were now again mixed and eked out with the gaudieft filks and cottons of China.

On the 12th of January, 1780, at noon, we unmoored and scaled the guns, which, on board my fhip, now amounted to ten; so that, by means of four additional ports, we could, if occasion required, fight feven on a fide.

We thought it our duty to provide ourselves with these means of defence, though we had fome reason to believe, from the public prints, laft received at Canton, that the generofity of our enemies had, in a great measure, rendered them fuperfluous. As this intelligence was farther confirmed by the private letters of several of the fupercargoes, Captain Gore thought himself bound, in return for the liberal exceptions made in our favour, to refrain from availing himself of any opportunities of capture, which these might afford, and to preferve throughout his voyage the ftri&teft neutrality.

At two in the afternoon, on the 13th, having got under fail, the Refolution faluted the fort of Macao with eleven guns, which was returned with the fame number.

In the morning of the 20th, we fteered for Pulo Condore; and at half paft twelve we got fight of the island. As foon as we were come to anchor, Captain Gore fired a gun, with a view of apprizing the natives of our arrival, and drawing them towards the shore, but without effect. Early in the morning of the 21ft, parties were fent to cut wood, which was Captain Gore's principal motive for coming hither.

None of the natives having yet made their appearance, notwithstanding a second gun had been fired, Captain Gore thought it advilable to land,

and

and go in fearch of them. We proceeded through. a thick wood, up a steep hill, to the distance of a mile, when, after descending, we arrived at some huts; I ordered the party to stay without, left the fight of fo many armed men fhould terrify the inhabitants, whilft I entered and reconnoitred alone. I found in one of the huts an elderly man, who was in a great fright, and preparing to make off with the most valuable effects. However, a few figns, particularly that moft fignificant one of holding out a handful of dollars, and then pointing to a herd of buffaloes, and the fowls that were running about the huts in great numbers, left him without any doubts as to the objects of our vifit. He pointed towards a place where the town ftood, and made us comprehend that, by going thither, all our wants would be fupplied. He ordered a young man to conduct us to the town, as foon as an obftacle fhould be removed, of which we were not aware. On our firft coming out of the wood, a herd of buffaloes, to the number of twenty at least, came running towards us, toffing up their heads, fnuffing the air, and roaring in a hideous manner. They had followed us to the huts, and ftood drawn up in a body at a little distance; and the old man made us underftand that it would be exceedingly dangerous for us to move till they were driven into the woods; but fo enraged were the animals grown at the fight of us, that this was not effected without a good deal of time and difficulty. The men not being able to accomplish it, we were furprised to fee them call to their affiftance a few little boys, who foon drove them out of fight. Afterwards, we had occafion to obferve that in driving these animals, and fecuring them, which is done by putting

putting a rope through a hole which is made in their noftrils, little boys were always employed, who could ftroke and handle them with impunity at times when the men durft not approach them. We we were now conducted to the town, which confifts of between twenty and thirty houses, built clofe together.

By means of my money, and pointing at different objects in fight, I had no difficulty in making a man, who seemed to be the principal person of the company to which we were introduced, comprehend the main business of our errand; and I as readily understood from him that the chief or captain was abfent, but would foon return; and that, without his confent, no purchases of any kind could be made.

Having at laft procured a fupply of buffaloes and fome fat hogs, on the 28th of January 1780, we unmoored; and, as soon as we were clear of the harbour, fteered fouth fouth-west.

On the 2d of February, at eight in the morning, we tried for foundings, continuing to do the fame every hour, till we had paffed the Straights of Sunda, and found the bottom with twenty-three fathoms of line.

On the 5th we approached the coaft of Sumatra. The country is covered with wood down to the water's edge, and the fhores are fo low, that the fea overflows the land, and washes the trunks of the trees. To this flat and marshy fituation of the fhore, we may attribute those thick fogs and vapours which we perceived every morning, not without dread and horror, hanging over the island, ill they were difperfed by the rays of the fun.

Banca, which are oppofite, are much

e country inland-rises to a mode

rate

rate height, and appears to be well wooded throughout.

In the morning of the 9th, I received orders from Captain Gore to make fail towards a Dutch ship, which now hove in fight to the southward, and which we supposed to be from Europe; and, according to the nature of the intelligence we could procure from her, either to join him at Cracatoa, where he intended to stop, for the purpofe of fupplying the thips with arrack, or to proceed to the fouth-east end of Prince's Ifland, and there take in our water and wait for him.

I accordingly bore down towards the Dutch fhip, which foon after came to an anchor to the eastward; and having got as near her as the tide would permit, we alfo dropt anchor.

Next morning Mr. Williamfon got on board the fhip, and learnt that fhe had been feven months from Europe, and three from the Cape of Good Hope; that, before the failed, France and Spain had declared war against Great Britain; and that the left Sir Edward Hughes, with a squadron of men of war and a fleet of Eaft-India fhips at the Cape. I immediately fent a boat to acquaint Captain Gore with the intelligence we had received.

At three o'clock in the morning of the 12th, we flood over for Prince's Ifland, and came to an anchor within half a mile of the fhore. Lieutenant Lannyan, who had been here before with Captain Cook in the year 1770, was fent along with the mafter to look for the watering-place.

The natives, who came to us foon after we anchored, brought a plentiful fupply of large fowls, and fome turtles; but the laft, for the most part, were very small.

On

On the 19th, being favoured by a breeze from the north-west, we broke ground, and the next day had entirely loft fight of this place.

Of this ifland I fhall only obferve, that we were exceedingly ftruck with the great general resemblance of the natives, both in figure, colour, manners, and even language, to the nations we had been so much converfant with in the South Seas.

From the time of our entering these Straights, we began to experience the powerful effects of this peftilential climate. Two of our people fell dangerously ill of malignant putrid fevers; which however we prevented from spreading, by putting the patients apart from the reft in the most airy births; and we had the fingular fatisfaction of escaping from these fatal feas, without the lofs of a fingle life; probably owing to the vigorous health of the crews, and the ftrict attention now become habitual in our men, to the falutary regulations introduced amongst us by Captain Cook.

It had hitherto been Captain Gore's intention to proceed directly to St. Helena, without ftopping at the Cape, but the rudder of the Refolution having been reported to be in a dangerous ftate, he refolved to steer immediately for the Cape, as the most eligible place both for the recovery of the fick, and for the repair of the rudder.

In the forenoon of the 10th of April, a fnow was feen bearing down to us, which proved to be an English Eaft-India packet, that had left Table Bay three days before, and was cruifing with or ders for the China fleet, and other India fhips.

The next morning we ftood into Simon's Bay. We found lying here the Naffau and Southampton East Indiamen, waiting for convoy for Europe.

The