Dec. 8. The weather pleasant and fair; about 9 o'clock, A. M. we saw land ahead, and passed it on the windward side, then varied our course and sailed to the leeward of the Island; but night coming on, we were obliged to defer landing till morning. The captain then attempted to reach the shore in the gig, but was not able to land, on account of the surf. After he returned on board, we made sail, cruising farther to the leeward, in hopes of finding a place to anchor, but in this we were disappointed, not being able to find bottom thirty yards from the rocks. However, at high water, the captain, at imminent hazard in passing the surf, succeeded in landing. He had previously given orders to me and Hussey, not to let the natives know that we could converse with, or understand them, but to be attentive to every thing that might pass among them, to ascertain whether their intentions and dispositions were hostile or friendly. After landing, the captain and Hussey visited the house where the head chief, or king of all those Islands lived, of whom I had formerly heard so much, while I was on the Mulgraves.--They continued with him about two hours, were treated well, and discovering nothing unfriendly in the natives, the captain told Hussey he might make them acquainted with his knowledge of their language, by conversing with them. The king, on hearing Hussey speaking in the language of the natives, appeared at first so frightened and agitated, that he could scarcely reply; but by degrees became composed, and inquired of Hussey where he learned their language, and why he had not spoken to them immediately on coming ashore. Hussey then informed him he was one of the two persons that had been on the Mulgraves, (in their language, Milly,) and that the other person (myself) was on board the schooner--that the schooner had been there after us, that we left the Mulgraves the day before, and had then visited that Island for the purpose of examining it, &c. &c. The king had long before heard of our being at the Mulgraves, and told Hussey he had been repairing his canoe, in order to go to those Islands, with a view to induce us to live with him, who, had that been the case, would undoubtedly have used us well. The king was about 70 years of age, and had a daughter on the Island where we had resided, wife to Luttuon. He inquired if his daughter was alive and well, with tears in his eyes and trembling form, for it was a long time since he had received any intelligence of her; and hearing of her welfare so unexpectedly, quite overcame the good old father's feelings. And here the reader will observe, that the pure and unaffected emotions produced by parental affection, are similar among all the human species, whether civilized or savage. The natives of the Island we were then visiting, may be ranked with those that have made the fewest approaches towards the refined improvements of enlightened nations,