You always have timely notice before it comes, fo that when you would pass to the fouthward, it is advifeable to keep the coaft of Java on board, fteering along fhore, within a mile or two with the northerly fea-breeze, which lafts till the other comes from the fouthward, till you run four or five leagues to the fouthward of the north-east end of Java. Then you will open a black fandy bay, which reaches to Poolo Gilleboang: and when you fee the tornado beating up in the ftreights a-head of you, which may be difcerned for about an hour before it reaches you, then get near enough into that bay to anchor; for it will fuddenly fall calm, and the current will horse you out again: however, the current runs not always to the fouthward, but you will find many eddies; fo you must night and day attend the northerly breezes, and anchor in that bay, before the other comes on; otherwife you will lofe by the latter more than you gain by the former, and never get through. Note, that there is no fafe anchoring before you reach that bay.

On the 15th of January we were in the ftreights; and it was but a very difmal prospect to see thofe vaft mountains on each fide, which by the narrowness of the paffage feem ready to fall upon your head; and the noife which the fea makes in the hollows of the rocks is moft frightful. Sometimes you have gufts of wind from the hills flying round the compafs in three minutes time, and then as fuddenly it becomes calm; fo that I would advise you to keep a boat a head, to prevent your being fwung round by the circling eddies, occafioned by the rapidity of the current to the fouthward; by which means, when once you are entered the narrowest part, you are foon through, and the danger is not by half fo great as may be imagined.

The next day we anchored in a bay over against a pleasant town on the isle of Java, called Ballamboang, or Pallamboan, where we defigned to fill all our empty water-caíks, and take in new fupplies of what we wanted. This town and road lie fo convenient for watering and victualling, that I fhall enlarge a little upon it.

Ballamboang is fituated on the fouth-east part of Java, near the passage, between that and the island of Bally in the latitude of eight degrees thirty minutes fouth, and in the longitude from London of one hundred and eleven degrees thirty minutes, having fine meadows, and a pleasant champaign country for many miles round it. Near the fea the foil is fandy, and there are feveral fmall rivers on each fide of the town,

where you may go with your boat, and water at half tide over the bars; but you must not forget to carry a grappling, for you have fometimes an ugly furf on the fhore. The country affords plenty of oxen, the best and largest I ever met with out of England; alfo buffaloes, deer, hogs, ducks, geefe, fowls, eggs, goats, rice, Indian corn, potatoes, yams, cucumbers, and all forts of delicious fruits; all which are wonderful cheap: alfo plenty of very fine fifh, either fresh or dried.

This town, or rather city, is the capital of the kingdom; it is called in our maps Palamboan, and in fome Palambuam; but the natives pronounce it Ballamboang, and it gives its name to the whole kingdom. Here the King generally refides, but fometimes alfo at a place about fifteen miles up in the country, which is called Cota, fignifying a castle. He styles himself. Raja Mas Boogoos Pettey. His kingdom extends itself about seventy or eighty miles from the east end of Java, along the fouthern parts and from north to fouth, along the east end of Java, about fifty or fixty miles. As to the north and weft bounds, I can give no account. He is a great Prince, and very abfolute; by religion a Pagan, as are most of his fubjects. There are fome Mahometans, and a few Chinefe.

On our first anchoring they were under an alarm, and had fent to their King, who was in the country, and came down immediately to them before our boat had got afhore,

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ashore, in which went our purfer, and Mr. Richardson, who speaks the language. I gave them arms, and cautioned them to be always upon their guard, to use them civilly, and let them know that we wanted only provifions, wood and water; for which we would pay very honeftly. Now there was a Chinese among them, as a fhabander, who, feeing our colours, knew us to be English, and told the King what we were, affuring him that we were not Dutch, of whom they are very jealous; and indeed not without reafon, many cruelties having been exercised by them in the western part of the island. Upon thefe affurances, the King feeing the boat make towards fhore, came himself in a flying praw, with his colours difplayed, gongs beating, and several attendants in other boats, to meet ours a little way off from fhore.

