young chief intimated to me, that we must tarry where we were that night, and proceed further the next day ; to which I very readily consented, being much fatigued. Our entertainment, the subsequent part of the evening, did not consist of delicacies or much variety ; they had dried fish, and I had bread and spirits, of which we all participated. Ceremony was not invited to the feast, and nature presided over the entertainment.
" At daylight Perpheela (which was the name of the young chief that was my guide) let me know that he was ready to go on ; upon which 1 flung off the skins I had slept in, put on my shoes and outside vest, and arose to accompany him, repeating my presents to my friendly hosts. We had hitherto travelled in a north-
LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD. 83
eriy direction, but now went to the westward and southward, I was now so much relieved from the apprehension of any insult or injury from the Indians, that rny journey would have been even agreeable, had I not been taken lame, with a swelling in the feet, which rendered it extremely painful to walk ; the country was also rough and hilly, and the weather wet and cold. About three hours before dark we came to a large bay, which appeared to be four leagues over. Here my guide, Perpheela, took a canoe and all our baggage, and set off, seemingly to cross the bay. He appeared to leave me in an abrupt manner, and told me to follow the two attendants. This gave me some uneasiness. I now followed Perpheela's two attend- ants, keeping the bay in view, but we had not gone above six miles before we saw a canoe approaching us from the opposite side of the bay, in which were two Indians ; as soon as my guides saw the canoe, we ran to the shore from the hills and hailed them, and find- ing they did not hear us, we got some bushes and waved them in the air, which they saw, and stood directly for us. This canoe was sent by Perpheela to bring me across the bay, and shorten the distance of the journey.
" It was beginning to be dark when the canoe came to us. It was a skin canoe, after the Esquimaux plan, with two holes to accommodate two sitters. The Indians that came in the canoe talked a little with my two guides, and then came to me and desired I would get into the canoe. This I did not very readily agree to, however, as there was no other place for me but to be thrust into the space between the holes, extended
84 LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD.
at length upon my back, and wholly excluded from seeing the way I went, or the power of extricating myself upon any emergency. But as there was no alternative, I submitted thus to be stowed away in bulk, and went head foremost very swift through the water about an hour, when I felt the canoe strike a beach, and afterwards lifted up and carried some dis- tance, and then set down again ; after which I was drawn out by the shoulders by three or four men, for it was now so dark that I could not tell who they were, though I was conscious I heard a language that was new. I was conducted by two of these persons, who appeared to be strangers, about forty rods, when I saw lights and a number of huts like those I left in the morning. As we approached one of them, a door opened, and discovered a lamp, by which, to my joy and surprise, I discovered that the two men, who held me by each arm, were Europeans, fair and comely, and concluded from their appearance they were Rus- sians, which I soon after found to be true. As we entered the hut, which was particularly long, I saw, arranged on each side, on a platform of plank, a number of Indians, who all bowed to me ; and as I advanced to the farther end of the hut, there were other Russians. When I reached the end of the room, I was seated on a bench covered with fur skins, and as 1 was much fatigued, wet, and cold, I had a change of garments brought me, consisting of a blue silk shirt and drawers, a fur cap, boots, and gown, all which I put on with the same cheerfulness they were presented with. Hospitality is a virtue peculiar to man, and the obligation is as great to receive as to
LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD. 6b
confer. As soon as I was rendered warm and com- fortable, a table was set before me with a lamp upon it ; all the Russians in the house sat down round me, and the bottles of spirits, tobacco, snuff, and whatever Perpheela had, were brought and set upon it ; these I presented to the company, intimating that they were presents from Commodore Cook, who was an Eng- lishman. One of the company then gave me to understand, that all the white people I saw there were subjects of the Empress Catherine of Russia, and rose and kissed my hand, the rest uncovering their heads. 1 then informed them as well as I could, that Commodore Cook wanted to see some of them, and had sent me there to conduct them to our ships.
These preliminaries over, we had supper, which con- sisted of boiled whale, halibut fried in oil, and broiled salmon. The latter I ate, and they gave me rye-bread, but would eat none of it themselves. They were very- fond of the rum, which they drank without any mixture or measure. I had a very comfortable bed composed of different fur skins, both under and over me, and being harassed the preceding day, I went soon to rest. After 1 had lain down, the Russians assembled the Indians in a very silent manner, and said prayers after the manner of the Greek church, which is much like the Roman. 1 could not but observe with what particular satisfaction the Indians performed theii' de- voirs to God, through the medium of their little cru- cifixes, and with what pleasure they went through the multitude of ceremonies attendant on that sort of w^orship. I think it a religion the best calculated in the world to gain proselytes, when the people are either
86 LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD.
unwilling or unable to speculate, or when they cannot be made acquainted with the history and principles of Christianity without a formal education.
