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K 0 A I). /'////A.y//'// /'/-A m >yo:' 'à/s ('<'/•>'";"/■;,-,■■, sf 08 20 *M A VOYAGE from CALCUTTA t o '1' ii e MERGUI ARCHIPELAGO, lying on the east side of the bay of bengal : Describing a Chain of Iflands, never before furveyed, that form a Strait on that Side of the Bay, 125 Miles in Length, and from 20 to 30 Miles in Breadth ; with good Mud Soundings and regular Tides throughout : which Strait lying nearly North and South, any Ship may work up againft the South-Well Monfoon, and fo get out of the Bay of Bengal, when otherwife, fhe might be locked up for the Scafon. also, An Account of the Iflands Jau Sylan, Pulo Pinang, and the Port of Qucda ; the prefent State of Atchccn ; and Directions for Sailing thence to Fort Marlbro' down the South-Weft Coaft of Sumatra; TO WHICH ARK ADDED, An Account of the Ifland Celebes; a Treatife on the Monfoons in India; a Propofal for making Ships and VefFels more convenient for the Accommodation ot Pallcngers ; and Thoughts on a new Mode of prefcrving Ship Provifton : Alfoy An Idea of making a Map of the World on a large Scale : B Y THOMAS FORREST, Esq. SENIOR CAPTAIN OF THE HONOURABLE COMPANY's MARINE AT FORT MARLBRO* IN 1770, AND AUTHOR OF THE VOYAGE TO NEW GUINEA. '1 he whole illuftrated with various Maps, and Views of Land ; a Print of the Author's Reception by the King of Atcheen -, and a View of St. Helena from the Road. Engraved by Mr. Caldwall. I k 969 & :.;\V Va\1, Ktrrew Seas and Fatigue maie Seamen, and dialing in bulky Articles inaeafes their Number. Ano w. LONDON: sold by j. robson, new bond-street; i. owen, no. 168, piccadilly} and balfour, edinburgh* m.pcc.xcii. TO THE HONOURABLE The COURT of DIRECTORS of the UNITED EAST-INDIA COMPANY, In January 1792, John Smith Burgess, Efq. being Chairman, Francis Baring, Efq. Deputy; DIRECTORS, William Bensley, Efq. Jacob Bosanqjjet, Efq. Thomas Cheap, Efq. Lionel Darell, Efq. The Hon. William Elpiiinstone Simon Fraser, Efq. John Hunter, Efq. Hugh Inglis, Efq. Paul Le Mesurier, Efq. and Alderman John Manship, Efq. Thomas Theophilus Metcalee, Efq. Charles Mills, Efq. William Money, Efq. Thomas Parry, Efq. Abraham Robarts, Efq. John Roberts, Efq. David Scott, Efq. ■George Tatem, Efq. Robert Thornton, Efq. John Townson, Efq. John Travers, Efq. Stephen Williams, Efq. The following Sheets are refpe&fully dedicated by Their faithful and mod obedient humble Servant, THOMAS FORREST, .Senior Naval Captain. CONTENTS. Introduction — — — — i voyage from bengal to the mergui archipelago in the esther brig. Leave the Ganges—pafs the Preparis—-faw Narcondam—-faw the Iflands Torres—pafs to leeward of Clara—anchor off Olive if and—faw two prows—plant various feeds of jlone fruit— faw an extenfive /Irait to the fouthward — reference to land views—Marble Harbour—Garden Iflands—Eaft Foreland— South Foreland—Stable s Strait—Wheeler s Strait—Weflminfler Mall — Lord Loughborough s Ifland — Sir John Macpherfons Strait—Sir Jofeph Banks's IJland—Sir William James's Ifland^ or Sufannah Bonnet Iflands — Alder fey* s Strait—large and ftnall oyflers—Flat IJland—Dommel IJland—Ifland St. Matthew —Nine Pins, Naked Humpy and Needle Rocks—Various fmall iflands^ named from their apparent fiape and relative fituation —Five Iflands—CoaJl of Mergui—Aladine Iflands—Lord Macartneys Bay—Hafingsys Bay—Fifh Harbour—fuppofed harbour on the main—Alexander s Peak—Sayer Iflands—Junk Ceylon—Pulo Rajah — Sail for §>ueda ; account of it and Pulo account of the island jan sylan. Situation—extent—name—Popra Harbour—Pulo Panjang—Strait Leheer — J'erowa Village —government—villages—population— viftt the governor Pce-peemont —fruits — animals — climate— opium—trade — pagoda—1'ellopys —- money called poot—governor s monopoly of trade - — - C O N t E N t S. account of atcheen. Name—extent—magnitude—revenue—manufactures—king s monopoly of trade—excellent fruits—trade of the Chulias—imports—■ king's appellation—officers of fate—money—weights and mea~ fur es—exports—indujlry of the Chulias—fijhing boats called Ko I ay—Jcllore—Balle Hang—Banting—face of the country— fwelting of the river—excellent horfes—depth on tin bar—fait golas—Maldivia boats—dried bonctia—king's palace—(Dalluni) Sur at Paffage,—Nalabooy very final I fflying boats—Scrfoo Harbour— Bombay flip — Portuguefie trade — country flnps—two Englifi vejfels cut off at Pedir—Atchecn treachery ; horrid murder of five Europeans—audience of the king in 1764—prefents —king's appearance—reprehenfon from the minifler—king's poli temf s—prefents returned— embaffy from Bencoolen to Atchecn in 1772—troubles in the town—embaffy proves abortive—vi/it Atchecn in 1775—king's illncfs — vi/it Atcheen in 1784 — audience of the king, Julian Ooladine—his remarks on gun car-riages—-digreffon—-further intercourfe with the king—fond of initjic—-am created knight of ttjc gulden fevat-d (jut iw taio derry piddang mas)—take leave—king afraid of his nobles—appearance of the palace—king s charatier—elephants—mofques—priefls— puniffmcnts—fir ange requefl of an Atcheener—charatier of the Atckeeners—no Chinefe at Atcheen—Mr. Marfiletis jufil account of Sumatra ■- - - Of failing from Atcheen Road down the coafl of Sumatra—Sur at Paffage—Sedre Paffage—Siddoo Harbour—Kings Bay—Tozvns in King's Bay—Saddle Ifland—China-hat Hi H—Cap Ifland— Nalaboo — Soofioo — Double Cape—Pulo Duo — Peak of Pulo Bania—Paffage Ifland—directions to pajs it—Sinkel River— Leaga Harbour—Capt. Duggins mate affaffnated there in 1753 —Ship Experiment wrecked on Bird Ifland in 1772—Pulo Macular—Tappanooly Harbour — — — From Tfappanooly to Fort Marlbrd—Cafcade on Mazular convenient to water at with difpatch—Caracara Hill—Nat ail Hill and contents. Road—Tammong IJland and Harbour—Ship S hafts brook lof— Ayer Bongou Road—Good police of the Dutch—Pulo Toojoo—*. Padang Head—Good Road, of Pulo Pifiang—Pulo Cinco Harbour—Serenty If and and Road—No Jbelter for flipping between Serenty and Fort Marlbro—Rat Ifland Bafon—Pulo Bay, unhealthy—Recommended to be avoided --- 66 of the island celebes. Name—Situation—Buggefs Bay—Tminee Bay—Tolo Bay—l/7-tle Paternofer Ifands—Climate—Rivers—Six divifions of Celebes — Goa—Bony — Warjoo—Sopin — Silindrin —■ Mandar— Buggefs colonies—Goa attacks Macaffer in 1780—Character of the Buggejfes—Extenfive trade—Reafons why the Dutch keeppojfejfwn of what they have on Celebes—Manufactures—Shipping—Buggefs language—Hifilory lojl—Ingenuity—Religion—Marriages— Trade to New Holland—Revolution of government at Pafftr, in 1772 ; honourable behaviour of the Buggejfes to the Engl fib on that occafiion—Yearly produce of Celebes to the Dutch in gold— Dutch Fort near Koandang—DeJ'criptian of the Se.iva or Buggefs Bay—If and Bally—Noquedah Inankee, his hints about various harbours on Bally and Lomboc—Mode of getting gold on Celebes and Sumatra -■ . ■ y< a treatise on the monsoons in east-india. Introduction — — — — Of the Monfioons in general ■-» .—. Of the Caufies of the Monfioons in India; their Analogy to what we find in the Atlantic ; and how they coincide with or oppofie the Trade Winds — — — — Of the Middle Crofs Winter Monfoon — —- — Of the Crofs Summer Monfoon — - — Of the moft eligible Track to keep from Europe to Eaf-India — Of the Monfioons of the South-Wefil Coaft of the IJland Sumatra, 93 95 96 99 102 Ï03 107 Of CONTENTS. Of the proper Track to keep in going from Madras, or Bengal, fo Bencoolen, Batavia, or Parts further Eaft, during the Winter North-Eafi Monfoon — — — — 11 ï Of the Track to keep from Madras, or Bengal, to Bencoolen, during the South-Wefi Monfoon — —. — — 112 Of the befl Track to keep from Indoftan to Celebes, or the Moluccas, during the South-Weft Monfoon — — — Of failing from Indoftan to Magindano at all Times of the Year Il6 Of the Outer Paffage to Bombay ; of Crofs Winds in the Bay of Bengal; Currents in the China Seas; South Coaft of Africa ; Paffage Home — — — — 119 Propofal for making Ships and Veffels more convenient for the Tranfportation of Pajfetigers — — -— 123 Thoughts on the befl Mode of preferving Sea Provifton; or, of Victualling Ships in Warm Countries — — 129 Idea of making a Map of the World — — — 139 intro- > T" JO 10 /6 2o' =3T 26 40' 60' lin 7r/ÏS 7'lAf OXY ç/' Esteem  Heçarct t& y/,,;„//,r a t*„■/,„/»twin ^ Banijfer The Oirectcrv. flPfe, .l/.l)'.'\iiviH.-.,ll.i..uwim ,•/• BniiR-'H c5j * cate ■( fty/; < /<,/ < ///.yt,j. //av CMiMT iâ /ttsrr/'//*'/ />' their most ////>/* !' Scrr/ r/tf>? Forr/ CE r,r,tt a/istrf,- //>r tht jhaflt <•/ t/tt frf.vt sit/f ,>/'t/n'.s cAaift €>/ ffïands net k(ff,n,/ .if,/ tt. I «* 4 4 H y // *; 10 h....... 20 jj o m 4t >' (tat y/» . s—4 Q - «■» ^ /y.....'^Ti AS M 7 /0 « « m >* '6* n /6' m ** pi" ,/ /f'rtr'rh, Halting'* Bay. '7 '7 S T H 9 miid ^ ^J> ii.M bout 60 s. s O •' -Huit ''I C\criclitaûs I -------...... / &tq% ' t,cr. 7 t 6- 6' i5' 6' 6" a o II o p o th< Frrf'r,,,/, /.« /'«/i A' /i,',ir.i ti 20 /',>f./,'//,, >^ ,,<;;•/■,///,,/ /c Act Of TT"T 2irt =fc= Chart -■/'Jin*ty/*„ l \/,,t.x/> s ,//rfir frmstff M E r a u i fyCmti Tho." Fbrrêtl ) II a/ \ i I /imtit/ /n/ T. f. Jnti/ i. PREFACE. THE great convuluons and changes that have happened in the government of three quarters of the globe within not many years, Afia, America, and Europe, afford choice of conjecture to the contemplative mind what will happen next. A very diflant country, held in fubjecTion by the fword, is a new feature in the annals of England ; but, as we have paffed the Rubicon, it muft be held by the fword ; there is no alternative ; we have gone too far to recede : however, in the long run, it may corrupt our manners. A mild government, a blefling India never enjoyed, at lead under its Mahometan governors, may make it profper, and it is to be hoped it will profper now more, perhaps, than during any former rcra of her exiftence ; and as great part of Indoftan is come under the foftering hand of Great Britain, there is no doubt but fhe will incline there to cherifh the welfare of her new fubjeéls, to introduce amongft them the comforts and conveniences of life, to preferve peace among the difcordant and ambitious, and make the Hindoos admire and revere our equitable form of government, that interferes not with their religious modes of worfhip ; the rock on which the Poriuguefe, the firfl: European conquerors of India, were fhipwrccked. Something different from the Mahometan conquerors, who, although they avoided what was greatly fatal to the Poriuguefe, equalled, if not furpafTed them in the deceitful purfuits of ambitious conqueft. Happy will it be for Great Britain if fhe knows where to (top, to be content with what fhe has got, and make thofe who have caufed this prefent diftreffing war pay the expence from the revenues of their respective domains, and give us commercial advantages in ufing Britilli manu fact, u res, which may foften the rigour of immediate exactions, peculiarly hurtful to a ravaged country. A- Since P II E F A C E. Since writing the following pages, I have learnt that the Eaft-India Company have refolved to import fugar from their eaftern poifeifions; a rcfolution of great wifdom, found policy, and benevolence, as Bengal can produce any quantity of that neceflary luxury. The ftrong connection fugar has with tea makes the keeping down its price of the utmoft confcqucnce to our China trade, and the misfortunes of St. Domingo throw out of the Euro-Jean market an immenfe quantity, which muft be got fomewhere, or the rife of its price, already bearing hard on the middling community, will be immenfe. The ultimate advantage in fuch an undertaking will depend on the low price fugar can be afforded at in Bengal ; and here I muft obfervc, that as iugar-making there, is carried on by a free people, where rice, their bread, is immenfely cheap, where rich lands, long fecundated by the flime of the Ganges, the AJtatic Nile, may be had for taking up, fugar may be made at a very low price indeed. Many of thefe lands, what is called the Sundra bunds, and others at the mouths of the Ganges, if we may believe the hiftoiy of Bengal, were formerly well inhabited, but lying very convenient for invafioii during the fine uiuuilis of January and February, Were much plundered and depopulated, when protection was riegleâed or withheld, by invaders from Arracan, called Mug, and other piratical people on the eaft fide of the Bay of Bengal There is no doubt but many of thefe lands may, by encouragement, be again brought into cultivation, and produce rich crops of rice; fugar, &c. The lands at the mouths of that great river certainly rife (although infenfibly) every year, by the flime of the Ganges. I remember in 1784, or 5, in cleanfing and deepening the great refervoir at Calcutta, trees were found lèverai feet under the bot-»-torn : this could only happen from a general rife of foil in a counr try that is naturally flat. In Bengal, where the inhabitants are not only protected in their property, but encouraged to early matrimony, and following their induilrious occupations, to which, by prejudice and education, they happily have a natural turn, the field to act on is immenfe ; and S > if followed up, Bengal could not only fupply herfclf and great part of Apa, which lhe has always done, but all Europe, with fugar made by free men. The price of fugar in Calcutta was, not many years ago, 7 current rupees (14 (hillings), for a factory maund of two thirds of a hundred weight, or 21 lhillings for one hundred weight, or 2 pence farthing per pound *. The price of Dutch powdered fugar at Batavia I have known much cheaper, where it is made by freemen, generally Chinefe : much of it goes to Holland. We have cultivated fugar at Bencoolen, and I believe do fo now ; but it would feem cultivating it by Company's (laves, and the high price of /L. fugar has prevented the fcheme from anfwering. The Malays are a lazy, indolent race of people ; the pepper they plant on Sumatra is all by compulfion, for which the planter ultimately thanks the Company when he finds his hoard of dollars greater than that of his lefs induflrious neighbour; but to return to Bengal. James Chriftie, Efq. ofy^WH,agreat fugar planter and rum-maker, who, by his benevolence and mild management, has erected villages on his eflate, told me, about five years ago, that he wifhed for and expected fome fuch permiflion as has been granted; and faid further, that tobacco might be cultivated in Bengal, and anfwer the Company's fending home. ConnoifTeurs in Rappee have all heard of MamtHpafnam muff, from which it would appear Eajl-India tobacco made into fnuff has a peculiarly agreeable flavour. The many views of land on the Mer gui Archipelago may give the reader fome idea of the nature of thefe iflands : being under the regular change of the monfoons, they are not fubject to hurricanes, as our iflands arc in the Weftx-Indies. St. Matthew, Sufannah9 Dommell, Lord Loughborough, &c. Iflands feem, from their pleafant appearance, to invite cultivation ; they * There is great demand at Turon, in Cochin China, for the mufiins and cottons of Bengal, and there fugar is exceedingly cheap. Turon is an excellent harbour, at the mouth of a fpacious river. A factory there might anfwer. See Poivrc's Travels of a Phiioibpher. I Mr. Criftie pays the Company a thoufand Sicca rupees a year for a trad of land which he has peopled without purchafing a (logic Have. Two hundred weight make three fa&ory maunds. A. 2 greatly s P R E F A G K. greatly refemble the .{land Sooloo (that Paradife for fruits), lying call of Borneo, not only in fize, but picturefque appearance. Thefe iflands are covered with many tall trees; their mores breed immenfe quantities of hth and oyfters, and feem to be in a (late of nature ; they are fit to produce all tropical fruits, fugar, &c. &c. They merit being fettled by us before unexpected guefts take poiTeflion, and caufe difputcs. I did all I could : I hoiftcd on St. Matthew in Fijh Bay, and left flying, a Britiih flag. What I have faid of the Ifland Celebes may be new to many ; in fize it refembles 'Great Britain; in population better than one half. The Dutch, who know mod of it, wifely keep their knowledge to themfelves. The BuggeJJes feem to be much more liberal minded than any of their Malay neighbours : the Mindanos come next to them for open nefs of character. Teroway, the Buggefs chieftain, mentioned in the following pages, feemed to be a confummate politician ; and whilft he amufed and pleafed Mr. Coles, by liflcning attentively to his ftorics of Europe (for Mr. Coles fpoke elegant Malay), he undermined, and in a few days overthrew the Malay Sultan's government. Teroway did not wait, as William did of old, until James withdrew, but told the Sultan he muft depart, and leave the government of Pafljir to thofe who better deferved it, by having always prefcrved its freedom from Dutch influence ; and, to his credit, Teroway effected the revolution without the lcaft bloodihed, or violation of property, that I ever heard of. The feven different governments on Celebes, reckoning the Dutch one, put one in mind of the Englifj heptarchy of old. Whatever nation takes the BuggeJJes by the hand, may lead them again to cut a figure in eaflern India, which it is faid their anceftors did, fome centuries ago, under the kings of Goa. The Buggefs flag is generally blue, with deviations according to what diflriet it belongs. I forgot to mention, that at %ueda I faw the exertion of an aquatic manoeuvre, never ufed, 1 believe, but by Chinefe. The annual Chinefe junk had got aground on the left hand fide of the rivv^r looking up, and it was found ncceflary to carry out an anchor to gei tiei off. There was fo much frefh in the river at the time? that that the tide ran ftrong down even at high water. A wooden anchor, the bills of the flukes mod with iron, and the lhank above 30 feet long, was put into a kind of punt, about 24 feet long; the flukes hanging over the (larboard bow of this boat, whilft the horizontal (lock of the anchor lay level over the larboard quarter. Eight men were in this boat, four of them provided with large handfpikes; the other four managed a long oar, like a fcull, at the (lern, that hung and turned upon a flrong pivot, or iron femiglobe, fixed in the middle of the (lern, which went into an iron focket in the fcull. The exertions of thefe four men were very violent for about a minute, in which time they effected their purpofc of being able to drop the anchor a little above the junk in deep water : they feemed to make the fcull vibrate like the tail of a fifh, on which principle it certainly acts: no number of oars could have done what they did. The Chinefe work veffels of above 200 tons in this manner; many more than four men at a fcull, and with lèverai fculls : the fcull feems to be abfolutely neceffary in the narrow canals of Canton, where oars cannot be ufed. The Engliih failors give the name of Tom againfl tide to the tea lighters that go from Canton to Wampo : they feldom drop along-fide of their refpeetivc (hip, but fcull up againft the current of the tide, as being the fafeft way. Such an improvement as the Chinefe fcull introduced amongft revenue cutters', not too much bound up with wrood and iron, but: like the Fly ketch, would greatly help to fupprcl's fmugglin-j;, ■whilft an act of parliament mould prevent the fame being ufed by any other veffels, except plcafure-boats, and that by fpecial licenfe. What I have faid of the Chinefe fcull and winding-up boom of the fail of the Buggefs paduakan and Atcheen kolay, aie fubjects worthy of difcuflion by the focicty for naval architecture, where there arc many able judges of thefe and other naval matters. ERRATA. Page 4?i for Japan wood read Sa pan wood. 53« for maPc monde rmJ map of the world, /or when Mr, Hughes read before Admiral Sir Edward Hnghf*. DIRECTIONS for the BINDER. Author's Portrait, and View of St. Helena, at the Beginning, next after the Map of the Mergui Archipelago. Bafs Harbour and Pera River - --. Page 2S Jan Sylan ---- «- ■-« 36 Malay Song, and Interview with the King of Atcheen •.....- - 60 Atcheen, and Part of the Coaft of Sumatra — -- 64 Sumatra Views-- - - 71 Track of the Tartar Galley—Bay of Bengal - — 90 Circular View of Bafs Harbour — — —. — Mindano Marriage — —• — — — 141 Six long Views of the Mergui Archipchgo at the End' INTRODUCTION *Y^/"HEN we confider of what importance our poffeflions in India are now become to the Britiih nation, every thing connected therewith, either in a commercial or political light, has a title to public attention. The following is a fhort account of a chain of iflands that lie on the eaft fide of the Bay of Bengal, which might, to this hour, have been as little known as they were many years ago, if, when I fet out from Calcutta in June 1783, to furvey the Andeman Iflands, I had not fallen to leeward of them. Thefe iflands, known generally by the name of the Mergui Iflands, or the Mergui Archipelago, I unawares and unexpectedly fell upon ; and though I had often leen many of them in running up the Bay of Bengal, I had no idea of their lying in that regular order in which I found them, forming a connected barrier againft the fouth wreft monfoon, for a length of a hundred and thirty-five miles from north to fouth, with a ftrait between them and the main land, from thirty to fifteen miles broad ; and good anchorage, good foundings, and regular tides, all the way. Through this ftrait a veflel may tide it up from the ifland Clara lying in ii° 15' (which may be confidcred as the key to it, entering from the Bay of Bengal) to the Aladine Iflands, in 90 north latitude ; whence, with a fpirt of wind, which in July and Auguft B often ( H ) often hangs to the northward of weft, ihe may get on, round Atchecn Head *, and fo proceed to Europe; thus efcaping being cm-bayed, as mips heretofore have often been, and obliged to lofe many months in confequence of their being in a manner locked up in different harbours until the north-eaft monfoon returned. The harbours they generally went to were Nigrais in Pegu, Syrian River in Pegu, and a harbour behind King's Ifland (nearly eaft of Clara Ifland) in Mergui, a map of which harbour (much frequented by the French formerly) is publifhed in the old India Directory by Thornton. Was this chain of iflands one continued ifland, it doubtlefs long before now would have attracted notice; but the maps extant having thrown down a parcel of iflands at random, generally final], and no foundings, the navigator, afraid, looks on them all with a fuipicious eye; and having no chart on which he can in the leaft depend, chufes to have nothing at all to fay to them, and puts his fhip's head another way. „ —MJiÉÉÉJMBlMWy^" "to"*J'*"J»JO n m il m.. ■ m rr~ r---lr 11 wn mlrii m tiUmm------- .•mÊjkAM^kj^i^îÀ^.jJL,' The iflands are generally divided by bold channels, and I am certain there are many more than what are reprefented in the map : fome rocky iflands, fome hilly, fome fiat; but, in general, covered with trees on a good foil, in a climate always cool and favourable to vegetation ; great plenty of fifhj and the rocks which border the fmallcr iflands are generally incrufted with a fmall delicate oyfter, between high and low water mark, with which a boat pre-fently gets a loading : there are alfo larger oyfters found in the mud, at low water, and a particular clam fort with red rows. The higheft rile of the tide is twelve foot on the fprings ; and the vicinity of the continent moderates the very frefh gales that prevail in * Having fetched Atchecn Road, where the fhip will meet with good refrefhment, (he can back and fill with the tide through the Su rat paffage, on the {larboard tack, anchor in a fmooth road behind Slipper Rock, near Siddo Harbour, put off, and with the wind at W and NW get down the coaft of Sumatra.—See the Voyage to N. Guinea. the the Bay of Bengal during the fouth-weft monfoon, and which in one particular part of the bay, being checked by the high and cx-tenfivc mountain that lies in a north and fouth direction the whole length of the great Andeman Ifland, blows with redoubled force* a few leagues to leeward of that ifland, in very deceitful flurries and fqualls, and then lulls for ten or twenty minutes, as I experienced frequently in this voyage, when, falling to lee\vard, I endeavoured in vain to work up. The climate and foil being fo good, I make no doubt but that many European vegetables and tropical fruits would grow in great abundance. There are alfo fcveral harbours and good roads for fhippmg. Haftings Bay is land-locked, depth from eight to five fathoms, and very capacious. On the oppofltc coafl is a river that is navigable for fmall veflels a little way up to the ifthmus of Kraw, where the porterage or carrying place is but fix hours to another river called Tomfong, which, without falls or rapides, runs through a well inhabited country, fubjecT to Siam, abounding in rice and cattle, into the bay of Siam, near the Larch in Iflands (fee the Directory). This account I had from Pec-pccmont governor of Jan Sylan in 1784 (commonly called Junk Ceylon), for the king of Siam, and formerly governor of Kraw, when the country about Kraw was well inhabited, and the road acrofs the ifthmus much frequented, before the wars which, thirty years ago, between the Peguers and Birmahs or Burmahs, had greatly depopulated this quarter. The French ufed to frequent King's Ifland near Mergui, and taught the natives how to build fhips, not only there, but at Rangoon in Pegu alfo. Mergui has a good harbour; but a ftrong hold there would not be fo eligible as one at St. Matthew, for two rea-fons : the firft is, that the harbour behind King's Ifland is not in b 2 the the track of (hipping, being a good way to the eaftward, and fo far has the difadvantage of being what the French call a cul de fac in the fouth weft monfoon; a fécond reafon is, that the vicinity of the power of the continent, of which the fettlcment is fuppofed to be independent, might be irkfome, as there is no doubt of the vaft power of the Birmans, to whofe armies a ihort tranfit to King's Ifland would be nothing; but difficult to tranfport a force to St* Matthew, fhould we think fit to oppofe it with a fingle frigate. The immenfe riches of the continent of Pegu—whether in the neceffarics of life, teak timber for ihip building, bees wax, tin, dam-mer, earth oil for preferring teak built ihips, flick lack, iliell lack,, jars of all dimcnfions, 'fome of immenfe fize, much fought for all over India, rattans, and many other bulky commodities—arc well known; without mentioning the more precious articles of gold, filvcr, and precious ftoncs, cfpccially rubies. A fmall traffic has always been carried on from Coromandel and Bengal to this country ; but it might be greatly extended. The Engliih, French, and Portuguefe are generally the carriers of coco-nuts from the Carni-cobar Ifland to Pegu, of which I believe there never was a glut ; fo much is the coco-nut confidered, almoft as much as rice, a neccf-fary of life in Pegu : and although the iflands that produce them are much nearer Pegu than Coromandel, yet, not being a maritime people, they are fupplied with what they cannot do without by ftrangers. It is needlefs for me to fay how far we fhould lull the Peguers in their indolence, thereby increafing our country (hipping, and of courfe our Lafcars (Indian failors), a worthy fet of people, who, as Seapoys, having often fought our battles with credit on ihorc, would, I dare fay, from what I know of them, dif-tinguiih themfelves at fea, when mixed with a fmall proportion of Europeans. The coco-nut (which the Peguers, Birmans, and all the inhabitants tants of the continent on this eaft fide of the Bay of Bengal are particularly fond of) does not thrive but near the fea : the Mergui iflands would produce millions of them. The nut, when fweet, is ufed much in common cookery all over India ; and, even when rancid, gives oil for various ufes, efpecially in mixing with lime to put on mips bottoms, to exclude the worm. The rind or hufk makes good rope, called coir; and the palm wine, called at Madras toddy, if not ufed fweet, makes excellent vinegar. We, much to our credit, gave a bounty to ftiips to go to Greenland to catch whales, becaufe oil muft be had for lamps as well as mips bottoms. The whale gives only oil and a little whalebone; the coco-nut gives oil and a moft excellent rope. Were thefe iflands colonized by Indians from the coaft of Coromandel and Bengal, groves of coco-nuts would foon appear. Coromandel does not produce coco-nuts fufficient for its own confumption, perhaps at pre-fent lefs than formerly; and yet, during Mr. Saunders's government in 1754, I have known Chulia (Moors) veffels carry coconuts from the Nicobar Iflands to Madras, a diflance of feven hundred miles. I fear univerfally the late depredations of War have, much diminifhed the number; for, to a hungry Seapoy, the coconut tree is both food and fuel*. The coir makes excellent rope; and, being claftic, gives fo much play to a lhip that rides hard at anchor* that, with a cable of one hundred and twenty fathoms, the Chips retire or give way fometimes half their length, when oppofed to a heavy fea, and inftantly ihoot ahead again; the coir cable, after being fine-drawn, recovering its fize and fpring. It is a ufual thing for,valuable large fhips that leave the Ganges in Auguft and. September, againft the fouth-weft monfoon, to have a coir cable frefh made under the eye of the chief officer, for a ftand-by. Hempen cables arc ftrong and ftubborn, and ihips often founder *" The heart of a coco-nut tree weighs from twenty to thirty pounds, and is as good as young cabbage. that that ride by them, becaufe nothing ftrctches or gives way; the coir yields and recovers. I believe the Pegu government care little about thefe iflands, and I dare fay would not oppofe our fettling in them; nay, fuch is the ignorance of thefe Afiatics, from what I have heard, that, were we to fay by an ambarfador to Ava, the capital of Pegu—St. Matthew is ufeful to us on account of its harbour ; let us poffels it, and we will fupply your country with coco-nuts, which our Indoftan fubjccTs will plant themielves, and even carry them home to you, at the old price of ten rupees per hundred—were we to fay fo, I really believe they would gladly dole with our propofal. The Peguers confumc a deal of iron, not only in bars and bolts, but wrought up in all kinds of tools for fhip-building, and all forts of common cutlery. They have built for Europeans many excellent fhips, paid for in nothing but Indian or European merchandize. Our woollens And a good market, even fold dear as they are at fécond hand : the consumption wovikl be immenfe had we an agent at Ava. In a country of fuch great extent, and where mere territory is of little value, fome parts are utterly neglected ; but even this neglect has its advantages in a particular inflancc. A great way above Ava there is a tract of country lying between the kingdoms of Pegu and China: here an annual fair is held during the fine months of January and February ; for the other ten months it is a defert. This I learnt from a Monfleur Chapel at Calcutta, who had long refided at Pegu ; and (hews great political wifdom, as it prevents the poflibility of difputing about borders. In Bengal they build fhips, but they have no good timber. The teak comes moftly from Pegu ; fome from Batavia and Bombay. 