We Had No Other
Means Of Transmitting This Letter, As The Japanese Were At Enmity With
The Government Of Patane, And Had Even Burnt That Place Twice Within
Five Or Six Years.
We had much ado to get leave to build a fire-proof warehouse at this
place, but were at length assigned a place close by the Dutch house,
thirty fathoms long by twenty in breadth, on which we built a house
forty-eight feet long by twenty-four feet wide.
Their exactions were
very unreasonable, amounting, besides the charges agreed upon, to 4000
dollars; which, however, we submitted to pay in hope of future
advantages. We were sore afflicted here with sickness, even as if the
plague had raged in our ship. Captain Hippon died on the 9th of July;
and on opening the box marked No. 1, Mr Brown was found his appointed
successor, but as he was already dead, No. 2 was opened, by which Mr
Thomas Essington was nominated, who accordingly assumed the command. At
this place we suffered much injury from thieves, some of which came into
our house one night, where we always had a lamp burning, and stole 283
dollars out of my chest, besides other goods; though there wore fifteen
persons sleeping in the house, besides a large black dog, and a watch
kept in our yard. These circumstances occasioned suspicions against some
of our own people, but we could never come to any certainty.
I and John Parsons, with six more, were left here at Patane to conduct
the business of the factory, and the ship departed on the 1st of August
for Siam.
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