" I had a very comfortable night's rest, and did not wake the next morning until late. As soon as I was up, I was conducted to a hut at a little distance from the one I had slept in, where I saw a number of plat- forms raised about three feet from the ground, and covered with dry coarse grass and some small green bushes. There were several of the Russians already here, besides those that conducted me, and several Indians who were heating water in a large copper caldron over a furnace, the heat of which, and the steam which evaporated from the hot water, rendered the hut, which was very tight, extremely hot and suf- focating. I soon understood this was a hot bath, of which I was asked to make use in a friendly manner. The apparatus being a little curious, I consented to it, but before I had finished undressing myself, I was overcome by the sudden change of the air, fainted away, and fell back on the platform I was sitting on. I was, however, soon relieved by having cold and lukewarm water administered to my face and different parts of my body. I finished undressing, and pro- ceeded as I saw the rest do, who were now all un- dressed. The Indians, who served us, brought us, as we set or extended ourselves on the platforms, water of different temperatures, from that which was as hot as we could bear, to quite cold. The hot water was accompanied with some hard soap and a flesh-brush ; it was not however thrown on the body from the dish, but sprinkled on with the green bushes. After this,
LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD. 87
the water made use of was less warm, and by several gradations became at last quite cold, which concluded the ceremony. We again dressed and returned to our lodgings, where our breakfast was smoking on the table ; but the flavor of our feast, as well as its appear- ance, had nearly produced a relapse in my spirits, and no doubt would, if I had not had recourse to some of the brandy I had brought, which happily saved me. I was a good deal uneasy, lest the cause of my dis- composure should disoblige my friends, who meant to treat me in the best manner they could. 1 therefore attributed my illness to the bath, which might possibly have partly occasioned it, for I am not very subject to fainting. I could eat none of the breakfast, however, though far from wanting an appetite. It was mostly of whale, sea-horse, and bear, which, though smoked, dried, and boiled, produced a composition of smells very offensive at nine or ten in the morning. I there- fore desired I might have a piece of smoked salmon broiled dry, which I ate with some of my own biscuit. " After breakfast I intended to set off on my return to the ships, though there came on a disagreeable snow storm. But my new-found friends objected to it, and gave me to understand, that I should go the next day, and, if I chose, three of them would accompany me. This I immediately agreed to, as it anticipated a favor I intended to ask them, though I before much doubted whether they would comply with it. I amused my- self within doors, while it snowed without, by writing down a few words of the original languages of the American Indians, and of the Asiatics, who came over to this coast with these Russians from Kamtschatka.
88 LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD.
" In the afternoon the weather cleared up, and I went out to see how those Russian adventurers were situated. I found tiie whole village to contain about thirty huts, all of which were built partly under ground, and covered with turf at the bottom, and coarse grass at the top. The only circumstance that can recommend them is their warmth, which is occa- sioned partly by their manner of construction, and partly by a kind of oven, in which they constantly keep a fire night and day. They sleep on platforms built on each side of the hut, on which they have a number of bear and other skins, which render them comfortable ; and as they have been educated in a hardy manner, they need little or no other support, than what they procure from the sea and from hunt- ing. The number of Russians were about thirty, and they had with them about seventy Kamtschadales, or Indians from Kamtschatka. These, with some of the American Indians, whom they had entered into friend- ship with, occupied the village, enjoyed every benefit in common with the Russians, and were converts to their religion. Such other of the aborigines of the island, as had not become converts to their sentiments in religious and civil matters, were excluded from such privileges, and were prohibited from wearing certain arms.
I also found a small sloop of about thirty tons bur- then lying in a cove behind the village, and a hut near her, containing her sails, cordage, and other sea equip- age, and one old iron three pounder. It is natural to an ingenuous mind, when it enters a town, a house, or ship, that has been rendered famous by any particular
LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD. 89
event, to feel the full force of that pleasure, which re- sults from gratiijing a noble curiosity. 1 was no sooner informed, that this sloop was the same in which the famous Bering had performed those discoveries, which did him so much honor, and his country such great sei' ice, than I was determined to go on board of her, and indulge the generous feelings the occasion in- spired. I intimated my wishes to the man that accompanied me, who went back to the village, and brought a canoe, in which we went on board, where I remained about an hour, and then returned. This little bark belonged to Kamtschatka, and came from thence with the Asiatics already mentioned to this island, which they call Onalaska, in order to estab- lish a pelt and fur factory. They had been here about five years, and go over to Kamtschatka in her once a year to deliver their merchandise, and get a recruit of such supplies as they need from the chief factory there, of which I shall take further notice hereafter.
" The next day I set off from this village, well satis- fied with the happy issue of a tour, which was now as agreeable as it was at first undesirable. I was ac- companied by three of the principal Russians, and some attendants. We embarked at the village in a large skin boat, much like our large whale-boats, row- ing with twelve oars ; and as we struck directly across the bay, we shortened our distance several miles, and the next day, passing the same village I had before been at, we arrived by sunset at the bay where the ships lay, and before dark I got on board with our new acquaintances. The satisfaction this discovery gave 12
90 LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD.
Cook, and the honor that redounded to me, may be easily imagined, and the several conjectures respecting the appearance of a foreign intercourse were rectified and confirmed."