8 A A teak fhip, oiled yearly with earth oil, will laft againft four oak {hips. At Surat and Bombay they oil the infide of their {hips regularly when they come off-a voyage. In time of war, we certainly could have frigates built in Pegu, and paid for entirely in merchandize : the merchandize is fold for teecalls, a round piece of filver, ftamped, and weighing about one rupee and a quarter. The teecalls arc of different flnenefs, and the ftranger muft employ a fhroff. Thefe teecalls are forbid to be exported, I have mentioned coir for cables : coir makes alfo fmall cordage for running rigging; and it paffes much freer through the blocks than hempen rope, which, if wet, grows hard, and does not run free, owing to the tar cafing it, by the heat of the climate ; and the rope is ftubborn, efpccially after rain. There is great choice of timber on thefe iflands ; poflibly there is teak, but I did not find it. I found the Malay poon excellent for mafts ; and faw many other tall and ftately trees in the woods. There are many beds of black flate and marble, much dammeiy fwallow {biche de mer), for the China market ; and edible birds ncfts, I am told, are found in plenty amongft the Aladine Iflands. There is every where much coral rock fit for burning into lime. But it may be faid, " To what purpofe trade in thefe bulky articles ? There is no profit by dealing in coco-nuts, timber, date, ftone, and lime." Poflibly our anceftors faid fo of coal. The Spaniards certainly argued thus when the precious metals were brought firft from America to Europe, thinking thcmfelves happy in proportion to their value, combined with cafy carriage ; and ( vn* ) and poflibly, if it is true what is faid of "the navigation laws they mean to make, they now fee their miftake. It alfo may be faid, the Eaft India country fhips will not be able to fave failing charges. Here I muft obferve that, in India, veflels fitted out and failed by natives alone, fail at a much lefs expence, even lefs than one half of what they do when fitted by Europeans, although failed by an Indian crew ; fuch is their frugal management : and, amongft thefe iflands, the Lafcars could nearly maintain themfelves with fifhing, from incxhauftible flores ; and find many articles to fill up their veffcls, that Europeans would never think of; therefore, being encouraged, would much increafe our Indian failors. A fleet of Chips can get from Haftings Bay to Madras, when no fhips can get to Madras from Trincomaly, in December : this is furcly a great advantage. I conflder alfo St. Matthew as being-healthier than Trincomaly; there being no very high mountains to flop the circulation of air, and cauie violent heats, as I am told there often are found at Trincomaly. As the weft coaft of the Bay of Bengal is inhofpitable for fhip* ping, there being no harbour for large fhips, the oppofite coaft affords many excellent harbours, Arrakan, Gheduba, Nigrais, Sirian in Pegu, a harbour near Martavan, Tavay River, King's Ifland, fe-veral harbours in this archipelago not yet particularly furveyed, of which I confider Haftings Bay on St. Matthew as the capital ,onc, Junk Ceylon, Telibone, Pulo Lada, and Pulo Pinang already fettled. The two coafts differ alfo materially in many other rcfpccTs. Coromandel has no foundings about thirty miles from the fhore ; this e.aft coaft has foundings two degrees off. Coromandel is, comparatively tively fpeaking, a clear country ; this is covered with wood, Coro* mandel is often parched with heat, from winds blowing over burning finds ; this is always cool. On Coromandel the mouths of rivers are barred with fand ; here they are deep and muddy/ Coromandel has often deftructive gales; this, feldom any. Coromandel is like cultivated Europe ; this, like wild America near the fea: the firft has no precious metals; the laft produces gold, much filver, tin, wax, and precious ftones, chiefly rubies, befldes many other articles already enumerated. In another voyage I made through this ftrait, in 1784, I had an opportunity of correcting the map made in the firft ; but being bound to Rhio in the ftrait of Malacca, on particular bufinefs, I could not ft ay amongft the iflands fo long as I wiflied. In the two voyages through the ftrait, I made about forty different views of land, which I hope will in a great meafure direct the navigator through this pleafant ftrait, never before furveyed. It is about fe-ven or eight hundred miles nearly E by S of Madras; lefs than a week's fail, in the SW monfoon; and, in the NE monfoon, it may be fetched in fourteen days; becaufe, although the current fets then to the fouthward near the coaft of Coromandel, near the caftern fhore it fets to the northward, by the body of water Corning from the ftrait of Malacca out of the China feas. I have faid thefe iflands can be colonized by natives of Indoftan, whofe difcretion of character would be moft likely to afllmilate with the natives of the continent, and with whom in a ihort time they certainly would have intercourfe. The unequivocal proofs we could give both to the courts of Ava and Siam, that we did not .aim at any thing on the continent; the fight of our force, in fhips which might occaflonally touch at St. Matthew ; and the favour we might obtain from both thefe courts, by offering mediation in their quarrels, which often happen, they having been at war about C five five years ago—would imprefs high ideas not only of our power, but moderation. The commercial advantages we might by our addrefs obtain from both thefe courts, and the confequent increafe of {hipping, are furely objects of importance ; befides having a fea-port equal to any in the world, within a week's fail of Madras, in the vicinity of a country abounding with cattle and rice; and through that country, over the ifthmus of Kraw, a fpeedy inter-courfe between Bengal and China by letter, without going round the Malay peninfula, by the Malacca (trait. A very fenfible account of Pegu has lately been written by Mr. W. Hunter, who fays, " Although the natives of Pegu may once have entertained prejudices to our difadvantage, yet there is every reafon to believe that fuch an uniform moderation of conduct as has diftinguilhed the latter tranfactions of the Britifh government with the natives of India, wrould foon remove them all. The pre-fent government of Pegu exprefs the higheft refpect for the Englifh Eaft India Company : and they gave an example of it in the treatment of the Succefs Galley, the (hip Mr. Hunter was in; which, becaufe (lie was loaded on account of that company, enjoyed much greater indulgences than any other foreign veffel that ever entered the port of Rangoon* Here it is fufficient to hint that a fkilful management between the two nations that inhabit this country, the original Peguers and Birmans, might make the nation that mould undertake the office of a mediator highly refpected by both parties." What Mr. Hunter fays of the healthinefs of Pegu, even during the rains, I have heard afferted by many. V O Y- VOYAGE from BENGAL to the MERGUI ARCHIPELAGO, IN THE esther brig. Leave the Ganges—pafs the Preparis—-faw Narcondam—faw the iflands Tirres—pafs to leeward of Clara—anchor off Olive If and—faw two prows—plant various feeds of fione fruit—faw an extenfve firait to the fouthward—reference to land views—Marble Harbour—Garden Iflands—Eafll Foreland—South Foreland—Stables Strait—Wheeler s Strait—Wefminfler Hall, Lord Loughborough's Ifland—Sir John Macpherfotis Strait—Sir Jofepb Banks's If and—Sir William James's Ifland, or Sufannah—Bonnet Iflands—Alderfey's Strait—large and fmall oyflers—Flat If and—Dommel If and—Ifland St. Matthew— Nine Pins, Naked Hump, and Needle Rocks—Various fmall iflands, named from their apparent ffape and relative filiation—Five Iflands— Coafl of Mergui—Aladine Iflands—Lord Macartney's Bay—Haftings's Bay—Fiftj Harbour—fuppofed harbour on the main—Alexander s Peak—Sayer Iflands—Junk Ceylon—-Pulo Rajah—fail for %ueda ; account of it and Pulo Pinang. I783. TlIE pilot having been fent on board a fnow that was palling, ur% June i4th. by out* own boat, at 2 PM we anchored on the Bajiern Sea Reef, at the mouth of the Ganges, in 10 fathoms, find. At to weighed with the ebb tide, and lay up SSE before noon : made a SE courfe 45 miles. 15th. The firft part moderate, the latter hard fqualls with rain, thunder and lightning : our courfe to-day was SE by E 70 miles : had no obfervation. c 2 Southerly Monday June 16th. Southerly winds moflly, with calms : made an ESE courfe, and run 40 miles. tfth. Much rain and many fqualls from the fouthward: towards noon calm, had a great fwcll ; courfe SE 30'. 18th. Variable winds and calms, the fea much fallen: dried our fparc fails, and many other things, that had got wet and mouldy by the late damp weather. To-day many lharks were about the fhip ; hitherto have had no obfervation to be depended on; to-day found we were in 180 38'. Our meridian diflance from the Fairway being 19th. Variable winds, with fqually weather and rain: run only 57 miles. 20th. Frefh gales and dark cloudy weather: ran 79/, on different courfes, moflly SE ; had no obfervation. 21ft. Frefh breezes and fair weather the firft part; from midnight the wind increafed to a very frefh gale; lay-to 3 hours in the night, wind at fouth; had no obfervation. 22d. Frefh gales at SSW, lay up SE ; to-day our meridian diflance from the Fairway was 30 12', our lat. i6°47/ by a good obfervation, 33d. Moderate weather, ran SE by S 96 miles ; lat. 15° 43'. 24th, Moderate weather, lay up fouth, wind WSW ; at night lay-to fome time, on account of the Preparis Rocks. At day-light faw them to leeward. At noon our latitude was 140 40'. The N end of Preparis bearing . . . . NE|E 10' A rock A in one, with a jpot of fand above water , ENE 6' by eftimation and C 3- ) and (wo ijlots, disjunft from the main i/Ja/ut, bearing when in one .... NE by N Sec View letter C, where the ijlots are open. I find no current in my run from the EaJlern Sea-Reef, making the Preparis lie 40 30' E of it ; the run not to be depended on. Wednefday June 25th, Frefh breezes and cloudy weather. Saw Narcondam ; it makes like a cone, with the top obliquely cut off, bearing S, At noon it bore S by W S leagues. 26th. Frefh breezes from the SW, with rain ; lay up SE ; loft fight of Narcondam. • • e 27th. Frefh gales from the SW, with heavy fqualls and rain ; it fome-times lhifted to the NW, and blew hard, then lulled and blew hard again in fqualls. We were often obliged to run E and ESE, under main and fore flay-fails, as there ran a great fea. 28th. Hard fqualls from the SW to the NW, and heavy rain. At 8 PM lay-to under main and fore ftay-fails. At 8 AM made fail ; had no obfervation. 29th. Hard fqualls from the SW, and heavy rain. At 6 PM lay-to under main and fore ftay-fails, at night under bare poles. At 4 AM hauled the fore ftay-fail down ; juft after fetting it battened down the hutches, there being a great confufed fea. At II AM made fail, (landing Weft, wind at South.. Heavy Monday June 30th. Heavy fqualls, with much rain ; in the afternoon we were under a fore ftay-faii only ; towards noon more moderate, lay up SE. Lat. iir 9 N. July ift. Squally, with heavy rain : about midnight handed all our fails but main and fore ftay-fails. At I iet them again. At 2 was obliged to lay-to as before, under main and fore ftay-fail. At 5 it was moderate : made fail to the SE, wind at SW by S. At noon faw the ifland Tores bearing E 5 or 6 leagues off. No obfervation. 2d. Squally rainy weather ; lay up SSE ; the wind came fometimes to Weft for half an hour, then came again a-hcad. At 5 PM it clearing up, faw the ifland Clara bearing SE; ftood off all night ; in the morning could not fetch in with /V, as 1 pro-pofed to anchor under its lee ; brought it however to bear SW about 9 in the morning ; we then had 29 fathoms, fandy ground; bore away NE, along the coaft of a large ifland, that lies in a direction pretty near NNE and SSW, between the ifland Clara and the main land of Tannaferim; at the N extremity is a fmall if and, with a rock,t like a Malay prow under fail, clofe to if. Luffed up clofe to it in 15 fathoms, fandy ground. It then bore SW ; before noon we anchored in 15 fathoms, mud; further 011 behind another fmall ifland. Coming thus far from near Clara we had gradual foundings, fandy ground, fometimes with mud mixt, from 29 to 15 fathoms. A fhip could very well have anchored in with Clara bearing SW, and be flickered from the fwell. 3d. Squally rainy weather until morning; then fine weather. Shifted farther in, to 7 fathoms, muddy bottom. At ( s ) At noon had a fevcre fquall, with rain as ufual : fhiftcd farther in, to 4 fathoms, muddy bottom ; lay here until the 13th, having moflly fqually weather, but the fqualls were of fhort continuance, with fair intervals, cool and pleaiant, with a clouded iky; whilft without there was all the appearance of flrong gales and much rain ; but I flill expected, as the vefJel was flrong and tight, having, hitherto, though often in very bad weather, made no water, to be able to get to the fouthward and weftward, to profecute my voyage, and hoped to have the fame fmooth water under the lee of the Great Andaman as I found under this large ifland near which we lay (clofe to a fmall one), to the eaftward of which I could, at a diflance, fee what I took for the main land of Mergui. Friday 11 th. Saw to-day 2 prows under fail, to the eaftward of us; they fleered NE, being about 6 miles diftant. I gave the name of Olive Ifland to that near which we lay. 7/ is hardly a mile round, with choice of timber trees, has fre/Jj water and 2. fine foil, upon ftrata of marble and black flate, clofe to 4 fathoms fmooth water : we planted here feveral peach fiones, from Bengal ; alfo Mango fiones; and named it from the fruit we found there, both green and black, being the true olive; the long ifland I called Sulivan s Ifland, 13th. Tried with the tide to get to the weftward, but was obliged to return, as the ticks are only felt clofe to the land. It flows here full and change about 1 o'clock, and the fpring tides rife about 10 feet perpendicular. The latitude of Olive IJland is ii°2o'N. Near Olive IJland is 2*. fmall if and, which I call Rat Ifland ; there is a narrow flrait between them, with 4 fathoms water. W by N of Olive Ifland, half a league, is Button IJland, fo called from its fhape ; and further to the WNW is Two-Bill Ifland, about the fame diflance as this laft mentioned ; near it is the remarkable rock like -àprow under fail already fpoken of. South from Olive Ifland about 3 miles, is a fmall fiuallow bay, where we found an old canoe, and feveral other marks of people that had been there, plenty of timber, ftore 8 of July. of bamboos, and gûodwater. Took in marble ballad:, pebbles from two to fix pound weight, generally white, fome white with red ftreaks, fome white and blue. Seeing an extenfjvc coaû towards the SSE, and hoping to make difcovcries of greater importance than I at firft expected that way, as the tides were regular, running along ihore about $ per hour, on the fprings, and defpairing of getting to the weftward, where I was certain of a foul wind, and no tide, unlefs I kept on the weather fide of the Great Xjland, a thing impoffible ; for thefe rcafons I re-foived to go within, where there was a weather ihore, anchoring ground, regular tides, and a wide channel. But, before I proceed, I muft refer the reader back to certain views of land already taken, which, as the elevation of a houle ought to correfpond with the plan, thefe views will, 1 hope, be found to correfpond with the map. Letters B and C give two views of the Preparis Iflands, the firft land I made ; letter A is a view of the Cocos, fouth of the Preparis, taken whilft on another voyage; this time I did not fee them, falling to leeward. No. t gives Clara Ifland (fee the common Directory), fome rocky iflots near it, and fome other iflands that lay ESE of it. No. 2 is Sulivan s IJland, feen from between Clara and it, from 25 fathoms, /and and mud; with another view of Clara, marked alfo No. 2; and here I muftobferve, that in thefe views, when there are two or three numbered alike, it fignifies that they were feen at the fame time, or from the fame {pot. No. 3 is Narcondam, having all the appearance of an old volcano. No. 4 fhews Rat Ifland, Two-Hill IJland, Button IJland, and Olive IJland, from clofe to one of the Dolphin Iflands; alfo what I call the Cap, being like a jockeys cap a good way off, but which is not in the map, its true diftance being unknown. No. 5 fhews the Dolphin Iflands, from near to Breaker I/land. At the fame time a remarkable Jaddle on Sulivan s IJland bears SWiW i accordingly, it is alfo numbered 5. No. 6 No. 6 (hews the £3/? Foreland, and the A/W far to the fouthward of it, alfo fome fmall iflands ; and No. 8 the fame foreland, with feveral other iflands, fpecified in the View to the northward of it. No. 7, rather irregularly placed, being taken when I attempted to go out, but returned on the 13th, as has been laid, lliews part of Olive Ifland, the Button, and Two-Hill Ifland. I now go back to Olive Ifland, near which, in No. 9 [Jockey Cap being Hurt out of the View behind the N point of the i(land), another high ifland, like Clara in height, appears bearing NE by E'E, whilft .the main is feen far off. No. 10 fhews the entrance of a harbour, which I call Marble Harbour, and the ifland that forms it Marble Ifland, from the quantity of that ftone I found there. All along, from Clara hitherto, the navigation muft be fafe, cfpccially in the SW monfoon ; during the NE monfoon, the weather muft be fine, confeqnently the navigation both fafe and agree-able. The large ifland Sulivan keeps off the SW blafts ; and, as I have faid, it is often fair without hot fun-fhine, which makes it pleafant; and it feems to be a fine climate, and favourable to vegetation. In the View, No. 10, the land bearing SE by E muft be the main land, being the lame diftant land that is feen in No. 9; feveral low iflands alfo appear in No. 10, to which I give the name of Garden Iflands, having found wild plantains and other fruits upon them ; they arc reprefented in No. 6. Before I got thus far, we paffed within Ha If-Moon-Shoal ; it is covered at high water ; here is depth for any lhip within it ; we alio paffed the Eaft Foreland* See Views, No. 5 and 6. July iC-Ji. On the 16th we were off Marble Harbour, in to fathoms, mud: here we anchored, and fent the boat to furvey it; but bad weather D coming 1783. coming on, fhe foon returned, having donc but little ; however fhe found nfpit of'fond run off from the point I call Stony Point, with 2 fathoms water on it, and 4 fathoms within it, muddy ground. On the 17th it blew very frefh, with heavy rain; the water being fmooth, we rode faff with half a cable in 6 fathoms, near the fliore, the Eaft Foreland bearing NW by N. On the 18th we paffed Flat Bay, where there is 2 fathoms water, at near a mile from the ihore. July 19th. On the 19th, patTed the fouth extremity of Sulivan1 s I/land, lying in about io° 48' N latitude, which makes it 20 miles in length from N to S. I am pretty certain it is not above 20 in breadth. Its fouth extreme I call the South Foreland, where there is a narrow, but feemingly hold, ftrait, that feparates it from Eyles If and; I call, it Whelers Strait : three iflots, like buttons, lie in the fair way; fome iflands, from 6 to 10 miles round, appear to the weftward through this ftrait. Eyles Ifland is 3 or 4 miles in length from north to. fouth, but narrow from eaft to weft ; it bounds Whelers Strait to the fouthward: to the fouthward of //, is Forfler's Ifland, round in ihape, and 2 or 3 miles in compafs ; then appear four iflots, in the pafiage between it and Steep Ifland, with bold channels; here the food fets from the weftward pretty flrong. jid. On the 22d we paffed by Stable's Strait, leaving it on the right hand, where the two fmall but high iflands, called the Sugar Loaf and Saucer, arc remarkable; alfo JVeJlm'mJler Hall, near Steep Ifland. ' See the Flews No. II, 12, and 13. In No. 12 a large ifland appears at a diflance ; I call it Lord Loughborough's Ifland. „„d4 On the 23d wc were abreaft of Macphcrfon's Strait, through which Lord Loughborough's Ifland again appears, between James's Ifland 011 one hand, and Banks s Ifland on the other. In this View, No. 14, the Cannifter, at the north end of James's Ifland (probably SufannalJ), is remarkable, with fome dangerous looking rocks near it, above water. I had i had forgot to fay, that abreaft of Steep IJland, to the eaftward, are fome overfalls ; and i wifh to obferve that large fhips navigating here, at lcaft until this wide ftrait is better known, ihould have their boats out. i do not pretend to have furveyed but where foundings are marked; whilft the (hip is at anchor, the boats can all be ufefully and pleaiantly employed in hauling the feine, wooding, &c. We come now to fames s If and (SufannalJ), about the height of Clara, and twice as large : eaft of the fouth part are fome overfalls; a league off, within a mile of it, is a Jhoal of fund and rocks, covered at high water ; there may be other dangers. July 24th. On the 24th, after heavy fqualls of rain, had a light breeze from the eaftward, with which i flood towards an ifland to the fouthward, which i call Flat If and ; anchored near a little button ifland, that lies clofe to its eaftern point, in 6 fathoms water. Saw a deal of fea weeds clofe to us in 2 fathoms water, fprouting from loofefones ; we therefore weighed and ftood round this button rock, leaving it on the left hand, and anchored abreaft of F"lat IJland'in 9 fathoms, mud: fee View, No. 15. The Bonnet Iflands near which we lay, of which there are five, are remarkable: the tide fets flrong between them, through Alder-fey s Strait ; the flood from the weftward, the ebb to the fouthward. Here, between the 3d and 4th Bonnets, which lie clofe together, we found abundance of large clam (ficalloped) oyflers, about the fize of a man's hand, fome with red rows, at low water, fpring tides; and fmall ones at all times. On full and change it is high water here at 12 o'clock, the tide rifing about 11 feet perpendicular. We lay here until the ift of Auguft, having frefti gales from the SW, but little rain. We could fee, what i took to be, Dommel IJland, mentioned in the Directory, bearing NE. Flat Ifiand extends only from E to W about one mile and half. We fent the boat on Ihore frequently, and planted peach and mango D 2 fionesi fortes, and othcvfirds. Wc alfo eroded it, and found various fruits, the St. Helena yam, called by the Malays clody, a kind of red berry agreeable to eat, wild plantain, bamboos, rattans, and tall timber trees, growing in abundance ; here is alio good frefis water, iifuing from a rocky .eminence, about the middle of the north coaft of the ijland,. near the rocky but inn already mentioned : fee View, No. 15. The foil is various, black mould and clay, mixed with fand : altogether I take it to be very healthy : good water, 110 fwamps, and well ventilated at all times. > Was a fhip in diftrefs to run behind this archipelago, where on every ifland mails may be cut, I would recommend this ifla?id, to fend their fick upon; the oytiers at the Bonnet I/lands are in great plenty, and plenty of fifh to be caught by hook or feine. We alfo went upon James's IJland {Sujawuih), where are remarkable large trees: there we law many prints of the feet of wild hogs or deer. July 29th. On the 29th, wc could perceive the filial already mentioned, to the fouthward of where wc lay, dry For the extent of half a mile. I call it Bowcns Shoal, from Mr. Bowen, my fécond officer, who firft diicovered it. Auguft ift. On Saturday, the ift Auguft, we weighed with the ebb tide, and worked between Flat IJland and Saddle IJland: faw the large Ifland St. Mattlww far off, bearing fouth. A little to the SW of Shaggy Rock, which lies SE of Flat Ifland a fhort mile, in working, wc fucldcnly fell from 10 to 6 fathoms, in afitrcng race of a tide, with breakers: immediately tacked, worked on, and pafled the Nine-pins, the Naked Hump, and the Needles. See Viezvs, No. 15 and 17. At i paft 5, being about 2 miles weft of Cat.Ifland, the fea open to the weftward, we had a mod fevere fquall from that quarter, which obliged us to run under a fore-fail clued up, behind a.little button' [jht, which I call the Kitten, clofe to Cat Ifland; and, juft before dark, anchored with great fatisfaclion behind Cat IJland m 10. fathoms, fathoms, the fea breaking over the Needle Rocks with great violence : our fhelter was but indifferent. Auguft 2d. Next day, with the tide of ebb fetting fouthward, we worked up towards Pine-tree IJland. At 7 in the evening anchored in 18 fathoms, mud; weighed in the morning. 3d, At day-light worked up, and anchored in 13 fathoms, mud, one mile and a half from the ijland, its main body bearing SSW : fent the boat on more ; faw on the land the print of the claw foot of an animal pretty large. Tliis ijland is lower than Plat IJland. NW of it, and near it, is a dangerous Jboai't off the wreft end of it, and, I believe, joining to the ■faid dangerousJhoal, is a reef of rocks, on which are two large fionesy vifible at a man inhabitant. ioth. On the 10th, though there was a great fea without, we heeled and fcrubbcd the veflel's bottom, very full of barnacles. i2tb. At 8 AM of Wednefday 12th of Auguft, we weighed and worked out, within Saddle IJland, and paffed near the Naked Hump. At noon, the wind having favoured us, we were again off the eaftward of Pine-tree IJland, within a quarter of a mile of the fhorc, in 12 fathoms, mud: faw theJhoal to the SW of the IJland, and ran over part of it, in 4 fathoms, find; faw alio dry, the reef of rocks to the weft of the ijland, with the two centinels, which have been already mentioned. Stood on with the wind at WrSW, and ftemmed the flood. At i PM, falling little wind, we anchored. ,3th. Next day, the 13th, at \- paft i PM, wc paffed clofe to the eafl-end of the 5J5 Hump, where there is on the NE part of that HiiU Ifland, a beautiful fpot of green grafs, clofe to a large bank of bright land, in which feveral pofts were ftuck, as moorings for prowrs, &c. that had been there; w^c found the lame at Plat Ifland: within mufquet (hot of this green fpot wc had 13 fathoms, mud. Stood on> clofe to the wind, S by E and SSE, in 15 fathoms water, fift ground, and paffed within one mile of the S Hump. At 4 PM anchored in 14 fathoms water, the Ragged Helmet and S Hump in one bearing NW : perceived many J mall iflands, near tho main. ( H ) main land* bearing ESÈ ; frefh wafer, dificokuring the fea, came from amongft them, indicating rivers that way. From where wc lay, the Five Iflands, in a line nearly, bore NUE; and a high ridge, or rather promontory, on St. Matthew, bore SSW. I now beg leave to remark—Amongfl: a multiplicity of iflands, to which, in order to fpeak with precifion, it is neceflary to give names, I have endeavoured, be fides naming many in remembrance of friends whom 1 honour and reïpect, to call others according to flriiing appearances and figures : fo the NIV, SE, and S Humps are expreflive of their refpectivc relative fituations; and all three, as appear in the Views, are in figure much alike. But what I mean by a hump, alluding to what grows on the fhouldcn of Sur at oxen, may only properly be called fo, when the ifland is feen in a certain attitude; in other attitudes the lame ifland may, with equal propriety, be called the Sugar Loaf, the Cannifler, Sec. as the out-///^continually differs. The three foremcntioned Humps are very fimi-lar in fize, and fhape, and height. Cat Island looks like a cat fiquatted, in No. 15, 17, and 18; in No. 16 it is hid by Saddle IJland: the Naked Hump, in No. 15, 16 and 17, where it appears twice, has not a tree upon if ; fome of the Bonnets appear in No. 11, far off; they all appear in No. 15, being five in number ; North IVeJi Hump, and Shaggy Rock (this la ft I have great reafon to remember), appear in No. 16; the Ragged Helmet, S Hump, and NIV Hump appear in No. 2t, whilft the SE Hump is hid behind one of the Five Iflands; the Ragged Helmet, S Hump, ATV Hump, and SE Humps appear in No. 23 : the Five IJlands are given in three attitudes ; No. 20, 21, and letter x : in No. 16, is a conjectural plan of them ; they arc alfo feen afar off in No. 18 and 19; they are feemingly bold too, rugged and rocky. It is unneceffary for me to fay that in No. 18 St. Matthew s appears beyond Pint Island, &c. All this appears obvioufly from the Views; without which, and the correfpond in g map, this account can be of httlc ufc or entertainment. One thing I am happy to reflect on : on : my endeavour to make the views correfpond with the map, has rid me of a load of deficription, which is always tedious, and often ob-fcure ; and I hope, from my firft making Clara Island, that the reader will be able to travel with me, with farisfaclion and perfpi-cuity, having thefe two forementioned helps before him. Being now near the coaft of Mergui, I obferved that it trends to the weftward of fouth, much more than is laid down in the maps extant concerning it* On the 14th had moderate weather ; flood to the fouthward tilt 3 PM, then tacked and flood towards *S/. Matthew's. Sun-fct anchored in 15 4 fathoms, foft ground ; The Ragged Helmet bearing.....N£W. At 5 AM weighed, wind W by S ; but the tide turning againft us, anchored in 18 fathoms, mud; Ragged Helmet Ifland bearing .... NIE, at a good diflance; The Dolphin's Nc/e......W} The White Rock, which before appeared like a boat under fail, bore . . ,.....NWbyW: here we loft a» anchor. Sent the boat to a fine bay, W of the Dolphin s Nofie; I call it Fiji) Harbour-, it reaches a good way into the ifland, is fhallow, except at the mouth, where are 4 fathoms water, foft ground. On the 15th, weighed and flood to the fouthward. Difcovered on the SE quarter of the Island St. Matthew, certain high rocky islands, their fides making in bold forelands (very like thofe I once faw off .Ef 'bé Harbour N of Ceram). One of the higheft I call the Cupola Rock, from its having like a turret a-top, when feen in a certain attitude : the wind was moflly SW ; I did not find the tide fet fo ftrong as 1 expected. At 5 in the evening a fquall coming on, anchored jn 15 fathoms, foft ground; Tfce Cupola JRêci bearing.....SW^S, E The ( x6 ) The Dolphin's Nofe , , „ N 6 or 7 miles, being 4 or 5 miles off ffiorc. Sec Flews, No, 25, 26, 27, 28. Lay at anchor until one in the morning, then weighed with the wind at SW by S. At 6 anchored in 18 fathoms, 76// ground y. The C»/0/a bearing.....SW by S, The Dolphin's Nofe NNE. The nearer St. Matthew we found the deeper water, but all foft muct9 no hard carts, not even fandy had frequent fqualls with rain in the night. On the 16th, weighed with the ebb, PM, and worked to the fouthward of the Cupola, bringing it to bear N 4 or 5 miles diflant;, anchored again in 18 fathoms, mud. At 2 AM weighed with the wind at S, made feveral tacks, but gained little, as a fwell now came round the fouth end of St. Mat* thew's; anchored at 7 AM in 18 fathoms, foft ground, the Cupola Rock being in one with St. Matthew—fee the Views, No. 27, 29, 31 ; we were now in fight of the Islands Aladine ; fee the Directory ; they lie from 90 5' to 90 4c/ N latitude, in a N and S direction. A great fea coming in from the SW, with threatening weather and much rain, fearing the lofs of another anchor, as our cables in ufe were by this time pretty much worn, we weighed on the 17th; at half an hour pail noon, flood to the northward of the Cupola Rock, and hauled in clofe to 67. Matthew, which we coafted ; and, juft before dark, anchored behind Tongue Island, in 10 fathoms, mud, about half a mile from the ihore. The high land of St. Matthew bore now W of us, being clofe under it : dark thick clouds gathering upon it, about midnight they broke upon us, with a very heavy fquall, which made the veffel drive a good way out of the bay, nothing but the feverity of the wind made us drive, as the water was perfectly fmooth : weighed in the morning of the i8th, and anchored again in the bay, in 12 fathoms* Auguft 18th. thorns, muddy ground; fent the boat for water to a fort of cafcadc, bearing NW of where we lay, near which, on a fpot of level ground further north, the Lafcars found fome frefh dung of elephants, and brought it on board ; but we faw none, nor any other animal ; but faw the prints of the feet of hogs or deer. In this hayy fo near the highefi land of St. Matthew, we had almoft continual rain; fometimes fhowers, fo thick that at a diflance they looked like fheets of water, came down, and fell near us; fometimes were drove pad ; and now and then fell upon us in very-heavy rain, for 3 or 4 minutes ; but no alternate hot funfhine, as in fome parts of the Weft-Indies, which would have been very dif-agreeable, the fun feldom appearing. Here we took in fome flotte ballaft; and on St. Matthew picked up a parcel of dammer, a fort of refin with which in India (hips bottoms are generally payed. This island, which I call Tongue island from its figure, may be about 1 mile in length ; its north coaft and eaft point are bold ; any fhips may lie clofe within it; and in the SW monfoon might heave down, it is fo fmooth ; by heaping up loofe rocks, to make it dry at high water, at the edge of deep water ; the bay it forms I call Macartney s Bay ; it is, like moft of the islands hereabout, almoft entirely covered with trees ; the eaft point is partly clear, being covered over with trees for a very little way, and may be approached within piftol-fhot: fee View, No. 26 and 32. On the weft extremity the wood is thin, and the ground gently rifing; here is a ftrait, a muf-quet fhot acrofs, paffable by boats only, the channel rocky ; on the iprings the tide rifes about 10 feet, running three and four knots paft the eaft point of the ifland ; the height of the higheft land on St. Matthews hereabouts may be about 1200 yards. ioth. Until the acth we had not an opportunity to get our fails dried* On that day at 6 in the morning we weighed, and bore away for the Dolphins Nofe, intending to go into Fifo Harbour near it, of which mention has been made, until the weather broke up. On ( i8 ) Auguft S2d. On the 2 2d unexpectedly we had fine clear weather, wind ESE. Stood S. At 7 AM The Dolphin's Nofe bore . . . NbyW. Before noon the wind came to the SSW; but, the weather being very clear and fine, gave up thoughts of a harbour, and flood towards the main, to windward of Two-Saddle Island. As I approached 23d. the main, the wind came more favourable ; and about 5 afternoon, anchored between the faid Two-Saddle Island and that next fouth of it, which I call Delisles Island, in 7 fathoms, fandy ground ; The extremes of land in fight'bearing from N£E to SWbyS.. Tllefe two islands, juft mentioned, formed the opening of feem-ingly a very fine harbour with many islands ; but at its entrance I found fome overfalls, of 2 and 3 fathoms at a caflj but not rocky grounds. See Views, No. 36 and 37. From where wc lay Tim-Dalpbi^s Nofeboro- .