angry, when they think he inflicts upon them all the deadly diforders to which they are fubject; and then, to appeafe him, the relations and other connexions of the afflicted perfon, especially if he be a chief, run into all the inhuman practices of cutting off their little fingers, beating their faces, and tabooing (prohibiting) themselves from certain kinds of food. Human facrifices feem little in practice; the only victims to fuperftition which we have seen, are already mentioned in the cafe of Moomooe; though at our arrival, Amble informed us, that when a great chief lay fick they often ftrangled their women, to the number of three or four at a time. When the Odooa is inexorable, the death of the perfon is inevitable and fure, and the furviving friends feem for a fhort time inconfolable; but their grief is foon changed into the oppofite extreme, and they run into as great extrava. gances in their feafts as when the forrowful paffions prevailed they inflict ed on themselves fufferings.

They believe the immortality of the foul, which at death, they say, is immediately conveyed in a very large faft-failing canoe to a diftant country, called Doobludha, which they defcribe as refembling the Mahometan paradife. They call the god of this region of pleasure Higgolayo, and efteem him as the greateft and most powerful of all others, the rest being no better than fervants to him. This doctrine, however, is wholly confined to the chiefs, for the tooas (or lower order) can give no account whatever ; as they reckon the enjoyments of Doobludha above their capacity, fo they feem never to think of what may become of them after they have ferved the purposes of this life. We have not been able to learn what ideas they form of the origin of their existence, or any other parts of the creation; when fpoken to on these fubjects they feem quite loft; this may, however, be owing to the inaccuracy of our

expreffions, arifing from an imperfect knowledge of the language, which has hitherto prevented us from oppofing any of those grofs abfurdities. But we look forward to that happy day when the glorious Sun of righteoufnefa will arife, and turn this fhadow of death into the morning.

The produce of this island is already fo well defcribed that it seems unneceffary to fay any thing of it here. We have been able to add very little to it. Our feeds, which have been fown in different parts, bid fair to do well: this induces us to think any kind of European feeds would thrive here, were it not for the rats, which destroy them as they appear above ground. Rats, with hogs, dogs, and guanoes, were the only quadrupeds we found here. The cattle left by Captain Cook, have been all deftroyed fome years ago; the horse and mare having been first gored by the bull, gave the natives an idea of his furious temper, and put them in terror for themselves; therefore, to prevent any bad accident taking place, they deftroyed him, with the cow and three young ones, which they informed us, were all they had produced, except one young bull, which had been previously taken to Feejee. Captain Wilson, in his second vifit, has left us eight goats, three cats, and an English dog, of which the natives are very fond, and which we hope will be useful in their proper places. The death of a ram at Otaheite prevented us from receiving any sheep, which we esteem a great loss, as there is abundance of excellent food for thofe animals in the moft neglected part of this ifland, and they might in time prove a great advantage to the natives, not only by fupplying their deficiency of food, from which many of them fuffer much at present, but by leading them into habits of indoftry, to which they are ftrangers; for though they are more industrious than most of their neighbours scattered about this fea, far the greater part

of

of their time is spent in idleness. This conjecture receives much ftrength from the earneft defire they exprefs for our woollen clothes, efpecially blankets; which induces us to think, if they had the materials, and the leaft hint how to make use of them, they would foon endeavour to manufacture them themselves.

The foil is every where prolific, and confifts of a fine rich mould, upon an average about fourteen or fifteen inches deep, free from ftones, except near the beach, where coral rocks ap pear above the furface.

Beneath

this mould is a red loam four or five inches thick; next is a very ftrong blue clay in fmall quantities: and in fome places has been found a black earth, which emits a very fragrant fmell resembling bergamot, but it foon evaporates when expofed to the

air.

The air is pure and wholefome, much sharper in the winter than we expected to have found it, efpecially when the wind is from the fouthward; but for want of a thermometer, which happened to be broken, we have never been able to ascertain its true ftate.

But we must conclude our present account, hoping our next will contain fomething more interefting and encouraging to our dear friends, whose prayers we earneftly intreat on our behalf; for furely never men in the world stood more in need of their affiftance than we do. Our work is great, our ftrength is fmall, very weakness itself; our enemies are crafty and powerful, but none we find fo dangerous as those of our own houfe, thofe evil hearts of unbelief, that are always ready to draw us from the

God of our ftrength, who is the Rock of our falvation. But if God be for us, who can be againft us? He bids us fear not; and we have not only the affurance of his word, but also the teftimony of his Providence, that he is with us, and will never leave us nor forfake us. Well then may we go on in divine ftrength, rejoi cing in the profpects of greater tribulations than we have hitherto experienced, or at prefent have in view; trufting in him, that in every conflict which we may be called on to fuftain under the banner of the glorious Captain of our falvation, we fhall grow stronger and stronger, and at length be brought off the field more than conquerors through Him who hath loved us, and given him. felf for us.

The Duff is now unmooring. We feel all the anguish that is confequent upon a feparation of friends, who are bound together by fuch endearing ties as fhall endure, when thofe of nature fhall be for ever diffolved. Befide our dear captain, we cannot but efteem many of the officers and crew, as children of the fame family with ourselves: all of whom, ourselves, and all our concerns, both for time and eternity, we defire to refign to the fovereign difpofal of our gracious heavenly Father, and to the word of his grace, which is able to keep us from falling, and give us all an inheritance among them that are fanctified through faith, which is in Jefus Chrift. Farewell. May grace, mercy and peace be multiplied to all who love the Lord Jefus Chrift in fincerity, and are fecking the advancement of his kingdom and glory! Amen.

father

of Aberdeen, but after his tranflation to Edinburgh, he married a widow lady of 100l. a year fortune, who had an only child, a daughter, the undoubted heir thereof after her death.