Such other researches, as could be pursued at that season, having been made at Onalaska, and along the coast. Cook left the continent and shaped his course for the Sandwich Islands. Two months' sailing brought him in view of one of the group, not discov- ered on his voyage to the north, called by the natives Owhyhee, or Hawyhee, as Ledyard writes it, or Hawaii, according to the modern orthography of the missionaries.* As our traveller is more minute in his description of the events that happened at this island, and particularly in his account of the death of Caj)tain Cook, than most narrators, and as he describes only what came within his own knowledge, it may be worth while to dwell a little upon these topics.
* It is to be observed, that the sound expressed by Ledyard's ortho- graphy, and that of the missionaries, is exactly tlie same, he preserving the English sounds of the vowels, and they adopting the Italian.
LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD. 91
CHAPTER V.
The ships anchored in Kearakekua bay. — First interview with the natives. — Reverence with which they regarded Cook. — Tents erected for astronomical observations. — Ceremonies at the meeting of Cook with the old king. — Ledyard forms the project of ascending the high mountain in Hawaii, called by the natives Mouna Roa — Description of his ascent, and cause of his ultimate failure. — The natives begin to show symptoms of uneasi- ness at the presence of the strangers, and to treat them with disrespect. — Offended at the encroachment made on their Moral. — Cook departs from Kearakekua bay, but is compelled to return by a heavy storm, that overtakes him, and injures his ships. — Natives receive him coldly. — They steal one of the ship's boats, which Cook endeavors to recover. — Goes on shore for the purpose. — Is there attacked by the natives and slain. — Ledyard accompanied him on shore, and was near his person when killed. — His de- scription of the event. — Expedition sails for Kamtschatka, explores again the Polar seas, and returns to England. — Ledyard's opinions respecting the first peopling of the South Sea Islands. — Other remarks relating to this subject, founded on the analogy of languages, and manners of the people. — Character- istics of Ledyard's journal. — Estimation in which he held Captain Cook.
The ships 'v^^ere several days among the islands, sailino; in different directions, before a harbor was dis- covered, in vi'hich they could anchor with safety, and where water and provisions could be procured. At length they entered a commodious bay on the south side of Hawaii, extending inland about two miles and a half, having the town of Kearakekua on one side, and Kiverua on the other. These towns con- tained fourteen hundred houses. The crowds of people that flocked to the shore, as the vessels sailed in and came to anchor, were prodigious. They had assembled from the interior and the coast. Three thousand canoes were counted in the bay, filled with men, women, and children, to the number of at least
92 LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD.
fifteen thousand, besides others that were swimming and sustaining themselves on floats in the water. The scene was animated and grotesque in the extreme. " The beach, the surrounding rocks, the tops of houses, the branches of trees, and the adjacent hills were all covered ; and the shouts of joy and admiration, proceeding from the sonorous voices of the men, con- fused with the shriller exclamations of the women dancing and clapping their hands, the oversetting of canoes, cries of the children, goods afloat, and hogs that were brought to market squealing, formed one of the most curious prospects, that can be imagined." But amidst this immense concourse, all was peace, harmony, hilarity, and good nature. Many of the natives were contented to gaze and wonder ; others, by their noise and actions, gave more imposing demon- strations of their joy and admiration ; while others were busy in bartering away hogs, sweet potatoes, and such provisions as they had, for articles that pleased their fancy.
Cook's first visit to the shore was attended with a good deal of ceremony. Two chiefs, with long white poles as ensigns of their authority, made a passage among the canoes for his pinnace, and the people, as he was rowed along, covered their faces with their hands. When he landed, they fell prostrate en the beach before him, and a new set of officers opened a way for him through the crowd. The same expres- sions of awe were manifested, as he proceeded from the water's edge. " The people upon the adjacent hills, upon the houses, on the stone walls, and in the tops of the trees, also hid their faces, while he passed
LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD. 93
along the opening, but he had no sooner past them, than they rose and followed him. But if Cook hap- pened to turn his head, or look behind him, they were down again in an instant, and up again as soon, when- ever his face was reverted to some other quarter. This punctilious performance of respect in so vast a throng, being regulated solely by the accidental torn of one man's head, and the transition being sudden and short, rendered it very difficult even for an indivi- dual to be in proper attitude. If he lay prostrate hot a second too long, he was pretty sure not to rise again until he had been trampled upon by all behind him, and if he dared not to prostrate himself, he ivould stumble over those before him who did. This pro- duced a great many laughable circumstances, and as Cook walked very fast to get from the sand into the shades of the town, it rendered the matter still more difficult. At length, however, they adopted a a medium, that much better answered a running com- pliment, and did not displease the chiefs ; this was to go upon all fours, which was truly ludicrous among at least ten thousand people." This confusion ceased, however, before long, for Cook was conducted to the Morai, a sacred enclosure, which none but the chiefs and their attendants were allowed to enter. Here he was unmolested, and the presents were distributed.