After knowing by enquiry, who they were, and what they wanted, the King told them they were welcome, and fhould be fupplied; defiring them to tell their captain, that he would be glad to fee him on fhore the next day. In the evening the boat returned with fome fruit, &c. and gave me the foregoing account; adding, that they feemed to be hearty, civil people.

Accordingly, next morning, I went myself, with feveral others, befides about twelve failors, being all well armed. Before I reached the shore, I was met by the King, with his attendants, who welcomed me and told me, he was very defirous to fee my fhip, having never feen one in his life. I was much furprized at his freedom, in venturing fo fuddenly on board; but afterwards I understood it was owing to the aforefaid Chinese, who affured him that the English were very generous, civil people; that they traded to his country, though the Dutch were not fuffered to come there, &c. I told him I would return with him, and asked if he would please to come into my boat, which he readily complied with. He was dreffed in a fhort black velvet jacket, trimmed with narrow gold lace, an ill-fhaped red cap on his head, with abundance of gold and stone rings on his fingers. When we arrived on board I made him heartily welcome, treating him with arrack and wine; the former he drank very plentifully of, but the latter he did not fo much care for. He enquired my name, and fet it down, as I pronounced it, in his own writing, which he seemed to be very dextrous at; then he pronounced it very properly, and said he would remember me if ever I came again. We then fet out all together in my boat for fhore. I ordered the gunner to fire fome guns, which he did, as foon as we got clear of the íhip; wherewith the King was wonderfully pleased, and returned me many thanks. His attendants were fuch prodigious thieves, that we had much ado to watch, and keep them from ftealing during their stay on board. As to the King, for a rough, unpolished man, I think I never met a better in my life. When we landed, he conducted us to his palace, which was a large fquare, palifadoed in, with feveral little rooms and apartments for his women, &c. We were not long fat cross-legged, when he made us an apology, and having drawn up five or fix of his oldiers, with matchlocks, he faluted us by way of thanks for our great guns. Then he gave us a dinner, according to their beft manner, confifting of venifon, currees, rice, fowls, &c. His oran-cays kept all at a great diftance, and fhewed him very great refpect. He took great delight in making fome of his attendants drunk with our arrack. We had not long dined ere about thirty of his wives or concubines entered the place, and paffed by us one by one, each having a slave to attend her; who bore on their heads fundry forts of the best fruit, and prefented us with fo great a quantity, that it was more than our boat could carry off at once. The King alfo presented us with two oxen, three large deer, one buffaloe, and several bags of rice, with ducks, geefe, hens, &c. amounting full to the value, if not more, than what I prefented to him. 9

After

After dinner two of our gentlemen rode out on horfeback a little way into the woods; which abound with deer, wild peacocks, and feveral other kinds of fowls. Their horses are small, but very beautiful and fiery; a remarkable inftance of which I was eye witness to: for the King knowing that they were gone out on horfeback, faid he would fhew me fome fport, by which I might know which of these two English gentlemen was the best horfeman. I wondered what his project was; when he led me out by the hand, several of his men following us to the wood-fide: he had placed two of his foldiers unknown to me behind a bush; who, as foon as the horsemen came by, fired their match-locks across the horses nofes, which made them start, kick, caper, and bound in a strange manner; fo that they were not to be governed. One of the riders was thrown off, the other with much difficulty kept his faddle. The King feemed much delighted with his project, and laughed very heartily; but you may imagine how the gentlemen were frightened, especially at first.

We staid here fix days, in which time we had victualled, watered, and cut wood enough, they being all the while very civil to us. He told us, that he tarried there only for our fake, left there fhould happen any quarrel between his fubjects and us, or left they should fteal any thing from us, &c. However, about noon he went up into the country; neither was he long gone, when fome of us had reafon to be forry for his departure: for the purfer having fome little business to fettle with the fhabander, as he was paffing through a narrow lane towards the boat, being accompanied by the King's brother and another man, the former having asked him what it was o'clock; the purfuer pulled out his watch, and upon his defiring to fee it himself, he gave it into his hand, which he no fooner got hold of, but he took to his heels, the other man holding a spear to the purfer's breast whilst the King's brother ran away, whom he afterwards followed, and left the poor purfer to pursue his way to the boat by himself, being glad to come off fo. You may guess what a princely spirit the brother had.

