Dampier says he was afterwards informed, that Captain Swan and his men

continued long at Mindanao; that Messieurs Harthop and Smith, merchants,

both died there; that Rofy and Nelly, his mates, got passage in a Dutch

ship to Batavia, and from thence, after various adventures, to Europe;

and that Swan himself, with his surgeon, endeavouring to get on board

another Dutch ship, were run down and drowned by the natives by order of

Raja Laut, who seized their gold. Among other reasons assigned for this

treachery, Dampier mentions Swan’s threatening, on some provocation, to

raise a band of men to destroy the town, and seize upon the country. Be

this as it may, the poor Captain lost his life, and the Raja kept his

money. Part of his journal, as far as Cape Corientes, was recovered and

preserved by a Mr. Moody, of whom mention will be made hereafter.

On November the 2d, the day the prince was to have come on board,

Captain Read set sail, and stood to the west, till on the 9th, the wind

changing, they came up with the north-east end of the island of Celebes,

in lat. 3 deg. N. 30 leagues to the southward of Gilolo, on the western

side of which lie the clove islands of Tidore and Ternate, the finest in

the world. At the southermost end of Celebes the town of Macasser is

seated, the chief place of trade in those parts belonging to the Dutch.

They anchored in a sandy bay on the south-east side of Celebes, where

they found a creeping kind of vine, the leaves of which pounded and

boiled with hog’s-lard is an infallible cure for old ulcers. The men,

knowing its virtues, crammed their chests with it; and one man, whose

legs were ulcerated, was perfectly cured by the use of it.

Here they cut down a tree 18 feet in circumference, and 44 feet in clean

body. It proved unsound, and therefore unfit for the purpose they

intended it, which was that of a canoe; they therefore left it, and set

sail.

On the 30th, they sailed south; and in the afternoon they had a violent

tornado, and saw a spout. This phenomenon appears at first like a small

ragged cloud, hanging sloping from a black heavy cloud above, small at

the bottom, seemingly no bigger than a man’s arm. Underneath this the

sea begins to be in gentle agitation, and gradually proceeds to foam and

froth till a violent whirling ensues, and then it flies upwards in a

pillar, the base of which may be about one hundred paces in compass, but

lessening gradually till it decreases to the size of the spout, with

which it meets, and through which the rising sea-water seems to be

conveyed to increase the cloud. As soon as the water reaches the spout,

you then see the cloud, that was at rest before, drive along with

incredible swiftness, sucking up the water in its course, and causing a

furious wind to fly before it. Thus it will continue sometimes half an

hour, sometimes longer, till breaking off, all the water that remains

below the spout falls down again into the sea, with a dreadful noise and

violent agitation of the waves. Dampier relates, that one Captain

Records, of London, being on the coast of Guinea, in the year 1674, in a

ship of 300 tons, was overtaken by one of these spouts, which broke

before he could well furl his sails to receive it. On its breaking, it

made the same kind of noise as if a castle or some immense building had

been plunged from a great height into the sea, and raised the billows in

proportion to its height. The fury of the wind, at the same time, took

the ship on the starboard bow, and snapt off the boltsprit and foremast

both at once like rotten sticks, and drove the ship along ready to

overset her; but the ship presently righting, and the wind whirling

round, took her again on the opposite quarter, and snapt the mizzen-mast

as the fore-mast and boltsprit had been snapt before. Three men were in

the fore-top when the fore-mast broke, and one on the boltsprit, when

they fell into the sea; but all were saved, and the ship with difficulty

carried into port.

December 1st, they continued to move slowly along, and on the 4th they

came up with the north-west end of the island of Bouton, where their

strikers killed some turtle, and brought with them an Indian who

conducted them to a harbour, where they had an interview with the

Sultan, and where they were permitted to purchase whatever they wanted,

and where Captain Read was presented by the Sovereign with a little boy

who had a double set of teeth, one set within another, on each jaw.

On the 12th, they took leave of the Sultan, and were about weighing

anchor; but when they expected it to rise, being hooked to a rock, the

cable came home without it. As soon as they were loose, finding the

anchor irrecoverable, they steered to the south-east, and fell in with

some islands five or six leagues from Callasusung harbour. They appeared

very green; and as they passed them in the night they heard drums

beating, but whether for mirth, or spreading an alarm, they knew not.

On the 20th, they passed the island of Omba, and saw in it many smoaks

by day, and fires by night, but observed no inhabitants. From Omba they

passed by Timor, where, meeting with tornados and strong gales of wind,

they endeavoured to get clear of the shoals, and stood off south,

intending to touch at New Holland to try what that country would afford.

