Monday, November 5.—­Anderson, who had been absent two days, returned this morning in a large canoe of seventeen paddles, accompanied by the same party of chiefs who had visited us yesterday, with, however, an addition of the king’s son.  Before coming alongside, they pulled round the ship, singing most loudly and merrily.  Though Captain Owen was on shore, they were taken into the cabin, and entertained until his return, after which he gave a present to each of them.  Notwithstanding this liberality, the principal chief fixed his covetous eye upon an axe, and expressed a most eager desire to become possessed of it.  Captain Owen, however, notwithstanding his wish to conciliate the natives as much as possible, did not think proper to gratify his cupidity; but he promised, that it should be presented to the King at the next interview with him.  In the afternoon, a tornado arose and drove most of the canoes away; the chiefs, however, remained on board until it was over, and then left us under an arrangement that the Captain should pay a visit to the King on the following Wednesday.

Tuesday, Nov. 6.—­We had a wet morning, succeeded by a fine day.  Many canoes, full of natives, came alongside.  About noon, a native was discovered, by the master-at-arms, to have stolen an axe, which he had secreted in a piece of canvas that he had picked up and tied round his waist in the manner of an apron.  On taking it from him, he made a desperate attempt to escape, by running down the ship’s side into a canoe, from whence he made his way over several others, with a view of reaching his own, but he was arrested in his progress.  A warm discussion now arose among the chiefs present, as to the punishment he ought to be subjected to, having been taken flagrante delicto, under their own eyes.  Captain Owen, to evidence his high displeasure at the transaction, cut the matter short, by ordering them all out of the ship.  This gave rise to another commotion and discussion, the result of which was, that the culprit was assailed on all sides by his countrymen with their paddles; even a boy in the same canoe inflicted several blows, and he was finally severely injured about the head and body, when, with the blood streaming from various parts, he was compelled to leap into the sea, in order to wash it away, before they would allow him to re-enter his own boat.  His punishment, however, did not terminate with the above discipline; for as he assisted in paddling his canoe ashore, his countrymen followed him with every denunciation of vengeance.  On landing in the neighbourhood of our market, he was seized, conducted a short distance from the beach, and surrounded by an immense crowd of the natives.  Mr. Jeffery, who happened to be near the spot, penetrated into the midst of them, with a view of ascertaining the nature of the affair, when, to his surprise, he was immediately laid hold of, and tied hand to hand with the bleeding prisoner.  It may be imagined