- . NNWJW,-. And the Cupola Rock - .... WJN. . At 6 next morning, weighed with a light breeze at SSW, and flood on with the ebb tide; about 8 unexpectedly it came to blow 24th. from the SW, with rainy fqualls : bore away for the Dolphins Nofe ; and at 4 pm of the 24th anchored in 3 fathoms, mud, in Fifij Har* hour ; The White Rock bearing E by N about £ mile. Returning from Delisle s Island this way, I regretted I had not ycflerday flood behind that island, where aifuredly there was fhel-ter; it was not now prudent to go back with threatening weather, whilft 1 knew where I could- be perfectly fecure, in a harbour better known. The defire of vifiting the unknown is often very flrong; and I thought it now time loft to return where I had been before: yet to my being baulked this time, I owe the fortunate difcovery of one of the fineft harbours in the world% which before I had overlooked, looked, palling this way; for I took that part of St. Matthew which forms the harbour for afieparate island. Auguft 25th, On the 25th Auguft, whilft on board of the veffel they were va-rioufly employed in mending rigging, fails, &c. I went in the boat into Ha/lings*s Harbour, where I found regular foundings, foft ground, from 5 to 10 fathoms. 7/ is about 4 miles in length and 3 in breadth ; is fheltered by St. Matthew's Island, that inclofes it for 3 quarters of the compafs ; and feveral islands perfectly (hut it up on the fourth quarter, the NE, from all winds. The flood fets from the weftward round Bengal Point, and the bay being full, much of the contents fet eaft, on the ebb, between Haftings's Island and the White Rock ; then NNE, as marked in the chart ; whilft a counter tide fets regular, the flood to the northward, and the ebb to the fouthward, next the ifland north of St. Matthew. Here the fpring tides lift II foot perpendicular; they are not violent, running only 3 and 31 knots; and it is high water at full and -change at aboutir -o'clock.. From on board the veflel in Fifo Bay, we at night heard the noife of fome large animal on St. Matthew : it was a hoarfe roar, at a great diflance in the woods ; the Lafcars faid it was a tiger. About a mile from the White Rock, SW, within Ffh Harbour, there is a fiat rock, dryathigh water, with fini pes -and other aquatic birds frequenting it; it has 3 fathoms, foft ground, clofe to it. Here a fhip with fafety might heave down, better than at Tongue Island, before hinted'at; the fhip's lumber being on the rock, where there is room enough. 27th. We- left Fjfij Harbour on the.27th at night, having employed the 26th in fiihing. With a good feine, .we could have caught great quantities in the upper fhallow creeks, but we were badly provided in that article ; finding the tider when the Dolphin'* Nofe bore SW by S, fet NNE, we anchored in 15 fathoms, mud; it continued running to the NNE many hours : weighing anchor, and running towards Mar well's Island, 1 found an oppofite tide fet fouth. Having paffed Barwe/Fs..: 1783, BarweWs Island, we worked clofe to Horfe-Jhoe Island, where in the little bay there is good water. Afterwards, working to the fouthward (for the NNE almoft perpetual ftream, of which at night I was not fufticiently aware, had made us lofe ground), we went over a Jkoal of coral rocks, on which we had only 2 fathoms. It lies off the SE part of Haflingss Island ; and near it, clofe without it, had 5 fathoms, yà/?, then 6, 7, 8 and 10 fathoms, mud; all is clear to the E and SE of the faid Jljoal, except the White Rock, which is feven feet high at leaft, even at high water, and bold within piftol-fhot. The float, near Haftings's Island, of coral rocks, I call Browns Shoal, from Mr. Francis Brown, my firft officer, who faw it firft ; it is but fmall, though dangerous: there may be other paffages into this harbour, but I acknowledge I have not examined them: one thing may be depended on; there is anchoring ground, though deep, 40 to 50 fathoms, without St. Matthew : this I found in a former voyage, and it agrees with what I have heard. This circumftancc of anchoring ground without, makes the approaching this archipelago the fafer. Auguft 28th. On the 28th, had the wind from SE, worked to the fouthward, along the coaft of St. Matthew. 25th. On the 29th, the wind came again to the SSW, but the weather was moderate. At 6 in the evening anchored in 15 fathoms, mud ; The Dolphin's Nofe bearing . . ; N and Tongue Ifland , . » m . W£S. On the 30th, had fine weather, with the wind at S by W ; worked to windward, with the ebb tide. At -J paft 6 PM, the flood coming in from the fouthward, anchored in 18 fathoms, mud; Tongue //land bearing , The Cupola Rock bearing . 4 NbyW W dift* 4 miles. At ( ai ) At i in the morning, weighed with the tide of ebb, having light airs from the SSW. At i pad 6 anchored in 18 fathoms, mud ; The Cupola Rock bearing .... NW, and The Cock's-comb Rock bearing . . . W 7 or 8 miles. Weighed again at it, and at noon : DeliJIe's Harbour bore . « ENE The Cocks-comb Rocks . « . • W by N, having then 17 fa* thorns, /and. Until funfet of the 31ft of Auguft, we had a moderate breeze Auguft 31ft. from the weftward : the Dolphins Nofe from our deck was then juft out of fight, bearing NiE, and Alexander's IJland, the fouthmoft of the Aladincs, bore W S W, depth 13 fathoms, /and awàmud. Lying up SW, wind WNW, At 8 PM, had light airs and calms, with dark clouds gathering in the NW quarter y anchored in 13 fathoms, fand, the tide being againft us. Sept. ift. At 3 in the morning, with a frefh breeze from the weftward, and fome rain, weighed and flood to the fouthward into 11 fathoms, mud and find; we then tacked and flood to the weft-Ward ; and at 8, finding the tide done, anchored in 14 fathoms, fond; The Cupola Rock bearing . . . NbyEJ-E, The Peak on sl/cxant/er's I/land . , SW, about 12 miles off; fine moderate weather, wind SW. At noon of the ift, weighed with the wind at SSW, and flood to the eaftward, into io fathoms, find, about 5 or 6 miles from the fhore. E of us lay a group of four islands : three of them, pretty high, I call the Three Sugar-haves. At funfet the wind enabled us to lie up S and SSW* Stood Stood on till 8; then finding the tide fet NE, anchored in 8 fathoms, fond. In the morning there appeared a long pleafant island, with no hills, but gentle rifings ; 1 call it Kebles Island; its extremes bore from S by E to E ; to the northward of it is a hummock island, with a white rock disjunct from it a fhort mile: fee View, No. 40, where, to the left, two of the Sugar Loaves already mentioned appear pretty clofe together. At the extreme of the View No. 40 appears a diflant remarkable peak ; the fame Sugar Loaves appear in No. 38, where poflibly what I call the Shoulder in No. 38 is the àiftant remarkable peak in No. 40 (y). There is a great refemblance between the White Rock in No. 40, when feen at a diflance, and that whicH lies at the mouth of Fiji) Harbour : fee Views, No. 26 and 33. To the eaftward of Hays Island, near which the White Rock lies, there is a deep bay, extending for 8 or 10 miles by computation. Sept. 2d. Kept working to the fouthward, with moderate weather, taking advantage of the tide. At funfet of Wednefday the 2d September we were in 9 fathoms, fond; The extremes of KzbWs IJland bearing . S. Alexander IJland .... W|N. I fufpeel that what I lay down as one island with that name, having a peaked hill on it, is a group of 3 or 4 iflands : if fo, there muft certainly be good roads for (hipping between them ; and doubtlefs where ail round the ground is fo good, it cannot be expected, there, to be bad. At \ paft 7 anchored in 7 fathoms, fond. At 2.in the morning weighed and worked to the fouthward, with the ebb tide ; and at 8 came to anchor in 10 fathoms ; The Peak on Alexander's IJland bearing . W by N. At anchor we could juft fee Sayer Islands. A fpirt of wind coming from the NW, at 10 AM weighed ; but in t an hour came to anchor again, in the fame depth, 10 fathoms, fond. Could fee land to the fouthward, which I take to he Junk Ceylon, called by the natives Jan Sylan. On . 3d- On Thurfday, 3d September, had variable winds from SW to WNW, with fome rain; weighed and lay up to the fouthward, fometimes SSW. At funfet The {/land I took to be one of the Sayers (a bump by itfelf ) bore WNW. At 8 we anchored in 10 fathoms, fand\ it was pretty moderate all night, with a fwell from the WSW. At 3 in the morning weighed, with the wind at weft, flood NNW, with the ebb tide under our lee ; the wind then heading us, as we wilhed, tacked and flood SW and SSW, had frelh fqualls, at times, with rain. At 8 AM, faw a fpot of breakers, extending about ' a mile; they lie diftant from the main about 3 or 4 miles, and were from the veflel 2 miles. This bank of fand or rocks (we could not diftinguifh, on which the fea broke very high) lay in a NNE and SSW direction, about I mile in length, bearing from the Hump already mentioned as being one of the Sayers, ENE. The entrance of a bay on the main bore from this float E by S, at the mouth of which is a perpendicular rock, very remarkable ; on the north fide of the entrance of this bay, the trees are as even as a clipped hedge, like the lands on Sumatra, near Lucipara, and on the fouth entrance they are gently rifing. See View, No 41. I take this bay to be near that part of the coaft, called Baniger in the Directory. Hence we could fee an Island, that is alio laid down in the Directory, about 4 leagues weft of the north part of Junk Ceylon ; it bore S by E a good way off. 4th. At funfet, Friday the 4th, the Hump already mentioned, being next fouth of Alexander s Island, bore NW by W, from 22 fathoms, fand and mud; lay up W and WNW, had much rain in the night ;l F the the wind fhifting to W by N and WNW about 1 in the morning, with frefh fqualls and a great fea, kept under courtes with the fore-top fail fometimes fet ; towards morning the wind (fill favoured us, and Ï fufpeet a current alfo ; for, at day-light I faw, with great fa-tisfaclion, the ifland mentioned, as lying off the north part of Junk Ceylon, bearing E, and the extremes of Junk Ceylon from SSEjE to NE by N, having then 32 fathoms fand and mud ; the iflands of Sayer out of fight. September 5th. On the 5th, had hard fqualls from the W and WNW, with whfch we weathered Pulo Rajah, and bore away for Queda ; found Pulo Rajah bear from Pulo Bouton NW : in the Directory it lies N by WTIW ; had a flrong current in our favour, fetting SSE, and a fliff gale at NW by W, from the fouth part of Junk Ceylon to §ueda. See Plate RY. Account of QUEDA, and the Island PULO PINANG, called PRINCE of WALES's ISLAND,—KING of PERA. $UEDJ lies in 6° io' latitude, on the eaft fide of the Bay of Bengal, at the mouth of a river that will admit of a veffel of 12 or 14 feet water, on the fprings, over the bar, which is gravel and mud. The government is monarchical, under a Malay Mahomedan prince, who, like many other Malay princes, engroffes almoft the whole foreign trade of the port, excepting that of an annual Chinefe funk, which pays a certain fum only as duty, and then has leave to trade freely with the inhabitants. This junk imports immenfe quantities of coarfe China-ware, thin iron pans, and many other articles from that country, and exports biche de mer, called fwallow, fhark's (ins, edible birds nefts, rattans, tin, rice, dammer, tortoifc-fhcll, deers fkins and finews, bullocks and buffaloes hides and horns, jerked beef, and many other coarfe articles. The town contains about 3 or 400 honfes, inhabited by Chinefe, Telingas, and Malays. The The king has given to the Englifh Pulo Pinang {Beetle-nut IJland), called Prince of Wale? s If and, about 25 miles round, and thirty miles Couth of his own port, where there is a fine harbour; which ceflion I believe he now heartily repents ; and I doubt not but he invited the Illano pirates, of the If and Mindano, who lately attacked the fettlement. Of the Illanos a particular account is given in my Voyage to New Guinea. The king's merchant and minifter, in 1783, was named Jcmmal, a keen Chulia. At %ueda there is great plenty of rice, bullocks, buffaloes, and poultry ; but not fuch abundance of fruit and vegetables as at Atcheen, of which place more will be faid hereafter* $>ueda is a flat country, favourable for the cultivation of rice; a hill, north of the town and inland, called the Elephant, favours the navigator's approach ; alfo the fmall iflands called Peers, 10 miles weft of the bar, covered with trees, and good regular mud foundings a great way off, even by night, indicate the diflance to the mariner. Pub Pinang has plains and gently-rifing hills, with a good foil, and was formerly inhabited, as we may judge by the names of places faid to exift in thofe days; but of which no veflige now remains, except perhaps fome fruit trees, Bat00 fringey, Tellu batang, Sungy pinang, Tellu kumbock, Tellu he lappas, and Sungy karuang. The ifland produces tin, dammer, rattans, poon-mafts, various kinds of timber fit for ihip-building, and the tree that gives an oil called karuang, good for many ufes. Our fettlement* there is governed by Captain Light, a very worthy gentleman, much beloved by the Malays ; and I dare fay it will foon be a place of great confequence and refort, as it contains at prefent many thoufand inhabitants; Chinefe from %ueda and Malacca, Telingas, Moors, and Malays. * I have learnt from Captain Anderfon of the Honourable Company's fhîp Admiral Hughes, that the climate of Pulo Pinang is found to be exceedingly cool and favourable to European vegetables, and that the fettlement thrives ; he was there in 1790. A good bullock may be had^for 8 or ro dollars. F z Abreaft Abreaft of the north part of Pinang, called Flat Pointy is the river pry, that goes about 20 miles through a flat country, with a very winding courfe, of 6 reaches or links, very like the river Forth in Scotland from Stirling to Alloa ; I once rowed up it in 1782* to where it fuddenly diminifhes to a brook. The river Pry is not fubjecl: to fvvell, as the river next north of it frequently is, called gualo Moodo ; which river going far into the country is often very rapid, and has a bad bar ; whereas Pry River, more fheltered by the IJland Pinang, has a mud bar, with 12 or 13 feet water on the fprings, is never rapid, and has about 3 fathoms depth up to near its diminutive fource. Frefh water may be had feveral miles above the bar, according to the time of tide ; and it is faid to have a crofs creek communication xnthQualo Moodo river. Pulo Pinang abounds with excellent fifth, generally of the flat kind; and where frefh brooks run into the fea from the ifland or main land, oyfters are found in abundance, where the * To do juftice to the character of the late Governor General of India, who managed our affairs in that country with fuch confummate wifdom and policy, and who, though furrounded with an hoft of foes, afiifted by the French and Dutch, and encompaffed with dangers from every quarter, which threatened the extirpation of the Britifh nation from Jndojtan, yet rofe fuperior to them all, and by his wonderful exertions faved that empire— to do juftice, I fay, to the character of Mr. Haftings, I cannot help relating, that he fent me in a Johanna boat, her planks fewed together, but decked and rigged as a ketch, fometimes as a fhip ; being loofe, fhe failed faff, fprcading a deal of canvas for her burden, which enabled me to avoid every thing I chofe : and there were many privateers, both Dutch and French, in the Bay of Bengal at the time. My orders were to get news of the enemy. Having learnt at Queda, in December 1782, that Mr. Suffrein was at Atcheen, and was not gone to Mauritius, as was thought, I concluded he would crofs over immediately to the coaft of Coromandel; and therefore fet off and arrived at Vixagapatnam on the 20th of December, whence Claude Ruffe], Efq. the chief, communicated the intelligence both to the northward and fouthward ; and doubtlefs, the information faved many rice veffels from falling into the enemy's hands, as the French fleet did appear off Ganjam in a few days ; and pafling that way, I had very near been taken -, but my oars and water-engine faved me. Their fliot went over the veffel feveral times : in any other vefTel I muft have been taken. Having got to the Ganges, I ftopt many rice veffels from going out at a very critical time. It was in this veffel, called the Fly, that I rowed up Pry River, being chafed by a Dutch cruifer from <%ucda Road; but I difappeared prefently in the river, whilft he thought, I fuppofe, I bad gone through the ftrait between Pulo Pinang and the main land. The Fly ketch was afterwards overfet and loft at Calcutta,'A[iv\ng a north wefter, with feveral other veffels. 2 frefh frefh and fait waters mix : a delicate fmall oyftcr alfo incrufts the rocky fhores of the ifland, above low-water mark, with which a boat prefently gets a loading, like what is found in the Mergui Archipelago, at the Bonnets. The ifland is often refrefhed with cool breezes from Gunong Jerry, a high hill on the oppofite main land; whilft at ^ucda, in the months of January and February, the lands are parched for want of rain. The Boonting Iflands lie between Pulo Pinang and §ueda, and there are good mud foundings all the way. I now heard of the tragical fate of Meffrs. Overbury and Coffan, which will be hereafter related. Jemmal fpoke of it with great referve. Weft of Queda about 45' is Bafs Harbour, formed by feveral iflands, of which a plan is given, alfo of Pulo Ding-ding, and the Sambolong, or Nine [/lands. If a fhip withes to fend for water behind the Dutch ruined fort, fhe had better go into fhelter behind Ding-ding, than lie without; becaufe, at night, it often blows hard from Sumatra, during the SW monfoon : leave the Fairway Rock on the right, and anchor behind the ifland in 7 or 8 fathoms water, where fhe will lie fmooth ; mudfoundings all the way. Pulo Ding-ding and the Pulo Sambolong, Nine Iflands (there being exactly that number), lie at the entrance of Pera River. The ebb tide runs ftrong, near the mouth of the river where it narrows, efpecially after rain ; it will admit a veffel of 12 or 14 feet draught of water, but the bar requires attention, being fand only: there is but one dangerous Ihoal in the river, which is laid down in the plan : keep on its fouth fide. In other refpects, the river above this ihoal is navigable with fafety, having a continued muddy bottom and fides, up to where the Dutch have refettled their factory at Tanjong Putus (Broken Point). The country is flat, confequently favourable for the cultivation of rice, and abounds with the aneebong tree, fit for many ufes ; it gives at the head a cabbage. I carried lèverai bags of the feed to Bengal, but they did not grow, for what reafon I cannot tell. Cattle and poultry are not near fo cheap here as at $>ueda; but oyfters are to be had in quantities near the river's mouth,, mouth, and great plenty of excellent fiat nfli, as at Pinang. The Dutch contract: with the king for all the tin, at 10 Spanifh dollars per pecul ; but much of it is fmuggled to Pulo Pinang by way of Laroot and %uah Confow. Gunong ganiong (Hanging Hill) is remarkable, near Laroot river, on the bar of which is faid to be 3 fathoms water. I went up in a country covered boat from Tanjong Putus, where the veffel lay, to pay my refpecls to the king of Pera, who received me in a large upper-room houfe with great flate, having about 20 guards in the room, drelfed in black fatin garments embroidered on the bread with a golden dragon ; they wore mandarin caps, and appeared altogether in the Chinefe flyle : fome were armed with halberts, fome held pikes in their hands, and a few had mufquets without bayonets. The king made me fit on a chair before a fofa on which he fat himfelf; his courtiers, about 12 or 14 in number, all flood. After fome little converfation, the king afked me if the Dutch meant to return to Pera: Tanfwered that I believed they did; on which he looked grave: he then withdrew; and his brother entertained me with a cold collation, at which two more perfons fat down. I had prefentcd the king with two pieces of Bengal taffeta, and found, when 1 got into the boat, a large prefent of jacks, duri-ans, cuftard apples, and other fruit. I left Pera River in December 1783. Much rain fell in November. ACCOUNT ACCOUNT OF THE ISLAND JAN SYLAN. Situation—extent—name—Popra Harbour—Pulo Panjang—Strait Le-heer—Terowa Village—government—villages—population—vi/it the governor Pee-peemont—-fruits—animals—climate—opium—trade—pagoda—Tellopys—muuty catted pout—governor s monopoly of trade. TLTAVING been fent in 1784, by the Bengal government, to make a fettlement at Rhio, by the king's invitation, I learnt in my way thither, from a Malay prow at Pulo Ding-ding, where I touched for water, that the king Rajah Hadgee was (lain, at the fiege of Malacca, which place he had attacked : upon which I returned and touched at Jan Sylan. The If and Jan Sylan (called Junk Ceylon in our maps) is fitu-ated on the eafh fide of the Bay of Bengal, and is divided from the continent by a narrow ifthmus of fand about a mile in length, and half a mile in breadth, which ifthmus is covered only at high water (the tide rifing on the fprings about 10 feet), and ihuts up on the north part, an excellent haibour, called Popra*. The ifland extends from the latitude of 70 5c/ to 8° 27' N lat. and is about 40 miles long and 15 broad, lying in a direction ese and NNW, having good anchorage all round it generally on a muddy bottom. * A veffel drawing 20 feet water may get in on the fprings over a mud bar. 6 The The name Jan Sylan is a corruption from Oojong Sylan (point or promontory of Sylan), the fouth point projecting a little way into the fea ; and probably the name was given to it before it became an ifland at high water, and before it was disjoined from the continent, as it is at prefcnt : the word oojong being a Malay word figni-fying point, and the inhabitants in general fpeaking Malay, from their intercourfe with that people, had it been confidered as an ifland, the word pulo, fignifying ifland in the fame tongue, a word of eafy pronunciation, if once affixed to it, would molt probably never have left it. There are feveral fmall iflands adjacent to it, from one to fix miles in circumference ; and one beautiful ifland lies about fixteen miles eaft of it, called Pulo Panjang (Long Ifland) i it is about 23 miles long, and 8 broad, of moderate height, gently Hoping from the middle to the fea on each fide. Pulo Panjang is divided from the main by a ftrait called Callat Lehecre (Throat Strait), with 2 fathoms water in the ihalloweft part. Jan Sylan has no high hill upon it, but feveral of moderate height; and, as may be expected from its fize, no confiderable river; but feveral creeks that run to the fea, generally through flat marfhes of mangrove trees, from pleafant brooks in the interior parts ; they keeping purpofely the fkirts of the ifland in a ftate of nature, I fuppofe, to prevent invafion ; and their veffels confifl only of a few prows about the fize of Indiamen's long-boats, and fmall canoes, that End their way up thefe creeks, to the well-cultiyated plains abounding with rice fields in the middle of the ifland. Bcfidcs the harbour of Popra above-mentioned, there is another capacious harbour on the fouth,-weft part of the ifland, as the natives informed mc ; but I never was in it. The place where fhips generally anchor is in a good road, well fheltered behind a fmall itland now joined to the main illand at low water, lying in 8° 10' N lat. On the main oppofite to this ifland is a creek that leads to the village of Terowa, confining of about 80 houfes, on a plain, through through which runs a pleafant brook, with many windings, over a gravelly bottom. After having with much difficulty got up this narrow creek, where oars cannot be ufed, on the upper part, paddles only, and perhaps againft a flrong current, one is much pleafed to reach the pleafant rivulet above-mentioned; and here refidcs Pee-peemont, the governor, or viceroy, from the court of Slam. This governor, when I was there in 1784, had three affiliants, or perhaps rather colleagues, as they partook of his power : their names were Pee-Tu-kerat, Pee-Sirbig, and Pee-Lancrac. Each of thefe officers had about fixty followers, a kind of retainers, who in a great meafure live on the community; for, receiving little pay, they opprefs the inhabitants : their arms are a mufquet and bayonet, fword and dagger. I have often feen them attending their maflers at Pee peemonfs houfe, where they all met frequently upon bufmefs. The names of the towns or villages upon the ifland, are, Teroiva, Bankian, Bandan, Popra (where is the harbour already mentioned), Nanay, Bandpon, Tyang, Tirtulay, Banhnlan, Banktan, Bandrun, Sagoo, Bringing (this laft produces tin) ; alfo Kakoing, Paint, Talhmg, and Patong (thefe four laft alfo produce tin). The inhabitants of the whole ifland may be in number about 12,000 fouls. About eight miles inland, from Terowa, in a NW direction nearly, Pee-peemont has a country houfe, built, as all their houles are, of timber, and covered with palm leaves, an univerfal covering in Malay countries. I travelled thither with Capt. James Scot, who refided then at Terowa, on fome commercial bufinefs, his vefTel lying in Popra harbour, a very fenfible and intelligent gentleman, to whom I was much obliged for his civilities and ferviccs on many occafions. We travelled on an elephant, through a path worn like a gutter, in fome few places, where it was over a flat rock, the path being worn by the elephants feet, and fo narrow as not to be above an inch or G two two wider than his hoofs: I wondered how the huge animal got along. This bad road was for a very little way through the fkirt of a wood ; and about two miles from Terowa we got into the open country again, full of rice fields, and well watered, yet not fwampy. In about three hours we reached the governor's houfe, which is larger and more commodious than the one at Terowa, and feven miles diftant from it. In his garden we found limes, oranges and pummel nofes. Chyfongr the fon of a Chinefe with whom I lived, told me the ifland produced mofl tropical roots and fruits; and I am perfuaded many of our vegetables might be railed, the