During my second visit to the Navigators Islands, many facts were communicated to me, some of which I think it necessary to notice.

The first, is the number of runaway sailors, and other Europeans, who reside among the people, and do them incalculable mischief. Many of these were convicts from New South Wales, who had stolen small vessels, and had thus made their escape. The Missionaries informed me, that, subsequent to their settlement, a gang of them came there in a fine schooner, which, after stripping of her sails, and every article of value, they scuttled and sunk a few hundred yards from the shore.

Some time before this, another gang came, in a stolen vessel, to the Society Islands; and, although treated with the utmost kindness by the chief, Mahine, they contrived, after plundering his house of all his property, among which was a blunderbuss and a small cask of powder, to decamp at midnight in Mr. Barff's whale-boat. Shortly after they had left the shore the boat was missed, and two others, with native crews, were immediately despatched in search of them. Unfortunately, one of these fell in with them; when the unsuspicious natives said, “Friends, we have come to fetch you back; you must not steal the Missionary's boat and the chief's property.” In reply, they received the contents of a blunderbuss, which blew the head of one of them to pieces.