His first object w^as to procure a situation on shore to erect tents, and fit up the astronomical instruments. A suitable spot was granted, on condition that none of the seamen should leave the place after sunset, and with a stipulation on the part of the chiefs, that none of their people should enter it by night. To make
94 LIFE OF JOHN LEDTARD.
this effectual, the ground was marked out bj white rods, and put under the restriction of the lahu, which no native dared violate, being restrained by the super- stitious fear of offending the atuas, or invisible spirits of the island. This caution surprised Cook a little, as he had not witnessed it among the natives of the other South Sea Islasjds. It appeared reasonable, and he consented to it, not foreseeing the mischiefs to which it would ultimately lead. Ledjard considers it the origin of all the disasters that followed. Restric- tions were imposed, which could not be enforced ; thej were violated secretly at first, then with less re- serve, and at last openly. The men in the tents were the first to transgress, by going abroad contrary to the agreement. The native wonien were tempted by them to pass over the prescribed limits, although they shuddered at the apprehension of the consequences, which might follow such a disregard ol the tabu. When they found, however, that no harm came upon them from the enraged atuas, their fears by degrees subsided. This intercourse was not such, as to raise the Europeans in the estimation of the islanders. It was begun by stealth, and prosecuted in violation of the sacred injunction of the tabu, and as no measures were taken to prevent it, the chiefs naturally consid- ered it an infraction of the agreement. Ledyard was himself stationed on shore with a guard of marines to protect the tents, and enjoyed the best opportunity for seeing and knowing what passed in that quarter.
Harmony, and a good understanding among all parties, prevailed for several days. Cook went through the ceremony of being anointed with cocoa-
LIfE OF JOHN LEDYABD. 95
nut oil by one of the chief priests, and of listening; to a speech half an hour in length, on the occasion, from the same high dignitary. When Teraiobu, the king, a feeble old man. returned from one of the other islands, where he had been on a visit, there was another ceremony, conducted with great form, at his meeting with Cook. Entertainments succeeded, and good cheer and good humor were seen everywhere. Cook first invited Teraiobu and his chiefs on board to dinner. They were temperate, drinking water only, and eating but little. The old king satisfied himself entirely with bread-fruit and water, but the yoimger chiefs comprised in their repast the luxury of pork and fowls. They all went away well pleased, and the king invited Cook to dine with him the next day at his royal resi- dence. The invitation was accepted ; and when the hour came, the navigator and his officers were sump- tuously feasted on baked hog and potatoes, neatly spiead out on green plantain leaves, and for beverage they were supplied with cocoanut milk. The day was closed with gymnastic exercises, wrestling and boxing, ordered by the old king for the amusement of his guests. On the next evening Cook in his turn exhibited fireworks on shore, much to the amazement of the beholders, who had never before seen such a display. Many laughable incidents occurred. When the first sky-rocket was discharged, the multitude was seized with the greatest consternation. Cook and his officers " could hardly hold the old feeble Teraiobu, and some elderly ladies of quality that sat among them ; and before they had recovered from this parox- ysm, nearly the whole host, that a moment before
96 LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD.
surroimded them, had fled." Some were too much fi-ighteiied to return any more, but others came back as their fears abated, and had the courage to keep their 2;round through the remainder of the exhibition.
Thus all things were pro* eeding, as Ledyard ex- presses it, " in the old Otaheite style ; " the visiters and the islanders were mutually pleased with each other, kind offices were reciprocated, abundant stores of provisions were carried on board, and prospects were favorable.
While affairs were in this train, Ledyard formed the design of ascending the high peak, which rises from the centre of the island, and is called by the natives Mouna Roa. Although this mountain stands on an island only ninety miles in diameter, yet it is one of the highest in the world. Its elevation has been esti- mated to be about eighteen thousand feet, and its sumniit is usually covered with snow. From his sta- tion at the tents, Ledyard sent a note on board the Resolution to Captain Cook, asking permission to make this jaunt, for the double purpose of exploring the interior, and, if possible, climbing to the top of the imountain. The request was granted. The botanist, and the gunner of the Resolution, were deputed by the commander to accompany him. Natives were also engaged to carry the baggage, and serve as guides through the woods. A tropical sun was then pouring its rays on them at the bay of Kearakekua, but the snows visible on the peak of Mouna Roa warned them to provide additional clothing, and guard against the effects of a sudden transition from heat to cold. The party at length set off. On first leaving the town
LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD. 97
their route lay through enclosed plantations of sweet potatoes, with a soil of lava, tilled in some places with difficulty. Now and then a patch of sugar-cane was seen in a moist place. Next came the open planta- tions, consisting chiefly of bread-fruit trees, and the land began to ascend more abruptly.
