1770. September. The inhabitants of each of these little islands speak a language peculiar to themselves, and it is an object of Dutch policy to prevent, as much as poffible, their learning the language of each other. If they spoke a common language, they would learn, by a mutual intercourfe with each other, to plant fuch things as would be of more value to themfelves than their prefent produce, though of lefs advantage to the Dutch; but their languages being different, they can communicate no fuch knowlege to each other, and the Dutch fecure to themselves the benefit of fupplying their feveral neceffities upon their own terms, which it is reafonable to suppose are not very moderate. It is probably with a view to this advantage that the Dutch never teach their own language to the natives of these islands, and have been at the expence of translating the Teftament and catechifms into the different languages of each; for in proportion as Dutch had become the language of their religion, it would have become the common language of them all. To this account of Savu, I fhall only add a fmall specimen of its language, by which it will appear to have some affinity with that of the South Sea islands, many of the words being exactly the fame, and the numbers manifeftly derived from the fame fource. In this account of the island of Savu it must be remembered, that except the facts in which we were parties, and the account of the objects which we had an opportunity to examine, the whole is founded merely upon the report of Mr. Lange, upon whofe authority alone therefore it must rest. 1770. September. Friday 21. Saturday 22. Sunday 23. Tuesday 25. CHA P. X. The Run from the Island of Savu to Batavia, and an IN was refitting. N the morning of Friday the 21ft of September, 1770, we got under fail, and food away to the weftward, along the north fide of the island of Savu, and of the smaller that lies to the weftward of it, which at noon bore from us S. S. E. diftant two leagues. At four o'clock in the afternoon, we discovered a small low island, bearing S. S. W. distant three leagues, which has no place in any chart now extant, at leaft in none that I have been able to procure: it lies in latitude 10° 47′ S, longitude 238° 28′ W. At noon on the 22d, we were in latitude 11° 10′ S.,. longitude 240° 38′ W. In the evening of the 23d, we found the variation of the needle to be 2° 44′ W.; as foon as we got clear of the islands we had constantly a fwell from the southward, which I imagined was not caused by a wind blowing from that quarter, but by the fea being fo determined by the pofition of the coast of New Holland. Monday 24. At noon on the 26th, being in latitude 10° 47′ S., longiWednef. 26. tude 249° 52′ W. we found the variation to be 3° 10′ W. and our fituation to be twenty-five miles to the northward of the log; for which I know not how to account. At noon on the Thursday 27. 27th, our latitude by obfervation was 10° 51′ S. which was agreeable to the log; and our longitude was 252° 11′ W. We steered N. W. all day on the 28th, in order to make the land Friday 28. September.. Saturday 29. land of Java; and at noon on the 29th, our latitude by obfer- 1770. vation was 9° 31 ́ S., longitude 254° 10′ W.; and in the morning of the 30th, I took into my poffeffion the log-book and Sunday 30. journals, at least all I could find, of the officers, petty officers, and feamen, and enjoined them fecrecy with respect to where they had been. At feven in the evening, being in the latitude of Java Head, and not feeing any land, I concluded that we were too far to the weftward: I therefore hauled up E. N. E. having before ftecred N. by E. In the night, we had thunder and lightning; and about twelve o'clock, by the light of the flashes, we faw the land bearing eaft. I then tacked and flood to the S. W. till four o'clock in the morning of the 1st of October; and at fix, Java Head, or the weft end of Java, bore S. E. by E. diftant five leagues: foon after we saw Prince's Ifland, bearing E. S.; and at ten, the island of Cracatoa, bearing N. E. Cracatoa is a remarkably high-peaked island, and at noon it bore N. 40 E. distant feven leagues. I must now observe that, during our run from Savu, I allowed twenty minutes a-day for the wefterly current, which I' concluded muft run ftrong at this time, especially off the coast of Java, and I found that this allowance was juft equivalent to the effect of the current upon the fhip. October. Monday 1, At four o'clock in the morning of the 2d, we fetched close Tuesday 25 in with the coaft of Java, in fifteen fathom; we then flood along the coast, and early in the forenoon, I fent the boat ashore to try if she could procure fome fruit for Tupia, who was very ill, and fome grafs for the buffaloes that were still alive. In an hour or two fhe returned with four cocoa-nuts, and a small bunch of plantains, which had been purchased for a fhilling, and fome herbage for the cattle, which the Indians not only gave us, but affifted our people to cut. The country 3 country looked like one continued wood, and had a very pleafant appearance. About eleven o'clock, we faw two Dutch fhips lying off Anger Point, and I sent Mr. Hicks on board of one of them to enquire news of our country, from which we had been abfent fo long. In the mean time it fell calm, and about noon I anchored in eighteen fathom with a muddy bottom. When Mr. Hicks returned, he reported that the fhips were Dutch Eaft Indiamen from Batavia, one of which was bound to Ceylon, and the other to the coaft of Malabar; and that there was also a flyboat or packet, which was said to be stationed here to carry letters from the Dutch fhips that came hither to Batavia, but which I rather think was appointed to examine all ships that pass the Streight: from these ships we heard, with great pleasure, that the Swallow had been at Batavia about two years before. At feven o'clock a breeze sprung up at S. S. W. with which having weighed, we ftood to the N. E. between Thwart-theway-Island and the Cap, founding from eighteen to twentyeight fathom we had but little wind all night, and having a frong current against us, we got no further by eight in the morning than Bantam Point. At this time the wind came to the N. E. and obliged us to anchor in two and twenty. fathom, at about the distance of two miles from the fhore; the point bore N. E. by E. diftant one league, and here we found a strong current fetting to the N. W. In the morning we had feen the Dutch packet ftanding after us, but when the wind fhifted to the N. E. fhe bore away. At fix o'clock in the evening, the wind having obliged us to continue at anchor, one of the country boats came alongfide of us, on board of which was the Master of the packet. He feemed to have two motives for his vifit, one to take an account |