TO THE READER. IT is a common faying, and indeed generally proves true, that old men and travellers do give themselves great liberty in relating fictitious and improbable ftories: the distance of time being as great a protection to the former, as that of place is to the latter but I can affure my reader, that the cafe iş otherwife here; for I made it my study to adhere, as much as poffible could be, to truth, especially in those things which fell within the pale of my own knowledge, having always made it my maxim, to have a greater regard to utility than pleasure. As to what I had by hearsay from the natives, I neither have inferted the hundredth part of what they told me, neither do I much infist on the truth of what I have inferted, though more probable than what I omitted; but do leave it to the reader's choice to believe or reject as he shall think fit. I am sensible that I might have rendered this work more agreeable to fome perfons, and made it fwell to a much larger volume, in following the steps of feveral other authors, by stuffing it with many strange improbable relations, whereby it might be as acceptable as the bundle of lies publifhed by the famous Ferdinando Mendez Spinto, &c. But my design is not either to amufe, or abuse the public, or to please fuch as delight in fabulous romantic legends or ftories. On the contrary, I have endeavoured herein to be as useful as poffible to those who may hereafter have occafion to go into the countries I have given an account of, by laying down fuch directions and rules in regard to trade, &c. as they may the better govern themselves by, and avoid a great many inconveniencies that might otherwise happen. I must own, that I had some reluctancy to undertake fuch a task, as not thinking myself of a genius or talent proportionable thereto; but confidering, that among fo many printed voyages to and from the Eaft Indies, there is but little or no account given of Borneo, (the greatest island of all the Indian feas, and where as confiderable a branch of trade might be fettled, with due care, as any the Honourable East India Company is in poffeffion of) and that the other fupercargos, and myself, were the only Englishmen that ever had fuch an opportunity of knowing both the humour of the people, the way of dealing with them, the country, product, and price of their commodities, as having been a confiderable time converfant among the natives; and having ventured often far up into their country, whereas the factory fettled here before were forced to trade with them, as it were, fword in hand, and confequently could have but very little knowledge of those matters: confidering, I fay, all this, I thought it was my duty to publish what, in my opinion, muft needs be very advantageous to the public, and in particular to the Honourable Eaft India Company. Moreover, the ftreights of Bally having feldom or never been before navigated by the English, especially during the western monfoons, which is the only time we have occafion to make ufe of that paffage, because more expeditious for home-bound fhips, I thought it neceffary to be as particular as I could, thereby to make it more easy to those who shall hereafter have occafion to fail that way, being forewarned of the difficulties I met with there, and of the method I was at laft forced to take to get through. One thing I will make bold to say, that I have been so particular in relation to the Banjareens, it being all of my own knowledge, that whoever goes to the port of BanjarMaffeen, though never fo great a stranger to the way of trading, cannot fail to VOL. XI. manage manage his affairs there with far greater fuccefs, by following the inftructions I have That the whole may prove to be of as great use as intended, is the fole aim of, D. B. CHAPTER I. — Giving an Account of the Canary, Cape Verd, and Christmas Islands ; with a Defcription of Batavia, &c. AS fo many accounts of voyages to and from the Eaft Indies have been already made public, I think it fuperfluous to trouble the reader with a particular journal of this voyage, either going or coming; therefore I fhall only relate fuch things as I judge moft material to the present fubject. I failed out of the Downs on the 12th of October, anno 1713, in the Eagle-galley, in the service of the Honourable East India Company, with full orders and instructions from them to use my utmost endeavours (in concert with the other fupercargos) to reestablish a trade at the port of Banjar-Maffeen in the island of Borneo, from which place the natives, fome years before, had expelled the English, and destroyed their fort and