THE STORY OF PRINCE LEE BOO.

Maori Messenger : Te Karere Maori, Volume 1, Issue 24, 22 November 1849, Page 1

THE STORY OF PRINCE LEE 800.

[Continued from our last.]

The voyage of the Morse from Canton to London was prosperous and pleasant, and Lee 800 received every attention from her commander, Captain Elliot. On the other hand, he was so courteous and amiable, that every one was ready to render iu'in uny service m their power; and thus the tedium of their long voyage was grejtly alleviated. I.ee lino

was entreme'y desirous of knowing the name and cmintiy'nf every ship he. met Ht sen, airl would repeat wlmt lie was told over and over till hf> had five:"' it well in his mem-ny ; a>id, ns L.icii inqiiirv was grntifird, lie main :i hunt on h:s iit;e ; ' hut these fcnnta having n.iw grcstiy mul'.ip'.ird, lie was obliged lo re;ie;:t tlii'iii over cverv day to lefrC-h his _niemory, find i.ftcvi to "r.-cur 10 Captain Wilson or oihers when he had forgot what nny particular knot referred to. The olh'ccis in the Morse, with whom only li-= associated. when they saw him thus hinicd with his line, used to say hewn- reding his journal. lie frequeiilly asked after nil too people of the Orcolong, who had gone, aboard didbrenl vessels at China, particularly after Captain Wilson's ton and Mr. Sharp. Ho had not been long fit the voyage, hefore lie solicited Captain Wilson to i;ot him a book, and point cut to him the letters, that he might, when lie knew ihem, he instructed in rt-oding" All convenient opportunities were nlloMcd to gratify this wish of thvir yruug pupil, who discovered great readiness in comprehending every information given him. On arriving at the island of St. Helena, (an island since famous as having hcen tin; prison and. the tomb of the ureal N.-.poleoii) he was much struck wiih the soldiers and cannon on the fortifications : and the coming in soon af:er of Cmr Kuglish men-of-war, at", forded him a sight highly delighciog, particularly those which had' two tieii of guns. It was" explained to him that those ships wer.s intsndi'il «nly for fighting, and that tin uihtr vesseh which he then saw in the hay were destined for cornuirrce, to liausp>;i't and exchange fr.-r.i one country to another its pro- | ducc'iind manufactures. Capta-u Hu''-i. the coraminHt'i- of his Majesty's ship ( !..-< :, had j the goodness to tike him on hoird hii own nnd another ship, lo lei him see tin; men exercised at the grcut V-itns und small arhi«, ■wlich exceedingly impressed his- imagination. On being rnrr'u A to see a school, lie expressed a wish that he could learn as the hoys did, feeling hi 3 own deficiency in knowledge.

