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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
ground_n	part_n	river_n	zone_n	30	3	13.3174	5	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A36106	A new voyage round the world describing particularly the isthmus of America, several coasts and islands in the West Indies, the isles of Cape Verd, the passage by Terra del Fuego, the South Sea coasts of Chili, Peru and Mexico, the isle of Guam one of the Ladrones, Mindanao, and other Philippine and East-India islands near Cambodia, China, Formosa, Luconia, Celebes, &c., New Holland, Sumatra, Nicobar Isles, the Cape of Good Hope, and Santa Hellena : their soil, rivers, harbours, plants, fruits, animals, and inhabitants : their customs, religion, government, trade, &c. / by William Dampier ; illustrated with particular maps and draughts.	Dampier, William, 1652-1715.	1697 (1697)	Wing D161; Wing D165; ESTC R9942	710,236	1,112

this means is at least 3 months within 4 degrees of the Zenith so that they have the Sun in a manner over their heads from the beginning of May till the latter end of July Whereas when the Sun comes under the Line in March or September it immediately posts away to the North or the South and is not 20 days in passing from 3 degrees on one side to 3 degrees on the other side the Line So that by his small stay there the heat cannot be answerable to what it is near the Tropick where he so long continues in a manner Vertical at Noon and is so much longer above the Horizon each paaticular day with the intervening of a shorter night But to return to Tonquin During the wet months there 't is excessive hot especially whenever the Sun breaks out of the Clouds and there is then but little Wind stirring And I have been told by a Gentleman who liv'd there many years that he thought it was the hottest place that ever he was in tho he had been in many other parts of India And as to the Rains it has not the least share of them tho neither altogether the greatest of what I have met with in the Torrid Zone and even in the same Latitude and on the same side of the Equator The wet season begins here the latter end of April or the beginning of May and holds till the latter end of August in which time are very violent Rains some of many hours others of 2 or 3 days continuance Yet are not these Rains without some considerable intervals of fair weather especially toward the beginning or end of the season By these Rains are caus'd those Land-floods which never fail in these Countries between the Tropicks at their annual periods all the Rivers then overflowing their Banks This is a thing so well known to all who are any way acquainted with the Torrid Zone that the cause of the overflowing of the Nile to find out which the Ancients set their wits so much upon the rack and fancied melting of Snows and blowing of Etesiae and I know not what is now no longer a secret For these floods must needs discharge themselves upon such low Lands as lie in their way as the Land of Egypt does with respect to the Nile coming a great way from within the Torrid Zone and falling down from the higher Ethiopia And any one who will be at the pains to compare the time of the Land flood in Egypt with that of the Torrid Zone in any of the parts of it along which the Nile runs will find that of Egypt so much later than the other as 't will be thought reasenable to allow for the daily progress of the Waters along so vast a tract of Ground They might have made the same wonderment of any other Rivers which run any long course from out the Torrid Zone but they knowing only the North Temperate Zone and the Nile being the only great River known to come thither a great way from a Country near the Line they made that only the subject of their enquiry but the same effect must also follow from any great River that should run from out of the Torrid Zone into the South Temperate Zone And as to the Torrid Zone the yearly floods and their cause are every where as well known by people there as the Rivers themselves In America particularly in Campeachy Rivers in Rio Grande and others 't is a vast havock is made by these floods bringing down sometimes Trees of an incredible bigness and these floods always come at the stated season of the year In the dry part of Peru along the coasts of Pacifick Sea where it never rains as it seldom does in Egypt they have not only Floods but Rivers themselves made by the annual falling of Rain on the Mountains within Land the Channels of which are dry all the rest of the year This I have observ'd concerning the River Ylo on the Coast of Peru in my former Volume p. 95. But it has this difference from the Floods of Egypt that besides its being a River in the Torrid Zone 't is also in South Latitude and so overflows at a contrary season of the year to wit at such time as the Sun being in Southern Signs causes the Rains and Floods on that side the Line But to return from this digression in August the weather at Tonquin is more moderate as to heat or wet yet not without some showers and September and October are more temperate still yet the worst weather in all the year for Seamen is in one of the 3 months last mentioned for then the violent Storms called Tuffoons Typhones are expected These winds are so very fierce that for fear of them the Chinese that Trade thither will not stir out of Harbour till the end of October after which month there is no more danger of any violent Storms till the next year Tuffoons are a particular kind of violent Storms blowing on the Coast of Tonquin and the neighboring Coasts in the months of July August and September They commonly happen near the full or change of the Moon and are usually preceded by very fair weather small winds and a clear Sky Those small winds veer from the common Trade of that time of the year which is here at S. W. and shuffles about to the N. and N. E. Before the Storm comes there appears a boding Cloud in the N. E. which is very black near the Horizon but towards the upper edge it looks of a dark copper colour and higher still it is brighter and afterwards it fades to a whitish glaring colour at the very edge of the Cloud This appears very amazing and ghastly and is sometimes seen 12 hours before the Storm comes When that Cloud begins to move apace you may expect the Wind presently It comes on fierce and blows very violent at N. E. 12 hours more or less It is also commonly accompanied with terrible claps of Thunder large and frequent flashes of Lightning and excessive hard rain When the Wind begins to abate it dyes away suddenly and falling flat calm it continues so an hour more or less then the wind comes about to the S. W. and it blows and rains as fierce from thence as it did before at N. E. and as long November and December are 2 very dry wholesom warm and pleasant months January February and March are pretty dry but then you have thick fogs in the morning and sometimes drisling cold rains the Air also in these 3 months particularly in January and February is very sharp especially when the wind is at North East or North North East whether because of the Quarter it blows from or the Land it blows over I know not for I have elsewhere observ'd such Winds to be Colder where they have come from over Land April is counted a moderate month either as to heat or cold driness or moisture This is ordinarily the

