y orders,
and that if the man was an English subject, it could not be expected
that I should deliver him up. The captain then said, that he was just
come from the governor to demand the man of me in his name, as a subject
of Denmark, alleging that he stood in the ship's books as born at
Elsineur. The claim of this man as a subject of Holland being now given
up, I observed to the captain that there appeared to be some mistake in
the general's message, for that he would certainly never demand a Danish
seaman from me who had committed no other crime than preferring the
service of the English to that of the Dutch. I added, however, to
convince him of my sincere desire to avoid disputes, that if the man was
a Dane, he should be delivered up as a courtesy, though he could not be
demanded as a right; but that if I found he was an English subject, I
would keep him at all events. Upon these terms we parted, and soon after
I received a letter from Mr Hicks, containing indubitable proof that the
seaman in question was a subject of his Britannic majesty. This letter I
immediately carried to the shebander, with a request that it might be
shewn to the governor, and that his excellency might at the same time be
told I would not upon any terms part with the man. This had the desired
effect, and I heard no more of the affair.[127]

[Footnote 127: Whatever may be thought of the advantage of such policy,
it is certain that Cook acted here in the full spirit of a British
officer and _minister_. Every reader must be aware how materially the
same determination on the part of our government has tended to embroil
us with the Americans, betwixt whom and us, the question of fact, as to
country, is often much more difficult of solution than it can well be
where any other people oppose our claims.--E.]

In the evening I went on board, accompanied by Mr Banks, and the rest of
the gentlemen who had constantly resided on shore, and who, though
better, were not yet perfectly recovered.

At six in the morning of the 26th, we weighed and set sail, with a light
breeze at S.W. The Elgin Indiaman saluted us with three cheers and
thirteen guns, and the garrison with fourteen; both which, with the help
of our swivels, we returned, and soon after the sea-breeze set in at N.
by W. which obliged us to anchor just without the ships in the road.

At this time the number of sick on board amounted to forty, and the rest
of the ship's company were in a very feebl