climate is fo cool ; very like what it is at Pulo Pinang* The governor gave us a very good dinner, but did not eat with) us. He did not fpeak Malay, but had a linguift who fpoke Portu-guefe. Our drink was the water of young coco-nuts and iherbet. After dinner wre were entertained with three muficians, who played on fuch like firing inftruments as the Chinefe play on at Canton. Having drank tea we took leave. They have a good many elephants, which they get from Mergui; none wild, no horfes; they have bullocks and buffalos for labour;, wild hogs and deer, a few tame goats, no fheep, domcftic dogs and cats. They have the-common poultry, but not in abundance. The climate is very agreeable ; no violent heats; the rains come on gently in July, and continue until November, with frequent inter-in iffion s : fine weather then fueceeds, with very cool north-caff winds at night, which muft be favourable to the cultivation of vegetables, as it is at Calcutta. The vend for opium on this ifland was thirty or forty years ago very great, as this was then a free port. The opium came from Bengal generally in Englifh country fhips, and was bought up by Malay and Buggefs prows, who, after having fold a mixt cargo by retail, to the natives for tin (in doing which they ftaid many months, and hauled up their prows to repair), they then exchanged their tin with the Bengal veffels for opium, which they carried 4 chiefly chiefly to Celebes and other Malay Iflands. The mixed cargo they brought to fell for tin was generally—a chequered cloth cûleàMuggéJs cambays, made on the Ifland Celebes, rcfembling lungy's of Bengal, but clofer wove; Java painted cloths and painted handkerchiefs, generally made from Indoftan long cloth ; Java gongs, brafs pots, and other utcnfils of brafs made on that ifland ; China and Java tobacco ; various porcelain; blue and white and unbleached cloth called kangan, and white and blue called compow, brought from China by the junks that refort to Slam, MacaJJcr, Sooloo, Batavia, Rhiot and other places. Things are now much altered : the ufe of opium is forbid to the natives, the importation is prohibited, and a heavy duty is laid on the exportation of tin by orders from Siam ; in confeqnencc, the trade of the place has dwindled much ; Indoftan piece-goods, and fome European articles, fuch as iron, fteel, lead, cutlery, and broad-cloth, being almoft the only imports. Neither do many Buggefs prows come, as no opium is to be got; but Malay prows come from ^ueda, and a few from the Strait of Malacca and Pulo Pinang, that bring the China articles already enumerated. About the year 1782, in return for many China articles they got from Siam partly over land, they returned tin, the fame way ; but the project was given up in 1784, it not anfwering the expence to fend tin acrofs the ifthmus. The tin miner lies under greater oppreffion of late years than formerly: he muft now carry all his ore to a Chinefe fmelter, who farms this privilege from government. The fmclting cofts 12 percent.', befldcs, the miner for a certain weight in flabs, muft deliver a certain weight of tin ore, which often produces more : thus he pays 2. double duty before he gets the tin into his hands; the laft duty is the heavieft and moft impolitic. Government takes 1$ per cent. before the tin can be exported: this gives fo much diffatisfaclion, ■that they wifli much to throw off their dépendance on Siam ; and it was faid that, if Pee-pcemont could get fupport, he wrould very readily do it. How far his having three affociates in government might prevent fuch an attempt, I cannot fay : poffibly their ap- G 2 pointment pointmcnt is with that very intention, by the defpots of Siam; who, armed with an inflgnificant monarch's authority, often govern themfelves, but always in his name. I have been told the export of tin from the ifland is about 500 tons yearly; formerly it was much more. Pulo Pinang, our new fettlement, gets a great deal of it ; £>ueda did formerly. Here, at Terouua, there is a pagoda, built of timber, and covered with palm leaves ; it is ferved by about twenty priefts, called telfopys, who live in fmall apartments adjoining to the pagoda, which might be about fifty feet long and thirty broad. They, with uncovered fhaved heads, wear a yellow garment, and carry a white wand in their hands about five feet long. I faw there a Bengal Lafcar, a Moorman, who had deferted from his fhip, and had been lodged and maintained many months by the charity of the tellopys. Chyfong, with whom I lived, was bred from a youth at Pondi-cherry ; he fpoke Siamcfe, Malays, and very good French : my veffel lay in Tcroiva Road. Every morning, about 8 o'clock, four tellopys drew up before the door of Chyfong ; they fpoke not a word, but looked demurely on the ground : prefently, a female fervant came out, and put about half a pound of boiled rice into each of their clean iron veffels, which they held out ; another female fervant followed, and put into each .veffel about two or three ounces of broiled fifh : they then walked in filence to the next houfe, one following the other, expecting the fame: they wait about half a minute at a door; if nothing is given, they go in filence to the next, without fceming difappointed. Having got a certain quantity of provifion, they return to their convent. They do not marry ; but may leave the pagoda when they pleafe, and mix with the world. I faw a young lad about 14 in the pagoda, with a fliaved head and yellow garment ; two or three days afterwards, wards, I faw him in a lay habit, romping with other boys at the river fide : my linguift aiked him, at my defire, why he left the pagoda; the boy laughed, gave no anfwer, but ran off with his companions. Chyfong told me they did fo fometimes at Siam, but not often. Certain pieces of tin, fhaped like the under half of a cone or fugar loaf cut by a plane parallel to its bafe, called foot, are ufed on the ifland as money; weighing about three pounds, with their halves and quarters of fimilar fhapc : if attempted to be exported without paying duty, they are feizable. This encourages fmuggling. The value of tin is from 12 to 13 Spanifh dollars the pecul of 1331b. put on board clear of duty. Whilft I was here, a Bengal fhip, Captain Lloyd, came in with piece goods : the captain fold them to Pee-peemont ; no doubt partly on account of the king of Siam or his minifters. All Malay princes are merchants ; which felfifh policy ftarves their fubjects. It however gives difpatch to the country fhips, and they pay no duty. As foon as the goods are landed, the king's merchant fells them perhaps for an advance of 25 per cent. All forts of Indian coin pafs here ; but they are fonded of Spanifh dollars. They have not in ufe the pet is, or cafli, the lead valuable of coins, ufed at Atcheen, Sooloo, Carang AJfem on Bally, and many other Malay places : thefe fmall coins are of great fervice to the poor, as cowries are at Bengal. At Atcheen they are cut out of fheet lead, about the fize of a fixpence, and are rudely damped with a certain mark ; about 600 or 650 go for a dollar. At Sooloo * and Carang AJfem they are of copper, wTith a hole in each, fecmingly of Chinefe manufacture ; and from 4 to 500 pais for a dollar. The people of Jan Sylan, though they generally underdand the Malay tongue, from their intcrcourfe with that people (greater formerly than now), fpeak the Siamefe language, and write as we do * At Sooloo they have a copper coin, with a bit of filvcr, very thin, ftxeJ to it ; it is called MiJJuroo. from from left to right. They write remarkably ftraight, though without lines. They refemble in feature the Malays, with a good deal of the Chinefe look ; are well made, rather (lender. They are allowed to marry as many women as they can maintain; but the firft wife rules the houfehold, as in China : and, as in China and Pegu, no woman can leave the country. Chyfong had but "one wife. In mod Malay countries where I have been, Atcheen, Salengore in the Strait of Malacca, Pera weft of Salengore, and ^ueda, as I have already obferved, the prince of the country is the chief merchant ; fometimes the only one of confecmence. Rhio, an ifland in the Malacca Strait, where I never was, has, I am told, the fame policy: a partial exception to this at Atcheen will be hereafter mentioned. In former days, as we are informed by Commodore Beaulieu in his voyage in 1619 to Atcheen, publiihed by Harris, we find Atcheen to be a place of greater confideration than at prefent ; and before Beaulieu's time, in 1606, a Portuguefe fleet, under Martin Alphonfo, landed a confiderable force, which was defeated by the Atcheeners, the Portuguefe having loft 300 men. We are alfo told that, in 1615, the king of Atcheen fitted out a fleet of 500 fail, of which 100 were large galleys, furnifhed by his Orankayos (men of fubftance); the whole force being 60,000 men : a defperate engagement en-fued, in which the Atcheeners loft 20,000 men. Allowing thefe accounts to be true, and Mr. Marfden, in his late juft account of the ifland Sumatra, gives his authorities, the kingdom of Atchecn feems to have dwindled as much as their former enemies and rivals, the Portuguefe, in India. ACCOUNT /)tM/Aïrr/r// Aft if MtoM fv Mit' formt Jt'tv 'fâi. JH'alktr. Sculp'. ACCOUNT O V ATCHEEN. Name—extent—magnitude—revenue— manufactures—king's monopoly of trade—excellent fruits—trade of the Chulias—imports—king's appellation—officers of fate—money—weights and meafures—exports—itiduflry of the Chulias—-ji/hing boats called Kolay—fie/lore—Ballellang—Ban-ling—face of the country—fuelling of the river—excellent horfies—depth on the bar—fait golas—Maldivia boats—dried boneita—king's palace (Dallum)—Surat Paffage—Nalaboo, very fmall fifbhtg boats—Soofoo harbour—Bombay pip—Portugueze trade—country finps—two English veffels cut off at Pedir—Atcheen treachery ; horrid murder of five Europeans—audience rf the king in 17 64—prefients—king's appearance—reprehcnfion from the minifier—king's polit enefs—prefients returned—embaffy from Bencoolen to Atcheen in 1772—troubles in the town—embafiy proves abortive—vift Atcheen in 1775—kings illnefis— vfit Atcheen in 1784—audience of the king, fiultan Ooladine—his remarks on gun carriages—digreffion—-further intercourfie with the king— fond of mufic—am created knight of the golden fword ( or an-c ai0 derry piddang mas)—take leave—king afraid of his nobles—appearance of the palace—kings character—elephants—mofqties—priefis—puniflmicnts— frange requefl of an Atchecner—character of the Atcheeners—no Chinefe at Atcheen—Mr. Marfden s fufl account of Sumatra. rjpIIE kingdom of Atcheen, called Achè by the natives, extends from the north-weft promontory of the ifland Sumatra (called Atcheen Head, a well-known and bold land-fall for fhips) to beyond Batoo Bara River, on the raorth fide of the ifland. On the fouth- weft weft coaft it extends to Baroos*, once poffefied, but now abandoned, by the Dutch. Formerly it certainly extended much farther on this fide; as we find, in 1619, Commodore Bcaulieu got a permit from the king to load pepper at c£icoo\, lying fome miles fouth of the equator. Inland, the kingdom extends not fo far as on either fide of the ifland; ami terminates at Sinkel, where the Bdtta\ dominion begins. It contains altogether an area of about 26,000 iquare miles, lying in a triangular ihape ; and is lheltered by a range of hills that runs from the head or promontory to the fouth-eaft, and another to the ENE; the lands between being very fertile, and much better inhabited than any other equal portion of the ifland, * Behind an ifland off" Barms, called Pulo Carang (Stony Ifland), there is good fhelter in 10 fathoms, mud; the inner end of the ifland, which muft be left on the left hand going in, bearing weft, and the cafcade on Macular (very remarkable, about 400 feet high) bearing SE by SAS. After funfet, but before dark, many large bats go from this ifland to the main land. They return early in the morning, and fleep all day hanging to trees by their hooked wings. f Behind the Ticoo Iflands, and behind the Pr'taman Ijland^ there is alfo fhelter againft NW and W winds, for fhips of any fize. They are fmall, low, and covered with trees. J The Battas are a well-meaning, ignorant, fimple, people. The Malays and Atcheeners have the addrefs to perfuade them that they fettle at the mouths of their rivers to defend thorn from invafion (from white men cfpecially) ; whereas, it is to enjoy the monopoly of the camphire and benjamin, which they gather near Sinkel River, Baroos, and Tappanovly, What Mr. Marfden fays of the Battas being cannibals 1 have great reafon to believe. Trading once at Sinkell for benjamin and camphire, with Babamattnm, a reputable Ma-layman, I purchafed from him a Batta flave, who fpoke good Malay j I named him Cato, In the many conventions I had with Cato about his countrymen, 1 beg leave to relate one fhort ftory he told me, which may be called the progrefs of cannibalifm. Babamallum had a favourite wife or concubine ftolen from him by a Batta, who fold her. The thief was taken, and executed according to the Batta law for fuch a crime ; that is, he was tied to a ftake, and cut to pieces by numberlefs fwords. They roafted pieces of him on the fire ; and Babamallum, a civilized Mahometan, put a bit of his roafted fkfh into hit mouth, bit it with anger, then fpit it on the ground. I dare fay Cato did not invent the above ; had he faid Babamallum ate it as food, feafoned with fait and lime juice, as did the executioners, I fhould not have believed him. The king's revenue arifes chiefly from import and export duty, and may be about 3000I. a year. He has alfo a fmall acknowledgment of rice from the land in general ; and has, befides, the rents of royal domains, which are but trifling. His nobles draw a revenue from their refpectivc diftricls, of which they are feudal lords, levied on the land and the induftry of the inhabitants. They manufacture from cotton of their own growth a fpecies of cloth, chequered blue and white, which the better fort wear univer-fally for drawers, whilft the common people wear coarfe Madras long cloth unbleached. They alfo make a fpecies of fdk, very hand-fome and very dear, compared with the (lighter taffetas of Bengal, of which they buy large quantities from the country ihips that import that article. They alfo eaft excellent fmall brafs guns, called rantacka; and are curious in fillagree work, both in gold and Giver. Being at Atcheen in 1762, I enquired particularly of a Jew iin-guift, named Abraham, why the orankayos (men of rank and fub-ifance) were not allowed to trade freely, as they did many years before. He faid the kings of Atcheen had always lived on very bad terms with the Orankayos who got rich by trade; and, to leffen their confequence, his minifter advifed him to be fole trader himfelf; which counfel he imprudently followed, and by that means has impoverifhed his kingdom in general, that makes no figure at pre-fent to what it did formerly. It is true, in trading with the prince's minifter, whom they call Shabandcr (a word they adopt from the Dutch, of, I believe, Spanifh origin), they pay no duty in or out. What then? whilft the captain or fupercargo can deal only with one perfon, he muft fubmit to his price. This mode, however, has its convenience, as already hinted at; and, if the king's terms are too hard, the (hip can go clfewhere. The king monopolizes the grofs falc of all the opium, and farms the retail fale of it alio, all over his dominions : much is fold at Nalaboo, of which place more will be faid. II Here, Here* at Atcheen, is a profufion of all tropical fruits, efpecially i manguflines, rambuflinis, mangoes, jacks, durians, lances, pineapples, limes, and oranges ; and the word kind of bread fruit. Of vegetables they bave brcdy, a kind of fpinage; lobucks (the Spanilli radiih) ; large purple brinjalles, yams both red and white, and the St. Helena yam called clody\ and many different forts of beans, like what wc call French beans {lialavances) ; alfo a fmall kind of onion. The mangoes have a thin flone, and are excellent; not ftringy, as often at Madras. The Chulias, for fea ufe, lay in here a great provifion of falted limes, of which they can buy 2 for apetts, or 10 or 1200 for a dollar*. Bullocks 12 dollars a head ; ducks, 6 for a dollar ; fowls, S or 10. The Ghulia Cling or Moorilh veffels come yearly from Porto-novo, on the coaft of Coromandel, and other places, to the number of 12 or 15 fail of fnows, generally of 200 and 300 tons. They come in Auguft and September, and return in February, March, and Aprils during the fine weather ; a Mooriih fliip comes alfo annually from SuraU They bring piece goods of all kinds, chiefly long cloth, white and blue ; chintz, with dark grounds ; and a great deal of coarfe long cloth unbleached f. They ballafl with fait. During their flay they lic in a fmooth road made by the iflands that lie off Atcheen Head, keeping off the SW wind and fwell. During the NE monfoon,. the fwell from that quarter is inconfiderable, and the weather is fine. * Weft India captains of fhips might here take a hint, as limes rot under the hedges in the Weft India iflands. The Chulias make four or five incifions long ways into the ripe lime, and put into each a little fait ; after lying 48 hours or more, they with the hand give each lime a fmart fqucczc, then lay them to dry in the fun for feveral days : they expofc the extracted juice alfo, that all the watery particles may be exhaled. They then put up the limes in jars, pour back the juice upon them, and fill up with more juice, or good vinegar, often had from the coco-nut tree. The lime thus preferved they call Atchar. This given on board fhip, with lefs fait meat, would favc many a poor failor's life. I Which they call Cain Gadjaw (elephant cloth), as being coarfe : in London wc call very large paper, elephant. Thefe people, often called Malabars, becaufe they fpeak tliat language as at Madras, have their privileges, and no doubt ftretch them to the«utmoft. On their arrival they immediately build, by contract with the natives, houfes of bamboo, like what in China at Wampo is called hankjhail; very regular, on a convenient fpot clofe to the river, to which their large boats of 8 or 10 tons burden have eafy accefs. Thefe boats being too large to hoift in, they tow them over from Coromandel. This fpot is railed in and fhut at night for fear of thieves. Afterthe ufual prefents are made, the king's officers attend duly at the landing of goods. The bales are immediately opened ; twelve in the hundred are taken out for king's duty, and the remainder being marked with a certain mark (chapp) may be carried where the owner pleafcs, and fold in any part of the king's dominions. The Chulias at Atcheen fell at leifure, ihevving their goods to the natives in as dark a part of their fliop as they can. I have bought at Atcheen, in 1772, of P of ally, the king's merchant, blue cloth, as cheap as it was to be had at Madras. This is owing to the Cling (Telingd) people laying in their inveftment Writh leifure, care, and frugality. No European, Englifh, French, or Portuguefe, can fell near fo fo cheap as they. Chulia veffels pay alfo port duties. Talking of the king they call him Tuan-kito, which compound Malay word means my mafter. There are five great officers of flate, who arc named Maha Rajah, Luxamana, Rajah Ooda, Ooloo Baking and Parka Rajah. Under thefe are fixteen inferior officers. The government is monarchical and often defpotic according to the abilities of the reigning prince. The exchange of the lead petis rifes and falls from 250 to 270 for a rupee, and 600 to 650 for a Spanifh dollar, as has been faid. The king calls in thefe petis (cafh) fometimes, and iffues new ones with a great profit to himfelf. The legal interefl of money is 25 per cent, per annum. * See Mr. Marfdcn's account of Sumatra* II 2 They have a gold coin called mafiiah*, of the fize of our flx-pence, ftampt with Arabic characters : but they are not nearly equal to what they pafs for current, being very thin. The Chulias export nothing but gold duff and dollars, of what may be-called valuables ; fometimes they pick up a few itray rupees and fanams; but they always get filled up with what in India is called, a gruff (bulky) cargo—areka (beetle nut), redwood, gum benjamin, S-inkel, or Barroos camphire, which, if clear and tranfparent, is nearly equal to its weight in filver, in China. I had a pecul once fold by Mr. Cox, my agent there, for 1650 Spanifh dollars : it is alfo valuable on Coromandel, being bought by Gentoos for fome particular purpofe. They alfo export from Atcheen, pepper, fugar, fulphur, which is found on Pulo IVay, a conical high ifland, 4 or 5 leagues from the river's mouth, once a volcano, and elfe-where; Japan wood; dammer, a kind of rofin; rattans, patch-leaf, bangt, which is hemp leaves, and when fmoked intoxicates. They alfo export many other articles, which European country captains know nothing of. On all thefe they pay an export duty, unlefs immediately bought from the king's merchant.. Notwithstanding which, thefe induftrious Chulias and. Malabars (the appellations arc, I believe, fynonymous) buffle about amongit the natives,, fpeak their language]: (which is not Malay, though to a man the Atcheeners underftand Malay), give credit for their produce, and by their diligence, and management make the trade anfwer. Po- * Five mafiîah is equal to a mayan, and fixteenmayan to a boncal, which weighs I ounce, jo pennyweights, and 21 grains, troy. Five tayl, an imaginary weight, is alfo a boncal. Twenty boncal is a catty, 100 cattys make an Atcheen pecul, and 3 peculs-make a'bahar ; ilxty-fix cattys make a China pecul. At Nalaboo the boncal. weighs 17, mayan. A boncal of clean gold is worth 25 Spanifh dollars, ot about 58 or 60 rupees. In delivering pepper, they ufe a fquare meafure called nelly., which contains a certain weight, or number of cattys; and in delivering beetle-nut, a certain meafure is fuppofcd to contain a laxfaa, or io,oco : a chupa is about a quart ; 16 chupas make a nelly. + Lafears often fmoke bang by ftealth ; it makes them drunk : country captains always endeavour to prevent- it. % The Dub. flics at Madras ftudy Englifb, to fave young writers the trouble of learning- the country language ; not fo in Bengal. 0h fally, the king's merchant and prime minifter, is a Chulia man, and all the clerks or men of bufinefs about him are his countrymen. They write on palm leaves as well as paper, arc very fhrcwd, and full as good accountants as the Gonocoplys at Madras, and keep their accounts in the fame way. Many of thefe Chulias live at Queda, and, no doubt,, by this? time, at Pulo Pinang, which is a beautiful, healthy, and fruitful ifland : I was on it many years ago, before it was fettled by the Engliih. They have at Atcheen many fiffiing-boats, in fhape like a large Thames wherry, fuppofed to be raifed about 20 inches: they arc called kolay, and have one malt, and a fail ihaped almoft like a {hip's top-fail, with a yard above, hung by a hallyard, about one third from the outer yard arm,, and a flight round boom below, with a lhect and one bridle only. If the wind frefhens too much, they with a crofs flick like a trunnel, that panes- through the inner end of this boom, roll up the fail, flieet and all, paffmg the lower end of the trunnel forward, then unroll as the wind flacks. A tack is faft to the inner yard arm. I need not fay the fail muff be dipped in putting about, which is eafily done, whether the fail is altogether or partly rolled up. I never faw any thing fo convenient in any European boat, in managing which if it blows they muff lower and reef ; here they only roll the fail up or roll it down. See the figure. Fifth, not with (landing they have many fifhing-boats, is not very cheap, as the Atcheeners feem fond of that diet. They catch feveral miles out at fea, with nets in thofe boats, a kind of mackerel, or fmall bonnetta, weighing from 1 to 3 pounds. I have feen worms half an inch long, alive in their flefh, on the back part, when frefh caught. They go out with the land, and return with the fea, wind : their cargoes are prefently bought up* They have alfo at Atchecn boats with double outriggers and two malls ; they arc called bidoo in a general fenie, but particularly bal- kllangs leîlangs and jellorcs : the ballellang is rather the broadefl. The banting, a boat fo called, with 2 mall?, is tolerably broad, and has no outrigger; thofe boats that have are comparatively narrow; yet on fuch they often mount fwivel guns, and 20 or 30 men : they fail remarkably fall, in light wind?, alio in frefh gales, if the wrater is fmooth ; if in bad weather one outrigger fails, the other fupports the boat. I have feen jellorcs with only one outrigger, fometimes to leeward, fometimes to windward; but not like the ingenious La-drone prow defcribed in Lord Anfon's voyage, which fhifts flem for fan. In boats with one outrigger, on one tack, the outrigger to windward weighs down as in the Ladrone prow; on the other tack the outrigger buoys up the body of the boat; fo in either cafe fhe is kept upright. The country above the town is very highly cultivated, and abounds with inhabitants in many fmall villages, and fingle groups of three or four houfes, with white mofques interfperfed. Walking that way, if after rain, is difagreeable to a European, as they have no idea of roads : but Malays do not mind walking through mud up to the knee, which, however, they are careful to warn off, when they come to a houfe, before they enter it. The main ftrcet in the town is railed a little, and covered with fand and gravel ; but nowhere elfe are the llreets railed ; and even this is fometimes overflowed by the fwelling of the river, by fudden rain on the hills jufl above the town ; in which cafe they make ufe of canoes : this often happens, cfpccially during the rainy fcafon (our fummer) ; but the town, which is on the fouth fide of the river, llraggles fo as not to deferve the name of the capital of a populous though fmall kingdom. They have an excellent breed of horfes, much valued at Madras; horned cattle and goats, but few or no fheep. Veffels drawing under eight feet water can come over the bar with fpring tides, which is two miles from the town ; but cannot go higher than about half a mile, where they fometimes heave down and repair. Mere arc many of the king's warchoufes (goias) for Telinga fait. Many Maldivia boats come yearly to Atcheen, and bring chiefly dried bonnetta in fmall pieces about two or three ounces : this is a fort of 3 flaple flapie article of commerce, and many (hops in the Bazar deal in it only, having large quantities piled up, put in matt bags. It is, when properly cured, hard like horn in the middle; when kept long the worm gets to it. I am told it is cured at the Maldivia Iflands by the fun only, I queftion whether herrings and pilchards would not anfwer even carried thus far, they arc fo fond of fIili diet, as Malays in o-eneral are. The king's palace (dallum), about too yards from the fkirt of the town, and to which there is accefs by a canal from the river, as well as by land, is about three quarters of a mile in circumference, is ditched round, and is alfo furrounded with a flrong wall, but not high. A number of large venerable trees Iliade it, with a good many tall bamboos: it is built on higher ground than the town, fo of courfe it is not fubjccT: to be overflowed. I fhall fay more of it by and by. I have faid, that in the year 1762 I touched at Atcheen in my way to Bencoolen. The fhabander, whofe name I forgot, not agreeing with me about the price of opium, and learning from the linguift Abraham, that it was impoffibie to deal with any other perfon, about the beginning of January I failed through the Surat paffage, with the wind at NE, leaving about 12 Ghulia veifels in the road of Atcheen, and proceeded to Nalaboo, lying in 40 10' N lat. Here, during the NE monfoon the weather is remarkably fine, jnft as it is on the Malabar coafl during that mpnfoon, There is excellent anchorage in 10 fathoms muddy ground, 10 or 12 miles off Nalaboo, and 4 fathoms 2 miles off. During the SW monfoon the wind is W and NW, with rain. When I firft came near Nalaboo, remarkable for a grove of coconut trees, on a fmall promontory (yet not above fix feet higher than the beach or low land) I law in the horizon next the land (being then five leagues off) about twenty fmall white fpecks, that feemed to pais acrols each other : presently I faw each white fpeck had a fmaller black fpeck clofe to it, and immediately after found I had got clofe to a fleet of the fmallcit fiihing boats 1 ever beheld. The white fpeck was a fail, and the black fpeck a man. Thefe canoes « 4G ) noes fifh all tinder fail, the fail fimilar to what I have before deferred ; the tingle man feated abaft, poifing his body with great care, unftcps and Heps the mad, and fets the fail by leaning forward. They fometimes catch large fifh, that drag the boat for perhaps half a minute ; thefe they tow on Ihore in a fmall bay between the coco-nut grove above mentioned and river's mouth. I have bought from thofc fifhermen, fifh of all fizes, very cheap. Into this frefh-water river boats of middling fize can enter at all times, except dead low water ; and Malay trading prows get in, and go a great way up into a plentiful flat country, abounding with rice. Here fifteen fowls are fold for a dollar ; a bullock may be bought for fix ; and good profit may be had on European goods, efpecially iron, fleel, and cutlery, alfo Bengal opium, and cofTas of eight and nine rupees value. The king endeavours to monopolize all the trade, but in vain. The gold duff, of Nalaboo is reckoned very fine, and the boncal weighs feventeen mayan ; at Soofoo not fo fine. In 1762, I fold, during a flay of about ten days, thirty chefts of opium to Limambaly, the feudal lord of this diftricf, as the king's officers happened not to be on the fpot. I got ten boncal a cheft, which is above 550 rupees : the Calcutta prime cofl was 250 Arcot rupees. Since that time Limambaly certainly was at war with the king, about the year 1770. I forgot to fay, that, during the SW monfoon, which, by the gite (lying) of the coaft, becomes NW, and blows frefh with rain, the very fmall fifhing canoes are laid up, and large Atcheen fifhing boats (kolays) arc made ufe of at Nalaboo; At Soofoo there is a good harbour, in which I have been, The king of Atcheen gets moft of his gold from Nalaboo and Soofoo, and from Pedir within the Malacca fir ait moft of his beetle-nut and pepper. I was once on board of a large Bombay fhip, commanded by a very worthy gentleman, Captain Richardlon, who had juil partly delivered from Atchecn Road a cargo of Coromandel piece goods to the fhabandcr, and had then on board the king's pfficers, and was bound to Pedlr to take in a cargo of beetle-nut. Portugueze veffels carry much beetle-nut, both whole, and cut and dyed red, from Atchecn to Pegu, Englifh Englifh country fhips at Atcheen trade always with the king's merchant, who is generally the fhabander or minifter: this, at leaft, gives difpatch ; they could not have patience to deal with the natives, as the Chulias do, even were they permitted. Englifh veffels have often been cut off at Pedir, when trading there without the king's leave ; this happened to Captain Bull and Captain Pan-ton, two very wrorthy gentlemen, commanding veffels from Bengal, about the year 1765. Captain Bull's vefTel was retaken by a fpi-rited Serang, when the Malays were off their guard. I am certain, at Nalaboo, Oran Cayo Limambally had no fuch intention, as he gained upon me fo much by his civilities, that I was entirely in his powrer; but I would advife Malay traders never to be off their guard, as I was, and to be moft upon it when great civility is fhewn them. At Nalaboo I went on ihore more than once; it was rather imprudent. The kings of Atcheen, who feem from all accounts to have been formerly cruel and opprcfllve tyrants, perhaps wink at fuch bafenefs, perhaps encourage it. The perfons employed are the moft abandoned, at the fame time they are of fmooth ad-drefs, who, when the plot is ripe, direct their inftruments how to act; as for example, as I have been told, it once happened to an Englifh country captain.