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us if the government was not fo fevere against it; for they have no goods but what are brought from Manilo at an extraordinary dear rate. I am of the opinion that if any of our nations will feek a trade with them, they would not lofe their labour; for the Spaniards can and will fmuggle (as our feamen call trading by ftealth) as well as any nation that I know; and our Jamaicans are to their profit fenfible enough of it. And I have been informed that Captain Goodlud of London, in a voyage which he made from Mindanao to China, touched at fome of these islands, and was civilly treated by the Spaniards, who bought fome of his commodities, giving him a very good price for the fame.

There are about twelve or fourteen more large iflands lying to the fouthward of Luconia; moft of which, as I faid before, are inhabited by the Spaniards. Befides thefe, there are an infinite number of small islands of no account, and even the great iflands, many of them are without names; or at least so variously set down, that I find the fame islands named by divers names.

The island St. John and Mindanao are the fouthernmost of all these islands, and are the only islands in all this range that are not fubject to the Spaniards.

St. John's Ifland is on the eaft fide of the Mindanao, and distant from it three or four leagues. It is in latitude about feven or eight degrees north. This island is in length about thirty-eight leagues, ftretching north-north-weft and fouth-fouth-east, and it is in breath about twenty-four leagues in the middle of the island: The northern most end is broader, and the southernmost is narrower. This island is of a good height, and is full of many fmall hills. The land at the south-east end, where I was afhore, is of a black fat mould; and the whole island seems to partake of the same fatness, by the vast number of large trees that it produceth; for it looks all over like one great grove.

As we were paffing by the south-east end we saw a canoe of the natives under the fhore; therefore one of our canoes went after to have spoken with her; but fhe run away from us, feeing themselves chaced, put their canoe afhore, leaving her, fled into the woods, nor would be allured to come to us, although we did what we could to entice them; befides these men, we faw no more here, nor fign of any inhabitants at this end.

When we came on board our fhip again, we steered away for the island Mindanao, which was now fair in fight of us, it being about ten leagues diftant from this part of St. John's. The twenty-fecond day we came within a league of the eaft fide of the ifland Mindanao, and having the wind at fouth-eaft we fteered toward the north end, keeping on the east fide, till we came into the latitude of feven degrees forty minutes, and there we anchored in a small bay, about a mile from the fhore, in ten fathom water, rocky foul ground.

Some of our books gave us an account that Mindanao city and ifle lies in feven degrees forty minutes. We gueffed that the middle of the island might lie in this latitude, but we were at a great lofs where to find the city, whether on the eaft or weft fide. Indeed, had it been a small island, lying open to the eastern wind, we might probably have searched first on the west fide; for commonly the islands within the tropics, or within the bounds of the trade-winds, have their harbours on the weft fide, as beft fheltered; but the island Mindanao being guarded on the eaft fide by St. John's island, we might as rea sonably expect to find the harbour and city on this fide, as any where else; but coming into the latitude in which we judged the city might be, found no canoes or people that might give us any umbrage of a city, or place of trade near at hand, though we coafted within a league of the fhore.

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The island Mindanao is the biggest of all the Philippine islands, except Luconia. It is about fixty leagues long, and forty or fifty broad. The fouth end is in about five degrees north, and the north-west end reacheth almost to eight degrees north. It is a very mountainous ifland, full of hills and valleys. The mould in general is deep and black, and extraordinary fat and fruitful. The fides of the hills are ftony, yet productive enough of very large tall trees. In the heart of the country there are fome mountains that yield good gold. The valleys are well moistened with pleasant brooks, and small rivers of delicate water; and have trees of divers forts flourishing and green all the year. The trees in general are very large, and most of them are of kinds un

known to us.

