A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels Volume Viii Part 14

[Footnote 145: These _pieces_ were probably matchlocks.--E.]

[Footnote 146: Misseree here certainly means from Egypt.--E.]

In February and March every year, there come to Bantam three or four junks from China, richly laden with raw silk, and wrought silks of various stuffs, China _cashes_, porcelain, cotton cloth, and other things. The prices of these are as follow: Raw silk of _Lanking_ [Nankin] which is the best, 190 dollars the pekul; raw silk of Canton, which is coa.r.s.er, 80 dollars the pekul; taffeta in bolts, 120 yards in the piece, 46 dollars the _corge_, or 20 pieces; velvets of all colours, 13 yards the piece, for 12 dollars; Damasks of all colours, 12 yards the piece, at 6 dollars; white sattins, in pieces of 12 yards, 8 dollars each; _Burgones_, of 10 yards long the piece, 45 dollars the _corge_; sleeve silk, the best made colours, 3 dollars the _cattee_; the best musk, 22 dollars the _cattee_; the best sewing gold thread, 15 knots, and every knot 30 threads, one dollar; velvet hangings with gold embroidery, 18 dollars; upon sattins, 14 dollars; white curtain stuffs, 9 yards the piece, 50 dollars the _corge_; flat white damask, 9 yards the piece, 4 dollars each; white sugar, very dry, 3-1/2 dollars the pekul; very dry sugar-candy, 5 dollars the pekul; very fine broad porcelain basons, 2 dollars the piece; coa.r.s.e calico cloths, white or brown, 15 dollars the _corge_. They bring likewise coa.r.s.e porcelain, drugs, and various other commodities; but as these are not suitable to our country, I omit to mention them, but the following may be enumerated: Very good and white benjamins, from 30 to 35 dollars the pekul; alum, from China, as good as English, 2-1/2 dollars the pekul.

Coromandel cloths are a princ.i.p.al commodity here, and those most vendible are _goobares_; pintadoes or chintz, of four or five colours; fine _tappies_ from St Thomas; _ballachos_; Java girdles, otherwise called _caine-goolong_; calico lawns; book calicos; and white calicos made up in rolls.[147] A _goobar_ is double, and contains 12 yards, or 6 _hastaes_ single; coa.r.s.e and fine _ballachos_ contain from 32 to 34 _hastaes_, but the finest are always longest. In general, all sorts of cotton cloths that are broad and of good length are here in good request.

[Footnote 147: Probably turbans.--E.]

The king's custom, called _chuckey_, is 8 bags on the 100, rating pepper always at 4 dollars the sack, whatever be its price. _Billa-billian_ is another custom of this port, by which every ship that arrives here, whatever be its lading, as cloth or the like, must in the first place give notice to the king of all the sorts and quant.i.ties of commodities, with their several prices, before landing any of them; upon which the king sends his officers to look at the goods, who take for him such goods as he inclines, at half the prices affixed to them, or somewhat more, as can be agreed upon: Thus, if the cloths be rated at 20 dollars per _corge_, the king will only give 15 or 16 dollars at the most.

Instead of this, the Hollanders have been in use to pay to the king 700 or 800 dollars at once for the freedom of a ship's loading, to clear them of this troublesome _billa-billian_. By the custom of the country, this duty upon 6000 sacks of pepper is fixed at 666 dollars, if you purchase and load the pepper from the merchants; or otherwise to purchase so many thousand sacks of pepper from the king, paying him half or three quarters of a dollar more than the current price at the time.

Even if you have provided a loading beforehand, you must pay this exaction before you can be permitted to load. _Rooba-rooba_ is the duty of anchorage, and is 500 dollars upon 6000 sacks. The sabander's duty is 250 dollars on 6000 sacks. The weighers have one dollar on every 100 sacks; and the _jerotoolies_, or weighers belonging to the customhouse, have a similar duty of one dollar the 100 sacks.

