It Is To Be Noted, That
The Islands Along The Coast Of China Are Considerably More To The
Southward Than As Laid Down In The Charts.
About three p.m. we were
within about two leagues of an island called Sancha[45].
[Footnote 44: By the latitude indicated in the text, Captain Saris
appears to have fallen in with the coast of Fo-kien, and to have passed
through between that province and the island of Formosa, without
discovering the existence of that island. - E.]
[Footnote 45: Probably the island of Tchang-to-huen, to the S.W. of the
bay of Canton, the situation of which agrees with the latitude in the
text, and the sound of the two first syllables of which name has some
affinity with that given by Saris, evidently from Spanish or Portuguese
charts. At this part, of his voyage, Saris entirely misses to notice the
large island of Hai-nan. - E.]
The 18th, in lat. 15 deg. 43' N. we had sight of an island called
Pulo-cotan, being high land, and is about twenty leagues, according to
report, from the shoal called Plaxel. In the morning of the 19th the
coast of Cambodia was on our starboard side, about two leagues off,
along which we steered S.E. by E. easterly, our latitude at noon being
13 deg. 31' N. estimating the ship to be then athwart Varella. We have
hitherto found the wind always trade along shore, having gone large
all the way from Firando, the wind always following us as the land
trended. The 20th at noon we were in latitude 10 deg. 53', and three
glasses, or an hour and half after, we had sight of a small island,
which we concluded to be that at the end of the shoal called
Pulo-citi. We found the book of Jan Huyghens van Linschoten very
true, for by it we have directed our course ever since we left Firando.
The 22d we had sight of Pulo Condor about five leagues off, our
latitude at noon being 8 deg. 20' N.
About four a.m. on the 25th we made the island of Pulo Timon, and two
hours afterwards saw Pulo Tinga. The 28th at three p.m. we had oosy
ground at twenty fathoms, having divers long islands on our starboard
and sundry small islands on our larboard, forming the straits of
China-bata, which we found to be truly laid down in a chart made by a
Hollander called Jan Janson Mole, which he gave to Mr Hippon, who gave
it to the company. Pulo Bata, one of these islands, is low land, and
is full of trees or bushes at the S.W. end.
A little before noon on the 29th, we perceived the colour of the water
a-head of the ship to change very much, by which observation we escaped
an imminent danger. This shoal seemed of a triangular shape, the S.W.
end being the sharpest, and is not far from the entrance into the
straits of China-bata. At noon our latitude was 4 deg. 6' N. At eight p.m.
we came to anchor in seven fathoms, the weather threatening to be foul
in the night, the place very full of shoals, and our experience little
or nothing. Before our anchor took hold, we had six 1/4, five 1/2, six,
and then seven fathoms, soft sandy ground.
In the morning of the 30th we spoke the Darling, then bound for
Coromandel, her company consisting of twenty-one English and nine
blacks. By her we first learnt of the death of Sir Henry Middleton, the
loss of the Trades-increase, and other incidents that had occurred
during our voyage to Japan. In the night of the 30th God mercifully
delivered us from imminent danger, as we passed under full sail close by
a sunken ledge of rocks, the top of which was only just above water
within a stone's throw of our ship; and had not the noise of the
breakers awakened us, we had not cleared our ship. We instantly let go
our anchor, being in a rapid current or tide-way, in seventeen fathoms
upon oozy ground. When morning broke on the 31st we had sight of the
high land of Sumatra, having an island a-stern, the ledge of rocks we
had passed on our starboard, and three small islands forming a triangle
on our larboard bow. We were about eight leagues off the high land of
Java, but could not then get into the straits of Sunda, as the wind was
quite fallen.
The 1st January, 1614, being quite calm, was mostly spent at anchor. The
2d, having a little wind, we set sail, and about eight o'clock fell in
with the Expedition, homewards bound for England, laden with pepper, by
which ship we wrote to our friends in England. The 3d we came to anchor
in the road of Bantam, end to our great grief found no lading ready for
us, for which neglect I justly blamed those I had left to provide the
same, while they excused themselves by alleging they did not expect us
so soon back. I questioned Kewee, the principal Chinese merchant, who
came to visit me on board, as to the price of pepper. He answered, that
it was already known ashore I was homewards bound, and must necessarily
load pepper; and, as my merchants had not provided any before hand, I
might be assured it would rise. He said the price was then at twelve
dollars for ten sacks, but he could not undertake to deliver any
quantity at that price. I offered him twelve dollars and a half the ten
sacks, but he held up so high, that we had no hope of dealing for the
present. Of the ten persons left by us in the factory when we departed
for Japan, we found only five alive at our return, while we only lost
one man between Firando and Bantam.
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