The 22d, In The Morning, We Had Sight Of Land N. By E.
Being The Island Of Machian, Which Is Very High Land.
The 23d, in the
morning, we were three leagues from the land, having the wind at N.E.
and were in search of a place wherein to anchor.
Within a quarter of a
mile from the shore we had forty fathoms, wherefore we bore up to the
south part of the island, where we had twenty and nineteen fathoms for a
few casts, and then no ground. We steered from this point E.S.E. for so
the land lieth open, off the point of the high round island, being four
leagues between the two points; but the western point is an island, with
three or four others to the eastwards of it, which cannot be perceived
till very near them. The land then falls away N.E. having a large and
round bay or sound, very deep, with land on both sides of it. This round
hill is Bachian, and yields great abundance of cloves; but by reason
of the wars they are wasted, and as the people are not allowed the
advantages of the cloves, they are not gathered, but are left to drop
from the trees upon the ground to absolute waste. The natives are
oppressed by the Hollanders and Spaniards, and induced by them to spoil
and waste each other in civil wars; while both of these, their
oppressors, remain secure in strong-holds, and look on till they can
snatch, the bone from he who can wrest it from his fellow.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 799 of 815
Words from 217346 to 217614
of 221842