To make fure of the fortune, a match between the two children was concluded, and they were married in 1715, at a time when Mafter Mitchell was but eleven years of age, and young Mifs but ten.) In the fourth year after their nuptials, the lady died in childbed of her first child, an event which so much affect ed him that he never married afterwards he difcontinued the ftudy of the law, for which his father intended him, applying to amufements, by - the advice of friends, in order to conquer that grief, which, as was apprehended, might bring on a lownefs of fpirits.

This was the original caufe of an extenfive acquaintance with the principal Noblemen and Gentlemen in North Britain, which afterwards enfued, and for attaining which he feemed to be naturally formed. Tho' his progress in the fciences was but fmall, yet no perfon had a greater regard for learned men; his introduction to the firft clafs was owing to Lord Prefident Dalrymple, of the Court of Seffion; and that to the fecond, partly to his being univerfally known to the Clergy, and to the feveral Profeffors of the Univerfity of Edinburgh, which was, at that period, in just repute and efteem.

He was, in a particular manner, intimately acquainted with Mr M'Laurin; and though his knowledge of Algebra and mixed quantity was but inconfiderable, yet he employed Mr Henderfon, anno 1736, to write out a copy both of the Algebra and Treatife of Gunnery, which Mr M'Laurin had wrote with amazing clearness and perfpicuity.

By his being known to the Mar

he became Secretary to the former, on his Lordship's being appointed Minifter for Scots Affairs, anno 1741: and in the beginning of 1742 he, on Lord Stair's arrival in London, put his Lordship in mind of the high regard he had always bore for Doctor Pringle (afterwards Sir John Pringle), then Profeffor of Moral Philofophy in the university of Edinburgh. The Doctor was at his own house, in Stonelaw's clofe, when letter arrived from Mr Mitchell, dated the 14th of June 1742, acquainting him that he was appointed Phyfician to the British Ambaffador then at the Hague.

Though the Marquifs of Tweedale refigned the place of Secretary of State, in confequence of the convul fions of the year 1745, yet Mr Mitchell ftill kept in favour. He had taken care, during that memorable winter, to keep up a correfpondence with fome eminent clergymen, and, from time to time, communicated the intelligence he received; and his affiduity was rewarded with a seat in the Houfe of Commons, anno 1747, as reprefentative for the fhire of Aberdeen.

The next year, 1748, he had the fad office to perform, of attending the last moments of his friend the ce lebrated James Thomfon, Author of The Seafons. Two days had passed before his relapfe was known, when Mr Mitchell potted down at midnight to Richmond, with Mr Reid and Dr Armstrong, just time enough to endure a fight of all others the molt fhocking to nature, the laft agonies of his beloved friend. Together with Lord Lyttelton, he was appointed one of Mr Thomfon's executors.

In the year 175 he was appointed his Majefty's Refident at Bruffels, where continuing two years, he, in 1753, came over to London, when he was appointed Ambaffador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary at the

Court

Court of Pruffia, where, by his polite and genteel behaviour, and a previous acquaintance with Marshal Keith, he gained fo much upon the perfon of his Pruffian Majefty as to detach him from the French intereft; an event which involved the Court of France in the greatest loffes, arifing not only from vast and uncommon fubfidies to the Courts of Vienna, Peterburgh, and Stockholm, but from the lofs of more numerous arnies than ever they had been trip ped of fince the reign of Francis I. By Lord Chesterfield's letters it ap. pears, that in 1758 he was threat ened to be difplaced, but continued at the earnest request of the King of Pruffia.

He generally accompanied the King through the courfe of his feveral campaigns, and on the 12th of Auguft 1759, when the Pruffian army was totally routed by Count Soltikoff, the Mufcovite General, he with difficulty could be prevailed upon to quit the King's tent, even while all was in confufion. By his prudent management, the late Earl Marshal of Scotland was introduced to the favour of his Majetty King George III. anno 1760. In 1765 he again came

over to England for the recovery of his health, which was fomewhat impaired, fpent fome time at Tunbridge Wells, and March 1766 again returned to Berlin, and about this time was created a Knight of the Bath. That year he was honoured in a particular manner at the marriage of the Prince of Orange with the Princess Royal of Pruffia, the King always expreffing the highest regard for his perfonal merits and accomplishments; for though he was a very temperate man, and fhunned pomp and oftentation in his own perfon, yet no man had more at heart the fupporting the dignity of the Sovereign whom he reprefented. In a word, though not a man of great learning or outward fhew, yet he was, in complex, the fine Gentleman, and poffeffed of real goodnefs of heart, Mr Murdoch, in his Life of Thomson, fays of him, that he was equally noted for the truth and conftancy of his private friendships, and for his addrefs and fpirit as a public Minifter. He died 28th January 1771.

The Court of Pruffia honoured his funeral with their prefence, and the King himself, from a balcony, beheld the proceffion with tears.

first day of May, anno 1590, with the Queene his wife and his traine in thirteene fhippes, accompanied with Peter Munk, Admirall of Denmarke, one of the Regentes of the King, Steven Brave, a Danish Lorde, and fundry other the Lordes of the fame countrey, where at theyr arrival they were welcommed by the Duke of Lennox, the Earle Bothwell, and fundry other the Scottish Nobility. At their landing, one M. James Elphefton, a Senator of the

Colledge of Juftice, with a Latine oration welcommed them into the countrey, which done, the King went on to the church of Lyeth, where they had a fermon preached by Maifter Patrick Gallowey, in English, importing a thanksgiving for their fafe arrivall, and fo they departed to their lodging, where they expected the coming in of the rest of the nobility, together with fuch preparation as was to bee provided in Edinborough and the Abbey of the Holy Rood Houfe.