Few or none of the natives ever faw any white men before, this coaft being hardly ever navigated by any Europeans: however, this place is mighty convenient for all fhips that make their paffage this way home through the ftreights of Bally, to prevent their being forced to lie during the wefterly monfoon, and lofing fo much time on demorage, which would be a great charge to the Company. If you ride well in the bay in about five or fix fathoms water, you will have good anchoring.

I made great inquiry of the product of their country, but found them in many different stories, yet generally they acknowledge that they have gold, pepper and cotton in great plenty; however I believe they are not willing to let any foreigners, much lefs Europeans, know the riches or trade of their country, left they fhould force a fettlement, which is no difficult matter to accomplish.

On Sunday the 23d of January 1714-15, about eight in the morning, I failed from thence towards the Cape of Good Hope. We ftood away to the fouthward with the wind at weft-north-weft and weft-fouth-weft, moftly in hopes of meeting the fouth-eaft trading-wind in the latitude of twelve or thirteen degrees fouth, as in other parts of that fea, but found the contrary; for the monfoon blows between this place and New Holland fix months one way and fix another, viz. from October to April between the west-north-west and weft-fouth-west, and from April to October again at east-south-east nearest. We got into the latitude of twenty degrees fouth, but faw no land; therefore do find the coaft of New Holland to be laid down in all our cards near twenty leagues more northward than it really is. I was almoft out of hopes of getting into the fouth-eaft trade-wind time enough to fave my paffage round the Cape, having spent fo

much

much time in beating to the windward, but in vain, for we met with very hard gales: therefore I tacked to the north-weftward on the 19th of February, having the wind at fouth-weft and fouth-weft-by-weft, and on the 21ft following, in the latitude of eighteen degrees fouth, having gained two hundred and feventy miles to the weftward of the fouth-eaft end of Java, I met with uncertain winds: and on the 23d I met with the fixed fouth-eaft trade wind, ftout gales, which held us till the 24th of March following, to the latitude of thirty-three degrees forty-eight minutes fouth, and four thousand three hundred and twenty-three miles to the weft of the fouth-eaft end of Java. This made us amends for the former lofs of time, running us to the rate of one hundred and forty to one hundred and feventy miles in twenty-four hours time.

Now our fair trade-wind had left us, and we had nothing but uncertainty to depend on, being seven hundred and eighty miles distant from the Cape; and our water falling fhort, we were forced to allow but a quart each man for twenty-four hours. On the 4th of April we came to an anchor in Table-Bay, at the Cape of Good Hope, in the latitude of thirty degrees fouth, and longitude from London fixteen degrees thirty minutes. Our men were moft of them fick and down with the fcurvy, occafioned by the length of our paffage, fo that we had scarce men enough to furl the fails and bring the fhip to an anchor without great trouble and rifk. We fpent here thirtyeight days, being obliged to have our fick men afhore; however the repairing our ship, which had fuffered very much in beating betwixt the ftreights of Bally and New Holland, and alfo re-victualling our fhip, was the occafion of our tarrying here fo long. During our stay here I buried my chief mate, which was no fmall lofs to us, for he way a very good officer, and my cooper.

This place for its pleasantnefs, fertility, wholesome air, and convenient fituation for the fupply of both homeward and outward bound East India ships, is not to be paralleled, whereof the Dutch to whom it belongs are not a little proud. The town is fituated on a small ascent on the fide of the bay, and confifts of about two or three hundred houses built with ftone, about two or three ftories high, having pleasant rows of trees before the doors. There was formerly a drain of water that ran through the town: this they have lately turned into two canals, and built the fides up with stone, which adds much to the beauty of the town. Here is one large church, a handsome hospital, and a pretty large castle, garrisoned and kept in good repair, which commands the bay: it is not very strong, but fufficient to answer the defign it was built for. The governor has a handsome dwelling-house therein. At the upper part of the town is a very large fine garden belonging to the Dutch East India Company, which is furrounded partly with a wall, and partly with a ditch, confifting of many very beautiful walks, and several banks and canals, which have indeed been lately neglected, and are much run to ruin, but the then prefent governor was about repairing them. Here is great abundance of good fruit, and variety of phyfic-plants and trees, as aloes of different forts, dragons-blood, and camphiretrees, with feveral others paft my obfervation. In this garden is likewife a house, built for that purpose, wherein is kept a collection of the skins of a multitude of strange beafts which Africa is famous for, so artificially and nicely stuffed, that at first you would be furprised at them, and would believe them to be really live creatures, viz. lions, tigers, leopards, elephants, rhinocerofes, wild cats, antelopes of feveral forts; many large unfizeable deer, and a creature called a striped afs, which they fay can never be tamed, though taken young: it is a beautiful creature, refembling a fine little horse with an afs's tail, and is striped and coloured like a tiger. There is also an amphibious creature, called by them manitee, or a fea-cow, which when alive could weigh no less than twentyfive or thirty hundred weight. She comes up the fresh rivers in the night-time, and

