Hon. Augustus Phipps, then a boy; and with Messrs. Colman, father and son, the celebrated dramatists, the son being at that time only 13 years of age. After the races, the whole party set out in Mr. Banks's carriage for Mulgrave, by way of Scarborough; and some amusing particulars relating to this journey, may be seen in Mr. Geo. Colman's Random Records.
Mr. Colman gives a humorous description of Sir Joseph's ponderous carriage, with its appurtenances; and of the frequent stoppages occasioned by his botanizing propensities. The party arrived at Scarborough in the evening; and early next morning, young Colman went to the sands, to bathe for the first time in the ocean. His adventure here with Omai will be best described in his own words.
"I was upon the point of making my maiden plunge, from a bathing-machine, into the briny flood, when Omai appeared wading before me. The coast of Scarborough having an eastern aspect, the early sunbeams shot their lustre upon the tawny Priest, and heightened the cutaneous gloss which he had already received from the water: he looked like a specimen of pale moving mahogany, highly varnished; not only varnished, indeed, but curiously veneered; for, from the small of his back downwards he was tattowed with striped arches, broad and black, by means of a sharp shell, or a fish's tooth, imbued with an indelible die, according to the fashion of his country. He hailed me with the salutation of Tosh (George), and uttered certain sounds approaching to the articulation of—"back"—swim"—"I"—"me"—"carry"—"you." This attempt at the English language became intelligible to me from his "suiting the action to the utterance," or
