They depart from the River of Mindanao. Of the time lost or
gain'd in sailing round the World: With a Caution to Seamen,
about the allowance they are to take for difference of the
Suns declination. The South Coast of Mindanao. Chambongo Town
an Harbour with its Neighbouring Keys. Green Turtle. Ruins of
a Spanish Fort. The Westermost point of Mindanao. Two Proes
of the Sologues laden from Manila. An Isle to the West of
Sebo. Walking Canes. Isle of Batts, very large; and numerous
Turtles and Manatee. A dangerous Shoal. They sail by Panay
belonging to the Spaniards, and others of the Philippine
Islands. Isle of Mindora. Two Barks taken. A further account
of the Isle Luconia, and the City and Harbour of Manila. They
go off Pulo Condore to lye there. The Shoals of Pracel,
&c. Pulo Condore. The Tar-tree. The Mango. Grape-tree. The
Wild or Bastard Nutmeg. Their Animals. Of the Migration of
the Turtle from place to place. Of the Commodious Situation of
Pulo Condore; its Water and its Cochinchinese Inhabitants. Of
the Malayan Tongue. The Custom of prostituting their Women in
these Countries, and in Guinea. The Idolatry here, at Tunquin,
and among the Chinese Seamen, and of a Procession at Fort
St. George. They refit their Ship. Two of them dye of Poyson
they took at Mindanao. They take in Water, and a Pilot for the
Bay of Siam. Puly Uby; and Point of Cambodia. Two Cambodian
Vessels. Isles in the Bay of Siam. The tight Vessels and
Seamen of the Kingdom of Champa. Storms. A Chinese Jonk from
Palimbam in Sumatra. They come again to Pulo Condore. A bloody
Fray with a Malayan Vessel. The Surgeon's and the Author's
desires of leaving their Crew.
The 14th Day of January, 1687, at 3 of the Clock in the Afternoon
we sailed from the River of Mindanao, designing to cruise before
Manila. [19]
[During their stay at Mindanao the English first notice the change of
time due to their having journeyed westward. There and in other places
they find the people reckoning a full day ahead of themselves, due to
the fact that the Portuguese had journeyed thither to the eastward. The
computation at the Ladrones is the same as their own. "But how the
reckoning was at Manila, and the rest of the Spanish Colonies in
the Philippine Islands, I know not; whether they keep it as they
brought it, or corrected it by the Accounts of the Natives, and of the
Portuguese, Dutch and English, coming the contrary way from Europe."]
We had the Wind at N.N.E. fair clear Weather, and a brisk Gale. We
coasted to the Westward, on the South-side of the Island of Mindanao,
keeping within 4 or 5 Leagues of the Shore. The Land from hence tends
away W. by S. It is of a good height by the Sea, and very woody,
and in the Country we saw high Hills.
The next Day we were abrest of Chambongo [i.e., Zamboanga]; a Town
in this Island, and 30 Leagues from the River of Mindanao. Here is
said to be a good Harbour, and a great Settlement, with plenty of
Beef and Buffaloe. It is reported that the Spaniards were formerly
fortified here also: There are two shoals lie off this place, 2 or
3 Leagues from the Shoar. From thence the Land is more low and even;
yet there are some Hills in the Country.
About 6 Leagues before we came to the West-end of the Island Mindanao,
we fell in with a great many small low Islands or Keys, and about
two or three Leagues to the Southward of these Keys, there is a long
Island stretching N.E. and S.W. about 12 Leagues. [20] This Island
is low by the Sea on the North-side, and has a Ridge of Hills in the
middle, running from one end to the other. Between this Isle and the
small Keys, there is a good large Channel: Among the Keys also there
is a good depth of Water, and a violent Tide; but on what point of
the Compass it flows, I know not, nor how much it riseth and falls.
The 17th Day we anchored on the East-side of all these Keys, in
8 fathom Water, clean Sand. Here are plenty of green Turtle, whose
flesh is as sweet as any in the West Indies: but they are very shy. A
little to the Westward of these Keys, on the Island Mindanao, we saw
abundance of Coco-nut Trees: Therefore we sent our Canoa ashore,
thinking to find Inhabitants, but found none, nor sign of any;
but great Tracts of Hogs, and great Cattle; and close by the Sea
there were Ruins of an old Fort. The Walls thereof were of a good
heighth, built with Stone and Lime; and by the Workmanship seem'd to
be Spanish. From this place the Land trends W.N.W. and it is of an
indifferent heighth by the Sea. It runs on this point of the Compass
4 or 5 Leagues, and then the Land trends away N.N.W. 5 or 6 Leagues
farther, making with many bluff Points.