—" When I call for my beetle-nut box" {tampat feerec, which is about fix or eight inches long, and three or four deep), fays the head affaffin to his fervant, " that is the fignal for you to ftab the captain with the crefs that lies in the bottom of the box covered with beetle leaves." It is the general cuftom to dif-arm the Malays when they come on board to trade : but who would fufpeéfc the beetle-box ? The following is an account of one of the moft horrid confpira-cies I ever heard of; it affects me the more as I was intimate with the fufferers a few days before it happened. It is irregular in point of time, but a-propos to what I am treating of, the treachery and wickednefs of Malays in general. In 1784 I waited on the king of $ueda at Allifter, about one tide above the town, to demand reftitu-tion of the value of an Englifh fnow and cargo, value 5000I. whofe commander, Captain Colfan, fupercargo, Mr. Overbury (a Bencoo- I len len civil fervant), two Englishmen, brothers, named May, and the gunner, a Dane, were in one night murdered, September 1782, by one Malay, affiftcd by one Lafcar only, whom he had feduced. They were firft attempted to be poifoned, and were all taken with violent vomitings the night the horrid deed was done, after fuppcr: yet no fufpicion arofc, as the Malay was a paflenger in the veffel, under Mr. Overbury's protection. The affair was over in a moment, as they were ftabbed in their fleep. One of the two Mays being wounded, jumped overboard, and was never heard of; the captain and gunner were killed outright. Next day the Serang, under pretence of dreffing the Malay's hand, that had been cut in Struggling with the captain, ftabbed him, fecured the Lafcar (whilft two boats were feen rowing from the ihore to the veffel full of men, from Bafs Harbour}, and carried the fnow back to Styeda. I could get no fa-tisfaction for veffel or cargo; and Jemmal, the king's minifter, a Chulia Moorman, treated the affair lightly: but, truth demands of me to fay, I had no letter from the Bengal government to the king on the fubjecl: ; I had only a letter from the owners, empowering me (if in my way to Rhio I touched at Queda) to make the demand. What has been done fmce 1 know not. Captain Coffan and I careened in Slue da River together, in Auguft 1782 ; and I remember to have heard that the Malay, who had got into favour with Mr. Overbury by his infinuating manners, was taken on board at Jan Sylan, where, I fufpeét, he had committed fomething bad. I was credibly informed the Lafcar was let run off by Jemmal, who told me he broke prifon. The appearance of the boats, that muft have been informed by fignal only of what had happened, made it be fufpected it had been a concerted bufmefs at §>ueda, when the veffel repaired there. Thefe particulars I learnt from poor Overbury's Malay girl, at Calcutta. Jemmal, the king's merchant, with difficulty let her have her clothes. She told me Overbury got from the cabin window to the maft head, whence he defcended, on the Malay's promifing to fpare his life; but he ftabbed him the moment he reached the quarter-deck. Had he encouraged the crew from the maft head, they furely would have recovered from their fright fooner than they did. This This is a ftrange relation, and fhews the pufillanimity of Indof-taners, when they are not encouraged by a leader: there was at leaft a Serang and twenty Lafcars belonging to the veffel. In the year 1764 I again vifited Atcheen, and had the honour of paying my refpects to the king, Mahomed Selim : my audience was appointed at eight in the evening. I accordingly got ready fome piece goods to the amount of about forty rupees, as a prefent, which were divided into two parcels, and put up in common bafta covers, which had been previoufly ftained with turmerick, yellow being the royal colour, as in China and at Mindano. Having been told it was expected i fhould pull off my fhoes, I waved the mortification, by wrapping round each a piece of red bunting, and tying it with a kind of garter of the fame, jufl before I entered the audience hall (ruma bicharro), which was about fixty feet long, and twenty broad, built of ftone, with a flone floor. At the farther end, which was covered with carpets, hung a fuperb cloth of gold, about fifteen feet fquare, which reached within three feet of the floor. There were about twenty well dreffed perfons in the room, orancayos, a venerable caliph a, and others, every one barefooted, having left their flippers without. As i entered i faluted this company. Two Scapoys were alfo in the hall, upon guard, dreffed and armed as ours generally are. In about two minutes the golden cloth was drawn up, like the curtain of a play-houfe, exactly in the fame wray, and we all made a profound obedience to his majefty, who juft glanced his eye at me. My two fervants were then ordered by the fhabander to advance with the prefents, which, after having prefented, by holding them up and bending their bodies, they gave to an attendant, and were then directed to withdraw. The cloth of gold had covered a large niche in the wall, a kind of alcove, in the middle of which the king was feated in an arm-chair, with his legs acrofs, barefooted, his flippers on the floor of the alcove. The king was gaily dreffed in fllver brocade, over an inner garment of white mullin; his turban was very fmall, being a fmgle piece of gold flowered muflin, gathered together at the ends, tied round the head with a half knot, and was orna- I 2 mented merited with a few jewels. He feemed to be about forty years of age, with a pleafmg countenance, rather fair for a Malay. Two elderly women fat on the floor, clofe to each fide of his chair, their eyes fixed on the ground, which was about five feet higher than the hall in which the court was affembled. The alcove was lighted with two large wax tapers coloured red, much like what we fe#e in Roman Catholic churches. The hall was lighted with pendant lamps, in which they burnt oil. Having caught the king's eye, immediately after the difmiflion of the prefents, I made his majefty a fécond profound bow. Pre-fently he fpoke to the fhabander, the fhabander fpoke to the lin-guift, and Abraham afked me whence I came. I addreffed his majefty directly in Malay, on which the fhabander pulled me gently by the fleeve, and looked difapprobation ; but I went on. The king fmiled, and took no notice of their interruption, as if offended with me. I had then the honour of converfmg with his majefty for about a quarter of an hour, who afked me feveral pertinent queftions about Madras, Bengal and Bencoolen, and particularly to what parts of the ifland Sumatra (Pulo Purcha) I had failed. I then, by intimation from the fhabander, who, I fuppofe, had his fignal, retired, walking rather backward, until out of the hall. Nobody in the hall was feated ; neither did I fee in it bench, chair, or ftool. I left moft of the company in it {landing, who politely made way for me, as I retired ; and, at the door at which I entered, I made again a profound bow, being then in full view of the king iri the alcove at the further end of the hall. Next day a bullock was fent me, with various fruits. I failed two days after for Nattai, after presenting the fhabander and Abraham with fome trifles. In the year 1772, Giles Holloway, Efq. refident of Tappanooly, was fent to Atcheen by the Bencoolen government, with a letter and prefent, to afk leave from the king to make a fettlement there. I carried him from his refidency of Tappanooly in the Loconia fnow. Not being very well on my arrival, I did not accompany Mr. Holloway (a very fenfible and dif- creet créer, gentleman, and who fpoke the Malay tongue very fluently) on fhore at his firft audience; and finding his commiftion like to prove abortive, I did not go to the palace at all. There was great anarchy and confufion at Atcheen at this time; and the male-contents came often, as I was informed, near the king's palace at night. A difcreet native of Cuddalore, Mr. Guwen Harrab, commanded the king's Seapoys. One day, being on fhore for. a little while, as Mr. Holloway and I did not like to be both long on fhore gether, I faw Mr. Harrab paying his men in gold duft, weighing out to each two mayan as a month's pay, about tight rupees. He told me he was often obliged to watch all night himfelf, complaining of his Seapoys being apt to be drowfy. I failed in a few days, Mr. Holloway not fucceeding in his embaffy; and leaving him at Tappanooly, I proceeded on to Fort Mar/borough, Returning from my New Guinea voyage to Fort Marlborough, in 1775, * touched at Atcheen: the king was very ill, and faw no ftrangers. My old friend Abraham got the new fhabander, Pofally, to prefent my compliments to the king, who returned me a polite anfwer. Having quitted the Tartar galley, I went down the coaft with Mr. Palmer, in a floop belonging to him, and touched at Siddo Harbour, where we took in water : we lay there in four fathoms water, clofe to the rocks, quite fmooth. In 1784 I again vifited Atcheen, and had an audience of the king, Sultan Oola Odine, fon to the former king, with much the fame ceremony and prefents as paffed twenty years before : but this king having travelled, fpoke both Malay, French and Portugueze. His improvement not only in languages, but the arts, was obtained from the following circumftance, as I have been informed by Pofally the fhabander, Abraham, and others. During the life of the late king, Oola Odine, his eldeft fon, was fent in a fhip of his father's to Mecca and Medina, to make an offering at the fhrine of the prophet. Near the ifland Mauritius where the veffel happened to be drove, they were fhort of water, and obliged obliged to put in there. A difficulty occurred in debate whether the prince ftiould appear in his real character, or as a private perfon. They agreed he fhould appear as a relation of the king's, going on a pilgrimage, to become a tauan hadjee, matter pilgrim, and they kept their counfcl. The confequence was, Odien, being a lad of fpirit and genius, got into the arfenal, and learnt to call: guns and ihells. They certainly knew time out of mind, at Atcheen, how to caff brafs guns and iron fhot : but here the prince, no doubt, improved liis knowledge; and I was told the French never knew whom they had the honour to have amongft them until the veflel was failed : but this I very much doubt, as lhe (laid there above a month. Sultan Ooladine, in 1784, made no fecret to me of his having been at Mauritius ; and at my firft vifit, after the delivery of the ufual prc-fent of a few piece goods inclofed in yellow cloth, ordered a fervant to put into my hands a lhell of his own calling at Atcheen, about 7 or 8 inches in diameter. Voilai faid he, in French, Cajjlz-la ? I accordingly daihed it on the part of the (tone floor that was not covered with the carpet, and it went to pieces. The king then ordered two fmall field carriages to be brought into the hall : one of them had the wheels fpokcd as ours generally arc ; the other had truck wheels, full as large, not heavy, but thin. Which of thofe carriages do you approve of? faid the king. I gave the preference to the fpoked wheels, on which his majefty with great good humour laughed, and faid, Salla,falla, cap/tain—You arc miftaken, you are miftaken, captain. J, then, by way of recovering myfelf (for I perceived, after a moment's reflection, that the king was right in a certain degree), {à\c\,Barancallee de neegrigunong gunong,feperattce Achê iappiy de neegri ratta ratta, feperattee Tclinga, Poflibly in a hilly country, like Atcheen ; but, in a flat country, like Indoftan—The king laughed again, feemed pleafed with my anfwer, and faid, Bit tout, derry piddo itoo—True, that is the reafon ; on which I made him a bow, and the converfation foon ended. Vifiting the king a day or two after this, I perceived, befides the two large brafs mortars fent to a former Atcheen monarch, by our king James, many heaps of brafs guns of all fizes, and from all nations, no ways arranged, but heaped heaped up in the greateft confufion. I have alfo obferved in the road from the river to the palace gate, which is about 300 yards, in more than one place, the trunnion of a large brafs gun {licking up out of the ground : confidering the foft muddy foil, there are doubtlefs many buried near the palace, never to be found. They generally buy fmall guns, being of eafy conveyance, when brought for fale, as no veffel, Atcheen or Malay, fails without being armed. I have alfo obferved on more than one point of the reaches of the riverv large honey-combed iron guns mounted on decayed and rotten carriages. They ferved for fhow to the ignorant. The Atcheeners, when pufhed, can certainly exert themfelves; they are doubtlefs pretty good mechanics, and know the ufe of pulley, fcrew, and capflan perfectly well ; but engines made ufe of to raife heavy guns, or draw up their large veffels, are only for the moment; they are then thrown by to rot, much like what I have feen at Mindano. A lazinefs prevails in all Mooriih governments, which no doubt arifes from their belief in fatalifm, a mo{l convenient creed for thofe who are averfe to work, to exertion, or perfe-verance. I fent to the king a copy of my voyage to New Guinea, having firft explained many of the maps to Pofally and Abraham. I fent, at the fame time, an ordinary mape-monde, having no better. The king fent for me two days after, and converfed with me in an upper apartment, on a level I believe with the alcove, to which I afcended behind the ruma dehicharro (hall of audience), by a ladder. The king made me fit down on a mat, over which was fpread a fmall carpet, on which he fat himfelf, and afked me many quef-tions about the Molucca princes, pointing to the print of . their genealogy in the book I had fent him: he afked me alfo many queflions about Europe and Neegri-CUng, Indoftan. I could not help obferving that the king fpoke with a flrong afpirate, as Atcheeners generally do, a kind of burr in the throat, entirely different from all other Malays. As his majeffy knew I had the honour of being known to his father many years before, that I had often been at Atcheen, and that that I had been a great traveller in Malay countries, he was fo kind as to fay, in a very gracious manner, Maree feehee barancallee bicharo. Come here and chat fometimes. I went feveral times; but always fent firft to know if his majefty was at leifure. One day I carried a French book with me, a volume of Voltaire, and read a fentence out of it. The king afked for the book, which Lleft with him. I fufpect, however, he could not read the Roman character; but he read with eafe the names of the Molucca princes in the book 1 had prefented, written in Arabic characters, which both Atcheeners and Malays ufe in writing. In converfmg, the king mixed often French with Portuguefe. When I went to the palace, I generally found Pofally, and fometimes Abraham. I never faw any body fit down in the king's prefence ; and I never did but when afked, and then with fhoes off, left below, turning my feet as much as I could inwards : this I found a tirefome pofture. I fometimes played on the German flute, at the king's defire, which he was pleafed to hear *. Three or four days before my departure, Pofally fignified to me the king meant to confer on me the honour of being made Knight of the Golden Sword, Oran Cayo derry piddang mas ; of which there exifted, as I was told, about ten or twelve natives, one of them an eunuch, a comely man, rather lufty, employed at the cuftom-houfc. I have feen him with his chapp, a fingle waved fword or dagger, about an inch long, in relief, on a piece of gold, hanging at his breaft : this honour had alfo been conferred on two North Britons, Captain Douglafs Richardfon, and Captain Robert Smart. I told Pofally I was much obliged to his majefty for the honour he intended me, and fhould wait his pleafure; at the fame time Pofally defired I would write my name on a flip of paper; I wrote it in capitals, which he pronounced after my reading it, and writing him-lelf my name in Arabic characters, fignified it was to direct the goldfmith who was to make the chapp. Two or three days afterwards, I was defired by a Seapoy ferjeant to go to the palace. I * And liked much a Malay fong I had made, and fet to the Corrcnti Vivace of the -id Sonata of Corelli. i told told this to Pofally, and we went together at eight in the evening. The king, from the alcove above, after fome little convention with his courtiers below, fpoke to Pofally in the Atchecn tongue, who, ftepping towards me, put a fmall chain of gold over my head, round my neck, to which the golden chapp with fome iillagree writing in Arabic, and the figure of a waved dagger in relief, hung : he thus inverted me with the order of the golden fword (piddang mas), on which I made a profound bow to the king, who fmiled, and to his courtiers, who all returned it by lifting both hands to the head and inclining the body. In a little while I took leave, after faying audibly, Oonwor panjang fummo Tuan-lho, fiimpy mattee tida bule fcio lupo Tuan-klto punlo hormat. " Long life to the " king ! Until death I ihall remember the honour he has done me." Next morning I was prefented with a young bullock, two cut goats, and a great quantity of excellent fruit. I returned two pieces of yellow china flowered damafk, about four dozen bottles of perfumery, feveral prints of the genealogy of the kings of Mindano, and of the Mindano marriage : to Pofally I gave a pair of piftols he feemed to fancy, and to my old friend Abraham *, feveral things I knew would be ufeful to him and his family. Thus * Abraham was fond of mufic, and often fhed tears when I played on the violin : he faid it put him fo much in mind of Europe, where he was born, fomewhere in Hungary. The Catipha, or Cady, was a very pleafing old gentleman, and afked me many queftions about the Turks and the fize of their mofques : I told him the mofque of St. Sophia in Conjiantlnople was immenfely large ; and I obferved to him the Malays were much happier than the Turks, becaufe they were not fo jealous ; at which he fmiled, and took it as a compliment. He had but one wife, who had feveral female fervants ; and this is much the cuftom amongft Malays in general of the better fort, as I found alfo when at Magindano, in 1776. 1 fhewed the Calipha, and read to him, my tranflation of Pope's paraphrafe of the Lord's Prayer: he defired a copy of it, which one of the (Jerytulis) clerks wrote out. DEO OPTIMO MAXIMO. ORATIO UNIVERSALIS IN LINGUA MALAYA. I. Bapa de fomonio de fomonio dunia, De fomonio nigri fujud; Dery Chriftian, dcry Cafer, dery Hindoo, dery Salam ; Deos, Jehovah, Tuan Alia 1 K 2. Caffi Thus ended my feveral interviews with two of the kings of Atcheen, who certainly treated me with great civility and politenefs. I am forry to add, that it was faid even of the prefent king, that he can't truft his own fubjects; he therefore has a guard of Seapoys, who are fometimes without, fometimes within the palace ; but always near his perfon. I afked Pofally, and alfo Abraham, the meaning of this, who always anfwered Bugitu adat, " Such is the cuftom," without explaining further*; others have faid plainly, Tuan- 2. Cafli fcio are ilco mankanan aangang rifkimo, Somonio lain apo apo, Tuan tow callo by caffi callo tida, Tuan alia punio fuko. 3. Adjar fcio fyang até lain oran punio chelaka, Adjar fcio tutup matto lain oran punio faila, Eugimano fcio ampong fummo lain oran, Caffi ampong fummo fcio. j. Father of all ! in every age, In every clime, ador'd, By faint, by favage, and by fage, Jehovah, Jove, or Lord. 2. This day be bread and peace my lot : All elfe beneath the fun, Thou know'ft if belt beftow'd or not, And let thy will be done. 3. Teach me to feel another's woe, To hide the fault I fee ; That mercy I to others (hew, That mercy fhew to me. 1 thought it but decent, as I gave the king a fong, to give the bifhop a prayer, which he admired much, as old P'akymolano brother to the fultan of Magindano did : this need not be wondered at, for furely true Chriflian fentimcnts were admired in all ages ; witnefs thefe benevolent lines of Juvenal : -. molli fuma corda Humano generi dare fe Natura fatetur, Qtu-e lachrymas dedit : haec nofiri pars optima fenfus. * The king of Atcheen faid to Commodore Beaulieu, in 1619, that his orankayos charged him with cruelty, not confidering it was their own wickednefs that drew upon them Tuan-kïto de Achê doivloo tachtt derry dio punio orankayo, " The kings «« of Atcheen formerly were afraid of their nobles.'* They were too polite to fay the prefent king was. This accounts for going up by a ladder to the back apartments, that were by no means larger than what are ufually feen in Malay houfes of people of rank. I never walked about the circuit of the palace ; I feared it would have given offence, as if I was curious to ipy the nakednefs of the land : but I faw enough to convince me it had been once immenfely large, and many parts Arc wed an extenfive ruin, with the points of beams in many places flicking up through the rubbilh of long-fallen brick walls ; the ruins of flone walls were overgrown with bufhes, and were (haded by very large venerable trees and tall bamboos *. The prefent king, Sultan Ooladine (called after an unclet who had lived feveral years at Madras, in the time of Governor Morfe, and afterwards at Tappanooly, and fpoke good Englifli), is a fovereign of whom his fubjects in general fpeak well : having travelled, he willies to civilize them, by encouraging learning amongft the many priefls, with which his country abounds, much more than any other Sumatran ftate : the convenience alfo of going at a fmall expence to Mecca yearly, encourages many to become tuan haf/ees, and tuan imums, which is always refpectable j and there is no fuch thing as a tuan hadjee being reduced to beggary. Of the refpecT: paid to my old fellow traveller Ifmael Tuan Hadjee, merely from them the anger of God, who made ufe of him as an inftrumcnt to punifh their impiety ; that they had no occafion to complain of him who maintained them in their rights and poflcflions, and preferred them from the captivity of neighbouring kings, ami the robberies of ftrangers ; that his nobles hated him becaufe he fupprcflcd extortion, RiaflkcfCS and robberies." This was faid when the king (Sultan Siri; was much agitated, having juft tortured, in prefencc of Mr. Beaulieu, feveral of his women whom he had fufpccled of a defign againft his life, Harris's Voy. vol. i. p. 734-- It is altogether a moft (hocking relation, and Mr. Beaulieu's veracity cannot be doubted. * Beanlieu, who was at Atchecn in 1619, fays the city had been fix times larger than it was then, and that he went through three courts to the palace. Since 1619 it has certainly fallen off much. f This uncle Ooladine was often known by the appellation of Sultan Bencouloo. K 2 his his having been at Mecca, and in confequence wearing a large turban and wide fleeves, which draw refpect from the vulgar, I had many proofs in my voyage to AW Guinea. Suîtan Ooladine was a man about 25 years of age, fairer than Atcheeners generally are, of agreeable manners, having nothing haughty or auflere about him; fpoke rather quick, mixing Portuguefe with his French, very often, as if in a hurry to exprefs his meaning. He feemed to have profited by the little French education that he had accidentally got, and of which he was not a little vain : his courtiers replied in Malay when he fpoke firft in that tongue; but he fpoke to me generally in French, fometimes in Malay. Pofally the fhabander was about the fame age, and, I was informed, much in his favour ; he had a pleafing addrefs : I have often liftened to him hearing petitioners, when they fpoke Malay, in the ftreet, before his houfe, of a morning, which when he rejcclcd, it was in a mild and polite manner, fending the petitioner almoft always fatisfied away. At Atcheen they have tame elephants *, on which, as well as on horfeback, they often travel. I have feen feveral of the king's elephants carried duly of a morning to the river to be waihed, flapping their eyes with their large ears to keep off the fly. The king had about ten of them in different parts near Atcheen. On holidays, aree raya, I wras told they are all dreft out, and make a figure ; but I never faw one. Their mofques are faid to be numerous, but very fmall ; fifty perfons would almoft fill one ; they are all whitened with lime, capoor\ they are fcattered amongft many villages, the houfes of which not being wdiitened, the mofques are the more confpicuous; their' fmall nefs accounts for their number. They have many priefts, tuan hadjees, and tuan imums, and two or three caiîphasy fometimes called cady. Their punifhmcnts at Atchecn are fevere according to the nature of the crime, in the Bazar I have often met beggars and others * Wild elephants are in abundance all over Sumatra, and they often do much mifchief to rite and plantain fields. without without the right hand ; fome without the right hand and left foot, having repeated the offence. I have been told, that when a fire happens, the owner of the houfe in which it broke out is fe-verely punihhed*. What Mr. Marfden relates of their punifhment of an adulterer is a fact j nay, I have been told it extends to the débaucher of a virgin, gadis. " The culprit is carried to a large " plain, and is there incircled by the friends and relations of the " injured party. A large weapon is then delivered to him by one " of his own family ; and if he can force his way through thofe *' who furround him, he is not fubject to further profecution ; but " it commonly happens that he is inltantly cut to pieces." An Englifh country captain, whofc name I forgot, once told me that he had been applied to by fome Atcheeners, for a markfman to fhoot a man of this defcription, who fomehow had efcaped, whether in the above fpïrited manner, or otherwife, was not faid ; but he had hid himfelf on the top of a coco-nut tree. The captain very prudently defired to be excufed. The Atcheeners are of a more fwarthy complexion than the inhabitants to the fouthward, and far more fhrewd and acute than any other Malays on the ifland Sumatra : their character, I think, comes neareft the BuggefTes, inhabitants of Celebes, for addrefs and tlextcrity in bufinefs; but far inferior in true honour and bravery, which is the characteriftic of the Buggeffest. I do not remember any Chinefe vet Atcheen; but Chinefe were there in Commodore Beaulieifs time. The keen Chulias feem to leave nothing for them to pick up. Before I conclude this ihort account of what I obferved at Atcheen, during the feveral vifits I made to that port, I cannot help again mentioning Mr. Marfden-s excellent account of the ifland Sumatra, Pulo Purcha, a book I have more than once quoted: his account is faithful, curious, and exact; and, as I have * Com. Beaulieu fays a fire happened whilft he was there, that burnt 260 houfes in an hour, and that the king impaled the woman in whofe houfe it broke out. Harris's Voyage^, vol. i. p. 736. •j- On the contrary, the Atcheeners feem to exceed all other Afiatics I have known for villany and treachery, which character is confirmed by Beaulieu in many inftaaces. i paffed faded many years of my life on trading voyages to that ifland, I read it with- great plcafnre and fatisfattion, as it reeals many fcenes of manners and cuftoms to my memory, by time and abfencc almoft obliterated. Mr. Marfden imdcrftands the Malay tongue better than any European I ever knew. I once afked Pofally if Monf. Suffrein, the French admiral, who, with his fleet, had refreined at Atcheen in November 1782, had feen the king. Pofally faid that Monf. Suffrein once came on fhore, in a fmall boat, to look at the town, but did not fee the king, although he wifhed it ; becaufe, the king having loft a favourite child, wras in great grief, and faw nobody. Confidering this as a polite excufe, I preffed Pofally to know the truth ; on which he told me the French admiral would not perhaps have taken off his flioes as you did ; and he could not fee the king otherwife. On this I faid, that I had, at my vifit to Sultan Mahomed Selim, about twenty years ago, wrapped a piece of red cloth over my fhoes, and fo kept them on; on which he laughed, faying he had heard of it. Latterly I was excufed this ceremony in the audience hall, ruma bicharro ; but, when 1 went up the ladder to the back apartment, I always took off my fhoes at the head of it, before I ftept on the clean mats, over part of which was a fmall carpet, on which the king fat; and I fometimes had the honour of fitting on the mat, at a fmall diflance from him. 1 left Atcheen the middle of January, feven Chulia veffels then lying in the road: having fa-luted with feven guns, before 1 tripped the anchor, to which a return was made. Of A MALAY S ON G by CaptV Thos. Forrest. To the tune of the Corrente Vivace in the 3^f Sonata of Corelli. to be pronounced °P«n as in Ball. i -iJ j r 15 i Anghin be dingin Oogin be jattoo The wind is cold the rain falls, , Scio be still J|J. ;||: r J m r I' nantee, ma wait, na po why tida da dont ^you tang . come . A po What sail., harm ft v i p T i i^-i—i 1-f-f- • —a-m--1- J lr ___________ _____ 1 -' 1- 1 1 r 1 Jzz=d - suramo have X Scio , doue, Scio, I, Scio , I. Scio, Scio, I, ffiTfc-1-1 |_j 1 - 1 J * r" rS —p—r—'f-F PJ-2__— J-■-e —i-J—1 -M-.rré— É ,. i rq^ _f_— A te rindo, chinto Scio, Jangan pit cha, my heart is broke, jou are my love, dont tear A te a heart rindo, Scio that's broke, 1 be n ;i n tee , wait , lamo be long I nantee , wait , 1 f f 1 ft •—c -— i 1--M Xl_L/--' il. -1-:' '" -a- 1 —• 1-1 -• Angh in be The wind is dingin, cold , Oogin be the rain j attoo, falls , Sc io be I nantee, wait , m nantee long I 1 a m o , wait , tappee, but, c a mo, tida da do not a . tang . come. THE KING OF ATf-IIKKN (ilVING AUMBKCE TO CAP? FORREST IN 176- K y/y. 6y dyt '.'71 Werrt&p, Of failing from Atcheen Road down the coqfi of Sumatra—Sur at Paffage, Sedre Paffage—Siddo Harbour—King's Bay—Towns in Kings Bay— Saddle IJland—China-hat Hill—Cap Ifland—Nalaboo—Soofoo—Double Cape—Pulo Duo—Peak of Pulo Bania—Paffage Ifland—directions to pafs it—Sinkel River—Leaga Harbour—CapU Duggins mate affajfi-nated there, in 1753—Ship Experiment wrecked on Bird Ifland, hi J J J 2—Pulo Mazular—Tappanooly Harbour. IT has been faid in a note, on the fécond page of the Introduction, that a (hip may back and fill through the Sural Paffage, on the ftarboard tack, with the tide againft the SW wind. I prefer this tack to the other, becaufe, after ranging Stony Ifland on this tack, when the fhip comes abreaft of the paffage, by luffing up under top-fails only, and backing the maintop-fail, fhe gets through in a moment, the tide at this narrow gorge (not 150 yards acrofs) fet-ting very ftrong ; it is quite bold on the fide of the main of Sumatra ; and the narrow part may be faid to have no length, as it immediately widens, and you are foon in anchoring ground, which is not to be had at or very near the narrow part on either fide of the narrow, called Pintoo (Door) with great propriety, by the natives. The Sedre Paffage is much wider ; but there is foul anchorage in fome parts of it, and a fand bank, which, however, has 5 fathoms on the fhoaleft part : if a fhip tries this paifage, fhe fhould have boats ahead, at leaft, until it is better known. The harbour of Siddo is fmall. In the harbour, in 4 fathoms water, muddy bottom, a fhip has not much room to fwing in : when I made the plan of it which is in the New Guinea Voyage, I was deceived by its being high water at the inftant, and the coral rocks being hid : it is not fo large as is there reprefented. Here you get good water and refrefh-ment; or the fhip may lie without Slipper Rock, and Sugar-loaf Hill, in an excellent fmooth road. Between Siddo Harbour and King s Point is Kings Bay, with good anchoring ground throughout. In this bay are the following neegrees (towns) : Lunga, containing 4 mofques and 300 houles ; Koas, 2 mofques and 200 houles ; Siddo, 16 houfes; Eyas, 30 houfes; Lapuan, 300 houfes ; and Te'inga, 400 houfes. 