He desired to rids 0:1 horseback into tlie country, which he was permitted to do ; hi; sat well, and galloped, showed no fear of falling, nnd appeared highly pleased with the novelty and pleasure of the exercise. Visitirjg tlm garden belonging lo tlio Kust India Company, he noticed some shady walks walks formed with bamboos arching overhead on lattice-work. He was struck s>ith tlie refreshing coolness they afforded, and observed , ihnl his own countrymen were ignorant ol the advantages they might enjoy, saving that on , this iilq'ncl (St. Helena) the.' had but littlo , wood, yet applied it to a gt.od purpose j that , nt Pcle'w they had great abui duice, and knew not how to use it; addiiig.th.it when he went back he would speak to the King, tell him ho* defective they were, and have men em- ' ployed to make such bowfrs as he had seen. Such were the dawning* of 11 mind that felt its own dukni-ss, and had the good bbiisc to catch at every ray of light that might lead it forward to information nr.d improvement! Biforc the quilled St. Helena, the Lascelle3 arrived, by which occurrence Lee ; 800 hud an inlerviiv; with his iivst friend Mr. Sharp. He had a s: Jilt of him from a window, and run out with the utmost impatience lo take him by the, hand ; happy after so long a reparation to meet him a j'aiu, and evincing by his ' ardour the grateful fentiir.cnis he retained of t!:e attention that gentleman had shown him. ' As he drew near th? Hiilish Channel, the ; number of vessels thr.t he observed puroiiing tin ir Ji(Torenl courses increasing >" much, he ■was utilised lo give up the kieph-S of his '■ journal; hut he was slid very iaqui.'itivc t<> Mow whi'.hn- they were saiiinc. When i'.i? Worse got to the fs.'e of \Vigh', Capt. Wilson, his brr.thc-r, the piince, with several oilier passengers, qniltet ii<r, and coming in a i>oit l.y a parage cdkil the Needle--, ar,-vrd =ale!y r.t Portsmouth on the 14th oS Jul", 11SV. O-i landing, Ihe number and rize of the nun-of-war in harbour, the variety of houses, am! the ramparts, were all n!ij.'ets of attraction : he leeii-fd so totally absorbed in Mleal surpihe. that he had no leisure lo si-k c|ursti..n-«. The officer of the Morse charged withe the despatches setting off immediately for London, Cantain Wilson, impatient to see his family, accompanied him, leaving his young traveller under the care of his brother to follow him by a coach, which was to set oil" in the- evening. As soon as he leached town he was conveyed to the i aptain'a hoiue at Kotiierhilhe where he was not a little happy to rejoin his adopl.ed father, and in being introduced to his family. though pait of his journey had been pnvsud during the night, ye", with reluming day, his eyes had full employment on every bide ; and when he had got to what was now to be for some time his destined home, he arrived in all the natural glow of bis youthful jpiiii.'. Whativer he hail observed in silence •vn9 now tagcrly disclosed. He described all the circumstances of his journey ; eaid it was

vuiy pleasant; that lie had been put into a little house, which was run away with by hoises j that lie slept, but still wis going on ; ami whilst ho went oiw way, the field*, house?, and trees all went nnollur; everything, from thß quirkiitsi of travelling, appealing to him to lie in motion, At the hour of rest, he was shown by Mr. M. Wilson up to his chamber, where lor the first time he saw a fnur-post bedstead, tie could scarcely conceive what it meant. lie jumped in, and jumped out again ; felt and pulled aside the curtains ; got into bed and then got out a second time to admire its exterior form. At length, having bpcome acquainted with its use and convenience, he laid himself down to sleep, saying that, " in England there was a house for everything." To transcribe the languige of his biographer, Mr. Kunte :—" It was not, 1 believe, more than a work nfter his arrival, when J was invited to dinner at a gentleman's where Captain Wilson and his young charge were expected. Lee IJon then possessed very little English, yet, between words and action, made himself tolerably understood, and seemed to comprehend the greater pm cf what was said to him, especially having the captain by him to f xplain whatever ho did not clearly comprehend. Ho was dressed as an Englishman, excepting that he wore his hair in the fashion of his own country; appeared to be between nineteen and twenty years of age ; was of I middle stature, and had a countenance so | strongly marked with s?nsibiliiy and good humour, that it instantly prejudiced cvoiy one in his favour ; and this countenance was enlivened by eyes so quick and intelligent that they might really he said to announce his thoughts and conceptions, without the aid of Of luiliriMgl'. " Though tin; accounts I had previously received of this 'new man,' as he was called nt Macao, hid greatly raised my expectation*, yet, uheii I had been'it little time in his company I »ai perfectly nstouMicil at the eaie and gentleness of his manners: he was lively and pleasint, and had a politeness without j form or restraint, which appeared to be the result of natural good breeding. As I chancd to sit near him at taMe, 1 p::id him a great , deal of attention, which he seemed to ha ve'y sensible of. Many questions were of course ' put to Captain U'ilson by the company concerning this personage, nnd the country he h id brought liim from, which, no European had ever visited before. He obligingly entered on many particular circumstances, which were ' liiffhly interesting, spoke of the battles in which ! his people had assisted the King of Pelew, nnd of the peculiar mniincr the unlives had of ' tying up their hair when going to war. I.ee ' lioo, who fully understood what Ida friend ' was explaining, very obligingly nnd unasked, ' untied his own, and threw it into the form ' Captain Wilson had been describing. ' might ] lire the reader were 1 to enumerate the lrivi.il ' occurrences of a few hours, rendered only of consequence from the singularity of this young man's situation ; suffice it to siy there was in ' nil his deportment such affability and pro- ' prioty of behaviour, that when be took leave • of the company theie was hardly any one pro- ' sent who did not iVcl n, satisfaction in having 1 had nn inteiview with him. '

