The harbour is fo large, that fome hundreds of fhips may ride here; and is never without many, both of their own and strangers. I have already given you an account of the two fhips going and coming between this place and Acapulco. Befides them, they have fome fmall veffels of their own and they do allow the Portuguese to trade here, but the Chinese are the chiefeft merchants, and they drive the greatest trade; for they have commonly twenty, thirty, or forty jonks in the harbour at a time, and a great many merchants conftantly refiding in the city, befides fhopkeepers and handycraftsmen in abundance. Small veffels run up near the town; but the Acapulco fhips, and others of greater burden, lie a league fhort of it, where there is a strong fort alfo, and store-houses to put goods in. I had the major part of this relation, two or three years after this time, from Mr. Coppinger, our furgeon; for he made a voyage hither from Porto Nova, a town on the coast of Coromandel, in a Portuguese fhip, as I think. Here he found ten or twelve of Captain Swan's men; fome of thofe that we left at Mindanao. For after we came from thence, they bought a prow there, by the inftigation of an Irishman, who went by the `name of John Fitz-Gerald, a perfon that spoke Spanish very well; and fo in this their prow they came hither. They had been here but eighteen months when Mr. Coppinger arrived here, and Mr. Fitz-Gerald had in this time gotten a Spanish Mustefa woman to wife, and a good dowry with her. He then profeffed phyfic and furgery, and was highly esteemed among the Spaniards for his fuppofed knowledge in thofe arts; for being always troubled with fore fhins while he was with us, he kept fome plaifters and falves by him; and with these he fet up upon his bare natural stock of knowledge, and his experience in kibes. But then he had a very great stock of confidence withal to help out the other, and being an Irish Roman Catholic, and having the Spanish language, he had a great advantage of all his conforts; and he alone lived well there of them all. We were not within fight of this town, but I was fhewn the hills that overlooked it, and drew a draft of them as we lay off at fea; which I have caused to be engraven among a few others that I took myself. The time of the year being now too far fpent to do any thing here, it was concluded to fail from hence to Pulo Condore, a little parcel of islands, on the coast of Cambodia, and carry this prize with us, and there careen if we could find any convenient place for it, defigning to return hither again by the latter end of May, and wait for the Acapulco fhip that comes about that time. By our drafts (which we were guided by, being strangers to these parts,) this feemed to us then to be a place out of the way, where we might lie fnug for a while, and wait the time of returning for our prey. For we avoided as much as we could the going to lie by at any great place of commerce, left we should become too much expofed, and perhaps be affaulted by a force greater than our own. So having fet our prisoners afhore, we failed from Luconia the 26th day of February, with the wind east-north-eaft, and fair weather, and a brisk gale. We were in latitude fourteen degrees north when we began to fteer away for Pulo Condore, and we steered fouth by weft. In our way thither we went pretty near the fhoals of Pracel, and other fhoals which are very dangerous. We were very much afraid of them, but efcaped them without fo much as feeing them, only at the very fouth end of the Pracel fhoals we saw three little fandy islands or spots of fand standing just above water within a mile of us. It was the 13th day of March before we came in fight of Pulo Condore, or the island Condore, as Pulo fignifies. The 14th day about noon we anchored on the north fide of the island, against a fandy bay, two miles from the shore, in ten fathoms clean hard fand, fand, with both fhip and prize. Pulo Condore is the principal of a heap of islands, and the only inhabited one of them. They lie in latitude eight degrees forty minutes north, and about twenty leagues fouth, and by east from the mouth of the river of Cambodia. These islands lie fo near together, that at a distance they appear to be but one ifland. 