then gets on fhore to graze: fhe has a large body, a belly hanging low almost to the ground, fhort thick neck and legs, and feems to be a very unwieldy flow creature: her teeth are large, with huge long tufks, which are counted good ivory. They say the flesh of the young ones makes excellent bacon.

At the hither end of the garden is the flave-house, where all the Company's flaves are lodged and dieted; their children are taken care of, and taught to write, read, &c. but continue flaves: you may see the Dutch failors frequently go in and out to the flavewomen, which is connived at by the government, and are very acceptable to them who are negroes, and are very proud when their children prove whiter than themfelves. There are no Hottentot flaves; for as ignorant and brutish as those people are, they have a great love for liberty, and an utter averfion to flavery; neither will they hire themselves in your fervice longer than from morning to night, for then they will be paid, and fleep freemen, and no hirelings.

Here is a store-house, wherein are kept all forts of mafts, anchors, cables, guns, rigging, &c. to fupply their own fhips: but fhould an Englifh fhip unfortunately lofe a maft, or stand otherwise in need of their affiftance, they may perifh sooner than be supplied, unless it be by fome clandeftine method which the government do not allow of, and then pay a most exorbitant price for what they want.

The country all round is very pleasant and fertile, affording great plenty of all forts of provifions, especially beef and mutton, which are both of a price, viz. about twopence a pound, though the latter is much better in its kind, and not inferior to ours in England. As for carrots, cabbage, turnips, and falletting, they are not behind hand with us; which things are very agreeable to our palates, after so long an abstinence from fuch diet as we were used to in our native country. It abounds alfo with all manner of fruit, as oranges, lemons, citrons, mufk, and water melons; apples, pears, cherries, pomegranates, grapes, &c. They have lately improved their vineyards, fo that they have plenty of red and white mufcadello wine, and another pleasant, though fmaller white wine. The mufcadello is fold from twenty to twenty-four pounds the leaguer, which contains one hundred and fixty gallons, and the other at ten or twelve pounds. The neighbouring vallies are full of herbs (very many being medicinal) and flowers the rivers and bordering fea afford plenty of fifh, as the woods do venifon and honey.

Neither is there a leffer plenty of wild fowl, as duck, teal, widgeon, curlew, partridge, pheasant, and many other forts, as we have in England; befides, fuch as are peculiar to thofe parts, as oftriches, whofe eggs are fold very cheap, and are good eating, one being fufficient for two or three men at a meal. Here are great numbers of Canary birds. You may fee the fea, especially to the eastward of the Cape, almost covered with a small beautiful fpeckled fowi, about the bignefs of a wood-pigeon, which they call pintado birds, fo named, I fuppofe, by the Portuguese, by reafon of their fpeckled and, as it were, painted feathers. They are very tame, and will swim after you in light winds: and fometimes in the worst of weather, when the fhip tries under little or no fail, they will furround it in great numbers, fwimming and playing on every wave. The failors, for their diverfion, do often put out hooks, or crooked pins, at the end of a piece of twine, baited with tallow or fat meat, wherewith they catch a vast many of them, but they are of fo fishy a taste that they are hardly fit to eat. fhall alfo fee frequently in the bay, as you are at anchor, whales and other great fishes fporting about, particularly great fhoals of feals, which will often follow your boat, whose skins are very fine, and I believe the best in the world.

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