In Their Way For Bantam, The Dragon Had Captured
A Pinnace Belonging To Columbo, Out Of Which They Took Eleven Packs Of
Cloth, Containing In All 83 Pieces, Thirteen Pieces Being Poulings,
Which Were Sent To The Island Of Banda.
On the 23d, the Dragon,
commanded by Captain Gabriel Towerson, set sail again for England.
The 1st January, 1609, our general, William Keeling, set sail in the
Hector for Banda. The 20th March, a Chinese house next to our warehouse
was burnt down, but it pleased God that our house escaped. Next day I
was sent for to court by Paugran Areaumgalla, the governor, and went
accordingly, carrying the following present: One piece of mallee
goobaer, one piece mallayo pintado, a musket with a bandeleer and a
roll of match, which the governor accepted very kindly. He then told me
he had sent for me, having heard that there were two men in chains at
our house for debt, and he desired to know by whose authority I thus
confined them. I said we had laid hold of them by order of the king, and
I hoped he would not take them from us till I were satisfied for the
debt, or at least some part of it, and in proof of its being due I
showed their bills. He said he knew that they were indebted, but knew
likewise that the king had not given us leave to chain them up, and
desired therefore they might be set free; but I persuaded him to allow
me to keep them till Tanyomge, who owed 420-1/2 dollars, should pay
100, and Bungoone, who owed 500 dollars and 100 sacks of pepper, should
pay 20 sacks of pepper and 100 dollars in money, pursuant to his
agreement and bill. The governor sent one of his slaves home along with
me, to inform the prisoners of this, and to desire them to pay me.
The 24th I was again sent for to court, where the Hollanders were
likewise; on which occasion the governor asked the Hollanders, whether
it were customary in their country to take a man prisoner for debt
without informing the king? The Hollanders said, it was not. Whereupon,
forgetting his promise made only three days before, he commanded me to
liberate the prisoners immediately, although I reminded him of his
promise to no purpose; and he sent one of the king's slaves to take them
out of our house. I am satisfied this rigid course was taken on the
suggestion of the Dutch, induced by Lackmoy, the great Chinese
merchant, on purpose to prevent us from giving credit to the Chinese,
that we might be constrained to deal only with himself: and, as he is
provided by the Hollanders with all kinds of commodities, he will
entirely overthrow our trade, as we cannot now give credit to any one,
justice being refused to us.
Captain William Keeling arrived here from Banda on the 26th of August,
having laden there 12,484-1/2 cattees of mace and 59,846 cattees of
nutmegs, which cost him 9,10, and 11 dollars the bahar. The cattee
there weighs 13-1/2 English ounces; the small bahar of mace being ten
cattees, and the small bahar of nutmegs 100 cattees; while the large
bahar is 100 cattees of mace, or 1000 cattees of nutmegs: so that if
a person owe ten cattees of mace, and pay 100 cattees of nutmegs, the
creditor cannot refuse payment in that manner.
Captain Keeling having taken in the rest of his loading at Bantam,
consisting of 4900 bags and 3 cattees of pepper, set sail in the Hector
for England on the 4th October, 1609; on which occasion I embarked in
that ship to return home, having been four years, nine months, and
eleven days in the country.
Sec. 8. Rules for the Choice of sundry Drugs, with an Account of the
Places whence they are procured.[136]
Lignum aloes, a wood so called by us, is called garroo by the
Mallays. The best comes from Malacca, Siam, and Cambodia,[137] being in
large round sticks and very massy, of a black colour interspersed with
ash-coloured veins. Its taste is somewhat bitter, and odoriferous; and
when a splinter is laid upon a burning coal it melts into bubbles like
pitch, continuing to fry till the whole is consumed, diffusing a most
delightful odour.
[Footnote 136: Purch. Pilgr. I. 389, being a continuation of the
Observations by Mr Saris. - E.]
[Footnote 137: In the Pilgrims this last place is called Cambaya, but
which we suspect of being an error of the press. - E.]
Benjamin, or Benzoin, is a gum called Minnian by the Mallays. The
best kind comes from Siam, being very pure, clear, and white, with
little streaks of amber colour. Another sort, not altogether so white,
yet also very good, comes from Sumatra. A third sort comes from Priaman
and Barrowse, which is very coarse, and not vendible in England.[138]
[Footnote 138: On this subject Purchas has the following marginal note.
"Burrowse yieldeth Tincal, called buris in England; worth at Bantam
a dollar the cattee, and here in England ten shillings the pound. It
is kept in grease." - Purch.
The substance of this note has not the smallest reference to benjamin or
benzoin, and evidently means borax, called burris or burrowse, which
used likewise to be called tincal, a peculiar salt much used in
soldering, and which is now brought from Thibet by way of Bengal. - E.]
The best civet is of a deep yellow colour, somewhat inclining to
golden yellow, and not whitish, as that kind is usually sophisticated
with grease. Yet when civet is newly taken from the animal, it is
whitish, and acquires a yellowish colour by keeping.
There are three sorts of musk, black, brown, and yellow; of which the
first is good for nothing, the second is good, and the last best. It
ought to be of the colour of spikenard, or of a deep amber yellow,
inclosed only in a single skin, and not one within another as it often
is.
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