The
Sorts In Request And The Prices We Obtained Being As Follows:
Candakeens Of Baroach Six Cattees Of Cloves; Candakeens
Of Papang,
which are flat, three cattees; Selas, or small bastas, seven and
eight cattees; Patta chere Malayo sixteen cattees;
Five cassas
twelve cattees; coarse of that kind eight cattees; red Batellias, or
Tancoulas, forty-four and forty-eight cattees; Sarassas chere Malayo
forty-eight and fifty cattees; Sarampouri thirty cattees; Chelles,
Tapsiels, and Matafons, twenty and twenty-four cattees; white
Cassas, or Tancoulos, forty and forty-four cattees; the finest
Donjerijus twelve, and coarser eight and ten cattees; Pouti Castella
ten cattees; the finest Ballachios thirty cattees; Pata chere Malayo
of two fathoms eight and ten cattees; great Potas, or long four
fathoms, sixteen cattees; white Parcallas twelve cattees; Salalos
Ytam twelve and fourteen cattees; Turias and Tape Turias one and
two cattees; Patola of two fathoms, fifty and sixty cattees; those of
four fathoms and of one fathom at proportional prices; for twenty-eight
pounds of rice, a dollar; Sago, which is a root of which the natives
make their bread, is sold in bunches, and was worth a quarter of a
dollar the bunch; velvets, sattins, taffetics, and other silk goods of
China were much in request. This may suffice for the trade of the
Moluccas.
Proceeding on our voyage, it was calm all day on the 16th of April, but
we, had a good breeze at night from the west, when we steered N.N.W. In
the morning of the 17th, we steered north, with the wind at E. by S. but
it afterwards became very variable, shifting to all points of the
compass, and towards night we had sight of land to the northwards. On
the 18th we had calms, with much rain, and contrary winds at intervals,
for which reason I resolved to go for the island of Saiom, which was
to the westward, and to remain there and refresh the crew, till the
change of the monsoon might permit me to proceed on my intended voyage.
But almost immediately the wind came round to the west, and we stood N.
and N. by E. On the 19th, with little wind at W. we continued our course
N. by E. the weather being extremely hot, with much rain. It was quite
calm in the morning of the 20th, but we had a constant current setting
us to the eastwards, which indeed had been the case ever since we left
Ternate. In the afternoon, the wind came round to the northward, a brisk
gale, and we stood west to stem the current, bearing for a large island
called Doy, where we proposed to rest and refresh.
In the morning of the 21st, we were fairly before that island, near its
northern extremity, which was a low point stretching southwards. We
stood in E. by S. with the wind at N. by E. and at noon sent our skiff
in search of a convenient place for anchoring; but the current set so
strong to the eastwards, that we were unable to stem it, and could
merely see at a distance a very large bay, having a great shoal off its
northern point half a league out to sea, while we had sixty fathoms
water off the shore upon a bottom of sand. As night approached, we stood
off till morning; and next day, about sun-set, we came to anchor in the
large bay, having on standing in fifty-six, thirty-five, twenty-six, and
twenty-four fathoms water.
I sent some people ashore in the skiff on the 23d, to look out for a
convenient watering-place, and for a proper situation in which to set up
a tent to defend our men from the rain when on shore. They accordingly
found a fit place right over against the ship, and saw many tracks of
deer and wild swine, but no appearance of any inhabitants. The country
was full of trees, and, in particular, there were abundance of
cokers,[1] penang, serie, and palmitos, among which were plenty of
poultry, pheasants, and wood-cocks. I went ashore along with our
merchants, and had a tent set up. Our carpenter made several very
ingenious pitfalls for catching the wild-hogs. We took some fish among
the rocks with much labour, and got one pheasant and two wood-Pigeons,
which last were as large in the body as ordinary hens. Some of our
company staid all night ashore to look for the wild-hogs coming into the
traps, and some very large ones were seen on the 24th, but none were
caught. This morning, about half past seven, the moon, being at the
full, was eclipsed in a more extraordinary manner than any of us had
ever seen, being three hours and a half obscured before she recovered
her entire light, which was very fearful.
[Footnote 1: Cocoa-nut trees. - E.]
The 25th, our people searching about the woods, brought great store of
cokers to the ship, together with some fowls, and the heads of the
palmito trees, which we boiled with our beef, and found them to eat like
cabbages. The 28th, the company were busily employed in taking in wood
and water. The skiff was sent out to sound the shoal, and found ten and
twelve fathoms at the northern point of the bar, near the shoal. All
this time we had prodigious rain both day and night. The 29th and 30th
were employed in bringing wood aboard, which we found as good as our
English billets. The skiff was sent on the 1st of May to sound the
western point of the bay, where the water was found very deep. On
landing at that part of the coast our people found the ruins of several
huts, among which were some brass pans, which shewed the place had been
lately inhabited, but, as we supposed, the inhabitants had been hunted
from their houses by the wars.
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