Accordingly We
Went To That Place, And Anchored In Four Fathoms, Richard Hall Returning
On Board The Hosiander, Where He Died That Same Night, Being Ill Of The
Flux.
Before our arrival, the natives had offered their pepper to Captain
Christen at twelve and thirteen dollars the bahar, taking payment in
Surat commodities; but they now demanded twenty-two dollars in ready
money, refusing to barter with them any longer for goods.
They also
demanded at this place as many presents as had been required at Priaman;
beside which, they insisted upon having seventy-two dollars for
anchorage duty. Being now in a worse situation than before, and having
no time to waste in delays, we determined to come to short terms with
them; wherefore we told them roundly, that we would on no account submit
to their unreasonable demands, even though we might not get a single
cattee of pepper. For this purpose I drew out a letter from our
captain, which he signed and sealed, addressed to the head governor,
stating that he had not used our nation so well as we had reason to
expect, both in unreasonable demands of presents, which were not usually
given upon compulsion, but rather from good-will, or in reward of good
behaviour, and likewise by their improper delay in implementing their
promises, so very unlike mercantile dealings; since our ships have at
various times remained at their port for three, four, and even five
months, depending on their promises of having full lading, which might
as well have been accomplished in one month, in so far as respected the
small quantity of pepper they had to dispose of. This letter was
translated by the interpreter in the Hosiander, an Indian, named Johen,
who perfectly understood their language.
The governor, in consequence of this remonstrance, gave orders that we
might purchase pepper from any one who was inclined to sell; but sent us
a message, wishing that one of us might come on shore, that the pepper
might be there weighed. But still doubting that they meant to teaze us
with delay, we sent back word that we could not remain so long as it
would require for weighing the pepper ashore, and therefore if they
would bring it to us on board, we would pay them eighteen dollars a
bahar for their pepper, together with two dollars as custom to the
governor, making exactly twenty dollars. As they still put off time, we
set sail, as if meaning to have gone away, on which the governor sent
another messenger, who spoke Portuguese tolerably, entreating us to come
again to anchor, and we should have as much pepper as we could take in.
We did so accordingly, and they brought pepper off to us in proas as
fast as we could conveniently weigh it, and continued to do so till we
had got about 200 bahars. They then began to grow slack in their
proceedings, on which, fearing to lose the monsoon by spending too much
time at this place, we weighed and proceeded for Bantam.
We left Tecoo on the 8th December, three of our men remaining in the
Hosiander, which needed their assistance, and proceeded towards Bantam,
mostly keeping in sight of Sumatra. At our entrance into the straits of
Sunda, on the 16th of that month, we met the Dragon on her homeward
voyage, by which ship we sent letters to England. Next day, the 17th, we
anchored in Bantam roads, and went immediately ashore to provide our
lodging, and by the 29th our whole cargo was completed.
We set sail from Bantam on the 2d January, 1614, for England, not having
hitherto lost a single man by sickness during our whole voyage, for
which we were thankful to God. This same day, as we were going out by
way of Pulo Panian, we met General Saris in the Clove, then returning
from Japan; and we came to anchor, that we might have his letters for
England, together with four chests. We likewise spared him two of our
hands, of which he was in great need; one being a youth, named Mortimer
Prittie, and the other a carpenter's mate, named Thomas Valens, as he
had not a single carpenter alive in his ship.
Having settled all these matters with the Clove, we resumed our voyage
for England on the 4th January, and came to anchor in Saldanha bay on
the 21st March, where we got a sufficient supply of beeves and sheep
from the natives, with abundance of fish, caught in our own seine. We
left that place on the 9th April, with prosperous winds, which continued
favourable till we were three degrees north of the equator, which we
crossed the 11th May. When in lat. 00 deg. 22' N. many of our men began to
fall sick, some of them of the scurvy, and with swelled legs. On the
10th July, 1614, by the blessing of God, we came to anchor in the Downs.
CHAPTER XI.
CONTINUATION OF THE EARLY VOYAGES OF THE ENGLISH EAST INDIA COMPANY TO
INDIA.
INTRODUCTION.
In the immediately preceding chapter, we have given a series of the
first twelve voyages fitted out by the English East India Company, in
the prosecution of their exclusive trade to India, as preserved by
Samuel Purchas; and we now mean, chiefly from the same source, to
continue the series for a few years longer. At the close of the last
voyage of the foregoing chapter, Purchas informs us, that "The order of
reckoning must be now altered, because the voyages of the company were
for the future set forth by means of a joint stock, instead of by
particular ships, each upon a separate subscription, having separate
stocks and factories; the whole proceedings being, in the sequel, at the
general risk of, and accountable to the entire society or company of
adventurers." He farther adds, "That the whole of these joint-stock
voyages had not come into his hands; but that such as he had been able
to procure, and were meet for publication, he had inserted in his
Collection."
The learned historiographer of the East India Company[120] gives rather
a different account of the former series of separate or unconnected
voyages, than that which we have taken from Purchas, terming the last
voyage in our former chapter only the ninth, while Purchas denominates
it the twelfth.
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