this River Their chiefest employment when they are not at Sea is fishing These men are oblig'd by the Spaniards to keep good watch for Ships that Anchor at Point Arena which as I said before is 7 leagues from the Town Puna The place where they keep this watch is at a Point of Land on the Island Puna that starts out into the Sea from whence they can see all Ships that anchor at Point Arena The Indians come thither in the morning and return at night on Horse-back From this watching point to Point Arena it is 4 leagues all drowned Mangrove-land and in the midway between these two Points is another small Point where these Indians are obrig d to keep another Watch when they fear an Enemy The Centinel goes thither in a Canoa in the morning and returns at night for there is no coming thither by Land through that Mangrove marshy ground The middle of the Island Puna is Savannah or pasture There are some ridges of good Woodland which is of a light yellow or sandy mould producing large tall Trees most unknown even to Travellers But there are plenty of Palmeto Trees which because I am acquainted with I shall describe The Palmeto Tree is about the bigness of an ordinary Ash It is about 30 foot high the body streight without any limb or branch or leaf except at the head only where it spreads forth into many small branches not half so big as a mans arm some no bigger than ones finger These branches are about 3 or 4 foot long clear from any knot At the end of the branch there groweth one broad leaf about the bigness of a large Fan. This when it first shoots forth grows in folds like a Fan when it is closed and still as it grows bigger so it opens till it becomes like a Fan spread abroad It is strengthned towards the stalk with many small ribs springing from thence and growing into the leaf which as they grow near the end of the leaf grow thinner and smaller The Leaves that make the brush part of the Flag-brooms which are brought into England grow just in this manner and are indeed a small kind of Palmeto for there are of them of several dimensions In Bermudas and elsewhere they make Hats Baskets Brooms Fans to blow the fire instead of Bellows with many other House-Implements of Palmeto-Leaves On the ridges where these Trees grow the Indians have here and there Plantations of Maiz Yams and Potatoes There are in the Town of Puna about 20 Houses and a small Church The Houses stand all on Posts 10 or 12 foot high with Ladders on the outside to go up into them I did never see the like buildings any where but among the Malayans in the East Indies They are thatched with Palmeto-leaves and their Chambers well boarded in which last they exceed the Malayans The best place for Ships to lye at an anchor is against the middle of the Town There is 5 fathom water within a Cables length of the shore and good soft deep Oaze where ships may careen or hale ashore it flows 15 or 16 foot water up and down From Puna to Guiaquil is reckoned 7 leagues It is one league before you come to the River of Guiaquil s mouth where it is above two mile wide from thence upwards the River lies pretty streight without any considerable turnings Both sides of the River are low swampy Land overgrown with Red Mangroves so that there is no landing Four mile before you come to the Town of Guiaquil there is a low Island standing in the River This Island divides the River into two parts making two very fair Channels for Ships to pass up and down The S. W. Channel is the widest the other is as deep but narrower and narrower yet by reason of many Trees and Bushes which spread over the River both from the Main and from the Island and there are also several great stumps of Trees standing upright in the Water on either side The Island is above a mile long From the upper part of the Island to the Town of Guiaquil is almost a league and near as much from one side of the River to the other In that spacious place Ships of the greatest burthen may ride afloat but the best place for Ships is nearest to that part of the Land where the Town stands and this place is seldom without Ships Guiaquil stands facing the Island close by the River partly on the side and partly at the foot of a gentle Hill declining towards the River by which the lower part of it is often overflown There are two Forts one standing in the low ground the other on the hill This Town makes a very fine prospect it being beautified with several Churches and other good Buildings Here lives a Governor who as I have been informed hath his Patent from the King of Spain Guiaquil may be reckoned one of the chiefest Sea-Ports in the South Seas The Commodities which are exported from hence are Cacao Hides Tallow Sarsaparilla and other Drugs and Woollen Cloath commonly called Cloath of Quito The Cacao grows on both sides of the River above the Town It is a small Nut like the Campeachy Nut I think the smallest of the two they produce as much Cacao here as serves all the Kingdom of Peru and much of it is sent to Acapulco and from thence to the Phillipine Islands Sarsaparilla grows in the Water by the sides of the River as I have been informed The Quito-cloath comes from a rich Town in the Country within land called Quito There is a great deal made both Serges and Broad-cloath This Cloath is not very fine but is worn by the common sort of people throughout the whole Kingdom of Peru. This and all other commodities which come from Quito are shipt off at Guiaquil for other parts and all imported goods for the City of Quito pass by Guiaquil by which it may appear that Guiaquil is a place of no mean trade Quito as I have been informed is a very populous City seated in the heart of the Country It is inhabited partly by Spaniards but the major part of its Inhabitants are Indians under the Spanish Government It is environ'd with Mountains of a vast heighth from whose bowels many great Rivers have their rise These Mountains abound in Gold which by violent rains is wash'd with the Sand into the adjacent Brooks where the Indians resort in Troops washing away the Sand and putting up the Gold-dust in their Calabashes or Gourd Shells But for the manner of gatnering the Gold I refer you to Mr. Waffer's Book Only I shall remark here that Quito is the place in all the Kingdom of Peru that abounds most with this rich Metal as I have been often informed The Country is subject to great Rains and very thick Fogs especially the Valleys For that reason it is very unwholsome and sickly The chiefest Distempers are Fevers violent Head-ach Pains in the Bowels and

her again The Moors Merchants had speedy notice of this action of Captain Thwait and they presently made their Application to the Queen for satisfaction But her affairs at this time being in such posture as I mentioned by reason of their intestine Broyls she said she could do nothing for them It was 11 or 12 a Clock the next day before we who lived ashore heard of Captain Thwaits proceedings but seeing the Moors flock to Court and not knowing what answer they had from the Queen we posted off to the Ships for fear of being imprisoned as some English men had been while I was at Tonquin on the like score Indeed I had at this time great cause to be afraid of a Prison being sick of a flux So that a Prison would have gone near to have killed me yet I think it fared not much better with me for the Ships I fled to afforded me but little comfort For I knew no man aboard the Dorothy and could expect no comfort there So I and the rest went aboard the Nelligree where we could more reasonably expect relief than in a Ship that came from England for these which come so long a Voyage are just victualled for the Service and the Seamen have every one their stinted allowance out of which they have little enough to spare to Strangers But tho there were Victuals enough aboard the Nellegree yet so weak as I then was I had more mind to rest my self than to eat and the Ship was so pestered with Goods that I could not find a place to hang up my Hammock in Therefore it being fair weather I made a shift to lye in the Boat that I came aboard in My Flux was violent and I sleept but little so I had the opportunity of observing the Moon totally Eclipsed had I been in a condition to observe any thing As soon as I perceiv'd the Moon to be Eclipsed I gazed at it indeed as I lay till it was totally obscured which was a pretty while but I was so little curious that I remembred not so much as what day of the Month it was and I kept no Journal of this Voyage as I did of my other but only kept an account of several particular Remarks and Observations as they occurred to me I lay 3 or 4 days thus in this Boat and the people of the Ship were so kind as to provide me with necessaries and by this time the Moors had got a Pass from the Dutch Captain then in the Road for 4 or 500 Dollars as I was