alfo, that he had confiderable property in England, being a denifon of that country; "and, faid the Shebander, he has " also money in my hands, with which I will purchase such things as you want from Macaffar, and fee that they are "fent after you." Having fpecified what these articles were to be, and agreed with him for the quantity and the price, we parted.

The next day, in the afternoon, I received a letter, figned Saturday 19. by the Governor and Council of Macaffar, containing the reasons why I was fent to Bonthain, and confirming the verbal agreement which fubfifted between us.

Soon after, the Enfign M. le Cerf, the Secretary of the Council, and a pilot, came on board to attend us to Bonthain. Le Cerf was to command the foldiers who were on board the guard-boats; and the Secretary, as we afterwards discovered, was to be a check upon the refident, whofe name was Swellingrabel. This Gentleman's father died Second Governor at the Cape of Good Hope, where he married an English lady of the name of Fothergill. Mr. Swellingrabel, the Resident here, married the daughter of Cornelius Sinkclaar, who had been Governor of Macaffar, and died about two years ago in England, having come hither to see some of his mother's relations.

VOL. I.

3 H

СНАР.

1767. December.

Sunday 20.
Monday 21.

CHA P. XI.

Transactions at Bonthain, while the Vessel was waiting for a Wind to carry her to Batavia, with fome Account of the Place, the Town of Macalar, and the adjacent Country.

T'

HE next morning at day-break we failed, and the day following in the afternoon we anchored in Bonthain road with our two guard-boats, which were immediately moored close in to the fhore, to prevent the country boats from coming near us, and our boats from going near them. As foon as I arrived at this place, I altered our reckoning. I had loft about eighteen hours, in coming by the west, and the Europeans that we found here having come by the east had gained about fix, fo that the difference was just a day.

I immediately waited upon the Refident, Mr. Swellingrabel, who spoke English but very imperfectly, and having fettled with him all matters relating to money and provifions, a houfe was allotted me near the fea-fide, and clofe to a little pallifadoed fort of eight guns, the only one in this place, which I converted into an hospital, under the direction of the Surgeon; to this place I immediately fent all the people who were thought incapable of recovering on board, and reserved the reft as a fecurity against accidents. As foon as our people were on fhore, a guard of thirty-fix private men, two Serjeants, and two Corporals, all under the command of Enfign

Le Cerf, was fet over them; and none of them were fuffered
to go more than thirty yards from the hospital, nor
were any of the country people allowed to come near
enough to fell them any thing; so that our men got nothing
of them, but through the hands of the Dutch foldiers, who
abused their power very fhamefully. When they faw any
of the country people carrying what they thought our inva-
lids would purchase, they firft took it away, and then asked
the price: what was demanded fignified little, the foldier
gave what he thought proper, which was feldom one fourth
of the value; and if the countryman ventured to express any
discontent, he gave him immediately an earnest of perfect
fatisfaction, by flourishing his broad-fword over his head;
this was always fufficient to filence complaint, and fend the
fufferer quietly away; after which the foldier fold what he
had thus acquired for profit of sometimes more than a thou-
fand
per
Cent. This behaviour was fo cruel to the natives,
and so injurious to us, that I ventured to complain of it to
the Refident, and the other two Gentlemen, Le Cerf and the
Secretary. The Refident, with becoming spirit, reprimanded
the foldiers; but it produced fo little effect that I could not
help entertaining fufpicions that le Cerf connived at these
practices, and shared the advantages which they produced.
I fufpected him also of felling arrack to my people, of which
I complained, but without redrefs, and I know that his
flaves were employed to buy things at the market which
his wife afterwards fold to us for more than twice as much
as they cost. The foldiers were indeed guilty of many other
irregularities: it was the duty of one of them by rotation
to procure the day's provifion for the whole guard, a service
which he conftantly performed by going into the country
with his mufquet and a bag; nor was the honeft providetor
always content with what the bag would contain, for one of

1767.

December.

1767. December.

Saturday 26.

Sunday 27.

Monday 28.

them, without any ceremony, drove down a young buffalo that belonged to some of the country people, and his comrades not having wood at hand to dress it when it was killed, supplied themselves by pulling down fome of the pallifadoes of the fort. When this was reported to me, I thought it fo extraordinary that I went on fhore to see the breach, and found the poor black people repairing it.

On the 26th, a floop laden with rice was fent out from this place in order to land her cargo at Macaffar; but after having attempted it three days fhe was forced to return. The weather was now exceedingly tempeftuous, and all navigation at an end from eaft to weft till the return of the eastern monsoon. On the fame day two large floops that were bound to the eastward anchored here, and the next morning alfo a large fhip from Batavia, with troops on board for the Banda Iflands; but none of the crew of any of these vessels were fuffered to speak to any of our people, our boats being reftrained from going on board them, and theirs from coming on board us. As this was a mortifying restriction we requested Mr. Swellingrabel to buy us fome falt meat from the large fhip; and he was fo obliging as to procure us four cafks of very good European meat, two of pork and two of beef.

On the 28th a fleet of more than an hundred fail of the small country veffels, called Proas, anchored here; their burden is from twelve to eighteen and twenty ton, and they carry from fixteen to twenty men. I was told that they carried on a fishery round the Ifland, going out with one monfoon, and coming back with the other, fo as always to keep under the lee of the land: the fifh was fent to the China market, and I obferved that all these veffels carried Dutch colours.

No