5 Although Although I never was on fhore in any of thefe places, except Siddo, I cannot help remarking, that, at Siddo there are only 16 houfes ; and yet Siddo, in the hands of Europeans, would become a port of confequence : but Malays, having no large veffels, think no har-"bour defirable but where there is a frefh-water river ; being Mahometans, they are fond of frequent ablution, and always in frefh water. I am told there are feveral rivers in this bay into- which their prows find admiffion, no doubt to thefe neegrees already named. At the bottom of the bay is a low neck of land dividing King's Bay from Atcheen Road; this ifthmus is well planted with coco-nut trees, and the country around has much the look of cultivation.. See the View of Siddo Harbour and Sugar-loaf HilL Having left Siddo Harbour, you pafs two bays, where there is m good deal the appearance of harbours ; but I never explored them r you then pafs without Saddle If and, where there is foul ground^ fand and corah Being a little way paft Saddle If and (but this depends entirely on the height of the eye), you will fee China-hat Hill, at a diflance, appearing disjunct from the main land ; you then pafs a long ftretch of low land for about 12 miles, then a bold foreland,, and a hump about a mile disjunct from it, and Brown's Rocks-, where there are over-falls and foul ground. I once fent the boat behind a very fmall ifland in the bay, to look for anchorage ; but could find none good : you then pafs a fmall ifland covered with trees, its foundation a red rock, with twenty fathoms 6 miles weft of it : you then come to Coco-tmi If and abounding with the coconut tree, and gently rifmg from its fouth end. South half eaft of Coco-nut Ifland> about 12 miles, is Cap Ifland, like a jockey's cap, where the foul ground and uneven anchorage feem to end, and the fine mud foundings begin, that reach far down the coaft.. ENE of Cap Ifland is Ckft Hill, a remarkable land. Nalaboo, already mentioned, page 46, lies in 4* 12' N lat. and may be known by a grove of coco-nut trees. Lying in the road, China-hat Hill appears like a fmall ifland to the northward. Soofoo Harbour is a few leagues to the SE of Nalaboo ; but I cannot precifely fay how far. Once lying off Soofoo Harbour, in 12 fathoms, in the Luconia fnow, with Giles Holloway, Efq. on board, bound from Atcheen to his his refidency of Tappanooly, as has been already mentioned, we fet off in the boat to vifit this harbour at 3 in the afternoon, judging, from the appearance of the trees on the low land, that we fhould foon be on fhore ; but we were much miftaken in the diflance, and it was near dark before we reached it. We went in, however, rowed round fome prows that lay there, but not liking our fituation, it being now almoft dark, immediately returned on board with the land wind. The eftimate of the diflance of woody lands is always deceitful. I can fay nothing of this harbour with any certainty ; it is faid to be a very good one, and is not far from Nalaboo. I am forry I had not an opportunity of obferving even its latitude ; but off this part of the coaft there is a very great extent of excellent anchorage, a good way from the land. From Soofoo, in failing to the fouthward, you pafs by a remarkable double cape, made by two flat points of low land, in lat. 3* 36' N : from hence you pafs Point Laboon, lat. 2° 50' N, having good mud foundings all the way, and 20 fathoms water about 8 miles from the land. Point Laboon or Labooan (anchorage) when it bears ENE, from 22 fathoms, mud, the beach feen from the eye 15 feet above the horizon, there appear three fmall iflands; the ifland moft to the right, or SE, bearing E by S, and Point Laboon bearing as above ENE. There is a flrong indication of there being fhelter behind them, as behind Pulo Carang, the Ticoo, and Priaman Iflands, mentioned in a note in page 38 ; I fuf-pect alfo two of thefe three iflands are the Pulo Duo (Two Iflands) mentioned by Malays as having a harbour behind them. When Point Laboon bears ENE, with the above-mentioned depth of 22 fathoms, the hummock or peak of Pulo Bania (Many Iflands) may be feen from the height of a fmall veffel. The above peak bearing SW-r W, from 20 fathoms mud, a fmall ifland, called Paffage Ijland, may be juft feen, bearing SE i E ; it is low, and covered with trees, amongft which are fome coco-nut trees. See the View of Pafjage Ifland, and the peak on Pulo Bania. Suppofe a rhumb line drawn through this ifland, from NW to L SE» ( ueda, in 1782 : he was a Buggefs, a native of Sambowa (a Buggefs colony « î SUMATRA VIEWS bu T, ,«>,yw /<«/.' iAnmA JW/Awt the Ilnqlisli .retr/ement on AnmUm ///'/t/i Z'rtfxi/iot>/y fî-'r fini ot'M,r,/ FhS ?r FM Xat»a /„// sr:tn /ttK fh'mq Kmud'. JhwJm* ****** S* 0 71 ) colony on the ifland of that name), a very fenfible man, and had then his prow (paduakan), about 40 tons burden, repairing in the river. His account agrees with what I have learnt from other Buggeffes I have converfed with in my many eaftern voyages. There is a deep gulf that runs far into the ifland from the fouthward ; this deep gulf is called Sewa by the natives, but by the En* glifh Buggefs Bay. There is alfo a deep gulf runs into the N E part of the ifland : its proper name is, I believe, Nominee Bay ; but by fome it is called Gorantellu, or Gunong-tellu (Hill-harbour). It reaches fo deep from the NE into the ifland, that the ifthmus Pahs, that divides the bottom of it from the weft fea, is very narrow, forming a peninfula. On the N coaft of this peninfula is Afo-nado and Fort Amferdam, a Dutch fettlement, whence they get much gold, in exchange for opium and Indoftan piece goods, chiefly blue cloth, fine Bengal coffaes and hummums, iron and fteel. There is alfo a gulf, not very deep, that runs into the SE quarter of the ifland, called 'Tolo-bay. Gllolo has three bays fimilar to Celebes. In the ftrait that divides this ifland from Borneo, there is a clufter of thirteen fmall flat iflands, called by Europeans the Little Pater-noflers, but by Malays, Pulo Balabatakan (Iflands behind) : they lie nearer Borneo than Celebes, are covered with trees, and have navigable channels between them, but uneven anchorage. I have been on one of them called Pulo Ayr (Water If and) ; and here the Boad-j-oos, called often Oranlout (Men of the Sea), gather much fwallow, in 8 or ten fathoms water *. The SE monfoon blowing through this ftrait, veffels cannot well work up againft it on the Bornean fhore, which being low, gives little or no land wind in this feafon ; where- * To ftrike the fwallow that lies upon the fand at die bottom, in 8 or 10 fathoms water, they fix four iron prongs, parallel to each other, along the furfaces of two iron {hot, of 6 or 9 pounds weight, about 12 or 14 inches afunder, to which is fattened a fmall but flrong line ; they then dry it in fmoke, in the boat (a paduakan with a tripod maft), where often a whole family lives, and they generally keep on the Ice fide of the ifland, according to the monfoon. A particular account is given of the Boadjoos in my Voyage to New Guinea, p. 37a. M as, as, on the oppofite ihore of Celebes, the land being high, there is always a frefh land-wind at night, and a fea-wind in the day, by means of which, a veffel can work up to the fouthward, get round Pulo-lout, and fo proceed to Batavia or Europe. The climate of Celebes is very temperate ; no violent heats, owing to the country bein^ diverfihed with mountains, hills, and valleys ; well ventilated, and much covered with wood : the three bays already mentioned, going far into the ifland, make water communication eafy, and caufe a circulation of cool wrind over the whole illand, fo as never to be fo hot as might be imagined from its low latitude. Its population is much the fame as the ifland Java, where the Dutch have numerous poffefhons, and may be reckoned about i or 3 millions. Celebes has three rivers ; Chinrana, the moft confiderable, takes its rife in the country of Warjoo, runs through Bony, anddifchargcsitfelf by feveral mouths into the Sewa on its weft coaft. European fhips can get into it, and fail a great way up over a muddy bottom. The fécond is the river Bole, with three fathoms water on its bar ; it ditch arges itfelf, after a rapid winding courfe, at Bole, on the N coaft of the ifland ; but being confined to the peninfula of Pahs, it cannot be very large, and has many fhallows in it. The third difcharges-itfelf on the weft coaft of the ifland, a good way fouth of Macaffar, where there is, within the mouth of the river, an ifland called Sam-pang Java, which often gives name to the river : it goes up into the country of Goa. The proper name of the river is Jan-pandan. Celebes confifts of fix divifions, moft of which have a particular form of government, &c. with a great mixture of the feudal fyftcm in every one of them. The firft I fhall mention is Goa; this is the moft ancient, and lies on the W and SW coaft of the ifland, where Macajar is, the feat of the Dutch government. Here is a pretty flrong brick fort called Rotterdam, with a garrifon of about 300 men. In 1763, being in the road on board of a Dutch fhip (after having loft the veffel I had commanded, the Bonnetta ketch, on 4 fome fome rocks near to and in fight of the ifland Salayer*)t though not permitted to go on ihore at Macajar, I could perceive many guns mounted on the walls of the fort, from the road. The fort was faid to be a fquare of about 400 feet, with 4 baftions : the road is well fheltcred from any fwell, by fmall iflands and Ihoals that lie off it. One ifland particularly, lies off the SW part of Celebes, called Pulo Kalza, about 15 miles long, with three fmall iflands to fea-ward of it. There is a jetty like the pier at North Yarmouth, built out from the town, to facilitate the landing of goods. The Dutch captain and officers were very fhy of giving me any information. In the road lay a Chinefe junk of about 600 tons. Here they catch immenfe quantities of fiih of various kinds. In this divifion of Goa, which extends a good way along the WSW and S coaft of the ifland, the Dutch have on the S coaft two wooden forts, wrhere I have been in 1763, called Bulo Combo9 and Bontyn, wTith a garriibn of 50 men in each. But, notwithstanding repeated attempts from Macajar, with many European and country troops, I have heard from feveral, that the Dutch have never been able to get poffeffion of the ifland Sampang Java, lying at the mouth of the river Jan-pandan, fouth of Macajar; fo that Goa is almoft independent of the Dutch. The King of Goa was formerly of moft consideration on Celebes ; and though greatly fallen from his former confequence, he is ft ill the moft powerful prince in the ifland, and the Dutch command but little beyond the fort of Macajar (except Bub Combo and Bontyn) in the Goa diftrict. The government of Goa is monarchical; the king is called Karuang, fometimes Rajah Goa. Navarctte calls him Sambanco; and his * Salaycr contains about 6o,000 inhabitants. I travelled acrofs it in 1763, accompanied by Mynheer Jacob Bekkifbaker, the refident : he kindly came by Mr. Sinclair's order (governor of Macajar), who honoured me with a letter, at the fame time, to the fmall de-fert fandy ifland on which I was eaft away. We were carried by men up the very fteep bills (that run along the middle of the ifland from N to S), on bamboo chairs made on the fpot, and partly on horfeback on the flat lauds. The natives drink much of a liquor called Haquirc, drawn from the palm tree : they burn tallow from the udlow tree, as in China, CCt give light. M 2 empire empire formerly extended, not only over the whole ifland Celebes., but alfo over feveral adjacent iflands, before the Portuguefe doubled the Cape of Good Hope. The next diftrict is Bony, or Pony, lying eaft of Goa, and on the weft coaft of the great gulf or Sewa, entirely under the influence of the Dutch, who endeavour, but in vain, to make it fuperior to Goa. Through Bony runs Chlnrana river, after coming from the Warjoo country. Bony, by the command of the river Chlnrana, locks up as it were all accefs to Warjoo by water : but certain agreements exift between the two ftates, convenient to each in fpite of the Dutch. Bony is governed by a prince called Pajong. He is elected for life by feven Orancayos, a fixed number, which may be kept up by the Pajong (but not increafed) from the Dyons (certain freeholders) ; and when an elector dies, a new elector is appointed by the Pajong, his heir not fucceeding. The Dutch always fupport Bony againft Warjoo, and have made the Pajong almoft independent ; yet the Pajong is often reftrained by a fort of parliament, elected by the freeholders : it conflits of 400 members, 200 of which are called Matua, 100 are called Pa-bicharro, and 100 are called Galarang. But of this I never learnt a diftincf account; and I mention it only as a hint for future travellers. And if fuch a mixed government does exift, it is natural to think the Dutch would endeavour to deprefs fuch liberal notions, which, in the end, would fo ftrongly affect their own power and influence. The third divifion of Celebes is Wajoo, Warjoo, or Tuadjoo; it is governed alfo by an elective prince, called Aramatooa. He is elected for life by the four nobles of the higheft rank, called Oran cayo Batta bazar (nobles of the great flag), from the body of an inferior nobility, called Oran cayo Batta ampat Pulo, (nobles of the forty flags), there being forty in number ; and when elected, if he fhould fay, "lam *' I am poor," which may be the cafe, the reply made to him (by the nobleman who prefides at the election) is, Warjoo berennee, Warjoo calo, Warjoo guajfo ; which fignifics, Warjoo is brave, rich, and powerful : intimating, no doubt, he lhall want for nothing. He then accepts of the government. Befides the four high and the forty inferior nobles, there is ftill a kind of freeholders called Dyons, as in Bony. The Aramatooa can only keep up the number of the four high, and forty inferior nobility, when they are, by want of heirs, extinct ; but he cannot increafe the number. In Warjoo only the nobility is hereditary. The fourth divifion of Celebes is Sopin, where there are very high mountains, near the middle of the ifland. The fifth is SeUndrim, NW of Soph. The fixth is Mandar, on the W and NW coaft of the ifland, under a kind of republican government: here they manufacture much cloth {cambays). The Dutch are fettled in feveral parts of the Mandar dominions, and get from thence much gold ; yet they, and the people of Warjoo in general, have not only pre-ferved their freedom againft the Dutch, but have (the Warjoos efpccially) emigrated from their own country, and made fettlements at Rhlo, fituated near the eaft entrance of the Strait of Malacca, at Sambowa, an ifland eaft of Java, and at Pajftr, on the eaft coaft of the great ifland Borneo. They always confider their colonies as emancipated from the mother country, as foon as they are able to defend themfelves. Of a revolution that happened at Pajftr, on Borneo, in 1772, by a Buggefs colony depofing the native Malay king, with great civility and good manners, more will be faid ; and 1 never heard that Warjoo (from whence the colony was fettled) in the leaft interfered. So, hiftory tells us, the Greeks interfered but little with their colonies in the ifland Sicily,, and elfcwhere. Of thefe fix divifions of the ifland Celebes, Sopln and SeUndrim, being inland, are of fmall confideration, compared with the other four; yet Sopln, it is faid, can mufter many fighting men. Goa, Bony, Warjoo, and Mandar are much fpoken of in hiftory *■, They had * See Harris's Collections of Voyages, many many bloody wars with the Dutch, not only in former days, but as late as the year 1780, as 1 learnt from Captain James Scott, of £>ueda. The Bnggeffes of Goa, on fome mifunderftanding, attacked the Dutch fort Rotterdam at Macajar, but were beat off with great lofs of men : they afked leave to bury the dead, which was refufed. This caufed much ficknefs among the Dutch of Macajfar at the time. The Buggeffcs in general are a high-fpirited people; they will not bear ill ufage *. They are alfo great merchants : their prows, called * Pulo Condore, formerly an Englifh fettlement in the Chinefe feas, was cut off bv the Macaflar or Buggefs garrifon, about the year 1703, and a few furvivors made their efcape in a boat. The garrifon had ferved their ftipulated time ; yet the governor, Mr. Katch-polc, would keep them againft their will for a longer period. The editor fays, the Ma-cajfars are a brave, induftrious, and faithful people ; but, if provoked, daring and revengeful. Harris, vol. i. p. 855. Monfieur Forbin, in the year 1685, at Bancok in Siam, had orders from Mr. Confiance, who was his fenior in command, to prevent all Siamefe from paffing his fort. There came ueda, being very numerous, where in 1763 they took many Chulia fhips. I never learnt truly how the affair was, but the gentle Indoftaner of Porto Novo, where the Chulias of Queda generally fit out, refiffed but faintly the bold Buggefs. They deferve the character faire tuer, ils y penferont plus d'une fois. Le major s'en alla fort trifle, &c me continuât fes bons avis, me dit en partant, " Mon Dieu, Monfieur, prenez bien garde à ce que vous faites ; ils vous tueront infailliblement : croyez ce que j'ai l'honneur de vous dire ; c'eft pour votre bien." " Le zcle de cet officier me fit entrer en confidération : pour ne rien hazarder, je fit monter 20 foltlats Siamois dans la gorge du baflion, dix defquels étoient armés de lances, & dix autres de fufils. Je fis tirer le rideau du pavillon, & m'étant avancé vers l'entrée, j'ordonnois à un Mandarin d'aller, de ma part, dire au capitaine, que j'étois bien mortifié de' l'ordre que j'avois de l'arrêter : maïs qu'il recevroit de moi toute forte de bons traitemens. «' Ce pauvre Mandarin, qui me fervoit d'interprète, m'obéit j au premier mot qu'il prononça, ces fix MacafTars ayant jette leur bonnet à terre, mirent le crit à la main, & s'élan-çant comme des démons, tuèrent dans un inflant l'interprète & fix autres Mandarins qui étoient dans le pavillon. Voyant ce carnage, je me retirai vers mes foldats, qui étoient armés. Je fautai fur la lance d'un d'entr'eux, & je criai aux autres de tirer." After this the Macaflars got to their galley, and fet it on fire \ they then fet fire to a convent of Tellopys, and killed all the monks : 366 Siamefe and feveral French were killed, and 17 Macaflars only, in this defperate bufinefs.—Mcmoires du Comte de Forbin, amiral de Siam du nom d'Opra fac D'Efom Cram, chef d'efcadre des armées navales de fa Majetié, chevalier de l'ordre militaire de St. Louis, torn. i. Amflerdam, 1730- Whcn the Count d'Eflaing took Bencoolen in 1760, where I unfortunately was, having been a freighter on board the fhip Denham, that was burnt with all my property, he had a proof of the defperate fpirit of Buggefles. After the Englifh had been fent to Batavia in the frigate Expedition, fome Buggefs prows arrived and traded with the Malays. What gave offence, I cannot tell ; but the Count, afraid of an infurredîion amongft the Buggefles, 2 or 300 in number, he having kept prifoner in Fort Marlbro* the Englifh Buggefs captain, Dyon Macoolay, who was a Buggefs chieftain, and for whom his nation had a great regard and refpe& ; to prevent this, the Count invited feveral to the fort, and when three had entered, the wicket was (hut upon them : in attempting to difarm them, they mangamoed, that is, run a muck : they drew their crefies, killed one or two Frenchmen, wounded others, and, at laft, fuffered themfelves for fupporting their point of honour. The Count d' Ef-taing behaved with great civility and politenefs to his Englifh prifoners, diftributing a fmall ftock of provifions with great impartiality : and, notwithilanding what has been faid of the Count, the Englifh had Mr. Douglas, Governor of Gambroon, exchanged in his place, before he character given of Malays in general, by Monfieur Poivre, in his Travels or a Philofopher, " fond of adventures, emigration, and " capable of undertaking the moft dangerous enterprizes." The word Buggefs has become amongft Europeans confonant to foldier, in the eaft of India, as fepoy is in the weft. The Dutch, in their quarrels with the BuggelTes, have always played off one poweragainft another, and have long loft all confidence he took Fort Marîbro\ A French ferjeant having got poffeffion of a flave boy belonging to me, I applied to the Count, who ordered me immediate reftitution ; and (hewed me equal favour, particularly in letting me go early to Batavia in a Malay prow. Cameroon was taken by Captain Cefar, of the fhip Condi of 50 guns, and the frigate Expedition. Having faid fo much of the defperate difpofition of the Buggefles, I cannot help faying fomcthing of the temper of Malays in general. If an European fhip is palling the Strait of Malacca, or any of thofe (traits in its neighbourhood, it is natural, if they fee Malay prows, to fend a boat towards them, to defire them to come on board, to get news, &c. This ought never to be done by force ; Malays hare no other idea, when compulfion is ufed, but that it is the prelude to flavery or death ; and many fatal confequences have followed from attempts of this nature, when nothing hoftile was intended on either fide. If a boat fent on fuch bu -finefs be ordered tolie~to at a fmall diflance, and talk to the Malays, to difarm their firft apprchenfion, fifty to one but they will then go on board voluntarily, efpecially if it is an Englifh boat that calls them. 1 mentioned in a note in page 73, that 1 was eaft away in 1763, on a fmall ifland eaft «rf Salaysr, in the Bonnetta ketch. There was no frefh water on the fmall fandy ifland, and 1 went to an adjacent ifland to fearch for fome, but found a very little in holes of the rocks, enough only to quench our thirft. Returning to my companions next day, the 23d February, I faw two prows, one failing away from the other, which was left with the fail flapping againft the maft. It ftruck me, as I faw nobody, that fhe was deferted : and I cheered up the crew (Lafcars only), to pull ftrong, to take poffeffion of what I thought was abandoned. When within about three times the length of my own boat of the prow, about ten Malays appeared, with lances in their hands, from under the prow's thatched roof, where they had lain in ambufcade. I immediately called out to them, Jangang takut (Do not be afraid), held water with the oars ; yet the boat had fuch frefh way, that her ftem went againft the prow in a perpendicular direction, but did not ftrike hard. I inftantly quitted the tiller, and, eroding the thafts, went on board, and took the Noquedah by the hand, ordering my boat immediately to lie off: his hand trembled, which plcafed me much, as it affurcd me he was a/raid. I foon perfuaded him I was Englifh. After afking for fome rice and water, they faid they would fupply mc ; but did not incline my boat fhould come and fetch it. 1 got a jar of water and a bag of rice, which was carried on board of my boat by their canoe. They had got a good many piece goods from the wreck. Mynheer Jacob Bekkifbakcr came foon after very kindly to my relief, as has been faid. with with the natives in general. They keep what they pofleis oïîCelebes chiefly on account of its being the weft frontier to the Spice Iflands, and feem afraid of extending their commerce fo much as they might, for fear of innovation of fentiment among the natives ; or, rather, wifh to difcouragc their commercial exertions, which formerly were very confiderable. There are many other entrances to the Spice Iflands, befides Salayer Strait (the Buggeroons) where the Dutch generally have cruifers, and the Buggeffes often find their way there in fpitc of their vigilance. I have feen, 25 years ago, 15 Prows at a time, at Bencoolen, loaded with a mixt cargo of fpices, wax, caffia, fandle wood, dollars, and the cloths of Celebes called cambays. The Dutch have alfo the addrefs to make the places held by them on Celebes, not only maintain themfelves, but produce a clear profit, from trade and tribute, in gold, wax, rice, fago, flaves*, &c. The fupreme government of Batavia fupplics the different fettle-ments with the cloths of Indoftan, at 33^ advance on the prime coif; whatever thefe cloths fell for more is the profit of their fervants : they alfo fell a great deal of Bengal opium, Porto-mvo blue and white cloth, fine Bengal coffaes and hummums, and much iron, fleel, and cutlery as has been laid. The inhabitants of Celebes are very induftrious, weaving a deal of cotton cloth, generally cambays, which they export to all Malay countries; it is red chequered and mixed with blue; they alfo make beautiful filk belts, in which they fix their creffes. On the coaft of Coromandel they make a cloth in imitation df cambays, not fo well wove, but of brighter colours, called the chaw (a red colour). The Buggeffes alfo often import cotton from the ifland Bally, both raw and fpun into yarn. At Bally they do not underftand packing cotton, as at Bombay, but fluff it into bafkets. * It is inconceivable to an European the number of domefHc Haves the Dutch have at Batavia, Macafl&r?, Javans, Nias, Sic, fomèthing like what we read of old Rome: they all ,go wonderfully neat and clean, and many learn mechanical trades, the Nias efpccially. ' N The The Buggefs cambay, though only one garment, which fhrowds from head to heel when the wearer flceps, is often fold from 6 to io Spanifh dollars a piece : fome are fine as cambric very flrong wove, but dull coloured: being chequered, it much refembles tartan, and is often wore like a fafh gathered up on one fhoulder over a tight waiflcoat, and breeches that reach within a fpan of the knee. Altogether a Buggefs refembles much a Scotch highlander, when the ends of the plaid are fewed together; his arms are fword, lance, dagger (durk) and target, fometimes a mufquet and bayonet, or blundcrbufs, inftead of the lance; but then he is attended by a lad, who, himfelf armed, carries feveral lances. Their exportation to Bencoolen, of cambays, is fuch that they have been obliged, lately, to lay a heavy duty on that article, as it interfered with our own importations from Indoftan, and of cambays and lungys from Bengal. The Buggeffes alfo manufacture, from the inner bark of a fmall tree, a kind of paper, in which they wrap their fine cambays ; they often dye this paper of various colours, and export much of it even to Manilla, and various other places : it refembles the Otaheité clothing. They build their paduakans (which in general we call prows at Bencoolen) very tight, by dowling the planks together, as coopers do the parts that form the head of a cafk, and putting the bark of a certain tree between, which fwells, and then fit timbers to the planks, as at Bombay, but do not rabbet (as it is called) the planks, as at Bombay. In Europe we build reverfely ; we fet up the timbers firft, and fit the planks to them afterwards ; the largeft never exceeds fifty tons; they are bigotted to old models and fixtures in fitting their veffels. The paduakans have their bow lowered or cut down in a very awkward manner ; a bulk head is railed a good way abaft the ftem, to keep off the fea, and the fore part is fo low as to be often under water; they are unfit to encounter a gale of wind, not being decked. (See the figure). ( Si ) They make fire-arms, but cannot make gun locks ; they alfo eaft fmall brafs guns, which they call rantakka, and are curious in filla-gree work, both in gold and filver : the larger rantakka is about 6 feet long, and carries a half pound ball, like Marfhal Saxe's amu* fette. They get many rantakkas from Borneo proper, where they are expert in making them. At a place called Ky/y or Kyela, north of Macajfar, and in the Mandar divifion, there is faid to be a fpacious harbour; there are alfo faid to be fome hills free from wood, and covered with grafs, near the harbour, and many iheep are bred there : this is unufual in a Malay country, where trees in general have poffeffion of the foil, and iheep are therefore univerfally fcarce. Goats much more plenty. There are two or three harbours on the eaft coaft of Celebes, and two on the north coaft, Koandang and Amoran, as I am told ; but I never was in any place but MacaJJdr Road, Bontyn, and