We weigh'd again the 14th Day, and went thro' between the Keys; but met
such uncertain Tides, that we were forced to anchor again. The 22d day
we got about the Westermost Point of all Mindanao, and stood to the
Northward, plying under the Shore, and having the Wind at N.N.E. a
fresh Gale. As we sailed along further, we found the Land to trend
N.N.E. On this part of the Island the Land is high by the Sea, with
full bluff Points, and very woody. There are some small Sandy Bays,
which afford Streams of fresh Water.
Here we met with two Prows [i.e., praus] belonging to the Sologues,
one of the Mindanaian Nations before mentioned. They came from Manila
laden with Silks and Calicoes. We kept on this Western part of the
Island steering Northerly, till we came abrest of some other of the
Philippine Islands, that lay to the Northward of us; then steered
away towards them; but still keeping on the West-side of them, and
we had the Winds at N.N.E.
The 3d of February we anchored in a good Bay on the West side of
the Island, in Lat. 9 d. 55 min. where we had 13 Fathom-water, good
soft Oaze. This Island hath no Name that we could find in any Book,
out lieth on the West side of the Island Sebo. [21] It is about 8 or
10 Leagues long, mountainous and woody. At this place Captain Read,
who was the same Captain Swan had so much railed against in his
Journal, and was now made Captain in his room (as Captain Teat was
made Master, and Mr. Henry More Quarter-Master) ordered the Carpenters
to cut down our Quarter-Deck, to make the Ship snug, and the fitter
for sailing. When that was done, we heeled her, scrubbed her Bottom,
and tallowed it. Then we fill'd all our Water, for here is a delicate
small run of Water.
The Land was pretty low in this Bay, the Mould black and fat, and
the Trees of several Kinds, very thick and tall. In some places
we found plenty of Canes, [22] such as we use in England for
Walking-Canes. These were short-jointed, not above two Foot and a
half, or two Foot ten Inches the longest, and most of them not above
two Foot. They run along on the Ground like a Vine; or taking hold
of the Trees, they climb up to their very tops. They are 15 or 20
Fathom long, and much of a bigness from the Root, till within 5 or
6 Fathom of the end. They are of a pale green Colour, cloathed over
with a Coat of short thick hairy Substance, of a dun Colour; but it
comes off by only drawing the Cane through your Hand. We did cut many
of them, and they proved very tough heavy Canes.
We saw no Houses, nor sign of Inhabitants; but while we lay here,
there was a Canoa with 6 Men came into this Bay; but whither they
were bound, or from whence they came, I know not. They were Indians,
and we could not understand them.
In the middle of this Bay, about a Mile from the Shore, there is
a small low woody Island, not above a Mile in Circumference; our
Ship rode about a Mile from it. This Island was the Habitation of
an incredible number of great Batts, with Bodies as big as Ducks,
or large Fowl, and with vast Wings: For I saw at Mindanao one of
this sort, and I judge that the Wings stretcht out in length, could
not be less assunder than 7 or 8 Foot from tip to tip; for it was
much more than any of us could fathom with our Arms extended to the
utmost. The Wings are for Substance like those of other Batts, of a
Dun or Mouse colour. The Skin or Leather of them hath Ribs running
along it, and draws up in 3 or 4 Folds; and at the joints of those
Ribs and the Extremities of the Wings, there are sharp and crooked
Claws, by which they may hang on any thing. [A further description
of the great bats and their habits follows.] At this Isle also we
found plenty of Turtle and Manatee, but no Fish.
We stay'd here till the 10th of February, 1687, and then having
compleated our Business, we sailed hence with the Wind at North. But
going out we struck on a Rock, where we lay two Hours: It was very
smooth Water, and the Tide of Flood, or else we should have lost
our Ship. We struck off a great piece of our Rudder, which was all
the damage that we received, but we more narrowly mist losing our
Ships this time, than in any other in the whole Voyage. This is a
very dangerous Shoal, because it does not break, unless probably it
may appear in foul Weather. It lies about two mile to the Westward,
without the small Batt Island. Here we found the Tide of Flood setting
to the Southward, and the Ebb to the Northward.
After we were past this Shoal, we Coasted along by the rest of the
Philippine Islands, keeping on the West-side of them. Some of them
appeared to be very Mountainous dry Land. We saw many Fires in the
Night as we passed by Panay, a great Island settled by Spaniards,
and by the Fires up and down it seems to be well settled by them;
for this is a Spanish Custom, whereby they give Notice of any Danger
or the like from Sea; and 'tis probable they had seen our Ship the
day before. This is an unfrequented Coast, and 'tis rare to have any
Ship seen there. We touched not at Panay, nor any where else; tho'
we saw a great many small Islands to the Westward of us, and some
Shoals, but none of them laid down in our Draughts.