then told and Captain Thwait delivered them their Ship again but what terms he made with them I know not Thus that fray was over and we came ashore again recovered of the fright we had been in In a short time also after this the Achinese all agreed to own the new Queen and so the War ended without any Bloodshed I was perswaded to wash in the River Mornings and Evenings for the recovery of my Health and tho it seemed strange to me before I tryed it yet I found so much comfort in the first trial that I constantly applyed my self to it I went into the River till the water was as high as my waste and then I stooped down and sound the water so cool and refreshing to my body that I was always loth to go out again Then I was sensible that my Bowels were very hot for I found a great heat within me which I found refresht by the cool water My food was Salt fish broyled and boyled Rice mixt with Tire Tire is sold about the Streets there 't is thick sower Milk It is very cooling and the Salt-fish and Rice is binding therefore this is thought there the proper food for the common People when they have Fluxes But the Richer sort will have Sago which is brought to Achin from other Countries and Milk of Almonds But to return to the state of Achin before I go off from it I shall add this short account of the Seasons of year there that their weather is much the same as in other Countries North of the Line and their dry Seasons Rains and Land floods come much at the same time as at Tonquin and other places of North Latitude Only as Achin lies within a few Degrees of the Line so upon the Suns crossing the Line in March the Rains begin a little sooner there than in Countries nearer the Tropick of Cancer and when they are once set in they are as violent there as any where I have seen it Rain there for 2 or 3 days without intermission and the River running but a short course its head not lying very far within Land it soon overflows and a great part of the Street of the City shall on a sudden be all under water at which time people row up and down the Streets in Canoas That side of the City towards the River especially where the Fo eign Merchants live and which is lower ground is frequently under water in the Wet Season a Ships Longboat has come up to the very Gate of our English Factory laden with Goods which at other times is ground dry enough at a good distance from the River and moderately raised above it I did not find the heat there any thing different from other places in that Latitude tho I was there both in the wet and dry Season 'T is more supportable than at Tonquin and they have constantly the Refreshment of Sea and Land Breezes every 24 hours CHAP VIII The A. prepares to go for Pegu. Among others a Ship arrives here from Merga in Siam Of the Massacre of the English there His intended Cargo for Pegu. The Arrival of other English men from the City of Siam The A. sets out for Malacca instead of Pegu. They are becalmed and soon after in great danger of running aground The Coast of Sumatra from Diamond point to the R. Dilly They water there and at Pulo Verero where they meet a Ship of Danes and Moors from Trangambar Pulo Arii and Pulo Parselore a useful Sea-mark to avoid Sholes near Malacca Shore The A. arrives at Malacca Town The Town and its Forts described the Conquest of it by the Dutch from the Portuguese Chinese and other Merchants residing here The Sale of Flesh and Fish the Fruits and Animals The Shabander State of the Trade and Guardships Opium a good Commodity among the Malayans Rattan Cables They prepare for their Return back to Achin AS soon as I was pretty well recovered I was Shipt Mate of the Sloop that came from Malacca with us which Mr Wells had sold to Captain Tyler who lately come from Siam and I was sent aboard to take possession of her about the beginning of May 1689. He who was designed to mand her came to Achin Mate of the Nellegree and we were now to go to Pegu but before the middle of June he left the employ being sick and loth to go at this dead time of the year to

from all parts But Panama as it is not overcharg d with men so unreasonably as the other tho very full so it enjoys a good air lying open to the Sea wind which riseth commonly about 10 or 11 a clock in the morning and continues till 8 or 9 a clock at night then the Land wind comes and blows till 8 or 9 in the morning There are no Woods nor Marshes near Panama but a brave dry Champain land not subject to fogs nor mists The wet season begins in the latter end of May and continues till November At that time the Sea breezes are at S. S. W. and the Land winds at N. At the dry season the winds are most betwixt the E. N. E. and the North Yet off in the Bay they are commonly at South but of this I shall be more particular in my Chapter of Winds in the Appendix The rains are not so excessive about Panama it self as on either side of the Bay yet in the months of June July and August they are severe enough Gentlemen that come from Peru to Panama especially in these months cut their hair close to preserve them from Fevers for the place is sickly to them because they come out of a Country which never hath any Rains or Fogs but enjoys a constant serenity but I am apt to believe this City is healthy enough to any other people Thus much for Panama The 20th day we went and anchored within a league of the Islands Perico which are only 3 little barren rocky Islands in expectation of the President of Panama s Answer to the Letter I said we sent him by Don Diego treating about exchange of Prisoners this being the day on which he had given us his Parole to return with an Answer The 21st day we took another Ba●…k laden with Hogs Fowl Salt Beef and Molossoes she came from Lavelia and was going to Panama In the afternoon we sent another Letter ashore by a young Mostiso a mixt brood of Indians and Europeans directed to the President and 3 or 4 Copies of it to be dispersed abroad among the common People This Letter which was full of Threats together with the young Man's managing the business wrought so powerfully among the common People that the City was in an uproar The President immediately sent a Gentleman aboard who demanded the Flower Prize that we took off of Gallo and all the Prisoners for the Ransom of our two Men but our Captains told him they would exchange Man for Man The Gentleman said he had not orders for that but if we would stay till the next day he would bring the Governours answer The next day he brought aboard our two Men and had about 40 Prisoners in exchange The 24th day we run over to the Island Tabago Tabago is in the Bay and about 6 leagues South of Panama It is about 3 mile long and 2 broad a high mountainous Island On the North side it declines with a gentle descent to the Sea The Land by the Sea is of a black Mold and deep but toward the top of the Mountain it is strong and dry The North side of this Island makes a very pleasant shew it seems to be a Garden of Fruit inclosed with many high Trees the chiefest Fruits are Plantains and Bonana's They thrive very well from the foot to the middle of it but those near the top are but small as wanting moisture Close by the Sea there are many Coco Nut Trees which make a very pleasant sight Within the Coco Nut Trees there grow many Mammet Trees The Mammet is a large tall and streight-bodied Tree clean without Knots or Limbs for 60 or 70 foot or more The Head spreads abroad into many small Limbs which grow pretty thick and close together The Bark is of a dark grey colour thick and rough full of large chops The Fruit is bigger than Quince it is round and covered with a thick Rind of a grey colour When the Fruit is ripe the Rind is yellow and tough and it will then peel off like Leather but before it is ripe it is brittle the Juice is then white and clammy but when ripe not so The ripe Fruit under the Rind is yellow as a Carret and in the middle are two large rough Stones flat and each of them much bigger than an Almond The Fruit smells very well and the taste is answerable to the smell The S. W. end of the Island hath never been cleared but is full of