There is one fort which deferves particular notice, called by the natives libby trees. These grow wild in great groves of five or fix miles long, by the fides of the rivers. Of thefe trees fago is made, which the poor country people eat inftead of bread three or four months in the year. This tree for its body and fhape is much like the palmeto tree or the cabbage tree, but not fo tall as the latter. The bark and wood is hard and thin like a fhell, and full of white pith, like the pith of an elder. This tree they cut down, and split it in the middle and scrape out all the pith, which they beat luftily with a wooden peftle in a great mortar or trough, and then put it into a cloth or strainer held over a trough; and pouring water in among the pith, they stir it about in the cloth fo the water carries all the fubftance of the pith through the cloth down into the trough, leaving nothing in the cloth but a light fort of hufk, which they throw away; but that which falls into the trough fettles in a fhort time to the bottom like mud; and then they draw off the water and take up the muddy substance, wherewith they make cakes; which being baked proves very good bread.

The Mindanao people live three or four months of the year on this food for their bread-kind. The native Indians of Teranate and Tidore, and all the spice-iflands, have plenty of these trees, and use them for food in the fame manner, as I have been informed by Mr. Caril Rofy, who is now commander of one of the King's fhips. He was one of our company at this time; and being left with Captain Swan at Mindanao, went afterwards to Teranate, and lived there among the Dutch a year or two. fago which is transported into other parts of the East Indies is dried in small pieces, like little feeds or comfits, and commonly eaten with milk of almonds, by those that are troubled with the flux; for it is a great binder, and very good in that distemper.

The

In fome places of Mindanao there is plenty of rice; but in the hilly land they plant yams, potatoes, and pumpkins; all which thrive very well. The other fruits of this ifland are water-melons, mufk-melons, plantains, bonanoes, guavas, nutmegs, cloves, betel-nuts, durians, jacks, or jacas, cocoa-nuts, oranges, &c.

The plantain I take to be the king of all fruit, not except the coco itself, The tree that bears this fruit is about three feet, or three feet and an half round, and about ten or twelve feet high. These trees are not raised from feed (for they seem not to have any), but from the roots of other old trees. If these young fuckers are taken out of the ground, and planted in another place, it will be fifteen months before they bear, but if let ftand in their own native foil they will bear in twelve months. As foon as the fruit is ripe the tree decays, but then there are many young ones growing up to fupply its place. When this tree firft fprings out of the ground, it comes up with two leaves; and by that time it is a foot high, two more fpring up in the infide of them, and in a fhort time after two more within them; and fo on. By that time the tree is a month old, you may perceive a fmall body almost as big as one's arm, and then there are eight or ten leaves, fome of them four or five feet high. The first leaves

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leaves that it fhoots forth are not above a foot long, and half a foot broad; and the ftem that bears them no bigger than one's finger; but as the tree grows higher the leaves are larger. As the young leaves fpring up in the infide, fo the old leaves spread off, and their tops droop downward, being of a greater length and breadth, by how much they are nearer the root, and at laft decay and rot off: but ftill there are young leaves fpring up out of the top, which makes the tree look always green and flourishing. When the tree is full grown, the leaves are feven or eight feet long, and a foot and half broad; towards the end they are fmaller, and end with a round point. The ftem of the leaf is as big as a man's arm, almoft round, and about a foot in length, between the leaf and the body of the tree. That part of the ftem which comes from the tree, if it be the outfide leaf, feems to inclofe half the body as it were with a thick hide; and right against it, on the other fide of the tree, is another fuch answering to it. The next two leaves in the infide of thefe, grow oppofite to each other in the fame manner, but fo that if the two outward grow north and fouth, these grow east and weft, and thofe ftill within them keep the fame order. Thus the body of this tree feems to be made up of many thick fkins, growing one over another, and when it is full grown, there fprings out of the top a strong ftem, harder in fubftance than any other other part of the body. This ftem fhoots forth at the heart of the tree, is as big as a man's arm, and as long; and the fruit grows in clusters round it, first bloffoming and then shooting forth the fruit. It is fo excellent that the Spaniards give it the pre-eminence of all other fruit, as moft conducing to life. It grows in a cod about fix or seven inches long, and as big as a man's arm. The fhell, rind or cod is foft, and of a yellow colour when ripe. It resembles in fhape a hog's-gut pudding. The inclofed fruit is no harder than butter in winter, and is much of the colour of the pureft yellow butter. It is of a delicate taste, and melts in one's mouth like marmalet. It is all pure pulp, without any feed, kernel or stone. This fruit is fo much efteemed by all Europeans that fettle in America, that when they make a new plantation, they commonly begin with a good plantain-walk, as they call it, or a field of plantains; and as their family increaseth, fo they augment the plantain walk, keeping one man purposely to prune the trees, and gather the fruit as he sees convenient. For the trees continue bearing, fome or other, moft part of the year; and this is many times the whole food on which a whole family fubfifts. They thrive only in rich fat ground, for poor fandy will not bear them. The Spaniards in their towns in America, as at Havana, Cartagena, Portobel, &c. have their markets full of plantains, it being the common food for poor people: their common price is half a riol, or three-pence a dozen. When this fruit is only ufed for bread, it is roafted or boiled when it's just full grown, or not yet ripe or turned yellow. Poor people or negroes, that have neither fish nor flesh to eat with it, make fauce with cod-pepper, falt and lime juice, which makes it eat very favory; much better than a crust of bread alone. Sometimes for a change they eat a roafted plantain, and a ripe raw plaintain together, which is instead of bread and butter. They eat very pleasant fo, and I have made many a good meal in this manner. Sometimes our English take five or feven ripe plantains, and mafhing them together, make them into a lump, and boil. them instead of a bag-pudding; which they call a buff-jacket: and this is a very good way for a change. This fruit makes alfo very good tarts; and the green plantains fliced thin and dried in the fun and grated, will make a fort of flour which is very good to make puddings. A ripe plantain fliced and dried in the fun may be preferved a great while; and then eat like figs very fweet and pleafant. The Darien Indians preserve them a long time, by drying them gently over the fire; mashing them