On the 4th of January, 1688, they fell in with the coast of New Holland

in lat. 16 deg. 50 min. S. and, steering close in, came to a point from

whence the land trends east and southerly for 10 or 12 leagues, but how

far southerly Dampier says he does not know. That able navigator,

however, pronounced, that, if it was not a continent, it neither joined

to Asia, Africa, nor America. They fell in upon the west side, and

examined but a small part of this vast tract of land, of which Captain

Cook, in his late voyage round the world in the Endeavour, traversed the

eastern coast for near 2000 miles, and has left it still doubtful

whether it is island or continent. There is a remarkable difference

between Dampier’s description of the part he visited on the west, and

that described by Captain Cook in the same latitude on the east side.

“The land,” says Dampier, “is of a dry sandy soil, destitute of water,

except you make wells. There are divers sorts of trees; but the woods

are not thick, nor the trees large. Most of them were dragon-trees, of

the size of apple-trees--we compared the gum with the gum-dragon we had

aboard, and found it the same--we saw no trees that bore fruit. We saw

no animal, nor any track of animal but one, and that was of a beast of

the size of a mastiff-dog--few land-birds, and none bigger than a

blackbird--few sea-fowls--few fish, turtle and manatee excepted. The

inhabitants are the most miserable people in the world--without

houses--without cloathing--without conveniences of any kind--and,

setting aside their human shape, very little different from brutes. They

are tall, straight bodied, thin, and small limbs; they have great heads,

round fore-heads, and large brows. Their eyelids are always half-closed;

they have great bottle-noses, full lips, wide mouths, and the two

fore-teeth in the upper jaw wanting in all of them; but whether they

draw them out or not, I know not. [Captain Cook says, those on the

opposite side have their teeth entire.] They are long-visaged--without

beards--of an unpleasing aspect, with no one graceful feature in their

faces--their hair black, short, and curled like negroes--and their

colour coal-black. They live in companies, 20 or 30 men, women, and

children, together--their food is fish, and their manner of catching

them is in weirs across little inlets of the sea, in which every tide

leaves some--they have no instruments to take great fish--in other

places they fish for cockles, muscles, periwinkles, but of these there

are but few--of what they catch all partake alike--all watch the

tides--for all depend upon the sea for their support; the earth

producing neither herb, root, pulse, or any sort of grain. These poor

creatures, adds Dampier, have a sort of weapons, consisting of a piece

of wood shaped somewhat like a cutlass, and a long straight pole with a

sharp end hardened in the fire: with these they made a shew of

frightening us; but on firing one gun, they all ran away frighted.”

Such is the description given by Dampier of the people of the north part

of New Holland; and it is not a little astonishing, that a man, by once

touching upon their coast, could so minutely describe a people with whom

he could no otherwise converse but by signs and gestures. The crew made

an acquaintance with some of them, and gave them meat, which they

readily devoured, but paid no regard to the ship, nor did they seem to

admire any thing that was shewn or offered to them. While the ship

remained here, where nothing was to be gotten, Dampier endeavoured to

persuade the men to carry her to some English factory; but that too

being told the Commanders, he was threatened to be set ashore, and left

among these miserable beings.

On the 12th of March they quitted New Holland, with a view to sail to

the isle of Cocos, in lat. 12 deg. 12 min. S. but the wind being

contrary, they chose to bear away to the islands on the west of Sumatra,

with which Dampier says he was well pleased, as he then might have an

opportunity of making his escape from them. They met with nothing worth

notice till the 28th, when they fell in with a woody island, where they

killed boobies and men-of-war birds as many as the ship’s company could

eat, and where they found a land animal resembling a large crab without

its great claws, such as Sir Francis Drake met with in the island of

Ternate, and which being dressed was excellent meat. These creatures

burrow in the ground like rabbits, and two of them were as much as a man

could eat.

They made but a short stay at this island; and, proceeding on their

course, on the 7th of April they came in sight of the high land of

Sumatra; and on the 13th they came to a small island called Triste, 14

or 15 leagues to the west of Sumatra, where they loaded their boats with

cocoa-nuts, and struck some turtle to supply their table, having now

nothing but rice to live upon.