_Jortan_ is a place to the eastwards of _Jackatra_, called likewise _Sourabaya_, which produces plenty of provisions, together with cotton wool, and yarn ready spun. There come to this place many junks from _Jauby_, laden with pepper, and several small proas belonging to this place trade with Banda; so that some mace and nutmegs are to be had here.

_Maca.s.ser_ is an island not far from Celebes, having abundance of bezoar stones, which are there to be had at reasonable rates. It has plenty of rice and other provisions; and as it has some junks which trade with Banda, nutmegs and mace are likewise to be procured there, but in no great quant.i.ty.

_Balee_, or Bally, is an island to the eastward of Maca.s.ser, standing in 8 30' S. lat.i.tude.[148] It produces great abundance of rice, cotton-yarn, slaves, and coa.r.s.e white cloth, which is in great request at Bantam. The commodities for sale there, are the smallest sort of blue and white beads, iron, and coa.r.s.e porcelain.

[Footnote 148: Instead of the eastwards, Bally is W.S.W. of Maca.s.ser, in long. 115 E. and lat. 8 30' S. while Maca.s.ser is in about the lat. of 5 15' S. and in 120 E. long.--E.]

_Timor_ is an island to the eastwards of Bally, in the lat.i.tude of 10 40'. This island produces great quant.i.ties of _Chindanna_, called by us white saunders, of which the largest logs are accounted the best, and which sells at Bantam for 20 dollars the pekul, at the season when the junks are here. Wax likewise is brought from thence in large cakes, worth at Bantam 18, 19, 20, and even 30 dollars the pekul, according to quant.i.ty and demand. Great frauds are practised with this article, so that it requires great attention in the purchaser, and the cakes ought to be broken, to see that nothing be mixed with it. The commodities carried there for sale are chopping knives, small bugles, porcelain, coloured taffetas, but not blacks, Chinese _frying-pans_,[149] Chinese bells, and thin silver plates beaten out quite flat, and thin like a wafer, about the breadth of a hand. There is much profit made in this trade, as the Chinese have sometimes given four for one to our men who had adventured with them.

[Footnote 149: Perhaps, as stated in conjunction with bells, _gongs_ are here meant, which are not unlike frying-pans.--E.]

_Banda_ is in the lat.i.tude of 5 S. and affords great store of mace and nutmegs, together with oil of two sorts. It has no king, being ruled by a sabander, who unites with the sabanders of Nero, Lentore, Puloway, Pulorin, and Labatacca, islands near adjoining. These islands were all formerly under the dominion of the King of Ternate, but now govern themselves. In these islands they have three harvests of mace and nutmegs every year; in the months of July, October, and February; but the gathering in July is the greatest, and is called the _arepootee_ monsoon. Their manner of dealing is this: A _small bahar_ is ten cattees of mace, and 100 of nutmegs; a great bahar being 100 cattees of mace, and 1000 of nutmegs. The cattee is five libs. 13-1/2[150] ounces English, and the prices are variable. The commodities in request at these islands are, Coromandel cloth, _cheremallay_, _sarra.s.ses_, chintzes or pintadoes of five colours, fine _ballachos_, black girdles, _ch.e.l.lyes_, white calicos, red or stammel broad-cloths, gold in coin, such as English rose-n.o.bles and Dutch ducats and dollars. But gold is so much preferred, that you may have as much for the value of 70 dollars in gold as would cost 90 dollars in silver. Fine china basons without rims are likewise in request, together with damasks of light gay colours, taffetas, velvets, china-boxes, gilded counters, gold chains, gilt silver cups, bright and damasked head-pieces, fire-arms, but not many sword blades, which must be _brandt_ and backed to the point.

Likewise Cambaya cloths, black and red calicos, calico lawns, and rice, which last is a good commodity to carry there.

[Footnote 150: On a former occasion, the Banda _cattee_ was said to contain only 13-1/2 ounces English, so that this account is quite irreconcileable to the former.--E.]

The _Molucca_ islands are five in number; viz. Molucca Proper, Ternate, Tidore, Gilolo, and Makian, and are under the equinoctial line. They produce great abundance of cloves, not every year, but every third year.