Bulocombo, where there are no harbours. The Malays write their language in the Arabic character from right to left. The Buggeffes write their language in a character peculiar to themfelves, fomething like the Rejang and Batta on Sumatra, as we do from left to right, of which Mr. Marfden has given a fpecimen *. Navarette, who vifited Macajar in 1650, fays they had a library of European books t. I take them to be a * The accompanying map of my voyage in the Tartar Galley, to New Guinea, was wrote upon by Noquedah Inankee, which writing I fent home to Mr. Dalrymple, who was fo good as to get it engraved on the old plate : it fhews how far their writing refembles the Rejang and Batta. The Batta a being (haped like our numeral 6 inverted and placed horizontally, is clearly the letter la with the Buggeffes, as appears in the fécond letter that expreffes Cape Augudin in the faid map : there are alfo other flrong refemblances ; The Rejang Na like the buggefs IVa.ot the Roman or Greek M, occurs frequently, particularly in the fécond letter that expreffes the ifland Ceram. Neither Greeks nor Romans, furely, knew any thing of the ifland Celebes, but the letter M may have travelled. Their vowels are in the fame order as ours, a, e, i, o, u, ung. Their numerals I have unfortunately loft; but remember that they had fome refemblancc to the Perfian. f Enfenenos algunas mapas y libros nueftros, querdava la libraria de fu padre que era famofa. Tratados hiftoricos, ethicos y religiofos de China. Wrote by Fran. Dom. Fernandez Navarette. Trat. 6, caput 8, feci. 2, p. 329 ; Madrid, 1676* N 2 very very ancient people, but whole hiftory is loft; at leaft the many Buggefles I have converfed with fecmed all to be of that opinion, and told me many ftories of a former great king, called Rajah Lout, (king of the fea) who ufurped the throne of Goa. He was admiral of his fovereign's fea forces, and fucceeded in dethroning his mafter about 200 years ago. The Buggeffes on the fea coaft uni-verfally fpeak the Malay tongue, and they have many Malay phrafes in their language, even whole fcntences. They are fond of fea charts, I have given many to certain No-quedas (commanders of Prows) for which they were very grateful, and often wrote names of places in their own language, which I read to them on the charts ; and they were always very inquifitive about Europe, and Neegree Telinga (Indoftan). Their Prows have not yet crofted the bay of Bengal, whatever they may do hereafter, whilft, doubtlefs, Arabian fhips from the Gulphs found their way to Celebes, as well as to Camfoo (the city of Arabian traders), which was, perhaps, Canton, long before the paffage round the Cape was difcovercd ; and in thofe days, before Dutch oppretTion, the Buggefles certainly traded largely to moft of the eaftern iflands in their own manufactures, and held many of them in fuejection. ■ The Dutch made peace with the Buggeffes in 1667, °n condition they ihould expel all the Portuguefe. The Jaws of the inhabitants of Celebes are adminiftered according to old cuftoms handed down from their anceftors, and retained in the memory of their old men {Oran Tm), and many are committed to writing in Goa, Warjou, Bony, and Mandar, and confider-ed as the law of the land ; in dubious cafes they refer to the Koran, if applicable. Their religion is Mahometan, with this laudable cuflom, if a man marries his equal, he takes but one wife ; if below him, he may take four*. I have been told by feveral Buggeffes, that they * In the ifland Sumatra the common law is alfo retained in the memories of the eîders of they fail in their Paduakans to the northern parts of New-Holland, poflibly Carpentaria Bay, to gather Swallow (Biche de mer), which they fell to the annual China Junk at Macajar; they fay alfo, gold is to be got there. I make no doubt but that our fettlements in New-Holland will foon be vifited by Buggefles, when the Engli/h extend from port Jack/on further north into a warm climate. When I was at Pajfir in the year 1772, on my way to Balamban-gan with John Herbert, Efq. we found it a place of great trade, with two fathoms water on the muddy bar of a river which led up to the town forty-five miles ; the tide running a good way up above the town, which confifted of about 300 wooden houfes on the north fide of the river, moftiy inhabited by Buggeffes, all of them merchants. The fultan, a Malay Prince, had his houfe and wooden fort on the fouth fide, a very little way from the river. Whilft the Hon. Company's fhip Britannia lay about 15 miles off the river's mouth, in fix fathoms muddy ground, Mr. Herbert, and moft of the gentlemen who came with him from Bencoolen, civil and military, about twelve or fourteen in number, went up to town. They were received by Buggeffes and a few king's guards, who by firing of mufquetoons, &c. (fmall arms) as is their cuftom, though in an irregular way, did our Chief what honour they could. We were then lodged, by the king's order, in a decent houfe, on the oppofite fide of the river to where he lived in his wooden fort. Next day Mr. Herbert and feveral gentlemen waited on the fultan. On the 5th day after our arrival we were all to dine with the fultan by invitation. The head-man of the Buggeffes, whole name was Teroway, and feveral of his nation, were alfo invited. We accordingly repaired to the palace on the day appointed about noon, in hopes of meeting the Buggeffes^but not one appeared. A long-table was fpread in the European manner with china, plates, knives and forks, and benches on each fide were placed for a great number of Doofoons (villages,) but latterly, by the influence of the Englîfa they are in fome places committed to writing. Marfden's .Sumatra. of ( H ) of expected guefts. After waiting a confiderable time, and no Buggefs, nor even menage from them, appearing, the fultan fat down at the head of the table with feveral of his courtiers and relations on his left hand, whilft Mr. Herbert and the Englifh gentlemen fat on his right hand. The fultan fpoke but little ; a very good dinner was provided, and amongft many dilhes of fifh and fowl, there was fome excellent mutton, that, as I was told, came from Kyly, on the oppohte coaft of Celebes. At dinner, we Chrif-tians drank wine which Mr. Herbert had provided ; the fultan and Malays drank fherbet, and fome of them a very little wine. At fix o'clock, after drinking tea and coffee, we took leave, each forming his own conjecture. Next day we heard there was a mifunderftanding between the fultan and the Buggeffes about the collection of port duties, the latter infilling on what for many years they had enjoyed, and for which they had always defended the freedom of the port from Dutch influence. At this time we had landed many bales of long cloth white and blue, iron and lead, from the Britannia, which Mr. Edward Coles, the appointed refident, was difpofing of. Mr. Herbert, however, took the alarm, and went on board the Britannia, at the fame time fent me to reconnoitre the little Paternofters, a group of 13 fmall iflands already mentioned. I was about four days gone, and on my return found that three days after Mr. Herbert went on board the Britannia, Teroway, a Buggefs orancayo, and his men had furrounded the fultan's fort, and forced him to leave PaJ/ïr, and retire to another river about 100 miles fouth of it. He was allowed to take with him all his property without the leaft reftraint. I was next day fent on fhore by Mr. Herbert to bring off the Company's goods, I found the great-eft tranquillity in the place, as if nothing had happened, notwith-flanding the recent revolution. Teroway behaved with the greateft civility to Mr. Coles and my-felf, and lamented our intended departure. Mr. Coles, after fending ing off the Company's goods, embarked on the Britannia, by Mr. Herbert's pofitive order, though much againft his own opinion and wifhes, as at this very time a number of Buggefs Prows entered the river loaded with rich cargoes, and we had purchafcd a good deal of opium of Capt. Clements, from Bengal, of which thefe Prows were in great want. Pafir, as a factory, would certainly have been very advantageous to the Company, its fituation being very centrical ; and, as I was only a fpectator in this bufinefs, I muft own, in my opinion, Mr. Coles was right, and Mr. Herbert was rather impatient and irrefolute. The revolution being quietly brought about without bloodfhed, and there being not the leaft danger of another, was the moment for us to fix, under the protection of the Buggeffes, and without any charge of guard and garrifon, quietly trade as in China (paying only a moderate duty of five per cent, but no port duty or mcai'urement whatever, as in China), in a plentiful country of great refort. From PaJJir, the Britannia went to Sooloo, where opium is not in great demand, Celebes being its great mart. From Sooloo, the Britannia went to Balambangan, the capture of which place by the Sooloos, under a certain fturdy baron called Dattoo Tetlng, is related in my voyage to New Guinea, in February 1775. I have thought proper to mention the above incident at Pajir, as it fhews fomething of the character of the Buggeffes. They are by far men of the moft honour of any of the Malay eaft I ever met with, are really a diftinct people, and have fomething free and dignified in their manner fuperior to other Malays*. After the Count d'Eftaing deftroyed and abandoned Fort Marlbro\ in 1760, * The Macaffars and Buggefs people who come annually to trade at Sumatra, are looked upon by the inhabitants as their fuperiors in manners ; the Malays affect to copy their ftyle of drefs, and frequent allufions ro their feats and achievements are made in their fon<^s. Their reputation for courage, which certainly furpalTes that of all others in the eaflcrn feas, acquires them this flattering diUinclion ; they alfo derive part of the refpeel fhewed to them, from the richnefs of the cargoes they import, and the fpirit with which they fpend the produce. Marfden's Sumatra, p. 172, 4» many many Buggefs Prows came there to trade. I fold them many cbefts of opium for dollars and Perjian rupees, imported by the French, no doubt, from Gambaroon ; and though they were under no rcftraint, they behaved with great honour and fairnefs to me, who was entirely in their power. Fort Marlbro was refettled fome months afterwards by Capt. Vincent, of the Ofterly, who was' fucceeded by Mr. Audly from Madras. In the above-mentioned voyage, page 228, I obferved, that Mai-/alla, a relation of the fultan of Mindano, brought 70 (laves from Celebes. One of them, a very decent Buggefs, named Setoppo, told me the Dutch get gold from the north coaft of that ifland, including Manado, to a great amount. Toutolee, rather on the N W coaft under Mandar, Produces tayelsof a dollar and a half weight, yearly, 300 Bole, lying eaft Tontolee, — — — 5>ooo Bolivian — — —- — 5*000 Koandang, under Mandar, where are good! horfes, and off which are many fmall L — 3jOOO iflands, j Bolang Itam — — — — 300 Kydeepan — — —— —— 200 Amor an, where is much rice and a harbour 1,000 Bolong, producing wax, birds nefts, and much rice 5,000 Manado and G^rantellu — — — 5>000 Tayels 24,800, which at '5/. i e tayel is, pounds ftcrling 124,000. The Dutch garrifon their different poffeflions on this ifland, with about 8 or 900 Europeans, and country troops. The Dutch gain much on their copper money, which going amongft the hWhlanders, and often worn as ornament (by children efpeciaLy), never returns. About the year 1770, the Dutch Dutch obliged the inhabitants of Limboton to build a fort near Koandang, 500 feet fquare ; the walls 3 fathom high. Setoppo could have no view in deceiving me in this account.—The poor man was ill at the time he gave it me. I l'hall now defcribe the great gulf (Sewa) from the information of Noquedah Inankee, who has already been mentioned. I prcfented the Noquedah with a let of the charts (Pata) and views of land (Toolifan) of my New Guinea voyage ; on each of which he wrote name and explanation in the Buggefs language, and was much gratified with the prefent. Having pafTed the ftrait between Celebes and Salayer, called the Buggeroons, keep on in a direction NE by N about 130 miles, and you will find, near the weft coaft of the Sewa, a fmall ifland called Baloonroo : it is vifible 8 or 10 leagues off, and has on its eaft end fome rocky iflots ; they muft be left on the left hand going north. Further on, about a day's fail, which I fix at 60 miles, is the mouth of the river Chlnrana : this river takes its rife in the Warjoo country, and patTes through Bony ; the capital of which is called Tofforo, and lies a day's journey by water from the mouth of the river ; it has a good muddy bar, paffable by large fhips, and navigable a good way up. It has feveral mouths ; and there are many towns on its banks, as has been faid in both the divifions of Bony and Warjoo, where a great trade is carried on in gold, rice, fago, caffia, tortoifc-fhelJ, pearls, fvvallow, agal-agaî, &c. &c. The anchorage is good off the river's mouth. Half a day's fail further N along the weft coaft of the Buggefs Bay or Sewa, is the river Peenechee, not very confiderable. Further on are two places called Akoiingan and Telludopin on the faid weft .coaft; they are pretty well inhabited. Continuing ftill N, you come to the river Sewa, not very confiderable ; then to the river Loo, famous for boat building: then you come to Mankakoo, where there is gold and much fago very cheap ; they have alfo caffia and feed pearl. O Being Being now como to the bottom of the Buggefs Bay, the fago-tree abounds very much ; and in many parts of the Sewa there are fpots of foul ground on which they fiih for fwallow, which they generally carry to Macaflar, to fell to the China Junk. On the eaft fide of the Sewa the country is not fo well inhabited as on the weft fide ; the SE point of the Sewa is called Pa~ fungan: here is a duller of iflands, rather fmall, with good anchorage amongft them. Having left the Bay, you come to the high mountains of Cabayan, and the ifland Booton, where lives a prince independent of any Buggefs power, but, I believe, under Dutch influence. This Noquedah Inankee had navigated a good deal about Celebes and the adjacent iflands : he told me the Gentoos, on the ifland Bally, worthip feven gods, named in general Dewa ; or rather one god, to whom they give feven different attributes ; that there are feveral places well inhabited weft of Carang-AJfem on that ifland, named Padang, Cafamba, and Tubang, which laft has a harbour. The high peak of Bally, bearing N by E from Carang-AJfem road, is called Agong, and the high peak of Lomboc, Rangamy. I alio learned from him, that that part of Lomboc oppofite to Bally is called Sajja, where is the road of Tanjong Carang (rocky point), into which you run over a rocky entrance, with 6 fathoms depth for 200 yards. In the SE corner of this road is a harbour called Trlng, with 7 and 8 fathoms muddy ground. He alfo told me, that on the NW part of Lomboc is a harbour called Kombang. I confider ail this information about Tanjong Carang road, Tring and Kombang harbours, as good hints. If ihips go this way, it is furely worth while to fend boats to reconnoitre the truth. I can never believe Inankee wanted to deceive; but the ideas of Malays in general (accuftomcd to fmall veffels) and ours are different with refpect to harbours : he called Lomboc Strait Kallat Banco-banco, which means Whirlpool Strait. Banco is a Bally 4 word, word, KalLl a Malay word, fignifying ftrait : and here I cannot help mentioning the comfortable and cheap refreshment that is to be had at Carang AJfem (rough Stone) : fee Dalrymple's maps; amongft which is a view of Bally Peak (Agong). Bullocks 3 dollars a-head, hogs a dollar; ducks 11 for a dollar, fowls 20; rice very cheap; and the great convenience of watering by their country canoes, that will carry on board 20 or 30 Gang calks for a dollar, two calks at a time. Bring the Peak (Agong) N by E, and anchor in 10 fathom fand and mud, a mile from fhore, entirely out of the. tide. The canoes go into a fmall river, and get excellent water. The climate of Celebes, already fpoken of, alfo the animals, may be confidered as much the fame as thofe of Sumatra, and the former as much diverfified ; of which Mr. Marfden gives a juft account. Inankee confirmed to me the account I have given in my Voyage to New Guinea, of the Genloos on Lomboc having large tanks on the hills for watering the ricc-grounds during dry weather. The gold of Celebes is generally got, as on Sumatra, from the beds of rivers and torrents ; and there are many fprings iffuing from crevices of rocks that bring fome little gold along with the water, which, running through a veffel bottomed with fand, leaves its treafure behind. At Pulo Sinko, called Salida in fome maps, a Dutch fettlement in Sumatra, I remember, in 1758, clofe by the fea fide, a fmall fpring of frefh water running from a crevice of the rock equal to what iffues from an ordinary tea-urn ; it ran into a fmall cafk, about the fize of a butter firkin : fome years afterwards the cafk was full of fand and gravel. The Refident, Mynheer Van-Kcm-pen, in 1771, took it into his head to wafh this gravel ; for which purpofe a canoe, lying clofe to the fpring, prefented itfelf as very convenient : he got from a firkin full of fand and gravel as much gold as made his lady a fizeable ring, which I faw on her finger, Û 2 Some Some rivers are famous for giving gold of a high touch ; others give pale gold, of a low touch—Mas moodo. The Battas of Sumatra make tanks, well floored with planks, and place them near a brook or torrent ; the tanks having gathered much fediment, they turn in a buffalo, which being driven a good deal up and down amongft the wet earth, the gold iubfides ; they then throw off the upper earth, and find more or lefs gold at the bottom, according to their good fortune. fys ttâ* ■Sitfnij/tii/if.i ted —t—^tC' •^JQsMaltwZè («L, ./.\,/'/'!>■ / 4'/ Sl,tin/:itit//,i/i 'm i r.iiu/i sua V v- / *ï Alt T me' /'2/ A'2<2 A244 di /!,r/,i,/t>l/,i/i T of rui: ^f^lSJ.ANJ) OF MAG ......^ji^^'Ve^^^ TNI) A NO 9**\'* }--- J«v! >,>J/ r/u'/i< Att/t ' t.> //-otti i^ltA'f/OilAtO/tO. > 0 if Ahr/u'tt.f K on Uttiytoti <>//;?£■ onJ)S________ liu/i'ctA' ott 7J?___________ /),'/-i <>// .YAf, >/ ■/■ 1 m ■ K t/f//tif' ft' - al t a tu;., __ jr. ., ,7 tu; 24 to /*/"■ 44 f$ tas,, - s. ,. 2t ---- f -2 tH7 , _ t IJ fiti „ no 3# . 4* tau./2 T, / 34 ta*., sS - 7- \ '*/„ _ 1/"/■'/,:•/,,/. /.fjlt„\/i-,;;; f ' ^t•;•//<>,■//H- LoAe JhtJMn J.Jh-Hiy/'ii/t* 0 //.,*,//.///> a AW/'A')\r ,tti even evtàne a r *~ ta Harbours t'A// f/'/t />/■!',r//,//tfji/itn I Si/u/u/iUi/orfis/A O •<* ~ ^ .ï////// ; \ fur'/'/''//-"?.'', \ ■ \\1/■///r/ift,' C 0 /y, i/r//a" l/tiit ,(/>/•■ Seaman ,Sir tî'itl'"j4im? \ gknkral mai' VOYAGE «fflie TARTAR GALLEY iti 1--/ BUO<'kss WRIT INC ^/,/,v/ néi ■ In IJflà A'//4/fiift/ 0/1 l/nx Plot, //tn'tr/t/ //fftt /'/r.iYrtfif (')' A. f)(iir\/uf>lr A'sy'.' for ivhit'/i 'Y./rt/1/rt.v fi/tn ttttmy tfta/ikx. A Sonrol Wûftf \Yif,m/i julmrs t/if /'tfehhl'ifi/i /JJ" fat //,•/>■ it it tu'ii/h' at situated, from ('.Ii/t/zut//ir .S'' r %4> In 2 H**? * "M;. r or Hi '( ïGK Rf A /. /va t n t: 7 fd i/7/ n/d ii/ti/fni /x' f»' '/iit ////*' l'a fh /m /im if*i 't'a pmu t/fitf a ra fit ri'n M i/o // /v A t v À v /V a v ^y^yt1 f> /£> ^ ^ <«>' po /m /HI/K/ .\aif .W >~1h ^>1~ ni, Goet S'tH'lt X, lui gorefs tnJilidonf? & H r r l'i-f/iiiktr A'. A/ff" ft? /'/>//> A'f/f tfu/ify f/t/tltfllfflf «5> 'Liéffi'-O- \ M'/fr 0 jfy/,,/t/tlUl Û , "* \t;t./r/'./i'/-' Tanna & or \MAJ2EIIÀ^C A'tt//,t /j,l/<'lt'/n {'m''ha1<-I liai il ' , /■■fif/''\f JjSBamaftâ; f 7ir///Mr\ eÇ&fy<* tnmitnan : .'A'rmv'w,-. .Vt'/tt/ A'.' AY.ii///i/ 3Ji'"J_______JH» w//,/ fôttttiAsn ;A L'-/.'.A//t;y WY/uf./rS.W. 77S -L **H/ttttit.>ttitfV jifo/: L'/i>a- J^AiAtt/iiAi. ■ Sa Amttfç* L f' ' J/ /. /22 ruff/.-Aieif fry th/it',! :/'Ac\: Aorrr.'S Of the proper Track to keep in going from Madras, or Bengal, to Ben-coolen, Batavia, or Parts further Eafl, during the Whiter North-Eqft Monfoon. IHAVE been going from Madras to Bencoolen during the north-eaft monfoon ; and, by fleering fouth-eaft the neareft track, have had a tedious paffage. About the meridian of Atcheen and a degree to its fouthward, we had the wind at fouth-eaft blowing frefh for feveral days. This was certainly a very irregular wind at this feafon. I was alfo once going a freighter in the Europe fhip, Denham, from Bengal to Bencoolen, the latter end of winter (February 1760) ; and by not keeping the Bay open, but coafting Sumatra without the iflando firkins, Nantian, Mays, Fortune, and the Najfau iflands, we had a tedious paffage to Bencoolen, as we went within that femicircle already recommended to be avoided. The befl: track is to keep the Bay open ; or, in other words, keep near the meridian of Point Palmiras, fleering fouth until in ftve or fix dcerees fouth latitude, where the middle monfoon at weft and north-weft may be expected. This coincides with the track kept by fhips going to China, by Captain Wilfon's paffage, called Pitt's Strait. The fame track is recommended if bound from Bengal to places eaftward in fouth latitude : but, if bound to Atcheen or the north part of Sumatra, let the navigator keep well to windward of Atcheen Head, and go through the Surat paffage, if bound to Nalaboo, or elfewhere down the coaft of Sumatra : directions for which are given in page 64 of this work. Of the Track to hep from Madras, or Bengal,, to Bencoolen, during tlss South-Weft Monfoon. IN the month of Auguft a (hip may get from Bengal to the fouthward by keeping clofe to the coaft of Coromandel ; for then the frefhes of the Ganges fet along-fhore. Having got a little way down, as far perhaps as point Godewar, ihe may put off when the wind hangs well to the weftward, and get fouthing and eafting together. But, fhould the navigator fall to leeward of Atcheen Head (for in Atcheen Road the wind blows through the Surat paffage at fouth-weft into the Strait of Malacca), let him anchor, the nearer the fhore the better ; and by land and fea breezes he may eaftly get to Atcheen Road, where, in fmooth water, he may anchor and re-frefh : but it is unlikely for a fhip to fall to leeward at this feafon. Departing from Atcheen, the track is down the coaft of Sumatra, leaving what is called Pajfage Ifland on the right hand ; off the north-weft end of which is a reef, which it would be proper to fend a boat to reconnoitre and lie upon until the fhip is paft. Thence fleer for Pulo Mazular, on the north-weft end of which is a remarkable water-fall. In the French and Englifh maps of this part of the coaft (both copied from the Dutch, I believe), a line or track is drawn, and depth of water is fignified clofe by that line. The honourable Company's fhip Experiment was loft on Bird IJland, 6 miles north of Pulo Lucotta, in 1772, by keeping in 28 or 30 fathom water. I have been on this very fmall ifland three or four times, in pafling this way, to get birds and eggs : it is not in magnitude above half an acre, with grafs upon it. Off its north end is a reef extending near a mile, where the fhip was loft, owing chiefly to the falfe foundings laid down in the chart: therefore, I requcft the reader will take particular notice of what 1 am going to fay on that fubjeét. I have paffed this ifland at leaft ten or twelve times, and have been on it three or four times. In 1756 there was no grafs upon 4 it. it. In 1765 there was grafs on it. I have pafTed it in the night, without feeing it, fleering by foundings in 17 and 18 fathoms muddy ground ; alfo in the day, and almofl (as near as I can recollée!;) in that mid-channel line laid down in the printed charts, and where 17, 18, and not above 22 fathoms mould have been written ; inflead of which, 30 and 32 being written, the navigator naturally thinks, whilft in that depth, he is in that line. But I affert, that fuch a depth will carry him (if not upon) very near the ifland ; which, though bold to the north within piftol-fhot, is foul to the weft. It is pity but the copper-plate was altered, by erafing from the track 30 and 32, and engraving thereon from 17 to 20 fathoms for at leaft 4 or 5 miles. In the fairway I lately found an overfall from 20 to 7 rocks, then, 18 mud : this is mentioned in page 64. Befides the reef of this Bird IJland, there are fome very dangerous fpots of coral rocks under water to the eaftward of it, which I have feen as I paffed. In lhort, failing from Pajjage IJland, until paft Mazular, I would advife not to fail in the night; except within and near Mazular, I always paffed within it in 17 and 18 fathoms. Having paffed Mazular, fleer for Pulo Battoo by the Malays called Pingee; off the north end of which are three fmall iflands : give them a reafonable birth, and fleer on within the large iflands, but without the fmall iflands. If further down the coaft, near Indrapore Point, you meet fouth-eaft winds, the fhip muft anchor, and with land and fea breezes work down the coaft ; obferving what is faid in the Directory about fhoals off Ipoo, and other places north of Bencoolen. Hitherto I have fuppofed the fhip to pafs within Pulo Firkins and what is called Pulo Banjack, or Pulo Bania. Pulo Bania (many iflands) is the proper name. On the largeft of this clufter, which lies fouth-eaft of Firkins, is a remarkable hill, making, in fome directions, like a fugar-loaf : it bears with Pajjage IJland SW by W, 4 W (fee page 64, and the Views of the Hummock and Pajjage M R 2 , IJland). IJland). If you go by Pajjage IJland, this hill muft be left on the right hand; but there is paffage without it, i. e. between it and Pulo Nays. Keep neareft Pulo Bania, and anchor in the night if you can ; for there are fome fhoals, and fmall iflands, and overfalls, nowhere laid down ; therefore pafs them by day-light. If you do not choofe either of thefe ftraits, you may keep at fea, and pafs between Nays and Nantian, where is a bold paffage ; neareft Nays, or even as far as Najfau, or the Poggy iflands, where, failing clofe to the north Najfau ifland, between it and Fortune ifland, is a good paffage-, leaving Najfau on the right; but fo far to the fouthward during the fouth-weft monfoon fouth-eaft winds may be met with ; therefore, you muft get in-fhore, and anchor clofe to the main land, and truft to land and fea breezes, as before directed, being now absolutely in the region of the fouth-eaft monfoon ; obferving, if you have rain on the fprings, it generally brings the wind from the weftward, as fouth-eaft winds bring fair weather. i * Between the two Najfau Iflands is the Strait of Sekocup, where is an excellent harbour. I have watered twice here, and got coco-nuts, pigs, yams, and fago, put up in attop leaves ; for trifles of beads, blue cloth, and cutlery, &c. I {laid a night at Ba~ toemongo village, to the weft of the fouth entrance of this ftrait. The natives are much fairer than Malays generally are, and much handfomer than the Nias, who are alfo pretty fair. They poifon their arrows, which appears like mould on their points ; if ufed well, nothing is to be apprehended from them : but beware of mifunderftandings. I would advife to trade on fhore at the watering place ; but rather give up a point than quarrel. Fire a gun on your arrival, to give notice to their chiefs, many of whom fpeak Malay: if a Malay prow is here, make the Noquedah your friend, as the Malays are fly anil •cunning, and the natives are honeft and credulous ; they go almoft naked. I vifited a pepper-garden at Batoemongo in 1753, that had gone to ruin (fee Dalrymple's Memoirs). They have a few fowls. Qf ( "S ) Of the befl Track to keep from Indoflan to Celebes, or the Moluccas, during the South-Wcfl Monfoon* BAILING from Indoflan fo far eaft, and in fouth latitude, the k3 navigator may meet the wind at fouth-eaft, eaft of the meridian of the Strait of Sunda, and even before. He is fure of it in May, June, and July; but there are often fpirts of wefterly wind, from which he may profit. The heft rule, I think, is to get with the wefterly winds in north latitude as far eaft as he can ; then, when the wind comes fouth-eaft, ftand fouth. Near the Tropic-he may find the wind fouth, fouth by eaft, nay fouth by weft, with which he may put about, fetching well to windward, according to where he is bound : if bound to Gilolo, he muft fland far fouth, and make New Holland ; on the weft coaft of which I fufpecl the wind is in this monfoon at fouth, correfponding to what it is on the oppofite fide of India, on the coaft of Africa. But, aflurcdly, when he comes to that part of the coaft of New Holland where the land trends fuddenly eaftward, in fummer, he will have the wind at eaft. If bound to the north coaft of Celebes, the fhip may go the ufnal track between Balambangan and Borneo", then, having worked down the north-eaft coaft of Borneo, fhe may fetch the north coaft of Celebes ; remembering that in this monfoon the wind is frefh at fouth up the channel, between Borneo and Celebes. Of Sailing from Indoflan to Magindano at all Times of the Tear. IN the fouth-weft monfoon, /. e. from May to October, a fhip may get there in the ufual track through the Strait of Malacca, in about five or fix weeks, pafling clofe to the north part of Balambarigan, and to the fouth of Bafilan: fhe might afterwards proceed to China as late as October, by the eaft of Mindano; nay even later : until December fhe has China, as it were, under her lee ; becaufe fhe can get into the South Sea far nearer to China than the Pitt's Strait. I may venture to fay, a good fhip may get from Mindano to China at any time of the year, and vice verfa. She may alfo return from Mindano to Madras at any time. If during the fouth-weft monfoon, from May to October, fhe muft ftand over to the weft coaft of Celebes, where, with land and fea breezes, the land being high, fhe gets to the fouthward, fo as to be able to weather Pulo-Lout on the fouth-eaft part of Borneo. Gare muft be taken to keep clofe to Celebes ; becaufe on the oppofite fhore of Borneo the winds are at fouth, and no land wind (the land being low). Having paffed Pulo-Lout, the wind is fair at fouth-eaft to run within Java through the Strait of Sunda into the fouth-eaft trade, in eight or nine deg. fouth latitude ; and the fhip ought to endeavour, before fhe Hands to make Ceylon, to be full as far weft by her dead account, as the meridian of the weft part of it. A north courfe may then only make the eaft part of it, the current fets fo flrong eaft during the fouth-weft monfoon. I have faid the navigator muft, from Mindano, fhape his courfe between Celebes and Borneo. This is recommended, becaufe the weft coaft of Celebes is high, and he is fnre, by fea and land winds near it, to get forward. If he went between Celebes and Gilolo, poflibly he could not get forward at all; as I fufpect (though I cannot certainly fay) that a foutherly wind blows throughout this