They continued cruising among the islands to the west of Sumatra; and,

on the 29th, they came in sight of a sail, to which they gave chace, and

on the 30th they took her. She proved a proa, with four men belonging to

Achin, laden with cocoa-nuts and cocoa-nut oil. They took out of her as

much as they thought fit, bored a hole in her bottom, and sunk her,

keeping the four men prisoners. All this coast is known to the English

by the name of the West-coast, without adding the name of Sumatra; and

the prisoners shewed the channels and openings to the island of Achin,

where the English had a factory, to which many on board wished to find a

passage.

The 4th of May they came in sight of one of the Nicobar islands, the

southernmost of which lies about 40 leagues to the N. N. W. of Sumatra.

The inhabitants of these islands are independent of every other people,

and trade with the ships of every nation indifferently that happen to

touch upon their coast. Their chief commodities are ambergrease and

fruits, the former of which they adulterate abominably; and Captain

Welden, who touched at these islands a few weeks before their arrival,

purchased some at a low price that was worth nothing.

On the 5th of May they anchored at the N. W. end of the island of

Nicobar, properly so called, in lat. 7 deg. 30 min. N. Here Dampier

quitted the free-booters, but not without some difficulty. He knew it

was impossible to do it by stealth; and therefore asked Captain Read, as

soon as he learned that the ship was about to sail, to set him on shore

on this island. He says, he had another motive for staying at this

particular place, besides that of leaving Captain Read, which he always

intended, and that was, that he had here a prospect of commencing a

profitable trade for ambergrease with these people, and of gaining a

considerable fortune to himself; for, by rowing with the natives, and

conforming to their customs and manner of living, he imagined he should

be able to learn how they got their ambergrease, and likewise the whole

secret of preparing it. Captain Read, thinking this as obscure a place

as any, and being willing, no doubt, to be rid of a man who was for ever

exciting the company to oppose him, very readily consented; and Dampier

as readily took him at his word. In an instant he got all his moveables

together, and stowing them in the ship’s canoe, he prevailed upon some

of the people to row him ashore, and to land him on a sandy bay, near to

which were two houses, but without inhabitants. He had not been landed

an hour before Captain Teat and three or four armed men came to fetch

him on board again. He tells us, that if a cabbin-boy had been sent for

him he should have returned; but he no sooner entered the ship than he

found the whole crew in an uproar, several others, encouraged by his

example, insisting to be set ashore likewise, among whom was Herman

Coppinger, the surgeon, who having jumped into the boat with a gun in

his hand, swore he would shoot dead the first man that opposed him; yet

John Oliver, the quarter-master, leapt into the canoe to him, and

wrenched the gun from him: he was presently followed by others, who

forced Coppinger again on board. When this tumult was appeased, and the

surgeon again in their possession, they suffered Dampier, with two other

malcontents (a Mr. Hall, and a sailor named Ambrose), to depart quietly;

and the man who rowed them on shore, having concealed an ax, gave it

them at parting, well knowing what a valuable present it would be to

conciliate them to the Indians. These three Englishmen were soon joined

by the four prisoners taken from the Achinese proa, and the mongrel

Portuguese, formerly taken from the Chinese junk, all of whom Captain

Read set on shore before he departed. They were now eight in number;

and, having concluded to leave the island, and row to Sumatra, at 40

leagues distance, they purchased a canoe of the natives for an ax; and,

having provided a sufficient quantity of provisions for their

subsistence, they all embarked on the 20th of May, in order to proceed;

but they had no sooner put to sea than the canoe overset, and turned

bottom upwards. Being near the shore they preserved their lives by

swimming; but, though the English recovered their chests and fire-arms,

yet their books and papers were miserably defaced by the sea-water;

their powder escaped without injury, being sealed up. Though this

accident seemed an unfortunate outset, yet it proved the means of their

future safety; for while the English were drying their books, and

cleaning their arms, the Achinese employed themselves in fitting up

their boat with out-leaguers, which are beams placed across the body of

the boat, projecting a yard or two over the sides, and united at the

extremities by transverse boards jointed to the ends; while these remain

entire, the vessel can never over-set. Besides the out-leaguers the

Achinesemen had provided a good stout mast, and had contrived a sail.

And thus fitted out, on the 15th of May they again embarked; but their

provisions being exhausted, it was necessary for them to repair to a

distant part of the island, to procure a supply. Here a misunderstanding

arose between them and the natives, which by the prudent management of

Dampier was soon accommodated. He observes, that there is not a people

upon earth that he should be afraid to approach unarmed and alone,

provided no previous injury had been done them by any of his company

unprovoked. An European has it always in his power to insinuate himself

into the favour of the most savage people by some slight, by shewing

them some toy, by smiles and submission, and even by shewing them the

simple knack of lighting a match with a flint and steel. The only

danger, he adds, is from their first onset, because their way is to

abscond, and kill by surprize; if therefore their first fury can be

avoided, the fiercest of them becomes gentle as a lamb.