Fire-wood and Trees of divers sorts There is a very fine small Brook of fresh Water that springs out of the side of the Mountain and gliding through the Grove of Fruit-trees falls into the Sea on the North side There was a small Town standing by the Sea with a Church at one end but now the biggest part of it is destroyed by the Privateers There is good anchoring right against the Town about a mile from the shore where you may have 16 or 18 fathom Water soft oazy ground There is a small Island close by the N. W. end of this called Tabogilla which is a small Channel to pass between There is another woody Island about a mile on the N. E. side of Tabago and a good Channel between them this Island hath no Name that ever I heard While we lay at Tabago we had like to have had a scurvy trick plaid us by a pretended Merchant from Panama who came as by stealth to traffick with us privately a thing common enough with the Spanish Merchants both in the North and South Seas notwithstanding the severe Prohibitions of the Governours who yet sometimes connive at it and will even trade with the Privateers themselves Our Merchant was by agreement to bring out his Bark laden with Goods in the night and we to go and anchor at the South of Perico Out he came with a Fireship instead of a Bark and approached very near haling us with the Watch word we had agreed upon We suspecting the worst call d to them to come to an anchor and upon their not doing so fired at them when immediately their Men going out into the Canoas set fire to their Ship which blew up and burnt close by us so that we were forced to cut our Cables in all haste and scamper away as well as we could The Spaniard was not altogether so politick in appointing to meet us at Perico for there we had Sea-room whereas had he come thus upon us at Tabago the Land-wind bearing hard upon us as it did we must either have been burnt by the Fireship or upon loosing our Cables have been driven ashore But I suppose they chose Perico rather for the Scene of their Enterprize partly because they might there best sculk among the Islands and partly because if their Exploit fail d they could thence escape best from our Canoas to Panama but 2 leagues off During this Exploit Captain Swan whose Ship was less than ours and so not so much

R. W 146 0 146 R. 12 58 E by N 25 W 146 0 146 R. 12 58 E by N 26 W 3 N 185 9 N 184 Ob. 13 7 E by N 27 W 140 0 140 Ob. 13 7 E by N 28 W 167 0 167 R. 13 7 E by N 29 W 2 N 172 5 171 Ob. 13 12 E 30 W 173 0 173 Ob. 13 12 E N E M. 1 W 196 0 196 R. 13 12 E by N 2 W 160 0 160 Ob. 13 12 E by N 3 W 154 0 154 R. 13 12 E N E 4 R. W. Ob. W 2 S 153 5 S 152 R. 13 12 Ob. 13 7 E N E 5 W 2 N 180 7 N 179 Ob. 13 14 E N E 6 W 3 N 172 9 N 171 Ob 13 22 E N E 7 W 160 〈◊〉 160 Ob. 13 22 E N E 8 W 3 S 149 7 S 148 Ob. 13 15 E by N 9 W 4 S 134 9 S 133 Ob. 13 6 E N E 10 W 128 0 128 R. 13 6 E N E 11 W 5 S 112 9 111 Ob. 12 57 〈◊〉 N E 12 W 128 0 128 R. 12 57 E N E 13 W 129 0 129 R. 12 57 E N E 14 W 128 0 128 R. 12 57 E N E 15 W 4 N 118 8 N 117 Ob. 13 5 E N E 16 W 6 S 114 11 S 113 Ob. 12 54 E N E 17 W 3 S 109 5 S 108 Ob. 12 49 E N E 18 W 120 0 120 R. 12 49 E N E 19 W 〈◊〉 0 137 R. 12 49 E N E 20 W 134 0 134 R. 12 50 E 21 N W 7 W 13 8 N 10 R. 12 59 E N E Summ of all the Westings 7323 Making Deg of Longitude in all 125 d. 11 m. Now the Island Guam bore N. N. E. 8 leagues dist this gives 22 m. to my Lat. and takes 9 from my Meridian dist so that the Island is in Lat. 13 21 and the Merid. dist from Cape Corrientes 7302 miles which reduced into degrees makes 125 d. 11 m. The Table consists of 7 Columns The first is of the days of the month The 2d Column contains each days course or the Point of the Compass we ran upon The 3d gives the distance or length of such course in Italian or Geometrical miles at the rate of 60 to a degree or the progress the Ship makes every day and is reckoned always from noon to noon But because the course is not always made upon the same Rumb in a direct line therefore the 4th and 5th Columns shew how many miles we ran to the South every day and how many to the West which last was our main run in this Voyage By the 17th of April we were got pretty near into the latitude of Guam and our course then lying along that parallel our Northing and Southing consequently were but little according as the Ship deviated from its direct course and such deviation is thenceforward exprest by N. or S. in the 5th Column and the Ships keeping straight on the West Rumb by 0 that is to say no Northing or Southing The 6th Columns shews the lat we were in every day where R. signifies the dead Reckoning by the running of the Logs and Ob. shews the lat by observation The 7th Column shews the Wind and Weather To these I would have added an 8th Column to shew the Variation of the Needle but as it was very small in this course so neither did we make any observation of it above once after we were set out from the Mexican Coast At our departure from Cape Corrientes we found it to be 4 d. 28 m. Easterly and the observation we made of it afterwards when we had gone about a third of the Voyage shewed it to be so near the same but decreasing Neither did we observe it at Guam for Captain Swan who had the Instruments in his Cabbin did not seem much to regard it Yet I am inclined to think that at Guam the Variation might be either none at all or even increasing to the Westward To conclude May 20th at noon when we begin to call it 21st we were in lat 12 d. 50 m. N. by R. having run since the noon before 134 miles directly West We continued the same course till 2 that afternoon for which I allow 10 miles more West still and then finding the parallel we ran upon to be too much Southerly we clapt on a Wind and sailed directly North till 5 in the afternoon having in that time run 8 mile and increased our latitude so many minutes making it 12 d. 58 m. We then saw the Island Guam bearing N. N. E. distant from us about 8 leagues which gives the latitude of the Island 13. d. 20 m. And according to the account foregoing its longitude is 125 d. 11 m. West from Cape Corrientes on the Coast of Mexico allowing 58 and 59 Italian miles to a degree in these latitudes at the common rate of 60 miles to a degree of the Equator as before computed As a Corollary from hence it will follow that upon a supposal of the truth of the general allowance Seamen make of 60 Italian miles to an Equinoctial degree that the South Sea must be of a greater breadth by 25 degrees than it s commonly reckoned by Hydrographers who makes it only about 100 more or less For since we found as I shall have occasion to say the distance from Guam to the Eastern parts of Asia to be much the same with the common reckoning it follows by way of necessary consequence from hence that the 25 degrees of longitude or there abouts which are under-reckon'd in the distance between America and the East Indies Westward must be over reckoned in the breadth of Asia and Africk the Atlantick Sea or the American Continent or all together and so that Tract of the Terraqueous Globe must be so much shortened And for a further confirmation of the fact I shall add that as to the Aethiopick or Indian Sea its breadth must be considerably less than 't is generally calculated to be if it be true what I have heard over and over from several able Seamen whom I have conversed with in those parts that Ships sailing from the Cape of Good Hope to New-Holland as many Ships bound to Java or thereabouts keep that lat find themselves there and sometimes to their cost running a ground when they have thought themselves to be a great way off and 't is from hence possibly that the Dutch call that part of this Coast the Land of Indraught as if it magnetically drew Ships too fast to it and give cautions to avoid it But I rather think 't is the nearness of the Land than any Whirlpool or the like that surprizes them As to the breadth of the Atlantick Sea I am from good hands assured that it is over-reckoned by 6 7 8 or 10 degrees for besides my different draughts of the concurrent Accounts of several experienced men who have ●…onfirmed the same to me Mr.

