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1768.

The latitude of Bonthain hill is 5° 30' S. longitude May. by account 117° 53' E. The variation of the compass while we were here was 1o 16' W. The tides are very irregular; commonly it is but once high water and once low water in four and twenty hours, and there is feldom fix feet difference between them.

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CHAP. XII.

Paffage from Bonthain Bay, in the Ifland of Celebes, to Batavia. Tranfactions there, and the Voyage round the Cape of Good Hope to England.

HEN we left Bonthain Bay, we kept along the

Whore, at the distance of two or three miles,

till evening, and then anchored for the night, in the paffage between the two iflands of Celebes and Tonikaky, in feven fathoms and an half, with a bottom of foft mud. The next morning, we got again under fail, and took our departure from Tonikaky, which, according to my account, lies in latitude 5° 31' S. longitude 117° 17' E. the variation here was 10 W. We went to the fouthward of Tonikaky, and stood to the westward. About three o'clock in the afternoon, we were a-breaft of the eaftermoft of the islands which in the Dutch charts are called Tonyn's Inlands. This island. bore from us about N. by W. at the diftance of four miles, and the two weftermost were in fight. These three islands make a kind of right angle triangle with each other the diftance between the eaftermoft and westermoft is about eleven miles, and their relative bearings are very nearly east and weft. The distance between the two weftermoft is nearly the fame, and they bear to each other S. by E. and N. by W. About fix o'clock, having just founded, and got no ground,we fuddenly found ourselves upon a fhoal, with not three fathoms, and the water being smooth and clear, we could fee great crags of coral rocks under our bottom : we immediately threw all the fails a-back, and happily got off without damage: we had just passed over the eaftermoft edge of it, which is as fteep as a wall, for we had not gone back two cables length before we were out of foundings again. At this time we had the

two

two westermost of the Tonyn Islands in one, bearing N. by W. at the distance of fomewhat more than four miles from the nearest. This is a very dangerous fhoal, and is not laid down in any chart that I have feen : it feemed to extend itself to the fouthward and westward, all round the two westermost of these three islands, for near fix miles, but about the eaftermost island there feemed to be no danger; there was also a clear paffage between this ifland and the other two. The latitude of the eastermoft and westermost of these islands is 5o 31'S. The eaftermoft is diftant thirty-four miles due weft from Tonikaky, and the westermoft lies ten miles farther.

1768.

May.

In the afternoon of the 25th we found the water Wednes. 25. much difcoloured, upon which we founded, and had five and thirty fathoms, with foft mud. Soon after we went over the northermoft part of a fhoal, and had no more than ten fathoms, with soft mud. In this place, where we found the water fhallowest, it was very foul ; it feemed to be still shallower to the fouthward, but to the northward of us it appeared to be clear. We had no obfervation this day, by which I could ascertain the latitude, but I believe this to be the northermoft part of the fhoals that lie to the eastward of the island Madura, and in the English East India Pilot are called Bralleron's Shoals, the fame which in the Dutch charts are called Kalcain's Eylandens. By my reckoning, the. part that we went over lies in 5o 50' or 5° 52′ S. and 30 36 to the westward of the ifland Tonikaky, or S. 84°27′ W. diftant fixty-nine leagues. At eleven o'clock the fame night, we faw, to the northward of us, the fouthermoft of the islands Salombo. I make its latitude to be 5° 33' S. and its long. weft of Tonikaky 4o 4', at the distance of about eighty-two or eighty-three leagues. It bears from the last shoal N. W. by W. W. at the distance of about fourteen leagues. It is to be remarked, that hereabout, off the ifland Madura, the winds of the monsoons are commonly a month later in fettling than at Celebes. The variation here was not more than half a degree weft, and we found the current, which before set to the southward, now fetting to the N. W.

In the alternoon of the 26th we faw from the masthead the island of Luback, and had foundings from thirty-five to forty fathoms, with a bottom of bluish

clay,

Thurf. 26.

1768.

May.

Sunday 29.

clay. The latitude of this island is 5° 43′ S. and its longitude 5° 36' west of Tonikaky, from which it is diftant about one hundred and twelve leagues. Its distance weft from the islands of Salombo, is thirty-one leagues : we went to the northward of this island, and found a current fetting to the W. N. W.

In the evening of Sunday the 29th we faw the clufter of small islands called Carimon-Java. The latitude of the eastermoft, which is also the largest, is 5° 48′ S. and its longitude, west of Tonikaky, 70 52'. From this ifland it is distant about one hundred and fifty-eight leagues, and forty-five leagues from Luback.