The _cattee_ there is 3 libs. 5 ounces English, and the _bahar_ is 200 _cattees_. Thus 19 Molucca cattees make exactly 50 Bantam cattees. The commodities most vendible in these islands are Coromandel _cheremallays_, but fine, Siam girdles or sashes, _salalos_, but fine, _ballachos_ and _ch.e.l.leys_, are in most request. Likewise China taffetas, velvets, damasks, great basons, varnished counters, crimson broad-cloths, opium, benzoin, &c.

_Siam_ is in the lat. of 14 30' N. It produces great store of fine benzoin, and many rich precious stones, which are brought from Pegu. A _taile_ is 2-1/4 dollars. There is here much silver bullion, which comes from j.a.pan, but dollars are most in request, for 2-1/4 dollars in coin will purchase the value of 2-1/2 dollars in bullion. Stammel broad-cloth, iron, and handsome mirrors are in much request, as also all kinds of Chinese commodities are to be had there better and cheaper than at Bantam. The Guzerat vessels come to Siam in June and July, touching by the way at the Maldive islands, and then at Tana.s.serim, whence they go overland to Siam in twenty days. At Tana.s.serim there is always 5-1/2 to 6 fathoms water.

_Borneo_ is in lat. 3 S.[151] This island affords great store of gold, bezoar, wax, rattans, _cayulacca_, and dragons blood. At _Bernerma.s.sin_, [Banjarma.s.sen] one of the towns of this island, is the chief trade for these articles; and at this place the following commodities are in princ.i.p.al request: Coromandel cloths of all kinds, China silks, damasks, taffetas, velvets of all colours but black, stammel broad-cloths, and Spanish dollars. Bezoars are here sold by a weight called _taile_, equal to a dollar and a half, and cost 5 or 6 dollars the _taile_, being 1-1/3 ounce English. Succadanea is another town in Borneo, in lat. 1 30' S. and is about 160 leagues N.E. of Bantam. The entrance to its harbour has five fathoms water at the height of the flow, and three at ebb, only a falcon shot from the sh.o.r.e, upon ooze.

There is great trade at this place, which produces great quant.i.ties of the finest diamonds in the world, which are to be had in abundance at all times of the year, but chiefly in January, April, July, and October, but the greatest quant.i.ties in January and April, when they are brought down the river _Lavee_ in proas. They are said to be procured by diving, in the same manner with pearls; and the reason why they are to be had more abundantly at one season than another is, that in July and October there falls so much rain, that the river deepens to nine fathoms at the place where they are got, and occasions so rapid a stream that the people can hardly dive in search of them; whereas in other months it is only four fathoms or four and a half; which is found to be the best depth for diving.

[Footnote 151: This is rather a vague account of so large an island, which reaches from the lat. of 4 20' S. to 6 40' N. and between the longitudes of 100 12' and 119 25' E. from Greenwich; being above 700 English miles from N. to S. and 670 from E. to W.--E.]

The commodities most vendible at Succadanea are Malacca pintados, very fine _sarapa, goobares, poulings, cherujava,_ calico lawns, light-coloured China silks, sewing gold, sleeve silk, stammel broad-cloth, all sorts of bugles, especially those blue ones which are made at Bantam, shaped like a hogshead, but about the size of a bean.

These cost at Bantam a dollar for 400, and are worth at Succadanea a _ma.s.se_ the 100, a _ma.s.se_ being three quarters of a dollar. Likewise Chinese _cashes_ and dollars are in request, but more especially gold; insomuch that you may have a stone for the value of a dollar in gold, which you would hardly get for a dollar and a half, or a dollar and three quarters, in silver. On this account, therefore, when intending to sail for Succadanea, it is best to go in the first place to Banjerma.s.sen, where you may exchange your commodities for gold, which you may purchase at the rate of three _cattees_ of _cashes_ the Mallayan _taile_, which is nine dollars, as I have been credibly informed it has been worth of late years. Afterwards carrying the gold to Succadanea, and paying it away for diamonds, at four _cattees_ of _cashes_ the _taile_, each of which is the weight of 1-3/4 and 1/8 of a dollar, you gain 3/4 of a dollar on each _taile_: Yet, after all, the princ.i.p.al profit must be upon the diamonds.

