Our Men Got Some Of This, But Not So Good, This
Not Being The Season When It Is Ripe; For, When In Full Perfection, It
Is As Tender And Sweet As Anise-Seeds.
[Footnote 165:
A medicinal root, much prized at Japan, somewhat like a
skerrit. - Purch. Probably that named Ginseng, in high repute in
China and Japan for its fancied restorative and provocative powers, like
the mandrake of holy writ, but deservedly despised in the Materia Medica
of Europe. Its whole virtues lay in some supposed resemblance to the
human figure, founded on the childish doctrine of signatures; whence,
at one time, every thing yellow was considered specific against
jaundice, with many other and similar absurd notions. - E.]
We sailed from Saldanha on the 20th June, and on the the 21st we had
sight of land in 34 deg. 28' S. being the land to the west of cape de
Arecife, laid down 28' more northwardly than it ought in the charts of
Daniel. On the 6th July we ought to have seen the coast of Madagascar,
by most of our computations, and according to Daniel's charts, upon
Mercator's projection, which proved false by seventy leagues in distance
of longitude between the coast of Ethiopia at cape Bona Speranza and the
isle of St Lawrence, as is evident from the charts projected in plano
by Tottens. The 22d all the four ships anchored at Mohelia, where we
had water from wells dug a little above high-water mark, eight or nine
feet deep, close by the roots of trees. Doman is the chief town of
this island, where the sultan resides, to whom we gave a double-locked
piece and a sword. For very little money we were plentifully supplied
with provisions, as poultry, goats, bullocks, lemons, oranges, limes,
tamarinds, cocoa-nuts, pines, sugar-canes, and other fruits. Among the
inhabitants of this island there are Arabs, Turks, and Moors, many of
whom speak tolerable Portuguese. From them I had a curious account of
the current at this place, which they said ran alternately fifteen days
westerly, fifteen days easterly, and fifteen days not at all; and which
I partly observed to be true: For, at our first coming, the current set
westerly, and on the 28th it set easterly, and so continued during our
stay, which was six days, but we went away before trial could be
perfectly made of this report.
I learned here that the king of Juanni [Joanna or Hinzuan] was
sovereign of this island, but entrusted its government to the sultan,
who resides here. The 29th, a vessel arrived at Doman from
Gangamora, in the island of Madagascar, and I was desired by the
general to examine what were its commodities, which I found to consist
of rice, and a kind of cloth manufactured of the barks of trees, which
makes very cool garments. I enquired from the pilot, who spoke good
Portuguese, respecting Captain Rowles and the other Englishmen who were
betrayed on that island.
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