FL14365834

[Page 33]

[Address on letter]

Mr Hassall Parramatta
New So. Wales

[Written on side]

Received Febry 19th 1802

[Second image]

[Written on side at top]

Rev Cooper
in London
Jany 1802

[Letter]

Sir 

I take the Present opportunity according to Proceed to
Inform you of my return to England though Contrary both to my
Inclination & Desire when I left you But he who has Set the
Bounds of our Habitation ordered it do and I would Desire to submitt
On leaving Port Jackson the Captain was determined if possible to make 
Otaheite yet by a mistake in the Longitude we fell to Leeward
of the Island Having sprung our Bowsprit In a Gale between Port Jackson
& Norfolk Island and no wood on Board fitt to Repairing it obliged
the Captain to now to Bear away to the Friendly Islands after stopping
at these Islands Nine Day's We shapped our Course for the Coast
of Peru but a Change taking Place In the Captains mind from the
State of the Vessel having Lost our Boats and the ship Every
Way In a Wreckey condition. He Judged it not safe to go upon
an Enemy's Coast In this Condition. Thinking it best to go Round
Cape Horn & make the Rest of the Way Home. Accordingly we
stood to the Southward. We were then about the Lat. of 38.12 S
Long. 108 West on the 29th of November 1800. We made the Land of 
Cape Horn & on the 3d of December the Falkland Islands We stopped
among these Islands about three weeks after this we put In to
a Portuguese Settlement for the Lat. of 8s and on the 11th of May 1801
made the land not far from Plymouth.

In our Passage from the last Place we Left to England a Circumstance
took Place not Very Pleasing the Captain much troubled In his
mind on Leaving that Place grew quite Delirious & In the
Lat. of 5 South jumped overboard but the boat Being hoisted
out was got safe on Board again he continued for a deranged
Condition all the Passage and Was so when I left the Ship In London
River and what has become of him since I know not.

This is a brief account of What happened from my Leaving
you till I msde England but as Mr Shelley will expect some
account of the state of affairs as we found them at the Friendly
Islands I now take the Liberty to Inform him
on the 6th of September 1800 made the Friendly Islands. The first Land We fell In With
Proved to be the Harby's as We Were becalmed off them near two
Day's observed natives Came of to Barter to them my Enquiries
were Directed how affairs stood among them but from the
ansers they made could come to no Certaibty as they were not
willing to [indecipherable] Pubblish their own Defeat but they told me that
Looka Culla was at Harby with most of the Chiefs