Mr. Keate takes her up at her arrival at Macao, or, as he calls it, Macoa, in China, in June 1783. They failed from Macao on the 20th of July following, directing their course S. E.; but the object of their voyage is not even hinted at. Mr. Keate has only affured us, that the Antelope was not particularly fent out to explore undifcovered regions, or prepared to investigate the manners of mankind. The object, therefore, of a voyage, in the track which they were purfuing, is not eafily gueffed at, unless they were bound to fome part of the north-weft coaft of America, to purchase the skins of the fea-otter, the value of which, in China, had then been lately made known to us, for the first time, by the furviving companions of that celebrated but unfortunate navigator, Captain Cook.

They had, in general, dirty and fqually weather, until the 25th, when they made the Bafhee Iflands, in latitude 21° N. and longitude 121 or 122° E. of Greenwich. The fqually weather continued; through which they made their way S. E. until the 10th of Auguft; in the night of which, being in latitude 7° 19' N. and longitude 134° 40′ E. of Greenwich, the man who had the look-out fuddenly called out, Preakers! But the found of the word had fcarce reached the ears of the officer on deck, before the fhip ftruck, and stuck faft; and in less than an hour bulged, and filled with water up to the lower deck hatch-ways.

Captain Wilfon's first orders were, to fecure the gunpowder and fmall arms, and to get on deck the bread, and fuch other provifions as were liable to be spoiled by the water, and cover them with tarpaulins, &c. to keep them from the rain. As the ship took a heel in filling, there was some reason to fear the might over fet; to prevent which, they cut away the mizen-maft, the main and fore top-mafts, and lowered the fore and main yards, to eafe ber. The boats were then hoisted out, and filled with provifions; a compafs, and fome fmall arms, with ammunition, and two men, being put into each, with directions to keep them under the lee of the ship, and to be ready to receive their fhip-mates, in cafe the vefel fhould part by the violence of the wind and waves, as it then blew an exceeding ftrong gale.

Every thing being now done that prudence could dictate in fo trying and diftrefsful a fituation, the officers and people affembled on the quarter deck, that part being highest out of the water, and beft fheltered from the rain and fea by the quarter-boards; and waited for day-light, in hopes of feeing land, for as yet they had not been able to difcern any. During this dreadful interval, the anxiety and horror of which is much eafier to be imagined than defcribed, Capt. W. endeavoured to revive the drooping fpirits of his crew, by reminding them, that fhipwreck was a misfortune

to

to which navigators were always liable; and that although theirs was rendered more difficult and diftreffing by its happening in an unknown and unfrequented fea, yet he wished to remind them that this confideration fhould only roufe them to greater activity, in endeavouring to extricate themselves: and, above all, he begged leave to imprefs on their minds this circumftance, that whenever misfortunes, fuch as theirs, had happened, they had generally been rendered much more dreadful than they would otherwife have been, by the defpair of the crew, and by their difagreement among themselves. To prevent which, he moft earnestly requested each of them, feparately, not to tafte any fpirituous liquor, on any account whatever, and he had the fatisfaction to find a ready confent given to this moft important advice.

We have been the more circumftantial in our account of this part of their tranfactions, because we think it displays, in a moft remarkable manner, the presence of mind which was preferved, and the prudence that was exerted by Capt. W. in one of the moft trying fituations to which human nature can be expofed. They fhew alfo, in the moft unequivocal manner, the temper and difpofition of his officers, and the whole crew, and pronounce their eulogium with ten thousand times the force of any words that could be used.

The dawn difcovered to their view a small island, at the diftance of about three or four leagues to the fouthward; and as the day-light increafed, they faw more iflands to the eastward. They now began to feel apprehenfions on account of the natives, to whofe difpofitions they were perfect ftrangers: however, after manning the boats, and loading them in the best manner they were able for the general good, they were dif patched to the small island, under the direction of Mr. Benger, the chief mate, who was earneftly requested to establish, if poffible, a friendly intercourfe with the natives, if they found any, and carefully to avoid all difagreement with them, unless reduced to it by the most urgent neceffity. As foon as the boats were gone, those who were left in the ship began to get the booms over board, and to make a raft for their fecurity, if the fhip fhould go to pieces, which was hourly expected at the fame time they were under the most painful apprehenfions for the fafety of the boats, on which all depended; not only on account of the natives, but with regard to the weather alfo, as it continued to blow very hard. But in the afternoon they were relieved from their fears on this head, by the return of the boats, with the welcome news of their having landed the ftores in fafety, and left five men to take care of them; and that there was no appearance of inhabitants being on the island where they landed: that they had found a fecure harbour, well fheltered

tered from the weather, and alfo fome fresh water. This good account revived every one, fo that they purfued their labour, in completing and loading their raft. Toward evening, this bufinefs was accomplished, and they loaded the boats again with fuch ftores as were most likely to fuffer from the (pray of the fea. Capt. W. ordered all his people into the boats, with which, and the raft, they left their old habitation, with heavy hearts, and much reluctance. The raft was fo large, and fo heavy laden, that it was not until very late, and after much fatigue and danger, they reached the cove where the first part of the ftores had been landed, and where they paffed the night in a very uncomfortable manner, on many accounts: for the weather turned out very wet and tempestuous; and though the five men who were left in the morning had laboured hard to clear the place, and in erecting a tent, yet it was too small to accommodate more than half of them, fo that they were obliged to take the advantage of it alternately. The turbulence of the weather alfo quickened their anxiety, for fear the ship should go to pieces before they were able to fave out of her fuch neceffaries as might be moft ufeful to them. And moreover, though no traces of the natives had been seen while the boats remained on fhore in the morning, the men who had been left there had difcovered feveral places, in the courfe of the day, where there had been fires, with fifh-bones and pieces of cocoa-nut fhells fcattered round them,-indubitable figns of human inhabitants having lately been there: it was therefore absolutely neceffary to keep a conftant watch, to prevent being furprised by

them.