The 18th Day of Feb. we anchored at the N.W. end of the Island
Mindora, [23] in 10 Fathom-water, about 3 quarters of a Mile from
the Shore. Mindora is a large Island; the middle of it lying in
Lat. 13. about 40 Leagues long, stretching N.W. and S.E. It is High
and Mountainous, and not very Woody. At this Place where we anchored
the Land was neither very high nor low. There was a small Brook of
Water, and the Land by the Sea was very Woody, and the Trees high
and tall, but a League or two farther in, the Woods are very thin and
small. Here we saw great tracks of Hogs and Beef, and we saw some of
each, and hunted them; but they were wild, and we could kill none.
While we were here, there was a Canoa with 4 Indians came from
Manila. They were very shy of us a while: but at last, hearing us
speak Spanish, they came to us, and told us, that they were going to
a Fryer that liv'd at an Indian Village towards the S.E. end of the
Island. They told us also, that the Harbour of Manila is seldom or
never without 20 or 30 Sail of Vessels, most Chinese, some Portugueze,
and some few the Spaniards have of their own. They said, that when
they had done their business with the Fryer they would return to
Manila, and hoped to be back again at this place in 4 Days time. We
told them, that we came for a Trade with the Spaniards at Manila, and
should be glad if they would carry a Letter to some Merchant there,
which they promised to do. But this was only a pretence of ours,
to get out of them what intelligence we could as to their Shipping,
Strength, and the like, under Colour of seeking a Trade; for our
business was to pillage. Now if we had really designed to have Traded
there, this was as fair an opportunity as Men could have desired: for
these Men could have brought us to the Frier that they were going to,
and a small Present to him would have engaged him to do any kindness
in the way of Trade: for the Spanish Governors do not allow of it,
and we must Trade by stealth.
The 21st Day we went from hence with the Wind at E.N.E. a small
gale. The 23d Day in the Morning we were fair by the S.E. end of the
Island Luconia, the Place that had been so long desired by us. We
presently saw a Sail coming from the Northward, and making after her
we took her in 2 Hours time. She was a Spanish Bark, that came from
a place called Pangasanam, a small town on the N. end of Luconia,
as they told us; probably the same with Pagassinay, which lies on a
Bay at the N. W. side of the Island. She was bound to Manila but had
no goods aboard; and therefore we turned her away.
The 23d. we took another Spanish Vessel that came from the same place
of the other. She was laden with Rice and Cotton-Cloth, and bound for
Manila also. These Goods were purposely for the Acapulco Ship: The
Rice was for the Men to live on while they lay there, and in their
return: and the Cotton-cloth was to make Sail. The Master of this
Prize was Boatswain of the Acapulco Ship which escaped us at Guam,
and was now at Manila. It was this Man that gave us the Relation of
what Strength it had, how they were afraid of us there, and of the
accident that happen'd to them, as is before mentioned in the 10th
Chapter. We took these two Vessels within 7 or 8 Leagues of Manila.
Luconia I have spoken of already: but I shall now add this further
account of it. It is a great Island, taking up between 6 and 7
degrees of Lat. in length, and its breadth near the middle is about
60 Leagues; but the ends are narrow. The North end lies in about
19 d. North Lat. and the S. end in about 12 d. 30 m. This great
Island hath abundance of small Keys or Islands lying about it;
especially at the North-end. The South-side fronts towards the rest
of the Philippine Islands: Of these that are its nearest Neighbours,
Mindora, lately mentioned, is the chief, and gives name to the Sea
or Streight that parts it and the other Islands from Luconia: being
called the Streights of Mindora.
The Body of the Island Luconia is composed of many spacious plain
Savannahs, and large Mountains. The North-end seems to be more plain
and even, I mean freer from Hills, than the South-end: but the Land
is all along of a good heighth. It does not appear so flourishing
and green as some of the other Islands in this Range; especially
that of St. John, Mindanao, Batt Island, &c. yet in some places it
is very Woody. Some of the Mountains of this Island afford Gold,
and the Savannahs are well stockt with herds of Cattle, especially
Buaffaloes[sic]. These Cattle are in great plenty all over the
East-Indies; and therefore 'tis very probable that there were many of
these here even before the Spaniards come hither. But now there are
now also plenty of other Cattle, as I have been told, as Bullocks,
Horses, Sheep, Goats, Hogs, &c. brought hither by the Spaniards.
