Two Pikemen Followed The Culprit, Having The Points Of Their Pikes
Close To His Back, Ready To Slay Him Instantly If He Offered To Resist.
The ship being ready to depart, several of the natives complained that
the ship's company owed them money, and desired to be paid.
To prevent
greater inconvenience, I listened to these people, and wrote to the
master to make enquiry aboard as to who were in debt, that I might
satisfy their creditors, making deductions accordingly from their wages.
On the 26th I assembled my mercantile council to consult about leaving a
factory here in Firando, upon these considerations. 1. The encouragement
we had privately received at the Moluccas. 2. That the Dutch had already
a factory here. 3. The large privileges now obtained from the emperor of
Japan. 4. The certain advice of English factories established at Siam
and Patane. 5. The commodities remaining on hand appointed for these
parts, and the expected profit which farther experience might produce.
It was therefore resolved to leave a factory here, consisting of eight
Englishmen, three Japanese jurebassos or interpreters, and two
servants. They were directed, against the coming of the next ships, to
explore and discover the coasts of Corea, Tushmay, other parts of
Japan, and of the adjoining countries, and to see what good might be
done in any of them.
The 5th of December, 1613, Mr Richard Cockes, captain and Cape
merchant of the English factory now settled at Firando in Japan, took
his leave of me aboard the Clove, together with his company, being eight
English and five others, as before mentioned. After their departure, we
mustered the company remaining aboard, finding forty-six English, five
swarts or blacks, fifteen Japanese, and three passengers, in all
sixty-nine persons. We had lost since our arrival in Japan ten
Englishmen; two by sickness, one slain in a duel, and seven who deserted
to the Portuguese and Spaniards, while I was absent at the court of the
emperor. The English whom we left in the factory were Mr Richard Cockes,
William Adams, now entertained in the service of the company at a
hundred pounds a year, Tempest Peacock, Richard Wickham, William Eaton,
Walter Carwarden, Edward Saris, and William Nelson.
Sec.12. Voyage from Japan to Bantam, and thence Home to England.
That same day, being the 5th December, we set sail with a stiff
northerly gale, steering S. by W. 1/2 a point westerly. By exact
observation on shore, we found the island of Firando to be in lat. 33 deg.
30' N. and the variation 2 deg. 50' easterly.[42] We resolved to keep our
course for Bantam along the coast of China, for which purpose we brought
our starboard tacks aboard, and stood S.W. edging over for China, the
wind at N.N.E. a stiff gale and fair weather. The 7th it blew very hard
at N.W. and we steered S.S.W. encountering a great current which shoots
out between the island of Corea[43] and the main land of China,
occasioning a very heavy sea.
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