影 Two of these islands are pretty large, and of a good height; they may be seen fourteen or fifteen leagues at fea; the reft are but little fpots. The biggeft of the two (which is the inhabited one) is about four or five leagues long, and lies eaft and weft. It is not above three miles broad at the broadest place; in moft places not above a mile wide. The other large island is about three miles long, and half a mile wide. This ifland stretcheth north and fouth. It is fo conveniently placed at the weft end of the biggest island, that between both there is formed a very commodious harbour. The entrance of this harbour is on the north fide, where the two islands are near a mile afunder. There are three or four small keys, and a good deep channel between them and the biggest island. Towards the fouth end of the harbour the two islands do in a manner close up, leaving only a fmall paffage for boats and canoes. There are no more iflands on the north fide, but five or fix on the fouth fide of the great ifland. The mould of thefe iflands for the biggest part is blackifh, and pretty deep, only the hills are fomewhat ftony. The eastern part of the biggest ifland is fandy, yet all clothed with trees of divers forts. The trees do not grow fo thick as I have feen them in fome places, but they are generally large and tall, and fit for any use. There is one fort of tree much larger than any other on this island, and which I have not seen any where else. It is about three or four feet diameter in the body, from whence is drawn a fort of clammy juice, which being boiled a little becomes perfect tar; and if you boil it much it will become hard as pitch. It may be put to either ufe: we used it both ways, and found it to be very ferviceable. The way that they get this juice, is by cutting a great gap horizontally in the body of the tree, half through and about a foot from the ground; and then cutting the upper part of the body aflope inwardly downward, till in the middle of the tree it meets with the traverse cutting or plain. In this plain horizontal femicircular ftump they make a hollow like a bafon, that may contain a quart or two. Into this hole the juice which drains from the wounded upper part of the tree falls, from whence you must empty it every day. It will run thus for fome months, and then dry away, and the tree will recover again. The fruit trees that nature hath beftowed on these ifles are mangoes, and trees bearing a fort of grape, and other trees bearing a kind of wild or baftard nutmegs. Thefe all grow wild in the woods, and in very great plenty. The mangoes here grow on trees as big as apple trees: thofe at Fort St. George. are not fo large. The fruit of thefe is as big as a small peach; but long and smaller towards the top it is of a yellowish colour when ripe; it is very juicy, and of a pleafant fmell, and delicate tafte. When the mango is young they cut them in two pieces and pickle them with falt and vinegar, in which they put fome cloves of garlick. This is an excellent fauce, and much efteemed; it is called mango-achar. Achar, I prefume, fignifies fauce. They make in the East Indies, especially at Siam and Pegu, feveral forts of achar, as of the young tops of bamboos, &c. Bamboo-achar and mangoachar are most ufed. The mangoes were ripe when we were there, as were alfo the reft of these fruits, and they have then fo delicate a fragrancy, that we could smell them out in the thick woods if we had but the wind of them, while we were a good way from them, and could not fee them; and we generally found them out this way. Mangoes are common in many places of the Eaft Indies; but I did never know any grow wild only at this place. These, though not fo big as thofe I have feen at Achin, and at Maderas or Fort St. George, are yet every whit as pleasant as the best fort of their garden mangoes. The grape tree grows with a ftrait body, of a diameter about a foot or more, and hath but few limbs or boughs. The fruit grows in clusters, all about the body of the tree, like the jack, durian, and cacao fruits. There are of them both red and white. They are much like fuch grapes as grow on our vines, both in fhape and colour; and they are of a very pleasant winy tafte. I never faw these but on the two biggest of these islands; the reft had no tar trees, mangoes, grape trees, nor wild nutmegs. The wild nutmeg tree is as big as a walnut tree; but it does not fpread fo much. The boughs are grofs, and the fruit grows among the boughs, as the walnut and other fruits. This nutmeg is much smaller than the true nutmeg, and longer alfo. It is inclosed with a thin fhell, and a fort of mace encircling the nut within the fhell. This baftard nutmeg is fo much like the true nutmeg in shape, that at our first arrival here we thought it to be the true one; but it hath no manner of fmell nor taste. The animals of these islands are fome hogs, lizards, and guanoes; and fome of those creatures mentioned in Chap. XI. which are like, but much bigger than the guanoes. Here are many forts of birds, as parrots, paroquets, doves, and pigeons. Here are alfo a fort of wild cocks and hens: they are much like our tame fowl of that kind, but a great deal less, for they are about the bignefs of a crow. The cocks do crow like ours, but much more fmall and fhrill; and by their crowing we do first find them out in the woods where we shoot them. Their flefh is very white and fweet. There are a great