Their Pepper
Harvest Is In August And September, And Is Fetched Away Only By Those Of
Acheen And Java, The Guzerates Not Being Permitted To Trade Here, By The
Express Command Of The King Of Acheen.
Therefore, a ship touching at
Surat, and buying there especially blue calicos, white calicos, blue and
white striped and chequered stuffs, with some small fine painted cloths,
and then leaving a factory at Priaman, might lay the best foundation for
profit that can be wished, against next year.
I say against another
year, for it does not seem to me that a ship could go to Surat and come
hither in time the same year. For this purpose, however, the licence of
the King of Acheen must be procured for our safe proceeding in these
parts.
We made sail from Priaman on the 18th September, and on the 4th October
got into the road of Bantam, where we found six ships of Holland, two of
which were almost laden with cloves, and other two were to load with
pepper. I found thirteen Englishmen here alive, and received a letter
from Captain David Middleton of the Consent. The 6th I paid Uncte and
Tegin, the two Chinese, their wages, and dismissed them. The 20th I
called the merchants together, having formerly resolved to return with
the Dragon for England, and we now concluded that our pinnace, when
finished, should go for Banda with Brown and Sidall. John Hearne, John
Saris, and Richard Savage, were to remain at Bantam; and when the
pinnace returned from Banda, John Saris was to go in her to Sackadanea,
in Borneo. The 15th November, I sent for Jaques L'Ermite, the commander
of the Dutch vessels at Bantam, and discovered to him a plot of the
Javans for cutting the throats of all the Hollanders, of which I had
received particular intimation.
The ambassador of Siam came to visit me on the 22d, and dined with me,
and asserted that a thousand pieces of red cloth might be sold in his
country in two days, and a great quantity yearly, as it is used for
housings to their elephants and horses. Gold, he said, was in such
abundance in his country as only to be worth three times its weight in
silver, though good gold. It has also great abundance of cheap precious
stones. He said, moreover, that his king would esteem it a great
happiness to have commerce with the King of England, with whom, as he
understood, the King of Holland was not to be compared.
The 28th November, I took leave of the king, the governor, the admiral,
the old sabander, Jura Bassa, Tanyong, and of the Hollanders, and went
on board for altogether next day. The 2d December, at night, our
merchants came aboard, bringing a letter from the King of Bantam to the
King of England, with a present of two picols of Canton. Before we got
out of the straits we espied a sail on the 12th December, which proved
to be the Hector from Surat, where her captain, William Hawkins,
remained.
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