The diamonds of Borneo are distinguished into _four waters_, which they call _varna_, viz. Varna _Ambon_, varna _Loud_, varna _Sackar_, and varna _Bessee_. These are respectively white, green, yellow, and a colour between green and yellow; but the white water, or _varna ambon_, is the best. Their weights are called _Sa-ma.s.se, Sa-copang, Sa-boosuck_, and _Sa-pead_: 4 copangs are a ma.s.se; 2 boosucks a copang; and 1-1/2 pead is a boosuck. There is a weight called _pahaw_, which is four ma.s.se, and 16 _ma.s.se_ are one _taile_. By these weights both diamonds and gold are weighed.

In regard to goods from _China_, the best raw silk is made at Nankin, and is called _howsa_, being worth there 80 dollars the pekul. The best taffeta, called _tue_, is made at a small town called _Hoechu_, and is worth 30 dollars the _corge_. The best damask, called _towa_, is made at Canton, and is worth 50 dollars the _corge_. Sewing gold, called _kimswa_, is sold by the _chippau_, or bundle, each containing ten pahees; and in each paper are ten knots or skeins, sold for three _pawes_, or two dollars, the best having 36 threads in each knot. Sewing silk, called _couswa_, is worth 100 dollars the pekul. Embroidered hangings, called _paey_, are worth for the best 10 dollars the piece.

Sattins, called _lyn_, are worth for the best one dollar the piece.

Great porcelain basons, Called _chopau_, are sold three for a dollar.

White sugar, called _petong_, the best is sold for half a dollar the pekul. The small sorts of porcelain, called _poa_, of the best sort, sell for one dollar the _cattee_. The best pearl boxes, called _chanab_, are worth five dollars each. Sleeve silk, called _jounckes_, the best sells for 150 dollars the pekul. Musk, called _saheo_, seven dollars the cattee. Cashes, 60 _pecoos_ for one dollar.

Broad-cloth, called _toloney_, is worth seven dollars the _sasocke_, which is 3/4 of a yard. Large mirrors, called _kea_, are worth 10 dollars each. Tin, called _sea_, worth 15 dollars the pekul. Wax, called _la_, 15 dollars the pekul. Muskets, called _cauching_, each barrel worth 20 dollars. j.a.pan sabres or _cattans_, called _samto_, are worth 8 dollars each. The best and largest elephants teeth, called _ga_, worth 200 dollars the pekul, and small ones 100 dollars. White saunders, called _toawheo_, the best large logs sell for 40 dollars the pekul.

In China, the custom of pepper inwards is one _taile_ upon a pekul, but no custom is paid outwards. Great care is taken to prevent carrying any kind of warlike ammunition out of the country. In March, the junks bound for Manilla depart from _Chuchu_, in companies of four, five, ten, or more, as they happen to be ready; their outward lading being raw and wrought silks, but of far better quality than those they carry to Bantam. The ordinary voyage from Canton to Manilla is made in ten days.

They return from Manilla in the beginning of June, bringing back dollars, and there are not less than forty sail of junks yearly employed in this trade. Their force is absolutely nothing, so that the whole might be taken by a ship's boat. In China this year, 1608, pepper was worth 6-1/2 tailes the pekul, while at the same time it was selling in Bantam for 2-1/2 dollars the _timbang_.

SECTION III.

_Second Voyage of the English East India Company, in 1604, under the Command of Captain Henry Middleton_.[152]

INTRODUCTION.

