They Are Said To Be Procured By Diving,
In The Same Manner With Pearls; And The Reason Why They Are
To be had
more abundantly at one season than another is, that in July and October
there falls so much
Rain, that the river deepens to nine fathoms at the
place where they are got, and occasions so rapid a stream that the
people can hardly dive in search of them; whereas in other months it is
only four fathoms or four and a half; which is found to be the best
depth for diving.
[Footnote 151: This is rather a vague account of so large an island,
which reaches from the lat. of 4 deg. 20' S. to 6 deg. 40' N. and between the
longitudes of 100 deg. 12' and 119 deg. 25' E. from Greenwich; being above 700
English miles from N. to S. and 670 from E. to W. - E.]
The commodities most vendible at Succadanea are Malacca pintados, very
fine sarapa, goobares, poulings, cherujava, calico lawns,
light-coloured China silks, sewing gold, sleeve silk, stammel
broad-cloth, all sorts of bugles, especially those blue ones which are
made at Bantam, shaped like a hogshead, but about the size of a bean.
These cost at Bantam a dollar for 400, and are worth at Succadanea a
masse the 100, a masse being three quarters of a dollar. Likewise
Chinese cashes and dollars are in request, but more especially gold;
insomuch that you may have a stone for the value of a dollar in gold,
which you would hardly get for a dollar and a half, or a dollar and
three quarters, in silver.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 306 of 815
Words from 82872 to 83148
of 221842
