I little thought that a brother of my late worthy friend Sidney Parkinson, could have even thought of such a peice of treachery, it makes me shudder at your vicious turn of mind , while I lemante [sic] ever having had any knowledge of a man of such wretched principles. I advise you to desist, and take shame on you before it is to late [sic], and that you will for the sake of your family save your reputation which once lost is seldom to be recovered.

One thing more I must tell you which perhaps you think I did not know, which is that in your brother’s will, that he left with his sister before he went abroad, he left some legacys to my daughter Ann amongest other things some paintings that was in your hands. I have likeways heard there was something left to me in the will Mr. Banks brought home. You have taken no notice of these things to me, I imputed your silence to your avarice and did not think it worth my while to disturb you about it. but since I have heard of your determination, I must tell you if you proceed further in your publica-tion l am determined to call you to an account. the papers you are about to publish, is by right mine, I have Mr. Banks’s word for it that your brother left them to me. and I will dispute your title to them, as I have witness’s of your brother leaving em [sic] to me as my property. Consider the contents of this letter and act like a man of honour, or consider the conference of doing wrong.

Vineyard 26th Nov. 1772.
I am, &c.
JAMES LEE

To this strange epistle I returned the following answer.

JAMES LEE, 11th Mo. 1772.

I received a letter from thee last Friday, the contents of which, as coming from the friend of my dear brother, greatly amazed me, as thou chargest me therein with crimes of the blackest dye, but as they are only charges without foundation, the greater part being, according to thy own confession, founded on hearsay evidence, I can easily clear myself from them, and shall therefore answer them in the order in which they appear in thy letter.

Voyaging Accounts