habitations, putting many of them to death, as shall be more particularly related in the latter part of this work. Several attempts of renewing a correspondence and trade with them have been fince made, as well by the English as the Dutch, but in vain; until fortune favoured us with fuccefs. I doubt not but to make it fully appear, that it may be improved much to the advantage of the Eaft India Company. On the 29th we paffed close by the ifles, or rather the rocks, called the Salvages, lying in the latitude of twenty-nine degrees twenty-five minutes north, and longitude of fixteen degrees thirty-fix minutes from London. We failed along to the fouthward (the weather being exceeding pleasant for three days) in fight of moft of the Canary iflands, but could not as yet fee the top of Pico-Teneriffe, because of its being fo much higher than the vaft body of clouds that encompaffed it; though fometimes (when clear of clouds) it may be seen at above fifty leagues diftance at fea. On the ift of November we were between the islands of Teneriffe and of Grand Canary. These islands were by the ancients called Infulæ Fortunate, or the Fortunate iflands; but by the moderns Canary islands, from the ifle of Grand Canary, which is the chief and largest of them. They were well known to the Romans; but after the fall of that empire, they lay hid in oblivion and undiscovered by the Europeans, till about the year 1330, or rather 1334. However the natives, a rude and ignorant people, who were governed by their own Kings (each island having one), continued in poffeffion till the year 1417; when Catharine, daughter to our John of Gaunt duke of Lancaster, and widow of Henry the Third of Caftille, during the minority of her fon John the Second, fent forces thither, and fubdued four of thofe iflands, viz. Lancerota, Forteventura, Gomera, and Ferro. The other iflands remained under their own Kings till the year 1483, when Ferdinand, firnamed the Catholic, fubdued them all; ever fince which time they remained annexed to the Crown of Spain, and are the general rendezvous of the Spanish West India fleet homeward bound. They are fituate weftward of Biledulgerid, between twenty-four degrees thirty minutes, and twenty-eight or twenty-nine degrees of north latitude, if we comprehend the 1 the Salvages; they are ten or twelve in number; but only feven remarkable, viz. Lancerota or Lancelotta, Forteventura, Canaria, Teneriffa, Palma, Gomera, and Ferro; the two first are towards the east, the two laft towards the west, and the three other in the middle. The ifle of Lancerota is about thirteen leagues in length from north to fouth, nine in breadth, and forty in circuit. Forteventura is in length from fouth-weft to north-east about twenty-five, the breadth being very irregular; for in the middle it is but four leagues only, there being an ifthmus dividing it into two peninfulas, which formerly had a wall across it the circuit is about feventy leagues, because of the two gulfs that are on each fide of the isthmus. Canaria, commonly called Grand Canary (which gives its name to all the rest) is equally large as it is long, being about thirteen or fourteen leagues either ways, and in circuit about forty: the town of Canary is a bishop's fee, and the refidence of the Spanish governor. The length of Teneriffa is variously reported, fome making it twenty-two leagues, others more, and fome lefs; its breadth is very irregular, viz. from three to fifteen, and the circumference about fixty leagues; towards the middle is that famous and vast hill, or peak spoken of before, called by the Portuguese El Pico, counted the highest in the world, being about two miles and a half perpendicular; it rifes like a pyramid, or rather a fugar loaf. Here the Dutch place the firft meridian; but the French place it on the ifle of Ferro; as Janfonius does on Corvo, the moft wefterly ifland of the Azores; and Hondius on St. Nicholas, one of the Cape Verd islands. The three other islands are leffer, each not exceeding ten leagues in length, five in breadth, and twenty-five in circuit. The air of these islands is very wholesome, though very hot; the foil most fertile, producing a great abundance of wheat, barley, millet, and excellent wine; the vines (as they fay) being transplanted hither formerly from the Rhine by the Spaniards, in the reign of Charles the Fifth, Emperor of Germany and King of Spain; where, by the change and nature of the foil, instead of sharp Rhenish, they produce that sweet delicious wine which we call Canary, and which is vended fo much all over Europe, that fome relate fifteen or fixteen thoufand tuns have