There are two relations of this voyage in the Pilgrims of Purchas, or rather accounts of two separate voyages by different ships of the fleet; which consisted of four, the Red Dragon, admiral, Captain Henry Middleton general; the Hector, vice-admiral, Captain Sorflet; the Ascension, Captain Colthurst; and the Susan. These were, in all probability, the same ships which had been in the former voyage under Lancaster. The former of these journals, written on board the admiral, confines itself chiefly to Captain Middleton's transactions at Bantam and the Moluccas; having sent Captain Colthurst in the Ascension to Banda. The latter contains the separate transactions of Captain Colthurst, and is described as a brief extract from a larger discourse written by Thomas Clayborne, who seems to have sailed in the Ascension; and, besides describing what particularly relates to the trip to Banda, gives some general account of the whole voyage. In the Pilgrims of Purchas, these narratives are transposed, the former being given in vol.

I. p. 703, and the latter in vol. I. p. 185. "But should have come in due place before, being the second voyage of the company, if we had then had it: But better late than never." Such is the excuse of Purchas for misplacement, and we have therefore here placed the two relations in their proper order, in separate subdivisions of the section. The first indeed is a very bald and inconclusive article, and gives hardly any information respecting the object and success of the voyage to the Moluccas.

[Footnote 152: Purch. Pilgr. I.185, and I. 703. Astl. I.279, and I.

281.]

-- 1. _Voyage of the General, Henry Middleton, afterward Sir Henry, to Bantam and the Moluccas, in 1604_.[153]

Being furnished with all necessaries, and having taken leave of the company, we set sail from Gravesend on the 25th March, 1604, and arrived about the 20th December, after various accidents, in the road of Bantam, with our crews very weak and sickly. After many salutations, and interchange of ordnance between us and the Hollanders, the general of the Hollanders dined with our general on the 31st December. Next day, being 1st January, 1605, the general went on sh.o.r.e with a letter and presents from James I. King of England, to the King of Bantam, then a youth of thirteen years of age, and governed by a protector. The 16th of the same month, our general came on board to proceed for the Moluccas, having appointed Captain Surtlet to go home in the Hector. The 7th February, we anch.o.r.ed under the sh.o.r.e of _Veranula_, the people of which having a deadly hatred against the Portuguese, had sent to the Hollanders for aid against them, promising to become their subjects if they would expel the Portuguese. In short, the castle of Amboyna was surrendered to the Hollanders; after which, by their command, the governor of the town debarred us from all trade.

[Footnote 153: Purch. Pilgr. I.708. Astl. I. 279.]

At this time there was war between the islands of Ternate and Tidor, the former a.s.sisted by the Dutch, and the latter by the Portuguese. Shortly after we got near the coast of Tidor, we saw, between Pulo Ca.n.a.lly and Tidor, two gallies or _coracoras_ belonging to Ternate, making great haste towards us; and waving for us to shorten sail and wait for them.

At the same time, seven gallies of Tidor were rowing between us and the sh.o.r.e to a.s.sault the Ternaters; and seeing them in danger, our general lay to, to see what was the matter. In the foremost of the two gallies were the King of Ternate with several of his n.o.bles, and three Dutch merchants, who were in great fear of their enemies, and prayed our general for G.o.d's sake to save them from the Tidorians, who would shew them no mercy if we did not protect them: They likewise entreated him to save the other _coracora_, which followed them, in which were several Dutchmen, who expected nothing but death if taken by their cruel enemies. Our general thereupon commanded his gunner to fire at the Tidor gallies; yet they boarded the second Ternate coracora even under our guns, and put all on board to the sword, except three; who saved themselves by swimming, and were taken up by our boat.

Being determined to go to Tidor, the Dutchmen entreated our general not to allow the King of Ternate and them to fall into the hands of their enemies, from whom he had so lately delivered them; promising him mountains of cloves and other commodities at Ternate and Makeu, but performing mole-hills, verifying the proverb, "When the danger is over the saint is deceived." One thing I may not forget: When the King of Ternate came on board, he was trembling for fear; which the general supposing to be from cold, put on his back a black damask gown laced with gold, and lined with unshorn velvet; which he had not the manners to restore at his departure, but kept it as his own.

