As The Pangran Of Bantam Had
Practised Underhandedly With The Dutch To Have The Castle Of Jacatra
Delivered Into His
Hands, by which we had been unjustly deprived of that
acquisition, we agreed, in a general consultation, that the president,
And all the rest of the principal persons of our factory at Bantam,
should repair on board, and get all our goods and provisions put aboard
the ships. Accordingly, we were occupied from the 10th to 16th, both
inclusive, in getting all the money and goods belonging to the
honourable Company on board. During this time, the pangran sent several
obscure persons to the president, as of their own accord, to enquire the
reason of his departure, pretending that the pangran had given no just
cause for leaving the country. Upon this the president drew up a
memorial, enumerating the several grievances and wrongs which the
English had suffered from him, meaning to have it translated into the
Javan language, and then to be transmitted to the pangran.
[Footnote 265: This agreement was crossed by the Pangran of Bantam, who
gave us leave to beat the bush, and thought to have caught the birds
himself, but was deceived in the end. - Purch.]
The 17th, advice was received from Mr Ufflet, at Jacatra, that the Dutch
were daily occupied in repairing and strengthening their fortifications;
and that, when the messengers of the pangran demanded the surrender of
their fort, with part of their money, goods, and ordnance, they gave for
answer, That all these things were the property of their masters, which
therefore they could not give away. We this day received news of two
Dutch ships in the road of Jacatra, and that same night Sir Thomas Dale
set sail with eight ships in quest of them, while I remained with four
to attend upon the president. The 26th, having certain intelligence that
four Holland ships were at anchor in the mouth of the Straits of Sunda,
I went out that same evening to look for them, with the James, Gift,
Unicorn, and the Little James. Next morning we anchored near Pulo
Paniang, to take in water, and to put our ships into order, by taking
aboard some planks that were alongside.
We weighed again in the morning of the 1st March, making sail towards
the mouth of the Straits, where we observed the two Dutch ships at
anchor near the island of Tamporan, about three leagues to the westwards
of Viun, or Palambangan point. We immediately made all sail towards
them, while they, as in a careless manner, plied to and fro, having
their topsails half mast down. At length, as we drew nigh, the Dutch
admiral and all the rest of his ships bore up with my ship, which was
most to windward, and gave us two shots, one of which went through the
ship's side under the half-deck, and the other through the steerage.
They had no sooner begun than they were as quickly answered from my
ship, and in such measure, that, in the space of two hours, they became
as quiet as lambs; their admiral, who gave the onset with so much
arrogance, being the first to run away, followed by all the rest. We
chased them till night, and then finding them too swift of foot, we gave
over the chase, standing over towards Pulo Tunda. We came to anchor
again on the 2d of March in the road of Bantam, on which day we had
intelligence that one of the two ships lately come to Jacatra had got
aground near the castle, and had been set on fire by themselves on
seeing Sir Thomas Dale. The other ship, which had taken in a valuable
loading from the castle, was also cast away on some rocks, ten leagues
east of Jacatra.
On the 4th, we had a letter from John Powell, residing at Jacatra,
stating that Sir Thomas Dale had sailed on the 1st, with the Moon,
Hound, Rose, and Bee, in search of the stranded Dutch ship. The 14th we
heard from Sir Thomas that he had got almost within shot of the four
Dutch ships we met with, but had been taken by a dead calm for twelve
hours, succeeded in the night by a tempest, which scattered them so far
asunder by next morning, that they lost all hopes of the chase, and had
therefore returned to Point Ayre, whence he proposed bringing the Moon
immediately to Bantam, leaving the rest of his ships to take in
provisions at Jacatra. In a consultation as to the best course to be
taken with the fleet, it was resolved to go to the coast of Coromandel,
which we were informed was a good country for recovering the health of
our men, and abounding in rice, wheat, butter, and other, provisions,
which could not be procured here for any money.
Sec.3. Departure for Coromandel, with Occurrences there, and the Death of
Sir Thomas Dale, - Capture of English Ships by the Dutch; and Occurrences
at Tecoo.
On Monday the 19th of April, 1619, all our ships being together in
Bantam roads, with three Chinese junks riding among us, it was resolved
in council to execute the commission given us by the Honourable Company,
by appropriating to them the goods in these junks, in payment of former
debts due by the Chinese. Next day Kewee came aboard to the president,
accompanied by the three nockhadas, or captains of the junks, to know
his intentions. He gave him the following answer: - If the young king of
Bantam would displace the pangran, who had treated us with so much
injustice, he would then return on shore and bichar[266] with him, and
restore the junks. The 28th, being ready to sail, intending to go for
Morrogh to take in water and unload the junks, we descried a sail coming
from the westwards round Palinbangan point, which turned out to be a
Portuguese frigate, captured at Jasques, manned by twenty Englishmen,
and sent by Captain Bonnar with advice to the president at Bantam.
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