been yearly transported into England only. Here are alfo a great number of palm-trees that bear dates; dragon-tress, from whence is drawn a red thick liquor called dragon's blood, with fig, olive, pomegrate, citron, and orange trees, the fruit whereof is moft excellent; likewife plenty of fugar, woad, honey, wax, and plantons, which is a fruit not unlike a cucumber in fhape, and when thoroughly ripe eats as delicious as any sweetmeats; they have also a great number of wild goats and affes, the milk and hides whereof are a good commodity. The ifle of Ferro is very dry, and in fome places barren for want of water; but this defect is in a great measure fupplied by a tree that grows in the middle of the island, the trunk whereof is about two fathom round, from the leaves of which does continually distil as much water as fills a large ftone ciftern, or refervatory, built by the inhabitants on purpose, containing about twenty thoufand tuns, which fupplies the cattle and whole ifland with wholefome fresh water. This miracle of nature is faid to proceed from the vast body of clouds that hang about the tree all night and a great part of the day. The inhabitants are, for the most part, Spaniards originally; there are some few of the aborigines, who are a very nimble fort of people and vaft eaters; they live generally in caves among the mountains, feed upon milk chiefly, and are faid to be Pagans 0 2 Pagans by religion; though I believe there is hardly any of that perfuafion now, the Spaniards being fo zealous to propagate the Christian doctrine according to their own way. On the 2d of October, in the morning, we had a fight of the top of El Pico; hereabouts we met with the trade-winds, fo called because they always blow between the east-north-east, and north-north-eaft, they continued with us till we came near the equinoctial line; which was no fmall advantage, as well as pleasure, to us in our outward-bound paffage; not only for the expedition we made through the means of their brifk gales (our fhip running at least one hundred and twenty miles in twenty-four hours) but alfo for the coolness and mighty refreshment we received from them in fo hot a climate; and likewife for the diverfion we had from the prodigious numbers of dolphins, albocores, bonetos, flying-fifh, &c. many of the latter flew on board our ship, when pursued by the dolphins, or other fifh of prey, whereof there are vast multitudes in thofe feas: we caught a great number of dolphins, &c. with large hooks, which we towed to the ftern of the fhip, baited with either an artificial or real flying-fish, or fometimes with a bit of fat pork or beef, they being fo prodigious eager that they will fnap at almost any thing; the poor failors make many a hearty meal of them, especially when fresh provifions begin to be fcarce. In this pleasant manner we continued from the Canary Islands, fteering away fouthweft by fouth nearest, till the 10th, when we got fight of the islands of Cape Verd, which are ten in number, viz. St. Antonio, St. Vincent, St. Lucia, St. Nicolas, Sal, Bonavista, Mayo, St. Jago, Fuogo, and Brava. Thefe were by the ancients called the Hefperides, or Gorgades; their orchards of golden apples, kept by a never fleeping dragon, are celebrated much by the Greek and Latin poets; they are now inhabited by the Banditos, or banished Portuguese. These iflands afford a most pleasant visto to those that fail between them. The island of St. Jago is the largest of all, being in length about forty-five leagues, in breadth ten, and in circuit ninety-five. St. Nicolas and St. Lucia are each in length about twenty-five or twenty-fix leagues, in breadth about feven or eight, and fixty in circuit. St. Vincent and St. Antonio are not of above half the extent of these, and the other five are ftill leffer; for the greatest of them is not ten leagues in length, and twenty in circuit; the air in general is unwholesome; the foil of fome is ftony and barren, as particularly that of Sal, Bonavista, and Mayo. The first has a great number of wild horses, as also the last; but besides, it has a much greater multitude of wild goats, and fuch a prodigious quantity of falt, that it could load (as is reported) above two thousand fail of fhips, fo that they are all named, by fome, the Islands of Salt. The other islands are more fertile, and produce rice, maiz, or Indian wheat, bananos, lemons, citrons, oranges, pomegranates, cocoa, nuts, figs, and melons; there is fome wine, cotton, and fugar canes, which they gather twice a year. The goats generally bring forth three or four kids at once, and that very often thrice a