Fruit there is also a sort of VVine drawn from the Tree called Toddy which looks like VVhey It is sweet and very pleasant but it is to be drunk within 24 hours after it is drawn for afterwards it grows sowre Those that have a great many Trees draw a spirit from the sowre Wine called Arack Arack is distill'd also from Rice and other things in the East Indies but none is so much esteemed for making Punch as this sort made of Toddi or the sap of the Coco-nut Tree for it makes most delicate Punch but it must have a dash of Brandy to hearten it because this Arack is not strong enough to make good Punch of it self This sort of Liquor is chiefly used about Goa and therefore it has the name of Goa Arack The way of drawing the Toddi from the Tree is by cutting the top of a Branch that would bear Nuts but before it has any Fruit and from thence the Liquor which was to feed its Fruit distils into the hole of a Callabash that is hung upon it This Branch continues running almost as long as the Fruit would have been growing and then it dries away The Tree hath usually 3 fruitful Branches which if they be all tapp'd thus then the Tree bears no Fruit that year but if one or two only be tapp'd the other will bear Fruit all the while The Liquor which is thus drawn is emptied out of the Callabash duly morning and evening so long as it continues running and is sold every morning and evening in most Towns in the East Indies and great gains is produced from it even this way but those that distil it and make Arack reap the greatest profit There is also great profit made of the Fruit both of the Nut and the Shell The Kernel is much used in making Broath When the Nut is dry they take off the husk and giving two good blows on the middle of the Nut it breaks in two equal parts letting the Water fall on the ground then with a small iron Rasp made for the purpose the Kernel or Nut is rasped out clean which being put into a little fresh Water makes it become white as Milk In this milky Water they boil a Fowl or any sort of Flesh and it makes very savory Broath English Seamen put this Water into boil'd Rice which they eat instead of Rice-milk carrying Nuts purposely to Sea with them This they learn from the Natives But the greatest use of the Kernel is to make Oyl both for burning and for frying The way to make the Oyl is to grate or rasp the Kernel and steep it in fresh water then boil it and scum off the Oil at top as it rises but the Nuts that make the Oyl ought to be a long time gathered so as that the Kernel may be turning soft and oily The Shell of this Nut is used in the East Indies for Cups Dishes Ladles Spoons and in a manner for all eating and drinking vessels 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 shaped Nuts are often brought home to Europe and much esteemed The husk of the Shell is of great use to make Cables for the dry husk is full of small strings and threads which being beaten become soft and the other substance which was mixt among it falls away like Saw-dust leaving only the strings These are afterwards spun into long yarns and twisted up into balls for convenience and many of these Rope-yarns joyned together make good Cables This Manufactory is chiefly used at the Maldive Islands and the threads sent in balls into all places that trade thither purposely for to make Cables I made a Cable at Achin with some of it These are called Coire Cables they will last very well But there is another sort of Coire Cables as they are called that are black and more strong and lasting and are made of strings that grow like Horse-hair at the heads of certain Trees almost like the Coco-nut-tree This sort comes most from the Island Timor In the South Seas the Spaniards do make Oakam to chalk their Ships with the husk of the Coco-nut which is more serviceable than that made of hemp and they say it will never rot I have been told by Captain Knox who wrote the Relation of Ceylon that in some places of India they make a sort of coarse Cloath of the husk of the Coco-nut which is used for Sails I my self have seen a sort of course Sail-cloath made of such a kind of substance but whether the same or no I know not I have been the longer on this subject to give the Reader a particular Account of the use and profit of a Vegetable which is possibly of all others the most generally serviceable to the conveniencies as well as the necessities of humane Life Yet this Tree that is of such great use and esteemed so much in the East Indies is scarce regarded in the West Indies for want of the knowledge of the benefit which it may produce And t is partly for the sake of my Countrymen in our American Plantations that I have spoken so largely of it For the hot Climates there are a very propersoil for it and indeed it is so hardy both in the raising it and when grown that it will thrive as well in dry sandy ground as in rich land I have found them growing very well in low sandy Islands on the West of Sumatra that are over-flowed with the Sea every Spring-tide and though the Nuts there are not very big yet this is no loss for the Kernel is thick and sweet and the Milk or VVater in the inside is more pleasant and sweet than of the Nuts that grow in rich ground which are commonly large indeed but not very sweet These at Guam growing in dry ground are of a middle size and I think the sweetest that I did ever taste Thus much for the Coco-nut The Lime is a sort of bastard or Crab-limon The Tree or Bush that bears it is prickly like a Thorn growing full of small boughs In Jamaica and other places they make of the Lime-Bush Fences about Gardens or any other Inclosure by planting the seeds close together which growing up thick spread abroad and make a very good Hedge The Fruit is like a Lemon but smaller the rind thin and the inclosed substance full of juice The juice is very tart yet of a pleasant taste if sweetned with Sugar It is chiefly used for making Punch both in the East and West Indies as well ashore as at Sea and much of it is for that purpose yearly brought home to England from our West India Plantations It is also used for a particular kind of Sauce which is called Pepper-Sauce and is made of Cod-pepper commonly called Guinea-pepper boiled in Water and then pickled with Salt and mixt with Lime-juice to preserve it Limes grow plentifully in the East and West Indies within the Tropicks The Bread-fruit as we call it grows on a large Tree as big and high as our

high two more springs up in the inside of them and in a short time after two more within them and so on By that time the Tree is a month old you may perceive a small body almost as big as ones Arm and then there are 8 or 10 leaves some of them 4 or 5 foot high The first leaves that it shoots forth are not above a foot long and half a foot broad and the stem that bears them no bigger than ones finger but as the Tree grows higher the leaves are larger As the young leaves spring up in the inside so the old leaves spread off and their tops droop downward being of a greater length and breadth by how much they are nearer the root and at last decay and rot off but still there are young leaves spring up out of the top which makes the Tree look always green and flourishing When the Tree is full grown the leaves are 7 or 8 foot long and a foot and half broad towards the end they are smaller and end with a round point The stem of the leaf is as big as a mans Arm almost round and about a foot in length between the leaf and the body of the Tree That part of the stem which comes from the Tree if it be the outside leaf seems to inclose half the body as it were with a thick hide and right against it on the other side of the Tree is another such answering to it The next two leaves in the inside of these grow opposite to each other in the same manner but so that if the 2 outward grow North and South these grow East and West and those still within them keep the same order Thus the body of this Tree seems to be made up of many thick skins growing