I have narrated. Of the land
forces, only twelve returned out of five hundred who left here some
three weeks before. After remaining here three or four days, we sailed
for Cape Gracios a Dios. On my arrival there I commenced trading, as
usual. The next morning, it being the Fourth of July, and being in a
strange port, I thought I would not make any preparations for
celebrating the day. I told the mate, however, that he might release the
crew from work and give them some extra rations of grog, &c. Before I
had finished giving my orders to the mate, the king came on board with a
large canoe, loaded with Indians, and saluting me with a loud voice,
said, "Blast your eyes, why don't you fire a salute, hoist your colors
and celebrate your country's holyday." I answered him, by saying, "I
have nothing good to eat." He replied, "You shall soon have something;"
when getting into the canoe with the Indians, they paddled him on shore,
and killing a beef, soon returned with two quarters. We then hoisted our
colors and fired a salute; and a number of the king's officers coming on
board, we partook of a good dinner; and not forgetting plenty of liquor,
we made ourselves delightfully merry. At night the king and company
retired very peaceably.

The king had frequently solicited me to take him home with me, but never
got himself ready to embark, and he now renewed the conversation on the
subject. I told him that my family did not reside in the city of
New-York, but lived two degrees north of it, at a small village called
Catskill, near a mountain of that name. He replied, that would suit much
better, as he wanted to see the country and my home. He then said,
"There is one condition in the bargain; if I go home with you, you may
call me major, or colonel, or some other officer; but if you call me
king I will be the death of you, for I am not going home with you to be
made a damned puppet-show of."

Having finished my trade here, I sailed down along the coast, touching
and trading at the different harbors, as usual, until I arrived at the
Lagoon, where I landed the goods from the vessel at the store, and
taking in all the exchange goods collected there, sailed for Corn
Island, where we took in some more return cargo. While at Corn Island
Captain Mitchell gave me an order to bring him a new boat, thirty feet
long, to row with six oars, &c.

We now sailed for New-York, where we arrived without meeting with any
occurrence worth recordin