June. On Thursday the 2d of June, we hauled in and Thurf. 2. made the land of Java, which proved to be that part of the ifland which makes the eastermoft point of the bay of Batavia, called Carawawang Point. When we first got fight of the land, we had gradually decreased our foundings from forty to twenty-eight fathoms, with a bottom of bluish mud. As we fteered along the shore for Batavia, we decreased them gradually, ftill farther, to thirteen fathoms, the depth in which, night coming on, we anchored near the two small islands called Leyden and Alkmar, in fight of Batavia; and in the afternoon of the next day, we anchored in the Road, which is fo good that it may well be confidered as an harbour. We had now great reason to congratulate ourselves upon our fituation, for during the whole of our paffage from Celebes, the fhip admitted fo much water by her leaks, that it was all we could do to keep her from finking, with two pumps conftantly going.

Friday 3.

We found here eleven large Dutch ships, besides several that were lefs, one Spanish fhip, a Portuguese Saturd. 4. fnow, and feveral Chinefe junks. The next morning we faluted the town with eleven guns, and the fame number was returned As this was the birth-day of his Britannic Majefty, our fovereign, we afterwards fired one and twenty guns more upon that occafion. We found the variation here to be less than half a degree to the weftward.

In the afternoon I waited upon the Governor, and acquainted him with the condition of the ship, defiring liberty to repair her defects. To which he replied, that I mult petition the Council.

On

On the 6th therefore, which was council-day, I ad- 1768. June. dressed a letter to the Governor and Council, fetting forth more particularly the condition of the ship; and Mond. 6. after requesting leave to repair her, I added, that I hoped they would allow me the ufe of fuch wharfs and ftore houfes as fhould be neceffary. In the afternoon Tuefd. 7. of the next day, the shebander, with Mr. Garrison, a merchant of the place, as interpreter, and another perfon, came to me. After the first compliments, the fhebander faid, that he was fent by the Governor and Council for a letter which they had heard I had received when I was at Bonthain, acquainting me, that a defign had been formed to cut off my ship, that the author of it, who had injured both me,and their nation,in the perfon of the Governor of that place, might be punished. I readily acknowledged that I had received fuch information, but faid, that I had never told any body it was by letter. The fhebander then asked me if I would take an oath that I had received no fuch letter, as he had been directed to demand? To which I answered, that I was furprized at the question, and defired, that if the Council had any fuch uncommon requifition to make of me, it might be in writing, and I would give fuch reply, as, upon mature confideration, I fhould think proper. I then defired to know what answer he had been inftructed to give to my letter, concerning the refitting of the fhip; upon which he told me, that the Council had taken offence at my having used the word hope, and not written in the stile of request, which had been invariably adopted by all merchants upon the like occafion I replied, that no offence was intended on my part, and that I had ufed the firft words which occurred, to me, as proper to express my meaning. Thus we parted, and I heard nothing more of them till the afternoon of the 9th, when the fhebander, and the fame two gentlemen, came to me a fecond time. Thurf. 9. The fhebander faid, that he was then commissioned from the Council, to require a writing under my hand, fignifying, that I believed the report of an intention formed at the island of Celebes to cut off my fhip, was falfe and malicious, faying that he hoped I had a better opinion of the Dutch nation than to fuppofe them capable of fuffering fo execrable a fact to be perpetrated

:

under

1768. June.

Wedn. 15.

under their Government. Mr. Garrison then read me a certificate, which, by order of the Council, had been drawn up for me to fign: as, whatever was my opinion,I did not think it advifeable to fign fuch a certificate, especially as it appeared to be made a condition of complying with my requeft by the delay of an anfwer during this folicitation, I defired the fhebander to shew me his authority for the requifition he had made: he replied, that he had no teftimony of authority but the notoriety of his being a public officer, and the evidence of the gentlemen that were with him, confirming his own declaration, that he acted in this particular by the express order of the Council. I then repeated my request, that whatever the Council required of me might be given me in writing, that the sense of it might be fixed and certain, and that I might have time to confider of my reply; but he gave me to understand that he could not do this without an order from the Council and I then abfolutely refufed to fign the paper, at the fame time defiring an anfwer to my letter; which they not being prepared to give, we parted, not in very good humour with each other.

After this, I waited in fruitlefs expectation till the 15th, when the fame three gentlemen came to me the third time, and faid they had been fent to tell me, that the Council had protested against my behaviour at Macaffar, and my having refused to fign the certificate which had been required of me, was an infult upon them, and an act of injuftice to their nation. I replied, that I was not conscious of having in any instance acted contrary to the treaties fubfifting between the two kingdoms unworthy of my character as an officer, honoured with a commiffion of his Britannic Majesty, or unsuitable to the trust repofed in me, though I did not think I had been used by the Governor of Macaffar as the subject of a friend and ally; defiring that if they had any thing to alledge against me, it might be reduced to writing, and laid before the King my Mafter, to whom alone I thought myself amenable. With this answer they again departed, and the next day, having not yet Thurf. 16. received any answer to my letter, I wrote a second, directed like the firft, in which I reprefented that the

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