The natives being again brought to good humour, they were presently

furnished with such provisions as they wanted; and they again embarked

on their former project. At their first setting out, the wind was fair,

and the weather hot; and they proceeded rowing and sailing as occasion

required, Mr. Hall and Dampier taking it by turns to manage the helm.

However, after two days labour, they found that they had steered a wrong

course; and, instead of approaching Sumatra, they were but eight leagues

from Nicobar. They then changed their course, but were still so

violently opposed by a contrary current, that on the third day they had

made but little way.

On the 18th the wind freshened, and the sky began to be clouded. About

nine in the morning they had an alarming presage by a circle round the

sun, which in that climate is an infallible sign of an approaching

storm. They therefore, after some consultation, concluded to stand

before the wind to whatever land was right a-head; and for that purpose

they furled their sail, settled the yard about three feet above the

boat’s sides, and in this manner prepared to receive the storm. About 12

at noon the gale came on, and the wind continued increasing all the

afternoon. The sea swelled to an incredible height, and often broke over

the little skiff (hardly so big as a below-bridge wherry, only a small

matter deeper, but not so wide), which, had it not been for her

out-leaguers, could not have survived a single moment; but the thinness

of her body, and the firmness of her out-leaguers, were her security;

for the stern being high and narrow, cut the rolling waves like the edge

of a knife, and divided their force; so that what fell in the skiff came

down like a shower, and was easily baled out by the Achinese. The

evening of this day shewed very dreadful. Dampier’s own words will best

describe his feelings: “The sky looked very black, says he, being

covered with dark clouds; the wind blew hard, and the sea was already

roaring in a white foam about us; a dark night coming on, and no land in

sight to shelter us; and our little ark in danger to be swallowed by

every wave; and, what was worst of all, none of us thought ourselves

prepared for another world. I had been in many imminent dangers before

now, but the worst of them all was but a play-game in comparison with

this. I must confess that I was in great conflicts of mind at this time.

Other dangers came not upon me with such a leisurely and dreadful

solemnity; a sudden skirmish or engagement was nothing when the blood

was warm, and pushed forwards with eager expectations; but here I had a

lingering view of approaching death, and little or no hopes of escaping

it; and, I must confess, that my courage, that had hitherto kept up,

failed me here; and I made very sad reflections on my former life, and

looked backward with horror and detestation upon actions which before I

disliked, but now I trembled at the remembrance of them. I had long

before this repented me of that roving course of life, but never with

such concern as now. In this temper of mind, submitting ourselves to

God’s good providence, and taking all the care we could to preserve our

lives, Mr. Hall and I took turns to steer, and the rest took turns to

heave out the water; and thus we provided to spend the most doleful

night I ever was in. About 10 o’clock it began to thunder, lighten, and

rain; but the rain was welcome to us, having drank up all the water we

brought from the island. The wind at first blew harder than before; but

within half an hour it became more moderate, and the sea assuaged of its

fury. And then by a lighted match, of which we kept a piece burning on

purpose, we looked on our compass, to see how we steered, and found, we

varied but little from our intended course: and, finding our vessel

lively enough with that small sail which was abroad, we began to bear up

to the true point to which our views were directed. But about two in the

morning we had another gust of wind, with thunder, lightning, and rain,

which obliged us again to put before the wind. The hard rain soaked us

so thoroughly that we had not one dry thread about us, and the cold rain

chilled us extremely; for any fresh-water is much colder than the

sea-water, and much more unwholesome for man’s body. In this wet,

starving condition, we spent the tedious night. Never did poor mariners

on a lee-shore more earnestly long for the dawning light than we did. At

length the day appeared; but with such dark black clouds near the

horizon, that the first glimpse of the dawn appeared dreadful. We

continued our course before the wind till eight in the morning of the

19th, and then one of our Achinesian friends cried out, _Pulo Way_. We,

thinking the fellow had said _Pull away_, were at a loss to conceive his

reason; but presently observing his motions, we found he pointed to his

companions to shew them land. We, dropping with wet, cold, and hungry,

were overjoyed at this sight. It bore south, and the wind was still at

west, a strong gale; yet with our small sail, no bigger than an apron,

we changed our course, and bore up to it. Here our out-leaguers did us

great service; and, though our boat’s side was pressed down very much,

we could brook it well enough, and next day we ran to the mouth of a

river in the island of Sumatra, called Passange Jonca, where all fell

ill of fevers, of which some died; and I that survived was a whole year

before I recovered my strength.”