" We continued up the ascent," he writes, " to the distance of a mile and a half further, and found the land thick covered with wild fern, among which our botanist found a new species. It was now near sunset, and being upon the skirts of these woods, that so remark- ably surrounded this island at a uniform distance of four our five miles from the shore, we concluded to halt, especially as there was a hut hard by, that would afford us a better retreat during the night, than what we might expect if we proceeded. When we reached the hut, we found it inhabited by an elderly man, his wife, and daughter, the emblem of innocent, unin- structed beauty. They were somewhat discomposed at our appearance and equipment, and would have left their house through fear, had not the Indians, who accompanied us, persuaded them otherwise, and at last reconciled them to us. We sat down together before the door, and from the height of the situation we had a complete retrospective view of our route, of the town, of part of the bay, and one of our ships, besides an extensive prospect on the ocean, and a dis- tant view of three of the neighboring islands.
" As we had proposed remaining at this hut through the night, and were willing to preserve what provi- sions we had ready dressed, we purchased a little pig, and had him dressed by our host, who, finding his ac- 13
98 LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD.
count in his visitants, bestirred himself and soon had it ready. After supper we had some of our brandy dikited with the mountain water, and we had so long been confined to the poor brackish water at the bay below, that it was a kind of nectar to us. As soon as the sun was set, we found a considerable difference in the state of the air. At night a heavy dew fell, and we felt it very chilly, and had recourse to our blankets, notwithstanding we were in the hut. The next morning, when we came to enter the woods, we found there had been a heavy rain, though none of it had approached us, notwithstanding we were within two hundred yards of the skirts of the forest. And it seemed to be a matter of fact, both from the informa- tion of the natives and our own observations, that neither the rains nor the dews descended lower than where the woods terminated, unless at the equinoxes or some periodical conjuncture, by which means the space between the woods and the shore is rendered warm, and fit for the purposes of culture, and the vegetation of tropical productions. We traversed these woods by a compass, keeping a direct course for the peak, and was so happy the first day as to find a footpath that tended nearly our due course, by which means we travelled by estimation about fifteen miles, and though it would have been no extraordinary march, had circumstances been different, yet, as we found them, we thought it a very great one ; for it was not only excessively miry and rough, but the way was mostly an ascent, and we had been unused to walking, and espe- cially to carrying such loads as we had. Our Indian companions were much more fatigued than we were.
LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD, 99
though they had nothing to carry, and, what displeased us very much, would not carry anything. Our botanical researches delayed us somewhat. The sun had not set when we halted, yet meeting" with a situation that pleased us, and not being limited as to time, we spent the remaining part of the day as humor dictated, some in botanizing, and those who had fowling-pieces with them in shooting. For my part I could not but think the present appearance of our encampment claimed a part of our attention, and therefore set about some alterations and amendments. It was the trunk of a tree, that had fallen by the side of the path, and lay with one end transversely over another tree, that had fallen before in an opposite direction, and as it mea- sured twentytwo feet in circumference, and lay four feet from the ground, it afforded very good shelter except at the sides, which defect I supplied by large pieces of bark, and a good quantity of boughs, which rendered it very commodious. We slept through the night under it much better than we had done the pre- ceding, notwithstanding there was a heavy dew, and the air cold.
"The next morning we set out in good spirits, hoping that day to reach the snowy peak ; but we had not gone a mile, before the path, that had hitherto so much facilitated our progress, began not only to take a direction southward of west, but had been so little frequented as to be almost effaced. In this situation we consulted our Indian convoy, but to no purpose. We then advised among ourselves, and at length concluded to proceed by the nearest route without any beaten track, and went in this manner
100 LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD.
about four miles further, finding the way even more steep and rough, than we had yet experienced, but above all impeded by such impenetrable thickets, as rendered it impossible for us to proceed any further. We therefore abandoned our design, and returning in our own track, reached the retreat we had improved the last night, having been the whole day in walking only about ten miles, and we had been very assiduous too. We found the country here, as well as at the seashore, universally overspread with lava, and also saw several subterranean excavations, that had every appearance of past eruption and fire. Our botanist to day met with great success, and we had also shot a number of fine birds of the liveliest and most variegated plumage, that any of us had ever met with, but we heard no melody among them. Except these we saw no other kind of birds but the screechowl ; neither did we see any kind of quadruped, but we caught several curious insects. The woods here are thick and luxuriant, the largest trees being nearly thirty feet in the girth, and these with the shrubbery underneath, and the whole intersected with vines, render it very umbrageous.
" The next day, about two in the afternoon, we cleared the woods by our old route, and by six o'clock reached the tents, having penetrated about twentyfour miles, and, we supposed, within eleven of the peak. Our Indians were extremely fatigued, though they had no baggage." *
* This mountain was never ascended to the top, till very recent- ly. Mr Goodrich, one of the American Missionarioe on the island, was the first person, who persevered in reaching the summit. He ascended on a side of the mountain nearly opposite to that, where Ledyard made the attempt.
LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD. 101
Were we to follow the author closely m his narra- tive, we should here introduce his description of the island of Hawaii, and of the various objects that at- tracted his notice. He speaks of the geological struc- J ture of the island, its soil, productions, climate, and animals ; the customs of the natives, their supersti- tions, government, and criminal offences ; their way of living, and the remarkable differences between them and the other islanders of the South Sea. On some of these topics his remarks are original and striking, but we must pass over them, and hasten to particulars of higher interest.
Before two weeks had expired, the natives began to show symptoms of uneasiness at the presence of the foreigners, and to treat them with diminished respect. In truth, very little pains were taken to preserve their good opinion, or to keep alive their kind feelings ; and one untoward event after another was perpetually occurring to lessen the admiration, which novelty had excited, and to alienate them from their newly made friends. Ledyard mentions several incidents of this description, which are not alluded to in the authorized account of Cook's last voyage. Some of them, probably, were not known to the writer, and others were omitted from motives of policy, as being rather evidences of neglect or injudicious management, than of cautious or discreet measures. The natives first began to practise slight insults, which seemed to pro- ceed rather from a mischievous, than a malignant temper. The master's mate was ordered to take on board the rudder of the Resolution, which had been sent ashore for repairs. It was too heavy for his men
102 LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD.
to remove, and he asked the natives to assist them. Fifty or sixty immediately caught hold of the rope attached to the rudder, and began to pull. But whether in sport, or by design, they caused only em- barrassment and disorder. " This exasperated the mate, and he struck tvi^o or three of them, vi^hich being observed by a chief that was present, he interposed. The mate haughtily told the chief to order his people to assist him, and the chief as well as the people hav- ing no intention, but of showing their disregard and scorn, which had long been growing towards us, laughed at him, hooted him, and threw stones at him and the crew, who taking up some trunnels that were lying by, fell upon the Indians, beat many of them much, and drove the rest several rods back ; but the crowd collecting at a little distance, formed, and began to use abusive language, challenge our people and throw stones, some of which came into our encamp- ment." Ledyard's guard of marines was ordered out, *' at least to make a show of resentment," and the commanding officer at the tents went out himself to quell the disturbance ; but they were all pelted with stones, and retired, leaving the field to the natives till night, when the rudder was taken on board.
" Instances of this kind, though of less apparent importance, had happened several times before this on shore ; but on board hardly a day passed after the first week, that did not produce some petty disturbance in one or both of the ships, and they chiefly proceeded from thefts perpetrated by the natives in a manner little short of robbery. Cook and Teraiobu were fully employed in adjusting and compromising these differ-
LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD. 103
ences, and as there was really a reciprocal disinterested regard between him and this good old man, it tended much to facilitate these amicable negotiations. But in the midst of these measures, Cook was insensible of the daily decline of his greatness and importance in the estimation of the natives ; nay, so confident was he, and so secure in the opposite opinion, that on the fourth of February he came to Kearakekua, with his boats, to purchase and carry off the fence round the Morai, which he wanted to wood the ships with. When he landed, he sent for the Priest Kikinny, and some other chiefs, and offered them two iron hatchets for the fence. The chiefs were astonished, not only at the inadequate price, but at the proposal, and refused him.
" Cook was as much chagrined as they were sur- prised, and, not meeting with the easy acquiescence he expected to his requisitions, gave immediate orders to his people to ascend the Morai, break down the fence and load the boats with it, leading the way him- self to enforce his orders. The poor dismayed chiefs, dreading his displeasure, which they saw approaching, followed him upon the Morai to behold the fence that enclosed the mansions of their noble ancestors, and the images of their gods, torn to pieces by a handful of rude strangers, without the power, or at least without the resolution, of opposing their sacrilegious depredations. When Cook had ascended the Morai, he once more offered the hatchets to the chiefs. It was a very unequal price, if the honest chiefs would have accepted of the bribe ; and Cook offered it only to evade the imputation of taking their property with-
104 LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD.
out payment. The chiefs again refused it. Cook then added another hatchet, and, kindling into resent- ment, told them to take it or nothing. Kikinny, to whom the offer was made, turned pale, and trembled as he stood, but still refused. Cook thrust them into his garment, that was folded round him, and left him immediately to hasten the execution of his orders. As for Kikinny, he turned to some of his menials, and made them take the hatchets out of his garment, not touching them himself. By this time a considerable concourse of the natives had assembled under the walls of the Morai, where we were throwing the wood down, and were very outrageous, and even threw the wood and images back as we threw them down ; and I cannot think what prevented them from proceeding to greater lengths ; however, it so happened that we got the whole into the boats, and safely on board."