many limpits and mufcles, and plenty of green turtle. And upon this mention of turtle again, I think it not amifs to add some reasons to strengthen the opinion that I have given concerning these creatures removing from place to place. I have faid in Chap. V. that they leave their common feeding places, and go to places a great way from thence, to lay, as particularly to the island Afcenfion. Now I have difcourfed with fome fince that fubject was printed, who are of opinion, that when the laying time is over they never go from thence, but lie fomewhere in the fea about the island, which I think is very improbable; for there can be food for them there, as I could foon make appear; as particularly from hence, that the fea about the ifle of Afcenfion is fo deep as to admit of no anchoring but at one place, where there is no fign of grafs; and we never bring up with our founding lead any grafs or weeds out of very deep feas, but fand, or the like, only. But if this be granted, that there is food for them, yet I have a great deal of reason to believe that the turtle go from hence; for after the laying time you shall never fee them, and whereever turtle are, you will fee them rife and hold their head above water to breathe, once in feven or eight minutes, or at longest in ten or twelve. And if any man does but confider how fish take their certain feasons of the year to go from one fea to another, this would not feem ftrange; even fowls also having their seasons to remove from one place to another. These islands are pretty well watered with small brooks of fresh water, that run flush into the fea for ten months in the year. The latter end of March they begin to dry away, and in April you fhall have none in the brooks but what is lodged in deep holes; but you may dig wells in fome places. In May, when the rain comes, the land is again replenished with water, and the brooks run out into the fea. These islands lie very commodioufly in the way to and from Japan, China, Manila, 4 Tunquin, Cochin-China, and in general all this most eafterly coast of the Indian continent, whether you go through the ftreights of Malacca, or the ftreights of Sunda, between Sumatra and Java; and one of them you must pass in the common way from Europe, or other parts of the East Indies; unless you mean to fetch a great compass round most of the East India islands, as we did. Any ship in distress may be refreshed and recruited here very conveniently; and, befides ordinary accommodations, be furnished with mafts, yards, pitch, and tar, It might alfo be a convenient place to usher in a commerce with the neighbouring country of Cochin-China, and forts might be built to fecure a factory; particularly at the harbour, which is capable of being well fortified. The inhabitants of this ifland are by nation Cochin-Chinese, as they told us; for one of them fpoke good Malayan, which language we learnt a fmattering of, and some of us fo as to speak it pretty well, while we lay at Mindanao; and this is the common tongue of trade and commerce (though it be not in several of them the native language) in most of the Eaft India iflands, being the lingua Franca, as it were, of these parts. I believe it is the vulgar tongue at Malacca, Sumatra, Java, and Borneo; but at Celebes, the Philippine islands, and the spice-iflands, it seems borrowed for the carrying on of trade. The inhabitants of Pulo Condore are but a small people in ftature, well enough shaped, and of a darker colour than the Mindanayans. They are pretty long visaged, their hair is black and straight, their eyes are but small and black, their noses of a mean bignefs and pretty high, their lips thin, their teeth white, and little mouths. They are very civil people, but extraordinary poor. Their chiefeft employment is to draw the juice of those trees that I have described to make tar. They preferve it in wooden troughs; and when they have their cargo, they tranfport it to Cochin-China, their mother country. Some others of them employ themfelves to catch turtle, and boil up their fat to oil, which they alfo tranfport home. These people have great large nets, with wide meshes to catch the turtle. The Jamaica turtlers have fuch; but I did never fee the like nets but at Jamaica and here. They are fo free of their women, that they would bring them aboard and offer them to us; and many of our men hired them for a small matter. This is a custom used by feveral nations in the East Indies, as at Pegu, Siam, Cochin-China, and Cambodia, as I have been told. It is ufed at Tunquin alfo to my knowledge; for I did afterwards make a voyage thither, and most of our men had women on board all the time of our abode there. In Africa, alfo, on the coaft of Guinea, our merchants, factors, and feamen that refide there, have their black miffes. It is accounted a piece of policy to do