It is pretty well inhabited with Indians, most of them, if not all,
under the Spaniards, who now are masters of it. The Native Indians do
live together in Towns; and they have Priests among them to instruct
them in the Spanish Religion.
Manila the chief, or perhaps the only City, lies at the foot of
a ridge of high Hills, facing upon a spacious Harbour near the
S.W. point of the Island, in about the Lat. of 14 d. North. It is
environ'd with a high strong Wall, and very well fortify'd with
Forts and Breast-works. The Houses are large, strongly built, and
covered with Pan-tile. The Streets are large and pretty regular;
with a Parade in the midst, after the Spanish fashion. There are a
great many fair Buildings, beside Churches and other Religious Houses;
of which there are not a few.
The Harbour is so large, that some hundreds of Ships may ride here:
and is never without many, both of their own and strangers. I have
already given you an account of the two Ships going and coming between
this place and Acapulco. Besides them, they have some small Vessels
of their own; and they do not allow the Portuguese to trade here, but
the Chinese are the chiefest Merchants, and they drive the greatest
Trade; for they have commonly 20 or 30, or 40 Jonks in the Harbour at
a time, and a great many Merchants constantly residing in the City,
beside Shop-keepers, and Handy-crafts-men in abundance. Small Vessels
run up near the Town, but the Acapulco. Ships and others of greater
burthen, lye a League short of it, where there is a strong Fort also,
and Store-houses to put Goods in.
I had the major part of this relation 2 or 3 years after this time,
from Mr. Coppinger our Surgeon, for he made a Voyage hither from
Porto Nova, a Town on the Coast of Coromandel; in a Portuguese Ship,
as I think. Here he found 10 or 12 of Captain Swan's men; some of
those that we left at Mindanao. For after we came from thence, they
brought a Proe there, by the Instigation of an Irish man, who went
by the name of John Fitz-Gerald, a person that spoke Spanish very
well; and so in this their Proe they came hither. They had been here
but 18 months when Mr. Coppinger arrived here, and Mr. Fitz-Gerald
had in this time gotten a Spanish Mustesa Woman to Wife, and a good
Dowry with her. He then professed Physick and Surgery, and was highly
esteemed among the Spaniards for his supposed knowledge in those Arts:
for being always troubled with sore Shins while he was with us, he
kept some Plaisters and Salves by him; and with these he set up upon
his bare natural stock of knowledge, and his experience in Kibes. But
then he had a very great stock of Confidence withal, to help out the
other, and being an Irish Roman Catholick, and having the Spanish
Language he had a great advantage of all his Consorts; and he alone
lived well there of them all. We were not within sight of this Town,
but I was shewn the Hills that over-looked it, and drew a draft of
them as we lay off at Sea; which I have caused to be engraven among
a few others that I took my self:....
[The season for successful operations near Manila having passed,
the mutineers decide to go to some islands near the Cambodian shore
to wait until about May, the time for the Acapulco galleon, choosing
those islands as they were somewhat retired. The prisoners are set
ashore on the island of Luzon, and that island is left February 26. On
March 14 anchor is cast on Pulo (or Island) Condore, the largest and
only inhabited one of those islands which lie in north latitude 8 deg.
40'. A short description of the islands, their products, fauna,
and inhabitants (who are Cochinchinese) and some of their customs
follows. At this island the ship is careened and refitted. There
also "2 of our Men died, who were poison'd at Mindanao, they told
us of it when they found themselves poison'd, and had linger'd ever
since. They were opened by our Doctor, according to their own Request
before they died, and their Livers were black, light and dry, like
pieces of Cork." After filling the water-butts anchor is weighed
(April 21) and the course taken to Pulo Ubi near Siam, reaching that
island April 23. From that date until May 13 they cruise about the
bay of Siam where they are becalmed. May 24 they anchor again at Pulo
Condore, together with a Chinese vessel laden with pepper from Sumatra;
from its men they learn that the "English were settled in the Island
Sumatra, at a place called Sillabar; and the first knowledge we had
that the English had any settlement on Sumatra was from these." [24]
An attempt there to investigate a Malayan vessel ends fatally for a
number of the English; for the Malays, thinking them to be pirates,
set upon the boarding party, and kill a number of them. At that
island also the surgeon, Herman Coppinger, attempts to escape, but
is taken back to the ship. Dampier is only deterred from making the
same attempt because he desires a more convenient opportunity. "For
neither he nor I, when we were last on board at Mindanao, had any
knowledge of the Plot that was laid to leave Captain Swan, and run
away with the Ship; and being sufficiently weary of this mad Crew,
we were willing to give them the slip at any place from whence we
might hope to get a passage to an English Factory."]