On the 23rd I appointed the chiefs to the various villages, together with an upper Orang-Kaya, to whom I gave a baton with a silver knob, and a Dutch flag. During our stay on the island our table was supplied in the greatest abundance with meat, vegetables, fruit, and every thing that the island afforded; and when I offered anything to the bearers as payment for these, it was civilly but firmly refused, with the declaration that they had received orders to take nothing either as payment or as reward. All that I could induce them to receive as a token of acknowledgment was a small cask of arrack, of which they appear to be great admirers, although they make a very moderate use of it, and deem it a great disgrace to be found guilty of drinking it to excess. When I mentioned to the chiefs that I had myself taken on board the provisions I deemed necessary, and that, should I require any more, I would willingly demand and pay for it, that I might be no burthen to the people, my proposal appeared to be by no means agreeable to them. They answered, it was an old custom for the natives to administer to the wants of the Company, and that the people would regret seeing a change in the system, _as this custom afforded them a wished-for opportunity of giving a slight proof of their attachment, and they would feel hurt at being deprived of this gratification_. In the mean time, I remarked that they were making preparations to give something more than this "slight proof of attachment," in the shape of a national feast to celebrate the occasion of our visit, and the renewal of their former friendship with the Dutch. As this feast, however, would have detained me two days more, while my time was too valuable to be thrown away, I was forced to decline their invitation, informing them that my departure was irrevocably fixed for the 24th of June. In the course of this day they showed us all possible friendship, as if they wished to make themselves doubly useful during the short period in which we should remain. The evening was spent in making farewell visits, and at half-past four in the morning our bearers were in readiness, when the chiefs conducted us to the boats, the upper Orang-kaya accompanying us to the brig, where we arrived at two o'clock in the afternoon. The people of Moa, as a parting present, sent after us two fat bullocks, as if what they had already done for us were not enough.