The next day the boats were fent again to the wreck, for fuch provifions and ftores as they could procure out of it; and those who remained on fhore were employed in drying their powder, and cleaning and fitting their arms for use, in cafe of need. As the boats did not return till ten o'clock in the evening, it fpred much alarm among those who were on fhore, especially as the night came on with very heavy and boisterous weather: nor were their fpirits rendered much more tranquil by the arrival of the boats, as they brought with them the melancholy intelligence, that, on account of the badness of the weather, there was little hope that the ship would hold together until the morning, as the began already to part,-the bends and wales being ftarted out of their places. This put an end to the hopes which had been fondly entertained, by moft of the people, that when a calm fucceeded, the ship might be got afloat, and repaired in fuch a manner as to enable them to return in her to Macao. A gloom now overfpred every countenance, and every one feemed to think himself cut off for ever from the world, and all that he held dear in it. They could not help recollecting that they

were

were utter ftrangers to the manners and difpofitions of the inhabitants of the islands on which misfortune had thrown them, and they revolved in their imaginations the hoftile fcenes which they might poffibly have to encounter. These reflections did not contribute to make the night, which turned out more tempeftuous than the former, more comfortable.

In the morning it blew exceedingly ftrong, fo that the boats could not go off to the wreck: the men therefore employed themfelves in drving their provifions, and forming better tents, from the materials which they had brought from the fhip the day before. About eight o'clock in the morning, the people being employed as above, and in clearing the ground from the wood which was behind the tents, and Capt. W. with Tom Rofe, a Malay, whom they had taken on board at Macao, being on the beach, collecting the fresh water which dropped from the rocks, they faw two canoes, with men in them, coming round the point into the bay. This gave fuch alarm, that the people all ran to their arms; however, as there were but few of the natives, Capt. W. defired them to keep out of fight, until they fhould perceive what reception he met with, but to be prepared for the worst. They foon perceived that the natives had feen the Captain and the Malay as they converfed together, and kept their eyes fted faftly fixed on that part of the fhore where the English were. The natives advanced very cautiously toward them, and when they came near enough to be heard, the Captain directed the Malay, to fpeak to them in his own language; which they did not at firft feem to underftand; but they ftopped their canoes, and foon after one of them afked, in the Malay tongue, who our people were, and whether they were friends or enemies? Rofe was directed to reply, that they were Englishmen, who had loft their fhip on the reef, but had faved their lives, and were friends. On this they feemed to confer together for a fhort time, and then ftepped out of the canoes into the water, and went toward the fhore. Capt. W. inftantly waded into the water to meet them, and embracing them in the moft friendly manner, led them to the fhore, and prefented them to his officers, and unfortunate companions. They were eight in number, two of whom, it was afterwards known, were brothers to the Rupack, or King, of the neighbouring iflands, and one was a Malay, who had been fhipwrecked in a veffel belonging to a Chinese, refident on the island of Ternate, one of the fame groupe of islands, and had been kindly treated by the King, who, he faid, was a good man; and that his people also were courteous. He told them farther, that a canoe having been out, fishing, had feen the fhip's maft; and that the King, being informed of it, fent off thefe two canoes at four o'clock that morning, to fee what was become of the people who had beREV. Aug. 1788.

I

longed

longed to her; and they knowing of the harbour which the Englishmen were in, had come directly thither.

Capt. W. and his people now going to breakfast, the natives fat down with them, and tafted the tea, but did not feem to like it they appeared, however, to be better pleased with fome fweet bifcuits, which our people had brought with them from China; and before they had been with them an hour, they appeared perfectly free, and under no apprehenfion whatever. They feemed very defirous that one of the English fhould go with them in their canoes to their King, that he might fee what fort of people they were. Every one agreed that it would be right for fome perfon to go; but as difficulties arofe concerning who the perfon fhould be, the Captain requested his brother, Mr. Matthias Wilfon, to go, who readily confented; and about noon one of the canoes left the harbour, having Mr. Wilfon with them: the other canoe, with four perfons, among whom was Raa Kook, the elder of the King's brothers, and who was also General of his armies, remained with our people, of their own accord, until the canoe returned with Mr. Wilfon. The Captain directed his brother to acquaint the King who they were; to relate to him, as well as he could, the nature of their misfortune; to folicit his friendship and protection, and permiffion to build a veffel to carry them back to their own country. He also fent a prefent by him to the King, of a fmall remnant of blue broad cloth, a canister of tea, another of fugar-candy, and a jar of rufk: the laft article was added at the particular request of the King's two brothers.

Thofe who remained behind, obferving that our people had much trouble to procure the fresh water which they had occafion for, conducted them across a narrow part of the island, where it was more plentiful; and the road to it being rugged and difficult, they carried Mr. Sharp, a youth of about fifteen years of age, who was fent on this duty, over the most difficult parts, in their arms; and were very careful in affifting, in those places, the men, who brought two jars of water from the well.

The weather remained as bad as ever all the next night; but grew better in the morning; and about 10 o'clock one of the boats went to the wreck. When they got there, they found that fome of the natives had been on board; and that they had carried off fome iron- work, and other things; and in particular, that they had rummaged the medicine-cheft, and tafted feveral of the medicines, which being probably not very palatable, they had thrown out the contents, and carried off the bottles. This circumftance was made known to Raa Kook by the Captain, not fo much by way of complaint, as to exprefs his. uneafinefs for the confequences which might arife to the natives from their having tafted, or perhaps drank, fuch a variety of medicines.