This story is told differently by Captain King, who wrote that part of Cook's Third Voyage, which relates to the Sandwich Islands. As he represents it, no ob- jection was made to the proposal for taking away the enclosure of wood, that surrounded the Morai, and even the images were tumbled down and carried off, under the eyes of the priests, without any resistance or dis- approbation on their part. This would seem improba- ble. The Morai was the depositary of the dead, a place where the images of the gods were kept, and solemn ceremonies performed. It is not easy to re- concile the two accounts, but Ledyard was employed with others in removing the fence, and he manifestly describes what he saw. He may not have been so well acquainted with the manner and conditions of
LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD., 105
the purchase, as Captain King, yet in the detail of occurrences in which he was engaged, and their effects on the people around him, it is hardly possible that he should have been mistaken. Again, he writes,
" On the evening of the fifth we struck our tents, and everything was taken on board, and it was mani- festly much to the satisfaction of the natives. A little after dark an old house, that stood on a corner of the Moral, took fire and burnt down ; this we sup- posed was occasioned by our people's carelessly leav- ing their fire near it, but this was not the case. The natives burnt it themselves, to show us the resentment they entertained towards us, on account of our using it without their consent, and indeed manifestly against it. We had made a sail-loft of one part of it, and an hospital for our sick of the other, though it evidently was esteemed by the natives as holy as the rest of the Moral, and ought to have been considered so by us."
They bad now been nineteen days in Kearakekua bay ; the ships had been repaired, the seamen re- cruited after their long toils, provisions for several months laid in, and nothing more was wanting to ena- ble them to go again to sea, but a supply of water. This was not to be had at Kearakekua, except of a brackish quality, and it was resolved to search for it on some of the other islands. For this object the vessels were unmoored, and sailed out of the har- bor. No sooner had they got to sea, than a violent gale came on, which lasted three days and injured so seriously the Resolution's foremast, that Cook was compelled to return speedily to his old anchorage ground and make repairs. Our voyager is so circum- 14
106' LIFE OF JOHN LEDVARD.
stantial in his account from this point, till the tragical death of Captain Cook, that I shall not mar his narra- tive by curtailing it. The only thing necessary to be premised is, that he was one of the small party, who landed with the unfortunate navigator on the morning of his death, and was near him during the fatal con- test, although this does not appear from his own state- ment.
" Our return to this bay was as disagreeable to us, as it was to the inhabitants, for we were reciprocally tired of each other. They had been oppressed, and were weary of our prostituted alliance, and we were aggrieved by the consideration of wanting the provi- sions and refreshments of the country, which w^e had every reason to suppose, from their behavior antece- dent to our departure, would now be withheld from us, or brought in such small quantities as to be worse than none. What we anticipated was true. When we en- tered the bay, where before we had the shouts of thou- sands to welcome our arrival, we had the mortification not to see a single canoe, and hardly any inhabitants in the towns. Cook was chagrined, and his people were soured. Towards night, however, the canoes came in, but the provisions both in quantity and quali- ty plainly informed us, that times were altered ; and what was very remarkable was the exorbitant price they asked, and the particular fancy they all at once took to iron daggers or dirks, which were the only arti- cles that were any ways current, with the chiefs at least. It was also equally evident from the looks of the natives, as well as every other appearance, that our former friendship w^as at an end, and that we had
LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD. 107
iiothins: to do but to hasten our departure to some dif- ferent island, where our vices were not known, and where our extrinsic virtues might gain us another short space of being wondered at, and doing as we pleased, or, as our tars expressed it, of being happy by the month.
" Nor was their passive appearance of disgust all we had to fear, nor did it continue long. Before dark a canoe with a number of armed chiefs came along- side of us without provisions, and indeed without any perceptible design. After staying a short time only, they went to the Discovery, where a part of them went on board. Here they affected great friendship, and unfortunately overacting it, Gierke was suspi- cious, and ordered two sentinels on the gangways. These men were purposely sent by the chief, who had formerly been so very intimate with Gierke, and afterwards so ill treated by him, with the charge of stealing his jolly-boat. They came with a deter- mination of mischief, and effected it. After they were all returned to the canoe but one, they got their paddles and everything ready for a start. Those in the canoes, observing the sentry to be watchful, took off his attention by some conversation, that they knew would be pleasing to him, and by this means favored the designs of the man on board, who watching his opportunity snatched two pairs of tongs, and other iron tools that then lay close by the armorers at work at the for^e, and mounting the gangway-rail, with one leap threw himself and his goods into the canoe, that was then upon the move, and, taking up his paddle joined the others ; and standing directly for the shorej
108 LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD.
they were out of our reach almost instantaneously, even before a musket could be had from the arms- chest to fire at them. The sentries had only hangers. This was the boldest exploit that had yet been at- tempted, and had a bad aspect. Gierke immediately sent to the commodore, who advised him to send a boat on shore to endeavor at least to regain the goods, if they could not the men who took them ; but the errand was as ill executed as contrived, and the mas- ter of the Discovery was glad to return with a severe drubbing from the very chief, who had been so mal- treated by Gierke. The crew were also pelted with stones, and had all their oars broken, and they had not a single weapon in the boat, not even a cutlass, to defend themselves. When Gook heard of this, he went armed himself in person to the guard on shore, took a file of marines and went through the whole town demanding restitution, and threatening the de- linquents and their abettors with the severest punish- ments ; but not being able to effect anything, he came oflfjust at sunset highly displeased, and not a little concerned at the bad appearance of things. But even this was nothing to what followed.