" I went to Hotlurliitliu a lew (lays nfier to see Cjpt.;in Wilson ; l.ee 800 was reading at il window —lit' iccoliicte:! me instantly, and flew with tagevness, to the door to mi'c.t mo, looked on mi .is a friend, mid ever after attached liiniself to ine, appiaiing to be happy whenever we met together. In this visit I had n good deal of conversation witli him, and we mutually managed to be pretty wc'.l understood by each other. He seemed to he pleased witli everything about liim ; said 'All fine country, lino street, fine coach, and house upon huuse up to sky,' putting alternately one hand above another, by which I found (the habitations in I'elew being all on the ground) that cvtry separate storey of our buildings he at that lima considered as a distinct house. " He was introduced to several of tin; Directors of the liast India Company, taken to visit many of the captain's friends, and gradually shown most of the public buildings in the different quarters of the (own ; but his prudent conductor had the caution to avoid taking him to any placet of public entertainment, lest he might accidentally, in those heated resorts, catch the small-pox—a disease which he purposed to inocula'o the. young prince with as soon as he had acquired enough of our language to be reasoned into the necessity of submitting to tho operation—judging, and surely not without good reason, that by giving him so offensive mid troublesome a distemper, without (irst explaining its nature, and preparing his mind to yield to it, it might weaken that unbounded confidence which this youth placed in his adopted father. *

