- Purch.]

The 17th, advice was received from Mr Ufflet, at Jacatra, that the Dutch were daily occupied in repairing and strengthening

Their fortifications; and that, when the messengers of the pangran demanded the surrender of their fort, with part of their money, goods, and ordnance, they gave for answer, That all these things were the property of their masters, which therefore they could not give away. We this day received news of two Dutch ships in the road of Jacatra, and that same night Sir Thomas Dale set sail with eight ships in quest of them, while I remained with four to attend upon the president. The 26th, having certain intelligence that four Holland ships were at anchor in the mouth of the Straits of Sunda, I went out that same evening to look for them, with the James, Gift, Unicorn, and the Little James. Next morning we anchored near Pulo Paniang, to take in water, and to put our ships into order, by taking aboard some planks that were alongside.

We weighed again in the morning of the 1st March, making sail towards the mouth of the Straits, where we observed the two Dutch ships at anchor near the island of Tamporan, about three leagues to the westwards of Viun, or Palambangan point. We immediately made all sail towards them, while they, as in a careless manner, plied to and fro, having their topsails half mast down. At length, as we drew nigh, the Dutch admiral and all the rest of his ships bore up with my ship, which was most to windward, and gave us two shots, one of which went through the ship's side under the half-deck, and the other through the steerage. They had no sooner begun than they were as quickly answered from my ship, and in such measure, that, in the space of two hours, they became as quiet as lambs; their admiral, who gave the onset with so much arrogance, being the first to run away, followed by all the rest. We chased them till night, and then finding them too swift of foot, we gave over the chase, standing over towards Pulo Tunda. We came to anchor again on the 2d of March in the road of Bantam, on which day we had intelligence that one of the two ships lately come to Jacatra had got aground near the castle, and had been set on fire by themselves on seeing Sir Thomas Dale. The other ship, which had taken in a valuable loading from the castle, was also cast away on some rocks, ten leagues east of Jacatra.

On the 4th, we had a letter from John Powell, residing at Jacatra, stating that Sir Thomas Dale had sailed on the 1st, with the Moon, Hound, Rose, and Bee, in search of the stranded Dutch ship. The 14th we heard from Sir Thomas that he had got almost within shot of the four Dutch ships we met with, but had been taken by a dead calm for twelve hours, succeeded in the night by a tempest, which scattered them so far asunder by next morning, that they lost all hopes of the chase, and had therefore returned to Point Ayre, whence he proposed bringing the Moon immediately to Bantam, leaving the rest of his ships to take in provisions at Jacatra.

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