it; for the chief factors and captains of fhips have the great men's daughters offered them, the mandarins' or noblemen's at Tunquin, and even the King's wives in Guinea; and by this fort of alliance the country people are engaged to a greater friendfhip; and if there should arise any difference about trade, or any thing elfe, which might provoke the native to feek fome treacherous revenge, to which all these heathen nations are very prone, then these Dalilahs would certainly declare it to their white friends, and fo hinder their countrymen's defign. These people are idolaters; but their manner of worship I know not. There are a few scattering houses and plantations on the great ifland, and a small village on the south fide of it; where there is a little idol temple, and an image of an elephant about five feet high, and in bignefs proportionable, placed on one fide of the temple; and a horfe not fo big placed the other fide of it; both standing with their heads towards the fouth. VOL. XI. The The temple itself was low and ordinary, built of wood, and thatched like one of their houses, which are but very meanly. The images of the horfe and the elephant were the most general idols that I ob. ferved in the temples of Tunquin, when I travelled there. There were other images alfo of beafts, birds, and fifh. I do not remember I faw any human fhape there, nor any fuch monftrous reprefentations as I have seen among the Chinefe. Wherever the Chinese seamen or merchants come (and they are very numerous all over these feas) they have always hideous idols on board their jonks or fhips, with altars, and lamps burning before them. Thefe idols they bring afhore with them; and befide those they have in common, every man hath one in his own houfe. Upon fome particular solemn days I have feen their bonzies, or priests, bring whole armfuls of painted papers, and burn them with a great deal of ceremony, being very careful to let no piece efcape them. The fame day they killed a goat which had been purposely fatting a month before; this they offer or prefent before their idol, and then dress it and feast themfelves with it. I have feen them do this in Tunquin, where I have at the fame time been invited to their feafts; and at Bancouli, in the ifle of Sumatra, they fent a fhoulder of the facrificed goat to the English, who eat of it, and asked me to do so too; but I refused. When I was at Maderas, or Fort St. George, I took notice of a great ceremony used for several nights fucceffively by the idolaters inhabiting the fuburbs: both men and women (thefe very well clad) in a great multitude went in folemn proceffion with lighted torches, carrying their idols about with them. I knew not the meaning of it. I obferved fome went purposely carrying oil to sprinkle into the lamps, to make them burn the brighter. They began their round about eleven a clock at night, and having paced it gravely about the streets till two or three a clock in the morning, their idols were carried with much ceremony into the temple by the chief of the proceffion, and fome of the women I faw enter the temple, particularly. Their idols were different from those of Tunquin, Cambodia, &c. being in human shape. I have faid already that we arrived at these islands the fourteenth day of March 1687. The next day we fearched about for a place to careen in; and the fixteenth day we entered the harbour, and immediately provided to careen. Some men were fet to fell great trees to faw into planks; others went to unrigging the ship; fome made a houfe to put our goods in, and for the fail-maker to work in. The country people reforted to us, and brought us of the fruits of the island, with hogs, and foretimes turtle; for which they received rice in exchange, which we had a fhip load of, taken at Manila. We bought of them alfo a good quantity of their pitchy liquor, which we boiled, and used about our fhip's bottom. We mixed it firft with lime, which we made here, and it made an excellant coat, and stuck on very well. We ftaid in this harbour from the 16th day of March, till the 16th of April; in which time we made a new fuit of fails of the cloth that was taken in the prize. We cut a fpare main-top-maft, and fawed plank to sheath the fhip's bottom; for he was not sheathed all over at Mindanao, and that old plank that was left on then we now ript off, and clapped on new. While we lay here two of our men died, who were poisoned at Mindanao; they told us of it when they found themfelves poifoned, and had lingered ever fince. They were opened by our doctor, according to their own request before they died, and their livers were black, light and dry, like pieces of cork. Our bufinefs being finished here, we left the Spanish prize taken at Manila, and most of the rice, taking out enough for ourselves; and on the 17th day we went from hence |