ftrait during the fouth-weft monfoon from fide to fide ; which is is not the cafe in the other channel between Celebes and Borneo. Prows go continually from Paffir to Batavia, and elfewhere, by ftanding over to Celebes, to the northward of the Little Parer-nofters, and fo weather Pulo-Lout ; where, in the fouth-weft monfoon, the wind is fouth-eaft, as has already been faid. To fail from Mindano to New Guinea during the fouth-weft monfoon, the navigator muft fail into the South Sea as far as the meridian of the part he wants to vifit, and then fteer fouth, endeavouring to fall-in to the eaftward of his port, as the current fets weft on this coaft during that monfoon, and the wind is at fouth-eaft. In fhort, Mindano is fo centrically placed, that I fee no difficulty of failing to and from thence at all times to any part of India^ by obferving this general rule: that during the fouth-weft monfoon, from April to September, the winds in India, eaft of Ceylon, are fouth-eaft in fouth latitude ; and, during the- north-eaft monfoon, that is, from November to April, the winds are north-weit in fouth latitude in the Belt. This being adverted to, it is obvious that a {hip may get from Madras, Bengal, or Bombay, to Mindano at any time ; if during the fouth-weft monfoon the courfe is well known to be throuo-h the Strait of Malacca, as has been faid ; if during the north-eaft monfoon, from November to May, fhe muft run eaft in five or fix fouth latitude, and might venture, having paffed Salayer (the Buggenoons), in the track to Pitt's Strait, to ftand north between Celebes and Gilolo*; but if between thefe iflands fhe finds a north eafterly wind, which is likely, I would then advife to ftand directly through the Strait of Augujla, Pitt, or Golowa, into the South Sea. Being then in the South Sea, the fhip muft fteer north, as if going to China, and make Gape Augujline, the fouth-eaft point of Mindano. * Ships often make a fhort cut this way, with the wind, at NW, as I am informed. This ( »8 ) This paffage is againft the monfoon, but may be made in feven or eight weeks from Madras to Mindano ; whereas, with the monfoon, it may be made in five or fix weeks. Again, a fhip may fail from Madras to Mindano in five or fix weeks, and return directly in feven or eight, during the fouth-weft monfoon, and vice verfa. She may fail during the north-eaft monfoon to Mindano in feven or eight weeks, and return to Madras in five or fix. In the firft cafe, fhe fails with, and returns againft ; in the fécond cafe, fhe fails againft, and returns with, the monfoon. Of the Outer Paffage to Bombay ; of Crofs Winds in the Bay of Bengal ; Currents in the China Seas ; South Coafl of Africa ; Paffage Home. THE advantages of getting to the eaftward in winter, by-running from Indoflan into the Belt, I have endeavoured to illuftrate. The getting to the weftward againft the fouth-weft monfoon may alfo be effected by a fimilar manoeuvre, viz. running into the fouth-eaft trade: this is called the outer paffage to Bombay and the Gulphs, now well known, and firft, I believe, attempted and executed by that able feaman and navigator Sir William James, in the Protestor, about the year 1756. The general rule is, to avoid the Baffes de Chagos, by fleering in a certain parallel. A kind of crofs wind blows alfo in the Bay of Bengal during February, March, and April ; whilft in the middle of the Bay it blows north-eaft, along the coaft of Coromandel it blows from the fouthward ; well known by the name of the Long-lhore winds : notwithstanding which, the wind blows often at north-eaft in February on the coaft of Coromandel, and fometimes in March for a few days. Whilft the Long-fhore winds blow, it is impoftible to get againft them to the fouthward without leaving the land ; but when in May land-winds begin to blow, it is eafy to get to the fouthward by anchoring, and profiting by the land and fea breezes. At the beginning of the north-eaft monfoon the current fets flrong to the fouthward in the China Seas ; and at Pyrate's Point, the north cape of Borneo, it divides, pafting both the weft and the north-eaft coaft of that ifland, until late in January. The current then fets weft, through the ftrait between Borneo and the iflands Balambangan and Banguey. I fhall fay little about the paffage home from India ; it is a kind of beaten track. Many commanders in the fervice can treat the S fubject ( ) fubjeel; better than I can pretend to. But, in getting along the fouth coaft of Africa, I am an advocate far keeping near the fhore, to profit from the windward current * ; and there the winds never blow right on the fhore, which lies nearly eaft and weft. I have therefore called that quarter the fouth coaft of Africa. The idea of a cape, which oftener makes an acute than an obtufe angle, may have led geographers to make the famous Cape of Good Hope an acute angle ; whereas it is nearly a right angle, the coaft trending almoft due eaft a great way. Being paft it, I am for avoiding Africa for the fame reafon as when outward bound ; but fhips are feldom fo much becalmed homeward as when leaving England. * See Major Rennell's excellent Map and Treatife on this fubjeueda they diftil a fpirit.. The toddy is got as from the coco-nut-tree-Drifts of this neepa are often feen in the Straits of Malacca and Banca, like floating iflands ; the leaves are about five or fix inches broad, and are fewed together, overlapping one another about one inch, and, being from five to feven feet long, make an excellent fhelter from rain, as the water does not foak, but runs off ; unlike the fpongy flags with which on Bengal river they cover boats. This leaf alfo, folded over a thin lath of bamboo cane, about two * Mr. Thomas Newton, in his Remarks on the Slave Trade, fays, he has been for weeks together in boats on the rivers in Africa, and for days together has not had a dry flitch on him. I am uncertain, if they have the neepa in Bengal, T inches inches broad, and fix feet long, forms what they call attops, with which they nniverfally cover houfes in Malay countries*. The tripod maft was made of three ftout bamboos; any light fpars would do as well : the two feet abreaft were bored at the lower end acrofs, with holes about three inches in diameter; and thefe holes received the two ends of a piece of timber which, like a main thaft, went acrofs : on thefe the two ends of the two abreaft parts of the tripod turned as on a hinge. The fore part of the tripod maft, like a main ftay, was fixed forward to a knee a mid-ihips, with a forelock : by unlocking the forelock the maft is ft ruck in a moment. A block is fixed with two feet, to go into the upper ends of the two parts of the tripod that are abreaft ; or, upon occafion, a tail-block may be tied to the top of the tripod, as the mariner may judge beft, which I have often done ; and this, by fwiveiling about, keeps the tye or haliard from chaffing fo much as it is liable to do in a fixed block, where it is more confined. * Coverings of the fagoe palm, much ufed at Magindano, arc reckoned to laft 8 years ; the neepa only four. The Ejou palm on Sumatra gives a black fubftance, like horfe-hair, called, at Malacca, gummaty, which, as a covering for houfes, will laft 40 years ; it is elaftic, like coir, and makes excellent cables and cordage, that defy being wet, even with frtfh water, which foon rots coir cables, if not expofed to the air. Salt water docs not afteot coir fo much. THOUGHTS THOUGHTS on the BEST MODE OF PRESERVING SEA PROVISION; OR, OF VICTUALLING SHIPS IN WARM COUNTRIES. WHEN I confider the uncomfortable manner in which feamen often live on board men of war in Eajl-India, where I have refided many years, and made there above twenty country voyages, compared with the manner in which the fame expence the nation is at to maintain them might enable them to live, I hope the following remarks will meet with a candid perufal. I chiefly condemn the improper mode of preferving beef and pork not only in Eaft- India, but in Europe, ■ and what immediately follows that improper 'mode, but feems infeparable from it, and linked to it, the improper mode of drefling the fame, fimply boiling; how widely different from the manner in which the country black failors, called Lafcars, live in India, many of which are daily feen in the ftreets of London! The European failors in country mips are generally one to five Lafcars, and go under the name of quarter-matters : they are victualled as failors are in Europe; that is, they have fait beef and pork, and rice inftead of bread, fometimes Bengal bifcuit ; good cargo rice, as it is called, and of which the Lafcars are allowed about 2 lb. per day, is never refufed the Europeans, and it is ferved to them hot twice a day ; at 8 in the morning, and 5 in the evening, T 2 I never I never failed to make a remark, that thefe Europeans, with a kind of difcontent, took notice that the blacks lived better than they-, but the Lafcars did not cod in victualling above one half of what was laid out to victual the Europeans. The Lafcars allowance was plain rice, doll, a kind of vetch, 1 lb. of ghee (butter) per month, and one rupee fifh money; with which, and, no doubt, part of their own 6 or 7 rupees per month pay (of which on voyages they have 2, 3, or 4 months advance, according to its expected length), they lay in a (lock of articles, which an European would hardly think of, and many of which they would defpife, not knowing their value. The Europeans had beef and pork full allowance, in which there was a famenefs; it could not be dreffed but in one way, as already obferved (boiling) : and I am perfuaded, their exercife -being but fmall, it was, when daily ufed without change, unhealthy food, not fit for a hot country. Latterly I altered my mode of victualling my Europeans : the beef and pork I carried to fea with me were faltcd free of bone, and cut in fmall flices, with a mixture of fome coarfe fugar: this kept much better than in the ufual way, and took up much lefs room. I made the following ufe of it : I caufed it to be freihened with fait water let in upon it in a tub never larger than the half of a hogfhead or gang-cafk (and often much fmaller), which was perforated by many holes at the bottom: this being done for 6 or 8 hours, I gave it, after draining, a rinfe with a fmall quantity of frefh water, perhaps half a pint of water to a pint of meat (as \ mud now talk of meat, not by the piece or weight, but by meafure). Being thus rinfed, the frefh water, now become fait, was Jet run off; then a certain quantity of India butter, called ghee (good oil would do as well), was put into the copper or iron pot, akd juft let come to boil ; then the drained meat was thrown upon the boiling ghee, which being ftirred a few minutes, the roots and vegetables, whatever kind was on board, were thrown -in, with a very ( Ï31 ) a very little frefli water, and the whole fo flopped by a well-fitting cover, that the contents were rather, as is often termed, digefted than Hewed, consequently fooner done; by this means faving ,fuel. The Lafcars would never touch any thing but what their own cook (Banderey) dreffed ; and they fometimes mixed fifh and flefh (dried beef called ding-ding) together, making a favoury diih, of which the Europeans had no objection to partake. The vegetables were yams, or potatoes, either the European (now common in Calcutta), or the fweet (called Spanifh), onions, raw, or preferved in vinegar made of toddy drawn from the coco-nut-tree; .cabbage-fprouts dried in the fun, and fo preferved ; pumpkins, which keep long at fea, being hung in the air; mangoes cut green from the flone, and dried in the fun (plums and apples would correfpond) ; a little tamarind, and that great antifcorbutic, falted limes, lemons, or oranges*, of which, the lime particularly, the Lafcars carry always a flock to fea, preferved with fait (calling it achar) ; a few ounces of cay an pepper (capficum, very common in England, would correfpond) ; and, laft of all, an emulfion made by pouring hot water over a ripe coco-nut rafped down: this emulfion, though grateful to the tafte, is bad for the flomach raw, but, when boiled a little, is exceedingly well flavoured and antifcor-butic ; the rafped coco-nut, well fqueezed, is generally thrown to the fowls. A flew made in the above manner, varying the ingredients, was ferved twice a day, and was exceedingly palatable, never too fait ; for I apprehend the roots and vegetables, in digefting, further extracted the fait from the meat: and the whole expence for the Europeans was much lefs than when I bought Europe provifions, and they were better pleafcd. The flew, ferved out with a ladle, was eat with rice, fometimes with bread, and was called curry. A failor on board of a man of war has on meat days a piece of ialtbeef, or pork, boiled for dinner ; poflibly it is all eat up at one meal ; if any remains for next day's brcakfaft, how uncomfortable is the cold fcrap ! Brcakfaft in all countries, but efpecially in hot * It may feem ftrange to a Londoner to prefcrve fweet oranges with fait ; but what is to be done if the poor Chulia Lafcars.cannot afford fugar ? countries, countries, ought to be a very comfortable meal. For the many years I have failed in India, I never let any body go on duty, if there was the lead chance of their being from the fhip after 8 o'clock, but they breakfaded fird ; and the cooks were often up by day-light, to drefs a hot break foft for fuch as went early on fhore. If expofed to the fun for any time without breakfad, they returned on board often fick at the domach ; but otherwife, could bear the fun a whole day without complaint: they fometimes carried pots in the boat with them, and cooked on more, according to circumdances. I have fuppofed this mode of victualling for warm countries; but I fee no reafon why it may not be adopted at home. I have laid that meat, cut from the bone in fmall pieces, was preferved with fome fugar mixed with the fait; but as in frelhening it the fugar was carried od* with the fait, I grudged lofmg what furely was very wholefome : I therefore foon changed my method. Long before I went fird to India, which was in 1751, the Portuguefe ufed to preferve fiill cut in fmall pieces with fait and fugared tamarind ; and I frequently carried to fea with me (cured by Portuguefe women of Calcutta, who make a trade of it) a tolerable provifion for my own table : they call it pefche molio. I never found the fifh they thus preferved a bit too fait; it required only to be fried in the tamarind*, &c. which covered it, adding a little butter or gheef. Both fugar and tamarind are very cheap in Bengal; and latterly I took the hint, and preferved meat with one third part fait, and two thirds fugared tamarind ; throwing away the dunes and firings of the tamarind, and adding a fmall proportion of cayan pepper (capficum) ; and never was obliged to frefhen the dices of meat when a good deal of vegetables was dewed with it. * I obferved the tamarind diffolved the fmall bones of the fiflv and doubt not but th.t fome flrong vin .■ ar would anfwer the fime purpefe, made from certain fruits in Endand ; tamarind might then be difpenfed with. ! G )et is realty butter, but it is me!ted before it is packed, to make it keep. If this is tried at home, let not the difficulty of getting tamarind and fait be an objection ; flrong vinegar I apprehend will do. Here I cannot help remarking how eafily, even without culture, tamarind, coco-nuts, limes, and oranges, cayan pepper, &c. would grow on the Bahama Iflands. The coco-nut-tree delights in a fandy foil ; even bare fand only will do, without any foil, for their production; and fait water filtrated through fand, or rather brackifh water, feems to nourifh the coco-nut-tree. The nut muft be gathered ripe, and by all means kept in the hufk. A great manufacture of oil might be made from them, to fupply the JVeft-India Iflands ; and vinegar may be made of its toddy or juice, which iffues from the ftalk that bears the fruit, it being cut acrofs, and a pot being tied to it. The nut, when ripe, will keep many months in the hufk. I fee no reafon why they might not be ufed at home, if what I am going to fay is put in practice. Let the beef killed for the navy be cut in flices from the bone, and preferved with one half fait, and one half fugar, or one third fait, one third fugar, and one third flrong vinegar. Let the hogs be fkinned, and preferved in the fame manner; cutting out in both beef and pork the infide parts of the firloins, to be preferved apart. The fkin of the hogs will make a flout leather: the bones may certainly be put to fome ufe; the juices of which, when barrelled up, not coming into contact with the fait, inclines the whole to putrefaction ; and their room faved in flowage is above one fourth part. I fhall fuppofe there is an iron pot for 100 men, in which I pro-pofe *o drefs them two meals a day ; the firft to be ready at 8 or 9 o'clock in the morning, the fécond as fhall be found convenient ; and both to be dreffed in the following manner : Let 50 ounces of butter or oil be put into the heated iron pot ; this will immediately boil : to this throw in 200 ounces of pork, and 300 ounces of beef; 7 the the pork hi ft; which muft he ftirred about for a few féconds before the beef is thrown in : whatever may be fpared of the pickle is to be thrown in alfo. Let this flew for a little while; then, having ftirred it well, put in the roots, four crout, and other vegetables, and clofe it well up to digeft. It will be foon ready ; and if, juft before it is ready, there be added a quarter of a coco-nut * for each man, or 25 coco-nuts rafped down, and an emulfion made from it for 100 men, and to the whole be added a handful of capficum* the mefs, to be ferved out with the ladle, will be both favoury and wholefome. I need not fay, if flour is added, fb much the better, or raifins, prunes, or figs ; but efpecially limes, lemons, or oranges, preferved with fait and fugar mixed, and the vinegar thrown in that has preferved fmall onions, or whatever elfe. See page 40. I do not apprehend, when there is a good flock of roots, fruit, &c. that the curry will be too fait ; nay, I am perfuaded, pork, having much fat, wants but little fait. My having generally ufed half fait, half fugared tamarind, which anfwered very well, makes me uncertain of the effects of half fait and half fugar precifely. Fifty bifcuits might be collected from the 100 men, and broke into the curry ; for I apprehend, the more is fie wed with the meat, the more will the fait of the meat be extracted from it : and what I have faid about the coco-nut is only when it can conveniently be had ; when not to be had, there is fuch choice at home of fruits and roots capable of being preferved and carried to fea, that I fincerely hope our valuable and brave failors may hereafter profit from thefe hints, made by a perfon of great experience. The Malays, amongft whom I have been a great deal, often put into the wet ground, tied up in a cloth, a kind of bean until it vegetates ; this they put into their currys. Why they on fhore fhould do fo, I cannot tell ; but, taking the idea from them, I have done much the fame at fea, with a kind of pea, called doll or gram in India. I fteeped the peas in water until they fwelled, and then * The fmell of the coco-nut kernel, when rancid, is very offenfive ; it then muft be made into oil, and the fire cures the offenfive fmell. put put into a box upon a-layer of earth ; then another layer of earth, and another of the peas ; according as the weather was moid or dry, they were fprouted, and fit to be curried or flewcd : the fame mode was repeated, and fucceeded, When they lay long, the lid of the box fwelled up. I am confident many boxes or cafks may be filled in this manner with alternate layers of peafe, beans, or any other proper feeds, and mould, and in three or four days give a large quantity of wholefome vegetable highly antifcorbutic, and upon as large a fcale as may be wifhed : the larger the fhip, the more is the room and convenience for the operation. The fame operation may be repeated, with the fame cafks, or boxes, and the fame earth, to great advantage : th* nodded up, may bo put away for the time ; but, during rain, fhould be expofed to the weather, and then a hot hold will force vegetation quickly. Poflibly, a vegetable fo much in infancy, if I may fo fpeak, dewed with fuch meat may the rather extract its fait. I found pumpkin feeds, managed in this manner, anfwer exceedingly well; the feed fplits into two large leaves, which prefently fwell, and were excellent eat raw with oil and vinegar. Our fleet was fo fickly when Mr. Hughes lad met Mr. Suffrein, that Iioo men were fent fick on fhore. Mr. Suffrein, when at Atcheen in T782, got, befides bullocks, plenty of vegetables: the French deal more in dews than we do, which fuit better with warm countries. When feamen are fick, they naufcatc their ordinary food. The above-mentioned dores of roots, fruits, vegetables, &c. which are fo eafily preferved, and the expence of which is fo trifling, afford many ways of gratifying a fickly weak appetite : and many other modes by profeffed cooks may be hit upon, to which I do not pretend. I would recommend fmall onions in preference to any other vegetables : I found the Bengal fmall onion, of which 80 lb. is to be had for a rupee, eafdy preferved with vinegar. Of onions failors are remarkably fond ; and they U afford afford great nouriihment *« I have obferved the beef and pork felted in Bengal, for both country fhips and the navy, in the common way foon grew rancid, owing, doubtlefs, to the bone not being taken out. Millions of coco-nuts in Eajl-Indla are carried from the Nicobar and Carnacobar Iflands to Pegu, and whole cargoes fold for 10 or 12 rupees per 100, as has been faid in the Introduction to this work. There are alfo cargoes of fhrimps, beat up into a pafte and dried in the fun, often carried in boats in bulk up to Ava, the capital of Pegu : they call it blatchong, or barlychong. Shrimps are found in immenfe quantities at the mouths of the deep muddy rivers on the eaft coaft of the Bay of Bengal, more than on the weft coaft, where the rivers are fanny mid fhallow. The Pegu coco-nuts are inferior to thofe that grow near the fea ; therefore they are fond of thofe from the iflands lying off their coaft. Seamen fhould have tea ferved out to them: tea on fhore, to hard-working people, is not to compare to malt liquor; but at fea, where there is no labour that can be called hard, at leaft in the navy or Eajl-Indta fhips, tea, as a cooler or diluter, is whole-fome. Lefs than 4 ounces of tea, value 6 pence, and 4 ounces of fugar, value 2 pence, will make 16 pints of tea for l6 men, which is 2 farthings per man : furcly, this ferved twice a-day is no great matter. For 100 men 14 or 15 gallons, allowing for wafte, mould be put into the oppofite pot to the digefting pot. They fhould have it made for them, elfe they will be apt to neglect it : at the fame time, as many at their command may wifh to have tea, fuch fhould be allowed, fomehow, to have a little by purchafe againft their wages, or otherwife. I have always obferved, when failors drink tea, it weans them from the thoughts of drinking ftrong liquors, and pernicious grog; and with tea they are foon contented—not fo with whatever will intoxicate, be it what it will : this has always * I have heard a flory of a Highlander in Scotland travelling a great way, with the fupport of a few onions and bread only. been been my remark ; I therefore always encouraged it without their knowing why. Coffee has the fame good effect ; alfo cocoa, or chocolate : on any particular exertion fpirits may be mixed with the tea-water, as the Dutch call it. Salted tamarind alone will cure fifh perfectly : the confumer fhould be tempted with variety, and fugared tamarind fhould be imported duty free ; but as fugared tamarind, mixed with fpirits, will make good ihrub, to preferve theiugar revenue, it fhould be mixed with fait; as then, although it is fit to cure beef, pork, or pefche molia, it is unfit for fhrub. If not falted in the Weft-Indies, it fhould be mixed with fait on the Cuflom-houfe quays : fo foot is mixed with fait that is deftined for manure by revenue-officers. The .Uutch arc a wife people, but flow: had they tamarind at their door, they long ago, I fufpect, would have exported fifh to the Mediterranean, cured with it and fait, with or without fugar. What a field for the northern fifheries Î fifh cured with fait and a flrong acid, and fmoked. The Lafcars ufe falted tamarind very much ; and it is aftonifh-ing to fee the Dandys (boat-people) in Bengal work as they do, who eat vegetables only, with a very little fifh, and drink water. Before I conclude I cannot help humbly fuggefting, that, in general, I think our failors ufe too much animal food, and too little vegetable, of which onions, four crout, French beans, and fmall cucumbers pickled, may be given them at a very fmall ex-pence : and fome diminution may be made of the immenfe ex-pence Government is at for flefh meat. Grafton-Street, near Fitzroy Chapel, June 11, 1789. I did myfelf the honour of communicating the above to Sir Jofeph Banks, who favoured me with the following reply : M Sir " Sir Jofeph Banks prcfcnts his compliments to Captain Forced^ " and returns his obfervations on the bed mode of victualling « fhips in hot climates, and thanks him for the perufal of it. He « is of opinion, that fome of the matters contained in them ci are likely to be ufeful to commanders of fhips ; but fears that " the minute detail, in which their utility chiefly confids, will " render the execution of them impracticable on the large fcale 6£ neceffary for the victualling of a fquadron. u Soho Square, June 20, 1789/' The opinion of the Prefident of the Royal Society, who has failed round the world, I think ought to have great weight in this bufinefs. A fair trial might at lead be given to it, by letting a fhip's crew be victualled one week this way, and another week the old way : but old prejudices are hard to be eradicated ; and without trouble improvement cannot be made in any thing. IDE A IDEA O f MAKING A MAP OF THE WORLD. IN the account of-my voyage to JSenv Uutneu i forgot to men-tion that, at my leifure at Mindano during the SW monfoon, I conftrudled upon two thick planks, well pinned together, a map of the world ; it was 8f feet by 4!, allowing a margin, and when hnifhed, by cutting a flrong outline to mark both continents and iflands (taken from a fmall plain chart), it was hung up in Rajah Moodo's hall, where, unlefs dellroyed by fire, it is likely long to remain : whilfl paper maps, had I had fuch to prefent him, would, it is moft likely, be loftj tore, or neglected (fee the print of the Magindano marriage). Since then, I have often faid to myfelf, during my folitary aquatic travels, Why does nobody turn a level verdant plain of a very few acres into a map of the world ? When fometimes invention is flretched to lay out grounds with taile in the gardens of men of fortune, fuch a thing furely would not either be abfurd or unufe-ful. I rather think the contrary ; the project: could not be attended with great expence, would be pleafant and healthful to young folks, efpecially in the execution, and make very young perfons expert in fimple geography, far beyond what they get from books and maps even at a more advanced age* Let Let a fpot of level ground, 360 yards in length from caff to* weft, and 180 yards in breadth from north to fouth, be inclofed by a wall (in thefe directions) of a very fmall height, perhaps one or two feet ; let 36 marks be made on the eaft and weft walls, and 18 be made on the north and fouth walls, to fix the degrees of longitude and latitude at 10 degrees, or 600 miles afunder ; let 4 pieces of oak timber be made 30' feet long, and 8 inches fquare, with holes bored in them at the didance of 3 inches, or 5 miles, from one another: thus, 36 inches, or 3 feet, on this piece of timber (which is eafdy tranfported and put under cover, and which I call /hz/t') are a degree ; and the whole fcale 10 degrees or 600 miles in length *« Thefe fcalcs bring placed upon or fluck in the ground at any of the large divifions of 10 degrees made on the walls, and oppo-fite to each other, afford an opportunity, by crofs loglines, or packthread, of determining the particular town, city, or head land, that is to be marked on this map, in the fame manner as upon a dieet of paper on a table, with a gunter-fcale and a pair of compaffes. The continents and iflands may be made in turf, the fea in gravel : the boundary or outline may be a hard terrafs made of mortar, pieces of date fixed in mortar, or the marrow bones of bullocks ; which fome forty years ago I have leen beyond White-chapel ufed as a kind of fence near the turnpike road (this may* be remembered by many) ; or a border of common box may be planted, as is ufual in many gardens.. At particular places on this ocean of gravel pods may be fixed up, indicating particular circumdances of monfoons, trade-winds, * An equator and middle meridian of terrafs made narrow and low, and graduated at each 10 degrees, would facilitate the conftru&ion of the map by dividing the whole inta four, and admit the loglines to be fhorter, and r 88 73 ( Ifî ) and currents, &c. prevailing in particular parts, to amufe the contemplative owner, who, taking a few turns before break faff on the furface of this flat globe, where Nature's volume is attempted to be widely expofed to view (as Thomfon fays), the powers of his mind expand ; and he will, I am perfuaded, be often inclined to fay,— This is obvious ; I fee this circumftance in a new light from what I formerly learned from books and maps only. I fee a paffage from the Downs to India is nothing : the difficulty difappears, compared with the hardfhips and fatigue of failing in narrow feas. Here feems to live kind eafe; whilft in a paffage from London to Newcaflle, what with anchoring and weighing every 12 hours, reefing and handing of fails, heaving the lead, &c. in a diflance of lefs than 300 miles, and perhaps 7 or 8 times in a fummer, a young man muft learn the duty of a. Teaman. Such reflections will naturally occur to the contemplative mind, and many others of the fame nature. I therefore take upon me to fay, that the idea of making fuch a map is worthy of a prince, and within the reach of a private gentleman to put in execution. I think it would very much adorn the villa of the minifter of a great commercial nation; nay, even the palace of Royalty itfelf. THE END. 'fo ff/rrvfs Strtiif ItcAten Krlfi/ I ttOen frr the If com S fr'fy /tnrt//y-'/ r>r,i if jF, Jlf j\J^jr. ,VA' /, A* .Drawn '*/ 7f ! SA^.f.jyJi,./.- JEM XT? .SW,//,- If'- r.r x'* W •r >H. O o o O TA'- J 7//.,„,/■> SUS à su s ■vr: 7/?„„/'////•// <(' /C/ti/is/ /y T. 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