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ing these hoftile appearances, and a treaty foon commenced between us; but all we could procure, was about a dozen of fowls, and a goat and kid. We had offered them knives, hatchets, bill-hooks, and other things of the fame kind; but these they refused with great contempt, and demanded rupees: as we had no rupees, we were first much at a loss how to pay for our purchases; but at last we bethought ourselves of fome pocket handkerchiefs, and these they vouchsafed to accept, though they would take only the best.

These people are of a small stature, but extremely well made, and of a dark copper colour. We saw among them one old man who was dreffed fomewhat in the manner of the Persians; but all the rest were naked, except a handkerchief, which they wore as a kind of turban upon their heads, and fome pieces of cloth which were fastened with a filver plate or clafp round their middles. We faw none of their women, and probably fome care was taken to keep them out of our fight. The habitations are very neatly built of flit bamboo, and are raised upon posts about eight feet from the ground. Their boats are alfo well made, and we saw some of a large size, in which we supposed that they carried on a trade to Malacca.

The island is mountainous and woody, but we found it pleasant when we were a-fhore; it produces the cabbage and cocoa-nut tree in great plenty, but the natives did not chufe to let us have any of the fruit. We faw alfo fome rice grounds, but what other vegetable productions nature has favoured them with, we had no opportunity to learn, as we staid here but two nights and one day. In the bay where the ships rode there is excellent fishing, though the furf runs very high: we hauled our feine with great fuccefs, but could easily perceive that it gave umbrage to the inhabitants, who confider all the fish about these iflands as their own. There are two fine rivers that run into this bay, and the water is excellent: it was indeed so much better than what we had on board, that I filled as many cafks with it as loaded the boat twice. While we lay here fome of the natives brought down an animal, which had the body of a hare, and the legs of a

deer;

1765. November.

deer ; one of our officers bought it, and we should have been glad to have kept it alive, but it was impoffible for us to procure for it fuch food as it would eat; it was therefore killed, and we found it very good food. All the while we lay here, we had the most violent thunder, lightning and rain, that I had ever known; and finding that nothing more was to be procured, we failed again on Thur/day morning, with a Thurf. 7. fine breeze off the land. In the afternoon, we tried the current, and found it fet S. E. at the rate of a mile an hour. The variation here was 38′ W. We certainly made this paffage at an improper feafon of the year; for after we came into the latitude of Pulo Condore, we had nothing but light airs, calms and tornados, with violent rain, thunder and lightning.

At feven o'clock in the morning of Sunday the ioth, Sunday to we saw the east end of the island of Lingen, bearing S. W. by W. diftant eleven or twelve leagues. The current fet E. S. S. at the rate of a mile an hour. At noon, it fell calm, and I anchored with the kedge in twenty fathom. At one o'clock, the weather having cleared up, we faw a fmall ifland bearing S. W. diftant ten or eleven leagues.

S.

At one o'clock the next morning, we weighed and Monday 11. made fail; and at fix, the small island bore W. S. W. distant about seven leagues, and some very small islands, which we supposed to be the Domines islands, W. N. diftant about seven or eight leagues, a remarkable double peak on the island of Lingen bearing at the fame time W. by N. diftant about ten or twelve leagues. Our latitude by observation was now 18' S. The Latitude of the east end of Lingen is 10' S. longitude 105° 15′ E. Pulo Taya bears from it nearly S. by W. and is distant about twelve leagues.

At ten o'clock in the morning of Tuesday the 12th, Tuesd. 12. we saw a small Chinese junk to the north-eaft; and at feven the next morning a fmall ifland called Pulo Toté, bearing S. E. by E. diftant about twelve leagues. A little to the northward of Pulo Taya is a very fmall ifland, called Pulo Toupoa.

The next day, at four in the afternoon, there being Wedne no wind, we came to an anchor, in fourteen fathom with foft ground, Pulo Taya bearing N. W. diftant

about

1765.

November.

Thurfd. 14.

Friday 15.

about feven leagues. We tried the current, and found it fet E. by S. at the rate of two knots two fathom an hour. We faw a floop at anchor about four miles from us, which hoifted Dutch colours. In the night, we had violent rain, with hard fqualls, during one of which we parted the ftream cable, and therefore let go the fmall bower. At eight in the morning, the wind became moderate and variable, from N. N. W. to W.S. W. We got out our long-boat and weighed the ftream anchor, and at nine made fail. We found the current ftill very strong to the eastward; and at two, we anchored again in fourteen fathom, Pulo Taya bearing N. W. N. diftant between feven and eight leagues. The veffel which we had feen the day before under Dutch colours, ftill lying at anchor in the fame place, I fent a boat with an officer to speak with her the officer was received on board with great civility; but was extremely furprised to find that he could not make himself understood, for the people on board were Malays, without a fingle white man among them they made tea for our men immediately, and behaved with great chearfulness and hofpitality. The vessel was of a very fingular conftruction; her deck was of flit bamboo, and she was steered, not by a rudder, but by two large pieces of timber, one upon each quarter.