one over another and when it is full grown there springs out of the top a strong stem harder in substance than any other part of the body This stem shoots forth at the heart of the Tree is as big as a mans Arm and as long and the Fruit grows in clusters round it first blossoming and then shooting forth the Fruit. It is so excellent that the Spaniards give it the preheminence of all other Fruit as most conducing to Life It grows in a Cod about 6 or 7 inches long and as big as a mans Arm. The Shell Rind or Cod is soft and of a yellow colour when ripe It resembles in shape a Hogs-gut pudding The inclosed Fruit is no harder than Butter in Winter and is much of the colour of the purest yellow Butter It is of a delicate taste and melts in ones mouth like Marmalet It is all pure pulp without any Seed Kernel or Stone This Fruit is so much esteemed by all Europeans that settle in America that when they make a new Plantation they commonly begin with a good Plaintain-walk as they call it or a Field of Plantains and as their family increaseth so they augment the Plaintain-walk keeping one man purposely to prune the Trees and gather the Fruit as he sees convenient For the Trees continue bearing some or other most part of the year and this is many times the whole food on which a whole Family subsists They thrive only in rich fat ground for poor sandy will not bear them The Spaniards in their Towns in America as at Havana Cartagena Portabel c. have their Markets full of Plantains it being the common food for poor people Their common price is half a Rial or 3 s. a dozen When this Fruit is only used for Bread it is roasted or boiled when it 's just full grown but not yet ripe or turn'd yellow Poor people or Negroes that have neither Fish nor Flesh to eat with it make Sauce with Cod-pepper Salt and Lime-juice which makes it eat very savory much better than a crust of Bread alone Sometimes for a change they eat a roasted Plantain and a ripe raw Plantain together which is instead of Bread and Butter They eat very pleasant so and I have made many a good meal in this manner Sometimes our English take 6 or 7 ripe Plantains and mashing them together make them into a lump and boyl them instead of a Bag-pudding which they call a Buff-Jacket and this is a very good way for a change This Fruit makes also very good Tarts and the green Plantains sliced thin and dryed in the Sun and grated will make a sort of flour which is very good to make Puddings A ripe Plantain sliced and dryed in the Sun may be preserved a great while and then eats like Figs very sweet and pleasant The Darien Indians preserve them a long time by drying them gently over the fire mashing them first and moulding them into lumps The Moskito Indians will take a ripe Plantain and roast it then take a pint and half of Water in a Calabash and squeeze the Plantain in pieces with their hands mixing it with the Water call Mishlaw and it 's pleasant and sweet and nourishing somewhat like Lambs-wool as 't is then they drink it all off together this they call'd made with Apples and Ale and of this Fruit alone many thousands of Indian Families in the West Indies have their whole subsistence When they make drink with them they take 10 or 12 ripe Plantains and mash them well in a Trough then they put two gallons of Water among them and this in two hours time will ferment and froth like Wort In 4 hours it is fit to drink and then they bottle it and drink it as they have occasion But this will not keep above 24 or 30 hours Those therefore that use this drink brew it in this manner every morning When I went first to Jamaica I could relish no other drink they had there It drinks brisk and cool and is very pleasant This drink is windy and so is the fruit eaten raw but boyl'd or roasted it is not so If this drink is kept above 30 hours it grows sharp but if then it be put out into the Sun it will become very good Vinegar This fruit grows all over the West Indies in the proper Climates at Guinea and in the East Indies As the Fruit of this Tree is of great use for food so is the Body no less serviceable to make cloaths but this I never knew till I came to this Island The ordinary People of Mindanao do wear no other cloath The Tree never bearing but once and so being fell'd when the Fruit is ripe they cut it down close by the ground if they intend to make Cloath with it One blow with a Macheat or Long Knife will strike it asunder then they cut off the top leaving the Trunk 8 or 10 foot long stripping off the outer Rind which is thickest towards the lower end having stript 2 or 3 of these Rinds the Trunk becomes in a manner all of one bigness and of a whitish colour Then they split the Trunk in the middle which being done they

very shy since the English and Dutch settled here for now the Natives as well as they shoot them but before their arrival the Tonquinese took them only with Nets neither is this custom left off yet The Net that is us'd for this Game is made square and either bigger or less according as they have occasion They fix two Poles about 10 or 11 foot high upright in the ground near the Pond where the Ducks haunt and the Net has a head-cord which is stretched out streight made from the top of one Pole to the other from whence the lower part of the Net hangs down loose towards the ground and when in the evening they fly towards the Pond many of them strike against the Net and are there entangled There is a kind of Locust in Tonquin in great abundance This Creature is about the bigness of the top of a mans Finger and as long as the first joynt It breeds in the earth especially in the banks of Rivers and Ditches in the low Country In the months of January and February which is the season of taking them being then only seen this creature first comes out of the Earth in huge swarms It is then of a whitish colour and having 2 small wings like the wings of a Bee at its first coming out of the Earth it takes its flight but for want of strength or use falls down again in a short time Such as strive to fly over the River do commonly fall down into the water and are drowned or become a prey to the Fish of the River or are carried out into the Sea to be devoured there but the Natives in these months watch the Rivers and take up thence multitudes skimming them from off the Water with little Nets They eat them fresh broiled on the Coals or pickle them to keep They are plump and fat and are much esteemed both by rich and poor as good wholesome food either fresh or pickled The Rivers and Ponds are stored with divers sorts of excellent Fish besides abundance of Frogs which they Angle for being highly esteemed by the Tonquinese The Sea too contributes much towards the support of the poor People by yielding plentiful stores of Fish that swarm on this Coast in their seasons and which are commonly preferr'd before the River Fish Of these here are divers sorts besides Sea Turtle which frequently come ashore on the Sandy Bays in their seasons to lay their Eggs. Here are also both Land crabs and Sea-crabs good store and other Shell-fish viz. Craw-fish Shrimps and Prawns Here is one sort of small Fish much like an Anchovy both in shape and size which is very good pickled There are other sorts of small Fish which I know not the names of One sort of them comes in great shoals near the shore and these the Fishermen with their Nets take so plentifully as to load their Boats with them Among these they generally take a great many Shrimps in their nets which they carry ashore mixt together as they take them and make Balachaun with them Balachaun is a composition of a strong savor yet a very delightsom dish to the Natives of this Country To make it they throw the Mixture of Shrimps and small Fish into a sort of weak pickle made with Salt and Water and put into a tight earthen Vessel or Jar. The Pickle being thus weak it keeps not the Fish firm and hard neither is it probably so designed for the Fish are never gutted Therefore in a short time they turn