have received from the Governor of Concordia. He said, that after acquainting him that a veffel had fteered from thence towards the island where we were now afhore, it required him, if such ship should apply for provifions in diftress, to relieve her; but not to fuffer her to stay longer than was abfolutely neceffary, nor to make any large presents to the inferior people, or to leave any with those of fuperior rank to be afterwards diftributed among them: but he was graciously pleased to add, that we were at liberty to give beads and other trifles in exchange for petty civilities, and palmwine.

It was the general opinion that this letter was a fiction; that the prohibitory orders were feigned with a view to get money from us for breaking them; and that by precluding our liberality to the natives, this man hoped more easily to turn it into another channel.

In the evening, we received intelligence from our tradingplace that no buffaloes or hogs had been brought down, and only a few sheep, which had been taken away before our people, who had fent for money, could procure it. Some fowls however had been bought, and a large quantity of a kind of fyrup made of the juice of the palm-tree, which, though infinitely fuperior to molaffes or treacle, fold at a very low price. We complained of our disappointment to Mr. Lange, who had now another fubterfuge; he said, that if we had gone down to the beach ourselves, we might have purchased what we pleased; but that the natives were afraid to take money of our people, left it fhould be counterfeit. We could not but feel fome indignation against a man who had concealed this, being true; or alleged it, being falfe. I started up, however, and went immediately to the beach, but no cattle or sheep were to be feen, nor were any at hand VOL. III.

M m

to

1770. September.

Wednef. 19.

to be produced. While I was gone, Lange, who knew well enough that I should succeed no better than my people, told Mr. Banks that the natives were displeased at our not having offered them gold for their ftock; and that if gold was not offered, nothing would be bought. Mr. Banks did not think it worth his while to reply, but foon after rose up, and we all returned on board, very much dissatisfied with the iffue of our negociations. During the course of the day, the King had promised that fome cattle and fheep fhould be brought down in the morning, and had given a reason for our disappointment fomewhat more plausible; he said that the buffaloes were far up the country, and that there had not been time to bring them down to the beach.

The next morning we went ashore again: Dr. Solander went up to the town to speak to Lange, and I remained upon the beach, to fee what could be done in the purchase of provifions. I found here an old Indian, who, as he appeared to have fome authority, we had among ourselves called the Prime Minister; to engage this man in our interest I prefented him with a spying-glass, but I saw nothing at market except one fmall buffalo. I enquired the price of it, and was told five guineas: this was twice as much as it was worth; however, I offered three, which I could perceive the man who treated with me thought a good price; but he faid that he muft acquaint the King with what I had offered before he could take it. A messenger was immediately dif patched to his Majefly, who foon returned, and said, that the buffalo would not be fold for any thing lefs than five guineas. This price I absolutely refused to give; and another meffenger was fent away with an account of my refusal: this meffenger was longer absent than the other, and while I was waiting for his return I faw, to my great aftonishment, Dr.

Solander

Solander coming from the town, followed by above a hun-
dred men, fome armed with mufquets and fome with lan-
ces. When I enquired the meaning of this hostile appear-
ance, the Doctor told me, that Mr. Lange had interpreted to
him a message from the King, purporting that the people
would not trade with us, because we had refused to give
them more than half the value of what they had to fell; and
that we should not be permitted to trade upon any terms
longer than this day. Befides the officers who commanded
the party, there came with it a man who was born at Timor,
of Portuguese parents, and who, as we afterwards difco-
vered, was a kind of colleague to the Dutch factor; by this
man what they pretended to be the King's order was deli-
vered to me, of the fame purport with that which Dr. So-
lander had received from Lange. We were all clearly of
opinion that this was a mere artifice of the factors to extort
money from us, for which we had been prepared by the
account of a letter from Concordia; and while we were he-
fitating what step to take, the Portuguese, that he might the
fooner accomplish his purpose, began to drive away the
people who had brought down poultry and fyrup, and others
that were now coming in with buffaloes and fheep. At this
time, I glanced my eye upon the old man whom I had com-
plimented in the morning with the spying-glass, and I
thought, by his looks, that he did not heartily approve of
what was doing; I therefore took him by the hand, and pre-
sented him with an old broad fword. This instantly turned
the scale in our favour; he received the fword with a tran-
fport of joy, and flourishing it over the bufy Portuguese,
who crouched like a fox to a lion, he made him, and the
officer who commanded the party, fit down
fit down upon the ground
behind him: the people, who, whatever were the crafty
pretences of thefe iniquitous factors for a Dutch company,

1770. September.

Thursday 20.

1770. September. mber

Thursday 25.

were eager to fupply us with whatever we wanted, and
feemed alfo to be more defirous of goods than money, in-
ftantly improved the advantage that had been procured
them, and the market was stocked almost in an inftant. To
establish a trade for buffalces, however, which I moft wanted,
I found it neceffary to give ten guineas for two, one of
which weighed no more than a hundred and fixty pounds;
but I bought feven more much cheaper, and might after-
wards have purchased as many as I pleased almost upon my
own terms, for they were now driven down to the water-
fide in herds. In the first two that I bought fo dear, Lange
had certainly a share, and it was in hopes to obtain part of
the price of others, that he had pretended we must pay for
them in gold. The natives however fold what they after-
wards brought down much to their fatisfaction, without
ing part of the price to him as a reward for exacting money
from us. Most of the buffaloes that we bought, after our
friend, the Prime Minister, had procured us a fair market,
were fold for a musquet a-piece, and at this price we might
have bought as many as would have freighted our ship.

pay

The refreshments which we procured here, confifted of nine buffaloes, fix fheep, three hogs, thirty dozen of fowls, a few limes, and fome cocoa-nuts; many dozen of eggs, half of which however proved to be rotten; a little garlic, and several hundred gallons of palm-syrup.

CHAP.

CHAP. IX.

A particular Defcription of the Island of Savu, its Produce and Inhabitants, with a Specimen of their Language.

TH

HIS ifland is called by the natives SAVU; the middle of it lies in about the latitude 10° 35′ S., longitude 237° 30′ W.; and has in general been fo little known that I never faw a map or chart in which it is clearly or accurately laid down. I have seen a very old one, in which it is called Sou, and confounded with Sandel Bofch. Rumphius mentions an island by the name of Saow; and he also says that it is the fame which the Dutch call Sandel Bofch: but neither is this: island, nor Timor, nor Rotte, nor indeed any one of the islands that we have seen in these feas, placed within a reasonable distance of its true fituation. It is about eight leagues long. from eaft to weft; but what is its breadth, I do not know, as I faw only the north fide. The harbour in which we lay is called Seba, from the district in which it lies: it is on the north weft fide of the ifland, and well fheltered from the south west trade wind, but it lies open to the north west. We were told, that there were two other bays where ships might anchor; that the beft, called Timo, was on the south west fide of the fouth east point: of the third we learnt neither the name nor fituation. The fea-coaft, in general, is low; but in the middle of the island there are hills of a confiderable height. We were upon the coaft at the latter end of the dry feafon, when there had been no rain for feven months; and we were told that when the dry season conti

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1770. September..