age to
Europe.[14]

We could not help being much diverted with the fears and apprehensions of
these good people, and particularly with the account Mr Port gave us of the
serjeant's wary proceedings the day before. On seeing me come on shore, in
company with some other gentlemen, he had made him and the merchant, who
arrived in the sledges we had seen come in the morning, hide themselves in
his kitchen, and listen to our conversation with one another, in hopes that
by this means they might discover whether we were really English or not.

As we concluded, from the commission and dress of Mr Port, that he might
probably he the commander's secretary, he was received as such, and
invited, with his companion, the merchant, to dine with Captain Clerke; and
though we soon began to suspect, from the behaviour of the latter toward
him, that he was only a common servant, yet this being no time to sacrifice
our little comforts to our pride, we prevented an explanation, by not
suffering the question to be put to him; and, in return for the
satisfaction we reaped from his abilities as a linguist, we continued to
let him live on a footing of equality with us.

[12] It is highly probable that there are several small islands or rocks
in the vicinity of this track, the discovery of which would at least
benefit navigation. Thus we are told by Captain Krusenstern, an
authority to which we are always glad to appeal, that he saw in
latitude 17 deg., and longitude 169 deg. 30', an extraordinary number of
birds, that hovered round his ship in flocks of upwards of a hundred,
from which he inferred his having passed near some island, which
served as a resting place for them. In confirmation of this opinion,
he informs us, that La Perouse in 1786, and an English merchantman in
1796, discovered west of the Sandwich Islands, the first in the
parallel of 22 deg., and the latter in that of 18 deg., two small rocky
islands both extremely dangerous; and that the Nero in her passage
from America to China in 1805, found near this place a very dangerous
sand island, viz. in 173 deg. 35' 45" W., and 26 deg. 2' 48" N. It is perhaps
to be regretted, that Krusenstern, who, a few days after the date of
the remark now quoted, crossed Captain Clerke's course, should have so
resolutely endeavoured, as he says he did, and that too with tolerable
success, not to approach the track of that office