all to a mash in the Vessel and when they have lain thus a good while so that the Fish is reduced to a pap they then draw off the liquor into fresh Jars and preserve it for use The masht Fish that remains behind is called Balachaun and the liquor pour'd off is call'd Nuke-Mum The poor people eat the Balachaun with their Rice 'T is rank scented yet the taste is not altogether unpleasant but rather savory after one is a little used to it The Nuke-Mum is of a paie brown colour inclining to grey and pretty clear It is also very savory and used as a good sauce for Fowls not only by the Natives but also by many Europeans who esteem it equal with Soy I have been told that Soy is made partly with a Fishy composition and it seems most likely by the taste tho a Gentleman of my acquaintance who was very intimate with one that sailed often from Tonquin to Japan from whence the true Soy comes told me that it was made only with Wheat and a sort of Beans mixt with Water and Salt Their way of Fishing differs little from ours in the Rivers they take some of their Fish with Hook and Line others with Nets of several sorts At the mouths of the Rivers they set nets against the Stream or Tide These have two long wings opening on each side the mouth of the Net to guide the Fish into it where passing through a narrow neck they are caught in a bag at the farther end Where the Rivers mouth is so wide that the wings of the Net will not reach from side to side as at Batsha particularly it will not there they supply that defect with long slender Canes which they stick upright near one another in a row for on both sides of the River when the tide runs strong which is the time that the Fish are moving the limber Canes make such a ratling by striking against each other that thereby the Fish are scared from thence towards the Mouth of the Net in the middle of the Stream Farther up the River they have Nets made square like a great sheet This sort hath two long Poles laid across each other At this crossing of the Poles a long Rope is fastned and the Net hangs down in a bag by its corners from them To manage it there is a substantial post set upright and firm in the River and the top of it may be 8 or 10 foot above the water On the top of this post there is a Mortice made to receive a long pole that lies athwart like the Beam of a Ballance to the heavier end of which they tie the Rope which holds the Net and to the other end another Rope to pull up the Net on occasion The Fishermen sink it with Stones to the Rivers bottom and when they see any Fish come over it one suddenly pulls the Rope at the opposite end of the beam and heaves Net and Fish out of the Water They take a great deal of Fish this way and sometimes they use Drag-Nets which go quite across and sweep the River In the stagnant Ponds such as the Mandarins have commonly about their Houses they go in and trouble the water with their feet till 't is all muddy and thick and as the Fish rise to the surface they take what they please with small Nets fastned to a hoop at the end of a pole For all these sorts of provision there

not altogether destitute of small Hills and every where of a moderate heighth and a Champion Country naturally very fit for Cultivation There is one Hill more remarkable than ordinary especially to Seamen The English call it the Golden Mount but whether this name is given it by the Natives or only by the English I know not 'T is near the N. W. end of the Island and Achin stands but 5 or 6 mile from the bottom of it 'T is very large at the foot and runs up smaller towards the head which is raised so high as to be seen at Sea 30 or 40 leagues This was the first Land that we saw coming in our Proe from the Nicobar Islands mentioned in my former Voyage The rest of the Land tho of a good heighth was then undiscerned by us so that this Mountain appeared like an Island in the Sea which was the Reason why our Achin Malayans took it for Pulo Way But that Island tho pretty high Champion Land was invisible when this Golden Mount appeared so plain tho as far distant as that Island Besides what belongs to Achin upon the Continent there are also several Islands under its Jurisdiction most of them uninhabited and these make the Road of Achin Among them is this Pulo Way which is the Easternmost of a Range of Islands that lye off the N. W. end of Sumatra It is also the largest of them and it is inhabited by Malefactors who are banisht thither from Achin This with the other Islands of this Range lye in a semicircular form of about 7 Leagues diameter Pulo Gomez is another large Island about 20 mile West from Pulo Way and about 3 Leagues from the N. W. point of Sumatra Between Pulo Gomez and the Main are 3 or 4 other small Islands yet with Channels of a sufficient breadth between them for Ships to pass through and they have very deep water All Ships bound from Achin to the Westward or coming from thence to Achin go in and out thro one or other of these Channels and because shipping comes hither from the Coast of Surrat one of these Channels which is deeper than the rest is called the Surrat Channel Between Pulo Gomez and Pulo Way in the bending of the Circle there are other small Islands the chief of which is called Pulo Rondo This is a small round high Island not a above 2 or 3 mile in circumference It lyes almost in the extremity of the bending on the N. E. part of the Circle but nearer Pulo Way than Pulo Gomez There are large deep Channels on either side but the most frequented is the Channel on the West side Which is called the Bengal Channel because it looks towards that Bay and Ships coming from thence from the Coast of Coromandel pass in and out this way Between Pulo Way and the Main of Sumatra is another Channel of 3 or 4 Leagues wide which is the Channel for Ships that go from Achin to the Streights of Malacca or any Country to the East of those Streights and vice versa There is good riding in all this Semicircular Bay between the Islands and Sumatra but the Road for all Ships that come to Achin is near the Sumatra Shore within all the Islands There they anchor at what distances they please according to the Monsoons or Seasons of the Year There is a small Navigable River comes out into the Sea by which Ships transport their Commodities in smaller Vessels up to the City The mouth of this River is 6 or 7 Leagues from Pulo Rondo and 3 or 4 from Pulo Way and near as many from Pulo Gomez The Islands are pretty high Champion Land the mould black or yellow the Soyl deep and fat producing large tall Trees fit for any uses There are brooks of water on the 2 great Islands of Way and Gomez and several sorts of wild Animals especially wild Hogs in abundance The Mold of this Continent is different according to the natural position of it The Mountains are Rocky especially those towards the West Coast yet most that I have seen seems to have a superficial covering of Earth naturally producing Shrubs small Trees or pretty good Grass The small Hills are most of them cloathed with Woods the Trees whereof seem by their growth to spring from a fruitful Soyl the Champion Land such as I have seen is some black some grey some reddish and all of a deep mold But to be very particular in these things especially in all my Travels is more than Ican pretend to tho it may be I took as much notice of the difference of Soil as I met with it as most Travellers have done having been bred in my youth in Somersetshire at a place called East Coker near Yeovil or Evil In which Parish there is as great variety of Soil as I have ordinarily met with any where viz. black red yellow sandy stony clay morass or swampy c. I had the more reason to take notice of this because this Village in a great measure is Let out in small Leases for Lives of 20 30 40 or 50 pound per Ann. under Coll. Helliar the Lord of the Mannor and most if not all these Tenants had their own Land scattering in small pieces up and down several sorts of Land in the Parish so that every one had