[Illustration: _Dampier & his Companions in their Canoe, overtaken by a

dreadfull Storm._]

Here they staid ten or twelve days, and were kindly entertained, because

the Achinese told the natives, that they were prisoners on board the

pirate as well as themselves, and that they were all set ashore

together. Hall and Dampier were strongly importuned to stay, to assist

in improving their navigation; but, longing to get home, they chose to

be conveyed to the English factory at Achin: a vessel was therefore

provided for them, and in three days they arrived safe. Three days after

their arrival, the Portuguese died, and Ambrose lived but a short time

after him. Dampier and Mr. Hall, after passing examination, were kindly

entertained by Mr. Driscal, an Irish gentleman, interpreter to the

factory; and the four Achinese were restored to their families and

friends.

Dampier was so drenched by a Malayan doctor, that he never expected to

survive the effects of the potions he prescribed; yet after more than

sixty evacuations from one dose, he gathered strength daily; and, after

his health was a little restored, both Hall and he undertook to sail

with Captain Bowry to Nicobar. This Captain Bowry was the gentleman who

sent the letter from Sumatra to Mindanao, already spoken of, which

involved a double mistake. Bowry imagined an English factory to subsist

at Mindanao, and the English at Mindanao, from Bowry’s letter, imagined

there had been an English factory at Sumatra. They sailed from

Achin-road the beginning of June; but, a storm coming on, they presently

returned. About this time Captain Welden arrived from Fort St. George;

and Dampier engaged to sail with him to Tonqueen, in China, and

afterwards made a voyage to Malacca. His next ramble was to Fort St.

George, and, after his return from thence, he came to Bencouli, an

English factory on the west coast of Sumatra; from whence, about the

beginning of 1691, he set out on his return to England.

After his return to Achin from his voyage to Malacca, he found there one

Mr. Morgan, formerly belonging to the Cygnet, who was then mate of a

Danish ship belonging to Tranquebar: and being curious to know the

sequel of the adventures of his old companions, was told by Morgan,

that, when they left Nicobar, they directed their course to Ceylon; but,

not being able to weather that island, they were forced to seek

refreshment on the coast of Coromandel, where they began to form new

projects; but their schemes not succeeding, about half their number left

them, among whom were Morgan and Coppinger, who both were entertained in

the Danish service, and two or three others repaired to Fort St. George

but the main body went up the country, and listed in the army of the

Great Mogul, where a few of them continued orderly for some time; but

Oliver, the quarter-master, and a party with him, soon left the camp,

and rambled about, plundering and robbing the villages, and flying

whenever they were pursued.

Captain Read, having thus lost the better half of his men, after having

filled his water and got rice, sailed again, still intending for the Red

Sea. He had taken off Ceylon a rich Portuguese ship, and had plundered

her of what he liked; but not being able to bear up against the westerly

winds, he stood for the island of Madagascar. There, after various

adventures, Captain Read, with half a dozen of his followers, slipt away

from the rest of the company, and embarked in a ship for New York.

Captain Teat succeeded Captain Read in the command; and, having joined

Captain Knight, of whom mention has been made before, they sailed some

time in company; but the Cygnet proving leaky, Knight gave her the slip,

on which she returned again to Madagascar, and finally sunk in St.

Augustin bay.

While Dampier was at Fort St. George, there arrived a ship from

Mindanao, laden with clove-bark, on board of which came Mr. Moody, as

supercargo. This gentleman, while at Mindanao, purchased the Prince of

Meangis, of whose country mention has already been made in the former

part of this relation. This unfortunate Prince, with his mother, and

some attendants, had been driven off their own coast by a storm, and had

been seized at sea by some Mindaneian fishermen, who brought them to

Mindanao, and sold them for slaves; a common practice among savage

islanders. The Prince attracted the notice of Mr. Moody by the curious

manner in which he was painted, and which, by Dampier’s description,

exactly corresponds with that of tataowing among the New Zealanders. His

design was to have brought him over with him to England; but Mr. Moody

speaking the Malayan language, and being otherwise well qualified to

manage the company’s affairs at a new factory, he was persuaded by the

Governor of Fort St. George to accept of the Chiefship of Indrapore, in

the room of Mr. Gibbons, who had just resigned in order to return home.