year. The chief merchandize is falt and goat skins, of which are made the best cordevants. They are called the Ifles of Cape Verd, because they lie oppofite to the Cape fo called, being the western point of the island that lies in the mouth of the river Niger, formed by the north and middle branches thereof, called Senega, and Gambea; when they were first discovered (viz. anno 1440) by a Genoefe, they were all defert, and fo continued for thirty years, when they began to be inhabited by the Portuguese. The ifland of Fuogo, or of Fire, has its name from a burning mountain that is in it; it is moft terrible to fee (in the night especially) what prodigious flames and vaft clouds 3 clouds of smoke it vomits up continuaily, which we could perceive afterward in a clear day, though we were above fixty miles distant from it. Here I refolved, by the advice of the chief officers of the ship, to go into the port of Praya in the island of St. Jago, to take a fresh supply of water and provifions, but particularly to stop a dangerous leak in the bow of the fhip, which fhe had fprung in a great ftorm that happened to us in the Bay of Biscay, where we were all like to have perifhed. Another confideration that moved me thereto was, that by recruiting here I might avoid touching at the Cape of Good Hope outward bound, whereby my paffage would be much fhorter. Accordingly on the 12th of November we anchored in the aforefaid port, which is in the latitude of fifteen degrees north, and the longitude of twenty-three degrees thirty minutes from London, having made my paffage thither from the Downs in thirty days. I faluted the caftle with five guns, but had no return; there was a fmall Portuguese ship in the road bound for Brafil; at our first coming fhe was jealous of us as we were of her, both supposing each other to be pirates, it being a place much frequented by fuch. About a mile eastward of the port, is another bay fo much like this, that without the following inftructions one may be mistaken; but it is not by much fo good a road; in the former bay you have the island of Mayo open off the east point of the bay, which in the port of Praya, is for fome time fhut in before you run high enough into the bay to anchor; and you have the top of the island of Fuogo over the west point of the bay, when you are in the port. I never was in this port before, but my chief mate, and feveral others of the fhip's crew had been there; however, they were deceived, and steered the ship up the wrong bay, where they were like to have cast anchor before they perceived their mistake; but whoever follows the foregoing observation, can never err in this particular. During our stay here, which was five days, we caught with our nets and hooks a great quantity of fish, as mullets, beams, large craw-fish, and a fifh called a foldier, being of a blood-red colour, having scales as large as half-acrown, in fhape like a carp, and fome weighing eighty pounds; there is alfo plenty of feveral other forts of fish. The country is exceedingly pleasant, and abounds with all things neceffary for the ufe or delight of man; but the natives are a poor, lazy, ignorant fort of people, prodigious thieves, and most of them as black as negroes or at leaft mulattos; by religion Roman Catholics, as they are told; but, God knows, their ignorance and ftupidity is fuch, that they know little more than the name of religion. Their churches are meanly adorned, and as meanly built, not much exceeding our country barns; their houses are very ordinary, scattered here and there; here is the remains of an old decayed castle, very little of which is ftanding befides the wall, whereon are planted seven or eight old iron guns without carriages, which are of no defence, but ferve only for falutes. The French with eighty or one hundred men took the island a few years ago, but abandoned it in a little time, having carried away what plunder they could find. Here are great numbers of fmall oxen, hogs, goats, ducks, geefe, and other fort of fowls, which the natives bring down to the port to fell, or rather to exchange for old cloaths, black cafes, hats, knives, oil, butter, cheese, or almost any thing of foreign growth or manufacture, be it never fo old or indifferent; for though the ifland be of itfelf very plentiful, yet their floth is fo great that they make no improvements; and their pride fuch, that if you ask a poor forry fellow (that has fcarce the neceffaries of life) who he is, he will immediately reply, that he is nearly related to fome nobleman in Portugal; that himself or his forefathers were banifhed thither on fufpicion, but |