" After he liad been a while settled, and n little habituated to the manners of this country, he was sent every day to an academy at Rotherhitlie, to be instructed in reading and wiiting, which lie was himself eager to attain, and most assiduous in hu-ning. His whole deportment, whilst there, was so engaging, that it not only gained him the esteem of the gentleman under whose tuition he was placed, but al.«o the affection of his young companions. In the hours of recess, when he returned lo the captain's house, he amused the whole family by his vivacity, noticing every particularity he saw in any of Lis school-fellows with great good humour, mimicking their diflVrcnt manners—sometimes saying lie would have n school of his own when lie returned to Pclecv, and should be thought very wise when he taught the grrat people their letters. " He always addressed Mr. Wilson by tlio / v »dlalion of Captain ; but never would call .Vis. Wilson (to whom he behaved with iho warmest affection) by any oilier name than that of mother—looking on that ns a mark of the greatest respect. Being often told he should say ' Mrs. Wilson,* his constant reply was • No. no—mother, moti.er.' "Captain Wilson, "hen invited to dina with his particular friends, was generally accompanied by Lee 1100, on which occasions there was so much ease and politeness in his behaviour, as if he had uccn ulnnys hubituateil to cood company. He adapted himself very readily to whatever he saw were the custom* of the country, and fully confirmed me in an opinion which I have ever entertained, that good manners is the natural result of good sense. " Wherever this young man went, nothing escaped his' observation : he had an nideut de.'iire of inlnrmaiion, and thankfully received it, always expressing a wish to know by what means effects, which he noticed, were produced. I was one day in company with him, where a young lady sat down to the pianoforte, to see how he was affected with He appeared greatly surprised that the instrument could tlnnnr out so much sound. I; was opened to let him see its interior construction —he toted over it wi'.'t #ri-at attention, watch-' ing bow the jacks were moved, niul seemed far more disputed lo j uzzle out the mcati3 which produced thu sounds, than to attend to the music that was playing. lie was afterwards requested to give us a Pelew son,',;: he did not wait for these repealed e:>lrcr.tio* which singers usually requite, hut obligingly began as toon as asked ; the tones, however, were so harsli and discordant, uod ills breast seemed to labour with so much exertion, that his whole countenance wa'j changed by it, nod every one's cats wern stunned with the horrid notes, l'roin lhi> sample of Pelew singing, it is not to he- wandered that a chorus of such performers had the ellect of making our countrymen at Oroo. long fly lo their arms—it might, in truth, have alarmed a wholo garrison ; though when he had been some time hero, he readily learned two or three English ?ong», in which his voice appeared by'no means inharmonious, f " Lee lloo's temper was very mild and compassionate, discovering, in various instances, that he had brought from lii 3 father's terriloiies that spirit of philanthropy which was found to reign there ; yet he at all limei governed it by discretion and judgment. If he saw the young asking relief, he would rebuke them with what little English he wan master of. telling them it was a shame to beg when they were ab'e to work ; but the; entreaties of old age he could never withstand, saying, ' Must give poor old man —old man no able to work.' " 1 am perfectly' convinced that Captain Wilson, from the confidence which the King had reposed in him, would have held himself inviolably bound to protect and serve this young creature to the utmost extent of his abilities ; but, independent of what lie felt was due to the noble character of AbliaThulle, there was so much gentlem-st and to much gratitude lodged in Lee Boo's heart, that not only the Captain, but every nrrmber of hi» family, viewed him with the warmest sentiments of dis nlerested affection. Mr. H.Wilson, thu Captain's son, being a youth of a very amiable character, and a few years younger than Lee 800, they had, during their voyage to, and stay in Ciiina, becomo runtually attached to each other ; and meeting a,»ain under the father's roof, their friendship'was still more cemented. The young Prinoo looked on him as n brother, and in ht« leisure hours from the Academy, was happy to find in him o companion to converse with, to exercise the throwing of the spear, or to partake in any innocent recreation.

' " Boyam, the Malay, whom tlie King had sent to attend on his son, proving an unprincipled dishonest fellow, Lee IJoo was so disgusted with his conduct that he in treated Captajn Wilson to send him back to Sumatrt, which he had learned was the Malay's own country ; and Tom Hose, a man of tried fidelity, and who had picked up a great deal of the Pelew language, being at this time in England, was engaged to supply his place—an exchange which gavo satisfaction to all pirltes. Captain Wilson being now and then incommoded with severe headaches, which were sometime* relieved by lying down on the bed, on those occasions the feelings of Le« 800 were ever alarmed. He appeared always unhappy, would creep up softly to his protector's climber, and sit silently by his bedside for a long time together without moving—. peeping gently, from time to time, between the enrtains to sec if he slept or lay easy. [The remainder of the story of this interesting young Prince shall ba brought to a conclusion in our next Number.]

» At llie time of the- vhit of Lte 800 to England, the Biiiall-pox «as.,i noil violent and dnnijetous disorder— one which tie™ its tliomnm)*, ami Tor which no rfnieily liact ih»n been disruvertd. The practice of the day was to inoculate perj mis, io llut the digcaift aiijhi bo dealt ffittt ul uuct, and luobauly iu t wilder

form than it would presant If caught by chance. That vaccination—which your friend Dr. TliomsJii Ins ao carefully recommended lor your adoption, to aave you from ouc of the moit loiUibjibo icourges ibnt erer afflictedmankind, —was unkiiuvrn. It tvaa not for somo years afterwards tbat Dr. Jenr.cr'« cuf remedy »«l niado public; and many more ytars elapsed btMre ignortnee nod prejudice i.uu!d be mode to yive way 'o coii'io'-iun, and the human family be apirvd Dose ravages ltlileb. even when they spared life, freil'JCUll/ left their victims muti'a'.cl.