Upon this unexpected promotion, Mr. Moody importuned Dampier to go with

him to be his gunner, and, in order to encourage him thereto, promised

to purchase a small vessel to carry the Prince and his mother to their

own country, and to send him as Commander, with full power to establish

a commerce with Meangis, which could not fail of turning greatly to the

advantage of all concerned. This was a generous and friendly offer which

Dampier could not refuse; and accordingly he embarked in a company’s

coasting ship, in which there were seven or eight officers passengers,

and about 60 soldiers for the new factories. They had a pleasant passage

till they came upon the west coast of Sumatra, when a storm arose, by

which they were driven from their intended port, and forced to make the

harbour of Bencouli. At Bencouli they were all very kindly received, and

the gunner of that fort being just dead, Dampier was offered the post,

with a more ample salary than Mr. Moody, in a newly-established factory,

could venture to allow. Dampier consented to accept of this appointment,

provided Mr. Moody approved of it; and Mr. Moody, not being certain of

being able to fulfil his engagement, so far as the same related to the

Prince of Meangis, very readily gave Dampier leave to contract with the

Governor of Bencouli; and, at the same time, assigned to him a

half-share in the two slaves, the Prince and his mother, that he might

not be a sufferer by leaving Fort St. George to follow him.

Matters being thus accommodated, Mr. Moody repaired to his station at

Indrapore, and Dampier with the two slaves continued at Bencouli. They

lived at a house in the town, and Dampier was accommodated in the fort.

All this passed in 1690; but, before the year was expired, Dampier grew

tired of his office, and, wanting to get home, applied to the Governor

and Council for his discharge. The Council thought it highly reasonable

that his request should be granted; and the Governor made no opposition,

there being at that time no ship in readiness to carry him off: but, as

he had foreseen, when the _Defence_, Captain Heath, bound for England,

came into harbour, he then made many excuses, and at length absolutely

refused to permit him to go. In vain did Captain Heath remonstrate; and

in vain also did Mr. Goddard, the chief mate, interest himself in

Dampier’s release,--the Governor was inflexible. The _Defence_ had

touched at Indrapore before she put into Bencouli; and Mr. Moody had

consigned the other half-share of the slaves to Mr. Goddard, on having

been previously acquainted by letter from Dampier of his intention to

sail for England. In consequence of this assignment, the Prince who some

time before had been attacked with an infectious distemper, of which his

mother died, and of which he was but just recovered, was put on board

the _Defence_; and it was privately agreed between Captain Heath and

Dampier, that, if the latter could make his escape, the former would

undertake to carry him safe off. Accordingly, when all the company’s

business was completed, and the letters put on board, notice was given

to Dampier of the precise time when the ship was to sail; “and, says he,

after several assays, I slipt away at midnight; and, creeping through

one of the port-holes of the fort, I got to the shore, where the ship’s

boat waited for me, and carried me on board.”

On the 25th of January, 1691, they set sail for the Cape of Good Hope;

and, the wind being fair, they proceeded at first very successfully: but

they had not been long at sea before the men began to droop, being

attacked with a distemper that stole insensibly upon them, and before

they thought themselves ill were ready to die. Dampier attributes this

fatal disorder to the badness of their water, which was filled from a

river fed by many noxious streams from the low swampy lands that in the

dry season, as it were, drained their dregs into it, which at times were

as black as ink. Besides, it was stowed among the pepper in the hold,

which heated it to that degree, that every morning when the men went to

take their allowance, it was so hot, they could hardly bear to hold a

bottleful of it in their hands; “a thing scarce to be credited, says

Dampier, that water should be ready to boil in a ship’s hold.” This

distemper was so universal, that not a man in the ship was wholly

unaffected by it; so that when the wind blew a hard gale, there wanted

hands to work the ship.

Captain Heath, pitying the condition of his men, distributed every day

among them a quantity of tamerinds, some jars of which he had brought

with him from India; and this was a very seasonable relief: but the wind

coming south, and the passage being already protracted to an unusual

length, the Captain called the whole ship’s crew together, to consult

what was best to be done in the present extremity, and desired every

man, from the highest to the lowest, to deliver his opinion freely. Thus

all circumstances being duly considered, it was unanimously agreed at

last, notwithstanding the wind was then contrary, to prosecute their

voyage to the cape. But as that determination would infallibly require a

more than ordinary exertion of labour from those that were well, to

supply the place of those that were sick, the Captain promised a month’s

extra pay to every man who should assist on all occasions that should

require help, whether it was his watch or not and this premium he

engaged to pay at the cape. This offer was first accepted by the

Officers, and then as many men as were capable of duty entered

themselves upon the roll. In a short time, it pleased God, says Dampier,

to favour us with a fair wind, which being improved to the best

advantage by the incessant labour of those new-listed men, wafted us in

a short time to the cape; and, being brought safe to an anchor by the

assistance of 100 Dutch sailors, who unbent the sails, and did every

thing for us they were required to do, the sick were presently sent on

shore, where they remained about six weeks, and all but three or four

recovered.