some piece of every sort of Land his Black ground his Sandy Clay c. some of 20 30 or 40 Shillings an Acre for some uses and other not worth 10 groats an Acre My Mother being possest of one of these Leases and having of all these sorts of Land I came acquainted with them all and knew what each sort would produce viz. Wheat Barley Massin Rice Beans Peas Oats Fetches Flax or Hemp in all which I had a more than usual knowledge for one so young taking a particular delight in observing it but enough of this matter The Kingdom of Achin has in general a deep mould It is very well watered with Brooks and small Rivers but none navigable for Ships of burthen This of Achin admits not of any but small Vessels The Land is some part very woody in other places Savannah the Trees are of divers sorts most unknown to me by name The Cotton and Cabbage-trees grow here but not in such plenty as in some part of America These Trees commonly grow here as indeed usually where-ever they grow in a champion dry ground such at least as is not drowned or morassy for here is some such Land as that by the Rivers and there grow Mangrove Trees and other Trees of that kind Neither is this Kingdom destitute of Timber-trees fit for building The Fruits of this Country are Plantains Bonanoes Guava's Oranges Limes Jacks Durians Coco-nuts Pumple noses Pomgranates Mangoes Mangastans Citrons Water melons Musk-melons Pine-apples c. Of all these sorts of Fruits I think the Mangastan is without compare the most delicate This Fruit is in shape much like the Pomgranate but a

Then we weighed again having a small land Wind but the Tyde of flood was against us and drove us to the Eastward When the Ebb came we jogged on and got about 3 leagues anchoring when the Flood came because the Winds were against us Thus we continued plying with the Ebb and anchoring every flood till we came to Pulo Parsalore where the Captain told me he would not go out the same way we came in as I would have perswaded him but kept the Malacca Shore aboard and past within the Sholes But in a few Hours after we ran upon a Shole driven on it by the Tide of Flood which here set to the Eastward tho by our Reckoning it should have been half Ebb and the Flood should have set Westward as we had it all the rest of the way from Malacca but the Sholes probably caused some whirling about of the Tide However the Sand we were struck upon was not above an 100 yards in circumference and the flood being rising we waited the time of high water and then drove over it having sent our Boat to discover how the Sholes lay while our Ship was aground Mr Richards all the while being in great fear lest the Malayans should come off in their Boats and attack the Vessel We were now afloat again and soon got without all the Sholes yet we did not stand over towards Sumatra but coasted along nearest the Malacca shore it being now most proper for us so to do yet for having the winds Westerly we could not have beat under the other shore 2 or 3 days after this we had sight of some Islands called Pulo Sambilong which in the Malayan Language signifies nine Islands there being so many of them lying scattering at unequal distances from each other It was near one of these Islands that Captain Minchin in a former Voyage was like to lose his hand by a prick with a Cat fishes Fin as I have said in my former Vol. p. 149. and tho his hand was cured yet he has lost the use of it ever since and is never likely to regain it more We stood in pretty near the shore in hopes to gain a fresh Land Wind. About 10 a Clock the Land Wind came off a gentle breez and we coasted along shore But a small Tornado coming off from the shore about midnight we broke our Mizen yard and being near a Dutch Island called Pulo Dinding we made in for it and anchored there the night ensuing and found there a Dutch Sloop mann'd with about 30 Soldiers at an anchor This is a small Island lying so nigh the main that Ships passing by cannot know it to be an Island It is pretty high Land and well watered with Brooks The mold is blackish deep and fat in the lower ground but the Hills are somewhat Rocky yet in general very woody The Trees are of divers sorts many of which are good Timber and large enough for any use Here are also some good for Masts and Yards they being naturally light yet tough and serviceable There s good riding on the East side between the Island and the Main You may come in with the Sea breeze and go out with a Land wind there is water enough and a secure Harbour The Dutch who are the only Inhabitants have a Fort on the East side close by the Sea in a bending of the Island which makes a small Cove for Ships to anchor in The Fort is built 4 square without Flankers or Bastions like a house every square is about 10 or 12 yards The Walls are of a good thickness made of stone and carried up to a good heighth of about 30 foot and covered over head like a dwelling House There may be about 12 or 14 Gnns in it some looking out at every square These Guns are mounted on a strong Platform made within the Walls about 16 Foot high and there are steps on the outside to ascend to the Door that opens to the Platform there being no other way into the Fort. Here is a Governour and about 20 or 30 Souldiers who all lodge in the Fort. The Soldiers have their lodging in the Platform among the Guns but the Governour has a fair Chamber above it where he lies with some of the Officers About a hundred yards from the Fort on the Bay by the Sea there is a low timbered House where the Governour abides all the day time In this House there were two or three Rooms for their use but the chiefest was the Governours Dining Room This fronted to the Sea and the end of it looked towards the Fort. There were two large Windows of about 7 or 8 foot square the lower part of them about 4 or 5 foot from the ground These Windows were wont to be left open all the day to let in the refreshing breeze but in the night when the Governour withdrew to the Fort they were closed with strong shutters and the Doors made fast till the next day The Continent of Malacca opposite to the Island is pretty low champion Land cloathed with lofty Woods and right against the Bay where the Dutch Fort stands there is a navigable River for small craft The product of the Country thereabouts besides Rice and other eatables is Tutaneg a sort of Tin I think courser than ours The Natives are Malayans who as I have always observed are bold and treacherous yet the trading people are affable and courteous to Merchants These are in all respects as to their Religion Custom and manner of Living like other Malayans Whether they are governed by a King or Raja or what other manner of Government they live under I know not They have Canoas and Boats of their own and with these they fish and traffick among themselves but the Tin Trade is that which has formerly drawn Merchant Strangers thither But tho the Country might probably yield great quantities of this metal and the Natives are not only inclinable but very desirous to trade with Strangers yet are they now restrained by the Dutch who have monopoliz'd that Trade to themselves It was probably for the lucre of this Trade that the Dutch built the Fort on the Island but this not wholly answering their ends by reason of the distance between it and the Rivers mouth which is about 4 or 5 miles they have also a Guardship commonly lying here and a Sloop with 20 or 30 armed men to hinder other Nations from this Trade For this Tutaneg or Tin is a valuable Commodity in the Bay of Bengal and here purchased reasonably by giving other Commodities in exchange neither is this Commodity peculiarly found hereabouts but farther Northerly also on the Coast and particularly in the Kingdom of Queda there is much of it The Dutch also commonly keep a Guardship and have made some fruitless essays to bring that Prince and his Subjects to trade only with them but here over against P. Dinding no strangers dare approach to trade neither may any Ship