This is the story of the adventures of a Pacific island prince, Lee Boo, one of the first of the noble savages to be feted by London society. Within six months of his arrival in England he fell victim to small pox and died, far from his island home. How he came to spend his last days in London beside the Thames is a fascinating story, yet this is the first time the events that surrounded him have been detailed.

In 1783 a packet ship of the East India Company was wrecked on the reefs off Belau (Palau) in the western Pacific. When its captain returned to England nearly a year later he...