On the 23d of May they sailed from the cape in company with the James

and Mary, and the Josiah Indiamen. They directed their course towards

the island of St. Helena, and met with nothing remarkable, except a

swelling sea, which taking them on the broad side, rolled every thing

about that was loose between the decks and in the hold. This great

tumbling sea took them soon after doubling the cape; “an eminent token,

says Dampier, that the south-west winds were now violent in the higher

latitudes towards the South Pole, we having fine clear weather all the

while.”

On the 20th of June they arrived at Santa Helena, where they staid four

or five days, and afterwards continued their voyage to England without

any remarkable incident; and arrived safe in the Downs, Sept. 16, 1691.

What advantage Dampier and his partner Mr. Goddard made of their painted

prince is not related; but they certainly sold him to be carried about

the country to be shewn for money. He was painted all down his breast,

between his shoulders, on his thighs, and round his legs and arms like

bracelets. “I cannot, says Dampier, liken the drawings to any figure of

animals, or the like; but they were very curious, full of great variety

of lines, flourishes, chequered work, and innumerable convolutions,

keeping a very graceful proportion, and appearing very artificial, even

to the wonder of all that beheld him.” It has already been remembered,

that the mother of the Prince died in India of the infectious disorder

of which he was but just recovered when he embarked for Europe. On that

occasion Dampier did what he could to comfort Jeoly, for that was the

name they gave him; but he took on extremely, insomuch that it was

feared he could not have long survived; on which account a grave was

immediately dug to hide the dead body out of his sight; and being

shrouded decently with a piece of fine new calico, the corpse was about

to be interred; but Jeoly was not satisfied till he wrapped all his

mother’s cloaths about her, and two new pieces of chintz that Mr. Moody

gave her, saying they were her’s, and she must have them. After this he

suffered her to be interred, which was done with great solemnity; but he

continued to pine after her during the whole time he continued in India.

In the printed relation that was given of him when he was shewn for a

sight, the showmen heightened their account with a romantic story of a

beautiful sister of his being a slave with him at Mindanao, and of the

Sultan’s falling in love with her, and taking her to his bed; but these

were stories indeed! They reported also, that the paint with which he

was ornamented was of such virtue, that serpents and all venomous

creatures would fly from him: but poor Jeoly was as much afraid of

serpents, scorpions, and centipedes, as a little child, for he was

exceedingly timorous. He died at Oxford, but Dampier does not tell the

year.

The publication of the above voyage round the world having recommended

Dampier to the notice of persons of the first eminence, he was

afterwards employed by government in discoveries, both in the Eastern

and Southern Seas. His first expedition was to the coast of New Holland,

which could have no other object but discovery in view. He sailed from

the Downs, on Jan. 14, 1698, in his Majesty’s ship the Roebuck, carrying

only 12 guns, and 50 men, and having 20 months provisions on board. On

the 1st of August they fell in with the western coast of New Holland, in

lat. 26 deg. S. where, however, they found nothing very different from

what Dampier had before described. The only land animals they saw, were

a small sort of racoons, different from those of the West-Indies chiefly

in their legs, which are short before, and on which they run jumping;

and a sort of guano’s, or lizards, peculiar to the country, which appear

to have two heads, but in reality have but one, and no tail; and, what

is no less remarkable, their four legs seem to be all forelegs, so

formed as that the creature may walk either way. To these may now be

added the kanguroo, a quadrupede of a particular shape, as large as a

sheep, and a creature of the oppossum kind, discovered by Mr. Banks;

with dogs and wolves seen by the Endeavour’s crew; of the latter sort

some were seen by Dampier’s men, but so lean that they were nothing but

skin and bone. In latitude 23 deg. S. they saw dolphins, and small

whales, and abundance of scuttle-shells, swimming in the sea.

