part, Carolus III. imperat. 1774. To commemorate the prior visits of the English, Captain Cook inscribed on the other side of the post, Georgius tertius Rex, Annis 1767, 1769, 1773, 1774, & 1777.
The Spaniards did not appear to have used any means for converting the Tahitians; but they had taken great pains to ingratiate themselves with them, and had acquired, in no small degree, their esteem and regard. Mateema, in particular, had studied their language, so as to converse with them; and had gone through most of the island, endeavouring by various false statements, to exalt the Spaniards, and to depreciate the British. He represented Britain as a small island, which the Spaniards had entirely destroyed; and stated that they had met Captain Cook, and with a few shots had sunk his ship, and all on board. Yet they did not all concur in this story; for some of the natives at this place informed our navigator, that the men of Reema had desired them not to suffer him to come into the bay, if he should ever return. They seem to have come hither soon after he left Otaheite, in 1774; and it is possible, that the report which reached him at Ulietea, of the arrival of two ships at Huaheine, may have had its origin in their arrival at Otaheite.—The two natives who had visited Lima, were still in the island. Capt. Cook met with one of them at Matavai: he had resumed his native dress, but retained a little of Spanish politeness, with a few words of the language, badly pronounced; particularly, si Sennor, "yes, Sir." He was treated kindly, yet never made his appearance again; and it was suspected that Omai had, through jealousy, kept him back. The latter disliked the idea, that there should be
