Country and the sea there are
immense bogs or morasses, so that no one can travel on horseback, and
hardly even a-foot; and as a remedy against this, they have great
waggons or carts upon broad flat wheels, which are moved by means of
sails like ships. Thus, by observing the monsoons or periodical winds,
they transport their goods backwards and forwards, by means of these
sailing waggons. In that country they make damasks, sattins, taffaties,
and other silk stuffs, as well as in China.
It is said that Fico Same, otherwise called Quabicondono, the former
emperor of Japan, pretended to have conveyed a great army in these
sailing waggons, to make a sudden assault upon the emperor of China in
his great city of Pekin, where he ordinarily resides; but was prevented
by a nobleman of Corea, who poisoned himself to poison the emperor and
many of the nobles of Japan. On which occasion, as is said, the Japanese
lost, about twenty-two years ago, all that they had conquered in Corea.
James Turner, the youth who used to play the fiddle, left a girl here
with child; and though I gave her two tayes in silver to bring up the
child; she killed it as soon as it was born, which is a common thing in
this country. The whistle and chain belonging to Mr Foster, the master
of the Clove, are found, and are under the charge of Mr Adams, who will
be accountable for them.