first,

first, and moulding them into lumps. The Mofkito Indians will take a ripe plantain and roast it; then take a pint and a half of water in a calabash, and squeeze the plantain in pieces with their hands mixing it with water; then they drink it all off together. This they call Mifhlaw, and it is pleasant and fweet, and nourishing; fomewhat like lambs-wool (as it is called) made with apples and ale: and of this fruit alone many thousand of Indian families in the West Indies have their whole fubfif tence. When they make drink with them, they take ten or twelve ripe plantains and mash them well in a trough then they put two gallons of water among them; and this in two hours time will ferment and froth like wort. In four hours it is fit to drink, and then they bottle it, and drink it as they have occasion: but this will not keep above twenty-four or thirty hours. Thofe therefore that use this drink brew it in this manner every morning. When I went firft to Jamaica I could relish no other drink they had there. It drinks brisk and cool, and is very pleasant. This drink is windy, and fo is the fruit eaten raw; but boiled or roafted it is not fo. If this drink is kept above thirty hours it grows fharp but if then it be put out in the fun, it will become very good vinegar. This fruit grows all over the Weft-Indies (in the proper climates), at Guniea, and in the Eaft-Indies.

As the fruit of this tree is of great use for food, fo is the body no less serviceable to make cloaths; but this I never knew till I came to this ifland. The ordinary people of Mindanao do wear no other cloth. The tree never bearing but once, and fo being felled when the fruit is ripe, they cut it down clofe by the ground if they intend to make cloth with it. One blow with a hatchet or long knife will ftrike it asunder; then they cut off the top, leaving the trunk eight or ten feet long, ftripping off the outer rind, which is thickest towards the lower end; having ftript two or three of these rinds the trunk becomes in a manner all of one bignefs, and of a whitish colour: then they split the trunk in the middle; which being done, they fplit the two halves again, as near the middle as they can. This they leave in the fun two or three days, in which time part of the juicy fubftance of the tree dries away, and then the ends will appear full of fmall threads. The women, whofe employment is to make the cloth, take hold of thofe threads one by one, which rend away easily from one end of the trunk to the other, in bignefs like whited-brown thread; for the threads are naturally of a determinate bignefs, as I obferved their cloth to be all of one substance and equal fineness; but it is ftubborn when new, wears out foon, and when wet feels a little flimy. They make their pieces feven or eight yards long, their warp and woof all one thickness and substance.

There is another fort of plantains in that island, which are fhorter and lefs than the others, which I never faw any where but here. These are full of black feeds mixed quite through the fruit. They are binding, and are much eaten by those that have fluxes. The country people gave them us for that use, and with good fuccess.

