The only way of explaining this part of the text, is by
supposing Funnel may have mistaken the island
Of Waygoo for a part of
New Guinea, and even the N.W. point of that island is at least sixty
leagues from the S.W. leg or peninsula of Gilolo, to which the direction
of his course certainly points. - E.]
We had very bad weather till the 11th of May, and the night being very
dark, we missed the common passage, and found ourselves among many
small islands; and as the wind was at E. we resolved to look out for
some passage among these islands to the south. After infinite difficulty
and much danger, we at length made our way through a strait, which we
named St John's Straits, after the name of our bark. At this time we
were boarded by a large Indian proa, on board of which was a freeman of
Amboina, whom we acquainted with our great want of victuals, having had
nothing for a great while to support us except a scanty allowance of
spoilt flour and water, and so very little of that as hardly sufficed to
keep us alive. He told us, if we would go to the island of Manissa,
which was then in sight, he would be our pilot, where he had no doubt we
might have enough of rice for our money to carry us to Batavia. We
accordingly proceeded for Manissa, passing by the island of Keylan,
which is small and high, but well inhabited, and clothed with many kinds
of trees. Its chief produce is rice, and a few cloves; and on this
island there is a Dutch corporal with six soldiers, whose only business
is to see all the clove trees cut down and destroyed. From thence we
proceeded to Manissa, where we arrived about midnight, and came to
anchor in a small bay at the N.W. end of the island, when our Dutch
pilot sent two men ashore with a letter to the governor, acquainting him
of our urgent wants.
Early of the 23d May, a Dutch corporal and two soldiers came on board,
and read to us a general order from the Dutch East-India Company, that
if any ships, except their own, came there to anchor, they were not to
be supplied with any thing whatever. We told him that extreme want of
provisions had constrained us to put in here, and that we should not
have touched any where before reaching Batavia, if we could possibly
have subsisted; wherefore we requested he would inform the governor of
our urgent wants. This he engaged to do, seeing us in a very weak
condition, and came back about four in the afternoon, saying that we
could have no provisions here, but might be supplied at Amboina. We were
forced therefore to leave this unfriendly place, and to attempt going to
Amboina, if the wind would serve. Manissa is about fifteen miles from
S.E. to N.W. and about eight in breadth, in lat. 3 deg. 25' S. and about
twenty miles west from the island of Bonou. It is a remarkably high
island, and pretty well inhabited by Malays, as are all the Molucca
Islands. It is surrounded by shoals almost on every side, and some of
these stretch a league and a half from the shore, so that it is very
dangerous to come near, unless with very good charts, or with an
experienced pilot. It has several good springs of fresh water, and the
Dutch have a small fort with six guns on its S.W. side. It is governed
by a Dutch serjeant, having under him three corporals, a master gunner,
and twenty European soldiers; and produces vast plenty of rice and
cloves, both of which are sent to Amboina. The inhabitants are mostly
fishers, and catch such abundance of fish as not only supplies
themselves, but enables them also to carry a great deal to Amboina.
We stood to the S.W. having the wind at S.S.E. and blowing fresh, so
that we sailed under our courses, and were now much out of heart, not
expecting to reach Amboina, the S E. monsoon being now set in; which was
right against us. Almost in despair, we continued our course till we
were over against the island of Bouro, and then the wind veering to
the S.S.W. we stood away S.E. but finding a strong current setting to
leeward, we rather lost ground, and seeing no likelihood of getting to
Amboina, we, by general consent, shared among us all that was eatable on
board, each man's share being six pounds and three quarters of flour,
and five pounds of bran, every one resolving to use his share as
sparingly as possible. On the 25th, the wind veered to S.S.E. when we
tacked to S.W. and soon weathered the island of Amblow. This is a
small island of moderate height, in lat. 4 deg. 5' S. tolerably furnished
with trees, but not inhabited. On the 26th, we had a fine fresh gale at
S.E. when we tacked and stood away N.E. for the island of Amboina.
Continuing the same course all the 27th, we got sight of Amboina early
in the morning of the 28th, bearing due N. about six leagues distant. We
now stood directly for the island, and about noon came just off the
harbour, a joyful sight to us then, though we soon had cause to think it
the worst thing that had befallen us.
As we entered the harbour of Amboina, we met two Dutch ships coming out,
laden with cloves and bound for Batavia. The captain of one of these
came on board our bark, desiring to know whence we came and whither we
were bound, and required to have a journal of our voyage, promising to
return it when he again met us at Batavia.
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