" On tire thirteenth, at night, the Discovery's large cutter, which was at her usual moorings at the bower buoy, was taken away. On the fourteenth the cap- tains met to consult what should be done on this alarming occasion ; and the issue of their opinions was, that one of the two captains should land with armed boats and a guard of marines at Kiverua, and attempt to persuade Teraiobu who was then at his house in that town, to come on board upon a visit, and that
LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD. 109
when he was on board he should be kept prisoner, until his subjects should release him by a restitution of the cutter ; and if it was afterwards thought proper, he, or some of the family who might accompany him, should be kept as perpetual hostages for the good behavior of the people, during the remaining part of our continu- ance at Kearakekua. This plan was the more ap- proved of by Cook, as he had so repeatedly on former occasions to the southward employed it with success. Gierke was then in a deep decline of his health, and too feeble to undertake the affair, though it naturally devolved upon him, as a point of duty not well trans- ferable ; he therefore begged Cook to oblige him so much, as to take that part of the business of the day upon himself in his stead. This Cook agreed to, but previous to his landing made some additional arrange- ments, respecting the possible event of things, though it is certain from the appearance of the subsequent arrangements, that he guarded more against the flight of Teraiobu, or those he could wish to see, than from an attack, or even much insult. The disposition of our guards, when the movements began, was thus. Cook in his pinnace with six private marines ; a corporal, sergeant, and two lieutenants of marines went ahead, followed by the launch with other marines and seamen on one quarter, and the small cutter on the other, with only the crew on board. This part of the guard rowed for Kearakekua. Our large cutter and two boats from the Discovery had orders to proceed to the mouth of the bay, form at equal distances across, and prevent any communication by water from any other part of the island to the towns witnin the bay, or from
110 LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD.
those without. Cook landed at Kiverua about nine o'clock in the morning, with the marines in the pin- nace, and went by a circuitous march to the house of Teraiobu, in order to evade the suspicion of anj de- sign. This route led through a considerable part of the town, which discovered every symptom of mis- chief, though Cook, blinded by some fatal cause, could not perceive it, or too self-confident, would not regard it.
" The town was evacuated by the women and chil- dren, who had retired to the circumjacent hills, and ap- peared almost destitute of men ; but there were at that time two hundred chiefs, and more than twice that number of other men, detached and secreted in differ- ent parts of the houses nearest to Teraiobu, exclusive of unknown numbers without the skirts of the town, and those that were seen were dressed many of them in black. When the guard reached Teraiobu's house, Cook ordered the lieutenant of marines to go in and see if he was at home, and if he was, to bring him out ; the lieutenant went in, and found the old man sitting with two or three old women of distinction, and when he gave Teraiobu to understand that Cook was without, and wanted to see him, he discovered the greatest marks of uneasiness, but arose and accom- panied the lieutenant out, holding his hand. When he came before Cook, he squatted down upon his hams as a mark of humiliation, and Cook took him by the hand from the lieutenant, and conversed with him.
" The appearance of our parade both by water and on shore, though conducted with the utmost silence, and with as little ostentation as possible, had alarmed
LIFE OF JOHN lEDYARD. Ill
the towns on both sides of the bay, but particularly Kiverua, where the people were in complete order for an onset ; otherwise it would have been a matter of surprise, that though Cook did not see twenty men in passing through the town, yet before he had conversed ten minutes with Teraiobu, he was surrounded by three or four hundred people, and above half of them chiefs. Cook grew uneasy when he observed this, and was the more urgent in his persuasions with Teraiobu to go on board, and actually persuaded the old man to go at length, and led him within a rod or two of the shore ; but the just fears and conjectures of the chiefs at last interposed. They held the old man back, and one of the chiefs threatened Cook, when he attempted to make them quit Teraiobu. Some of the crowd now cried out, that Cook was going to take their king from them and kill him, and there was one in particu- lar that advanced towards Cook in an attitude that alarmed one of the guard, who presented his bayonet and opposed him, acquainting Cook in the mean time of the danger of his situation, and that the Indians in a few minutes would attack him ; that he had over- heard the man, whom he had just stopped from rush- ing in upon him, say that our boats which were out in the harbor had just killed his brother, and he would be revenged. Codk attended to what this man said, and desired him to show him