The next morning at fix o'clock, we weighed and made fail: at two, Monopin Hill bore S. by E. diftant about ten or eleven leagues, and had the appearance of a small island. It bears S. by W. from the seven iflands, and is distant from them about twelve leagues: its latitude is 2o South. From the feven islands we fteered S. W. by S. and had regular foundings from twelve to seven fathom, and foon after faw the coast of Sumatra, bearing from W. S. W. to W. by N. at the diftance of about feven leagues. In the evening, we anchored in feven fathom; and the next morning at Saturd. 16. four, we made fail again, and continued our course S. by E. till the peak of Monopin Hill bore east, and Batacarang Point, on the Sumatra fhore, S. W. to avoid a fhoal, called Frederick Hendrick, which is about mid-way between the Banca and Sumatra shore: the foundings were thirteen and fourteen fathom.

We

1765.

November.

We then steered E. S. E. and kept mid-channel to avoid the banks of Palambam River, and that which lies off the Westermoft point of Banca. When we were a-breast off Palambam River, we regularly fhoaled our water from fourteen to seven fathom ; and when we had paffed it, we deepened it again to fifteen and fixteen fathom. We continued to fteer E. S. E. between the Third and Fourth Points of Sumatra, which are about ten leagues diftant from each other: the foundings, nearest to the Sumatra fhore, were all along from eleven to thirteen fathom; and the high land of Queda Banca appeared over the Third Point of Sumatra, bearing E. S. E. From the Third Point to the Second, the course is S. E. by S. at the distance of about eleven or twelve leagues. The high land of Queda Banca, and the Second Point of Sumatra bear E. N. E. and W. S. W. of each other. The Streight is about five leagues over, and in the mid-channel there is twenty-four fathom. At fix o'clock in the evening, we anchored in thirteen fathom; Monopin Hill bearing N. W. and the Third Point of Sumatra, S. E. by E. diftant between two and three leagues. Many small veffels were in fight, and most of them hoifted Dutch colours. In the night we had fresh gales and fqualls, with thunder and lightning, and hard rain; but, as our cables were good, we were in no danger, for in this place the anchor is buried in a ftiff clay.

In the morning the current or tide fet to the S. E. at Sunday 17. the rate of three knots; at five we weighed, with a moderate gale at weft and hazy weather, and in the night the tide fhifted, and ran as ftrongly to the N. W. so that it ebbs and flows here twelve hours.

On the 19th, we spoke with an English fnow, be Tuesd. 19. longing to the East India Company, which was bound from Bencoolen to Malacca and Bengal. We had now nothing to eat but the fhip's provifions, which were become very bad, for ail our beef and pork ftunk intolerably, and our bread was rotten and full of worms; but as foon as the Mafter of this snow learnt our fituation, he generously fent me a fheep, a dozen fowls, and a turtle, which I verily believe was half his ftock, befides two gallons of arrack, and would accept

nothing

1765 nothing but our thanks in return. It is with great pleaNovember. fure that I pay this tribute to his liberality, and am very forry that I cannot recollect his name, or the name of his veffel. In the afternoon, we worked round the First Point of Sumatra, and our foundings on the north-fide, at the distance of about a mile and a half from the shore, were fourteen fathom. At half an hour after three we anchored, and fent a boat to found for the fhoals which lie to the northward of the ifland called Lafipara, which bore from us S. E. by S. diftant about fix leagues. Little wind, and a ftrong tide of flood to the northward, prevented our working between the shoals and the coast of Sumatra till the afternoon of the twentieth: the foundings were very Wednef. 20. regular, being nine or ten fathom as we flood over to the island, and five or fix when we stood over to Sumatra. As this Streight has been often navigated, and is well known, it is not neceffary to infert all the particulars of our paffage through it; I shall therefore only fay, that at fix o'clock in the evening of Tuesday the 27th, we steered between the islands Edam and Horn, and entered the road of Batavia. At eight, we anchored without the fhips, Onruft bearing W. N. W. diftant five or fix miles.

Tuef.

27.

Wednef. 28.

CHAP.

XIII.

Tranfactions at Batavia, and Departure from that

THE

Place.

HE next day, which by our account was the 28th, but by the account of the Dutch at this place, was the 29th, we having lost a day by having steered weftward a year, we anchored nearer to the town, and faluted the water fort with eleven guns; which were returned. We found here above a hundred fail great and fmall, and among others, a large English fhip belorging to Bombay, which faluted us with thirteen guns.

There is always lying here a Dutch Commodore belonging to the Company, who, among his countrymen, is a perfon of very great confequence. This gentleman thought fit to fend his boat on board of me,

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