Two Pikemen Followed The Culprit, Having The Points Of Their Pikes
Close To His Back, Ready To Slay Him Instantly If He Offered To Resist.
The ship being ready to depart, several of the natives complained that
the ship's company owed them money, and desired to be paid.
To prevent
greater inconvenience, I listened to these people, and wrote to the
master to make enquiry aboard as to who were in debt, that I might
satisfy their creditors, making deductions accordingly from their wages.
On the 26th I assembled my mercantile council to consult about leaving a
factory here in Firando, upon these considerations. 1. The encouragement
we had privately received at the Moluccas. 2. That the Dutch had already
a factory here. 3. The large privileges now obtained from the emperor of
Japan. 4. The certain advice of English factories established at Siam
and Patane. 5. The commodities remaining on hand appointed for these
parts, and the expected profit which farther experience might produce.
It was therefore resolved to leave a factory here, consisting of eight
Englishmen, three Japanese jurebassos or interpreters, and two
servants. They were directed, against the coming of the next ships, to
explore and discover the coasts of Corea, Tushmay, other parts of
Japan, and of the adjoining countries, and to see what good might be
done in any of them.
The 5th of December, 1613, Mr Richard Cockes, captain and Cape
merchant of the English factory now settled at Firando in Japan, took
his leave of me aboard the Clove, together with his company, being eight
English and five others, as before mentioned. After their departure, we
mustered the company remaining aboard, finding forty-six English, five
swarts or blacks, fifteen Japanese, and three passengers, in all
sixty-nine persons. We had lost since our arrival in Japan ten
Englishmen; two by sickness, one slain in a duel, and seven who deserted
to the Portuguese and Spaniards, while I was absent at the court of the
emperor. The English whom we left in the factory were Mr Richard Cockes,
William Adams, now entertained in the service of the company at a
hundred pounds a year, Tempest Peacock, Richard Wickham, William Eaton,
Walter Carwarden, Edward Saris, and William Nelson.
Sec.12. Voyage from Japan to Bantam, and thence Home to England.
That same day, being the 5th December, we set sail with a stiff
northerly gale, steering S. by W. 1/2 a point westerly. By exact
observation on shore, we found the island of Firando to be in lat. 33 deg.
30' N. and the variation 2 deg. 50' easterly.[42] We resolved to keep our
course for Bantam along the coast of China, for which purpose we brought
our starboard tacks aboard, and stood S.W. edging over for China, the
wind at N.N.E. a stiff gale and fair weather. The 7th it blew very hard
at N.W. and we steered S.S.W. encountering a great current which shoots
out between the island of Corea[43] and the main land of China,
occasioning a very heavy sea. The 8th, being in lat. 29 deg. 40' N. we
steered W.S.W, on purpose to make Cape Sumbor on the coast of China.
The sea was very rough, and the wind so strong that it blew our main
course out of the bolt ropes. The 9th, in lat. 28 deg. 23', we sounded and
had forty-nine to forty-five fathoms on an oozy bottom. The weather was
clear, yet we could not see land. The 11th we had ground in forty-nine,
forty-three, thirty-eight, thirty-seven, and thirty fathoms, the water
being very green, and as yet no land to be seen.
[Footnote 42: The town of Firando is in lat. 33 deg. 6' N. and even the most
northern part of the island of that name only reaches to 33 deg. 17'. The
town is in long. 128 deg. 42' E. from Greenwich. - E.]
[Footnote 43: Corea was long thought to be an island after the period of
this voyage. Astl. I. 492. c. - It is now known to be an extensive
peninsula, to the east of China, having the Yellow sea interposed. - E.]
The 12th, in thirty-five fathoms, and reckoning ourselves near the coast
of China, we had sight of at least 300 sail of junks, of twenty and
thirty tons each and upwards, two of which passed us close to windwards,
and though we used all fair means to prevail upon them to come aboard we
could not succeed, and seeing they were only fishing vessels we let them
pass. Continuing our course we soon espied land, being two islands
called the Fishers islands.[44] At noon our latitude was 25 deg. 59' N.
and we had ground at twenty to twenty-six fathoms. About seven p.m.
while steering along the land, we came close by a rock, which by good
providence we had sight of by moonlight, as it lay right in our course.
When not above twice our ship's length from this rock, we had thirty
fathoms water, on which we hauled off for one watch, to give the land a
wide birth, and resumed our course S.W. after midnight. The wind was
very strong at N.E. and continually followed as the land trended. The
13th, in lat. 24 deg. 35' N. and variation 1 deg. 30' easterly, having the wind
strong at N.E. with fair weather, we steered S.W. keeping about five
leagues off the islands along the coast of China. The 15th we came among
many fisher boats, but had so much wind that we could not speak any of
them, but they made signs to us, as we thought to keep to the westwards.
At noon our lat. was 21 deg. 40' N. and having the wind at N.N.E. a stiff
gale, we steered W.N.W. northerly, to make the land, and about two hours
afterwards had sight of it, although by our dead reckoning we ought
still to have been fifty-six leagues from it.
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