The bonano tree is exactly like the plantain for shape and bignefs, not easily distinguishable from it but by its fruit, which is a great deal fmaller, and not above half fo long as a plantain, being alfo more mellow and foft, lefs luscious, yet of a more delicate tafte. They use this for the making drink oftener than plantains, and it is beft when used for drink, or eaten as fruit; but it is not fo good for bread, nor doth it eat well at all when roafted or boiled; fo tis only neceffity that makes any use it this way. They grow generally where plaintains do, being fet intermixed with them purposely in their plantain-walks. They have plenty of clove-bark, of which I saw a fhip-load: and as for cloves Raja Laut, whom I fhall have occafion to mention, told me, that if the English would fettle there, they could order matters fo in a little time, as to fend a fhip

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a fhip-load of cloves from thence every year. I have been informed that they grow on the boughs of a tree about as big as a plum-tree, but I never happened to fee any

of them.

I have not feen the nutmeg-trees any where; but the nutmegs this ifland produceth are fair and large, yet they have no great ftore of them, being unwilling to propagate them or the cloves, for fear that fhould invite the Dutch to visit them, and bring them into fubjection, as they have done the reft of the neighbouring iflands where they grow. For the Dutch being feated among the fpice-iflands, have monopolized all the trade into their own hands, and will not fuffer any of the natives to dispose of it but to themfelves alone. Nay, they are fo careful to preserve it in their own hands, that they will not fuffer the spice to grow in the uninhabited islands, but fend foldiers to cut the trees down. Captain Rofy told me, that while he lived with the Dutch he was fent with other men to cut down the fpice trees; and that he himself did at several times cut down seven or eight hundred trees. Yet although the Dutch take fuch care to destroy them, there are many uninhabited islands that have great plenty of spice-trees, as I have been informed by Dutchmen that have been there, particularly by a captain of a Dutch ship that I met with at Achin, who told me, that near the island Banda there is an island where the cloves falling from the trees do lie and rot on the ground, and they are at the time when the fruit falls three or four inches thick under the trees. He and fome others told me, that it would not be a hard matter for an English veffel to purchase a ship's cargo of spice of the natives of fome of these spice-islands.

He was a free merchant that told me this. For by that name the Dutch and English in the East Indies distinguish those merchants who are not fervants to the Company. The free merchants are not fuffered to trade to the spice-islands, nor to many other places where the Dutch have factories; but on the other hand, they are fuffered to trade to fome places where the Dutch Company themselves may not trade, as to Achin particularly, for there are fome Princes in the Indies, who will not trade with the Company for fear of them. The feamen that go to the spice-iflands are obliged to bring no fpice from thence for themselves, except a small matter for their own ufe, about a pound or two. Yet the mafters of thofe fhips do commonly fo order their bufinefs, that they often fecure a good quantity, and fend it afhore to fome place near Batavia, before they come into that harbour, (for it is always brought thither first before it is fent to Europe,) and if they meet any veffel at fea that will buy their cloves, they will fell ten or fifteen tons out of one hundred, and yet feemingly carry their complement to Batavia; for they will pour water among the remaining part of their cargo, which will fwell them to that degree, that the fhip's hold will be as full again as it was before any were fold. This trick they use whenever they difpofe of any clandeftinely; for the cloves when they first take them in are extraordinary dry, and fo will imbibe a great deal of moisture. This is but one inftance of many hundreds of little deceitful arts the Dutch feamen have in these parts among them, of which I have both feen and heard feveral. I believe there are no where greater thieves, and nothing will perfuade them to discover one another: for fhould any do it, the rest would certainly knock him on the head. But to return to the products of Mindanao.

The betel-nut is much esteemed here, as it is in moft places of the East Indies. The betel-tree grows like the cabbage-tree, but it is not fo big nor fo high. The body grows straight, about twelve or fourteen feet high, without leaf or branch, except at the head. There it fpreads forth long branches like other trees of the like nature, as the cabbage-tree, the coco-nut-tree, and the palm. These branches are about ten or twelve feet long, and their stems near the head of the tree, as big as a man's arm. On the top of the tree among the branches the betel-nut grows on a tough stem as big

as

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