When we arrived at the Portuguese town in Tidor, the governor of the fort sent one Thomas de Torres on board with a letter, stating that the King of Ternate and the Hollanders reported there was nothing but treachery and villainy to be expected from us; but that he believed better of us; considering their reports to be entirely malicious: Such was our recompence from these ungrateful men. Not long afterwards, on coming to the town of the King of Ternate, our general sent Mr Grave on board the Dutch admiral, who gave him only cold entertainment, affirming that we had a.s.sisted the Portuguese in the late wars against the King of Ternate and them, with ordnance and ammunition; which our general proved to be untrue by some Portuguese they had taken in that conflict, on which, being ashamed of this slander, the Dutch general pretended he had been so informed by a renegado Guzerate, but did not believe it to be true.

Not long afterwards, when the King of Ternate seemed to affect our nation, the Dutch threatened to forsake him, and to join with his deadly enemy the King of Tidor, if he suffered the English to have a factory, or allowed them any trade; affirming that the English were thieves and robbers, and that the _King of Holland_, as they called their stadtholder, was stronger at sea than all the other powers of Christendom; a just consideration for all nations, to think what this insolent frothy nation[154] will do, if they gain possession of the East Indies. To these insolent speeches, our general made answer, that whatsoever Hollander made such reports lied like a traitor, and that he would make it good against any one who dared to spread any such report; affirming, if Queen Elizabeth had not taken pity upon them, they had been utterly ruined and enslaved by the King of Spain, and branded for rebels and traitors. The particular wrongs done by them to our nation would fill volumes, and amaze the world to hear.

[Footnote 154: This is to be understood of the merchants who traded, or warred rather; not of the whole country or best men of Holland. Losers will have leave to speak, and merchants envy each other.--_Purch_.]

Appended to this very unsatisfactory notice of the voyage of Middleton to the Moluccas, are two letters to the King of England, one from the King of Ternate, and one from the King of Tidor. In the former, the King of Ternate mentions, that one of his predecessors, about thirty years before, had sent a ring by Sir Francis Drake to Queen Elizabeth. He complains that the Hollanders had prevented him from permitting Captain Middleton to establish a factory in the island, for which he craves pardon, being against his will, and promises a better reception afterwards to the English ships.

The letter from the King of Tidor requests the King of England to take pity of him, and not permit him and his country to be oppressed by the Hollanders and the King of Ternate, but to send him succours, which he requests may be under the command of Captain Henry Middleton or his brother.

There is a third letter likewise, from the King of Bantam to King James, acknowledging having received a present by Captain Henry Middleton, and announcing that he had sent in return, two _bezoars_, one weighing fourteen _mas_, and the other three.

-- 2. _Voyage of Captain Colthurst, in the Ascension, to Banda_.[155]

The 2d of April, 1604, we had sight of the Lizard. The 23d we fell in with the western part of St Jago bearing W. by N. six leagues; when we stood eastward for Mayo, having the wind at north. The 24th we fell in with Mayo, and stood to the southward of that island, coming to anchor in fifteen fathoms. We landed on the 25th, when one of our merchants was taken by the people of the island. Next day we landed 100 men to endeavour to recover our merchant, but could not get near any of the islanders, so that we had to leave him behind, setting sail that night with the wind at north. We pa.s.sed the equinoctial on the 16th May, and got sight of the Cape of Good Hope on the 18th July.

[Footnote 155: Purch. Pilgr. I.185. Astl. I. 281.]

The 17th July we came to anchor in Saldanha bay, in lat. 33 56' S. or 34, having sixty men bad of the scurvy, all of whom, G.o.d be praised, recovered their health before we went from thence, where we remained five weeks wanting one day. Here Mr Cole was drowned, who was master of the Hector, our vice-admiral. We weighed anchor from Saldanha bay on the 20th August, standing to the westwards with the wind at south. On Sunday the 23d December, 1604, we came to anchor in Bantam roads, where we found six ships of Holland, and three or four pinnaces. The 18th January, 1605, we sailed out of Bantam roads, with the Dragon and Ascension, but parted at Amboyna, the general going with the Dragon to the Moluccas, while the Ascension, Captain Colthurst, went for Banda, The Hector and Susan laded pepper at Bantam, and sailed thence for England about the middle of February.