This Journal Occupies Fifty Pages In The Pilgrims Of Purchas, Besides
Eleven Pages More Of Observations On Various Occurrences At Bantam,
During The Residence Of Saris There From October 1605 To October 1609,
And Other Circumstances Respecting The English Affairs In The East,
Which Will Be Noticed In The Sequel.
In the present edition, while we
scrupulously adhere to that of Purchas, we have used the freedom of
abridging
Even his abridgement, particularly respecting the nautical
remarks, courses, distances, winds, currents, &c. which are now much
better understood by navigators, and which would be quite uninteresting
and tedious to most of our readers. - E.
* * * * *
Sec. 1. Incidents of the Voyage from England to Socotora.
We sailed from the Downs on the 18th April, 1611, passed the equator on
the 6th June, and arrived at Saldanha bay on the 1st of August. Having
well refreshed ourselves there for eight days, we set sail on the 9th
August. The 3d September we made the land of Madagascar, near the bay of
St Augustine. The 10th we made the island of Primeiras; and the 17th we
made the islands of Angoza to the southwards of Mosambique. Finding a
dangerous shoal and bad anchoring ground, with a lee shore and westerly
current, we stood off on the 21st for Madagascar. In the chart we found
these islands of Angoza laid down in lat. 15 deg. 40' S. but by our
observation they are in 16 deg. 20' S.[398] The 24th, in lat. 16 deg. 16', our
course being N.E. we unexpectedly saw land bearing N. by W. five leagues
off, while expecting the island of Juan de Nova to the eastwards, and
being becalmed, we feared the current might set us upon it in the night.
When day-light appeared next morning, we found it to be the northernmost
island of Angoza, whence we had departed on the 21st, to the great
amazement and discouragement of our mariners.
[Footnote 398: The town of Angoza is in lat. 15 deg. 50', and the most
southerly island in the bay of that name is in 16 deg. 30' S. - E.]
The 3d October, after much trouble by currents, we came to anchor
between Mosambique and Sofala, in lat. 16 deg. 32' S. and long. 76 deg. 10'
E.[399] Our anchorage was in thirteen and fourteen fathoms, under an
island near the main, upon which were no people, neither could we find
fresh water, though we dug very deep for it in the sand. We weighed on
the 10th, and stood over E. by N. for Madagascar, in hopes of getting
out of the currents, and on the 26th came to anchor under Moyella,
[Mohilla] one of the Comoro islands, in lat. 12 deg. 13' S.[400] We here
refreshed for eight days, procuring bullocks, goats, poultry, lemons,
cocoas, pine-apples, passaws, plantains, pomgranates, sugar-canes,
tamarinds, rice, milk, roots, eggs, and fish, in exchange for small
haberdashery wares and some money, and had kind usage and plenty of
fresh water, yet stood much on our guard for fear of any treachery.
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