Captain Cook found plenty of water on the east side of this island; but

Dampier was much distressed for want of it on the west side. Being

ashore employed in digging a well, he was assaulted by ten or twelve of

the natives, with whom he had a skirmish, and was forced to shoot one of

them dead, to disengage a young man who was surrounded by three of them,

and wounded in the check with a lance. On a gun’s being fired over the

heads of the assailants, though it startled them at first, they soon

recovered their surprize, and continued their hostilities; but as soon

as they saw a man fall, they were terribly frightened, and fled with

precipitation. Dampier very humanely adds, that he attempted the natives

no farther, being very sorry for what had happened.

Among the natives engaged on this occasion, there was one who by his

appearance and carriage seemed to be the chief of them. He was a young

brisk man, not very tall, nor so personable as some of the rest, though

more active and courageous. He was painted with a circle of white

pigment about his eyes, and a white streak down his nose from his

forehead to the tip of it; his breast and some part of his arms were

also made white with the same paint; not for beauty or ornament as it

should seem, but, as some wild Indian warriors are said to do, to make

themselves look more terrible in war. He was indeed a very frightful

being; for the manner in which he was painted, adding to his natural

deformity, gave him more the appearance of a monster of the woods, than

of a man born of a woman. Dampier in this second voyage to New Holland,

confirms what he said of the natives in his first, that they are the

worst-featured savages he ever beheld. Captain Cook, on the contrary, or

his editor, assures us, that their features are not disagreeable, their

noses are not flat, nor are their lips thick; their teeth are white and

even, and their hair naturally long and black, but universally cropt

short: in general it is straight, but sometimes has a small curl; their

beards are of the same colour with their hair, bushy and thick, which

they shorten by singeing: they are of the middle stature, in general

well made, clean limbed, remarkably vigorous, active, and nimble; their

countenances not altogether void of expression, and their voices

remarkably soft and effeminate. Such are the different descriptions

given by voyagers of the same people; or, to speak more precisely of

people on the east and west side of the same continent; for which it is

not easy to account.

Our voyager, however, not being able either to find fresh water, or a

harbour to careen his ship, set sail from this miserable country about

the beginning of September, 1699; and, directing his course to the

island of Timor, arrived there September 15, and received a supply of

water and provisions from the Chief of the Dutch factory there. He was

likewise hospitably entertained by the gentlemen of the Portuguese

factory on the same island. From thence he sailed to the coast of New

Guinea, traded with the inhabitants, and ranging along the coast, found

the main land divided into two parts. To the easternmost division he

gave the name of New Britain.

In his return back he touched again at Timor, and from thence sailed to

Batavia; where having careened his ship, and supplied himself with

necessaries of every kind, on the 17th of October, 1700, he set sail for

the Cape of Good Hope; from thence continuing his voyage to St. Helena,

he arrived at that island January 31, 1701; but in his course home his

ship sprung a leak at sea, and, after endeavouring in vain to stop it,

he was obliged to run her a-ground on the island of Ascension; where

having landed his men, and taken from on board all necessary provisions,

they in a short time discovered a fine spring of water, and lived

tolerably, till they were at last relieved by some English men-of-war,

who were convoying home the Canterbury Indiaman, and brought them all

safe to England.

In 1703, notwithstanding the bad success of the voyage just mentioned,

Dampier was again employed in an expedition to the South Sea, in

conjunction with Captain Pulling, who had each a ship of 26 guns, and

120 men under his command. That commanded by Captain Dampier was called

the St. George; and that by Captain Pulling, the Fame. They were

victualled for nine months, and had commissions from his Royal Highness

Prince George of Denmark, then Lord High Admiral, to proceed in a

warlike manner against the French and Spaniards; and both were upon the

same terms of _No purchase no pay_. But while they were in the Downs,

some difference having arisen between the two Captains, Captain Pulling

set sail alone, and left Dampier to take his own course; who, stopping

some time in Ireland, was joined by the Cinque Ports galley of 90 tons,

16 guns, and 63 men, Captain Charles Pickering Commander. In this

expedition, Dampier had three grand objects in view: the _first_ was, to

sail to Buenos Ayres, in order to surprize the Spanish galleons that

usually take in their lading at that port; the _second_ depended on

missing the first, in which case they were to pass through the straits

of Magellan to cruise upon the coasts of Peru, for the Baldivia ships

that carry gold to Lima; and the _third_ was only to take place, if both

the former miscarried; and was, to proceed to the coast of Mexico, to

intercept the Manilla ship that annually arrives at Acapulco, and is

said to be worth eight or nine millions of pieces of eight, equal to a

million and a half of our money.

Full of these projects, they set sail from Kinsale, in Ireland, on the

11th of September, 1703, and on the 25th arrived off Madeira, where they

learned that the galleons were sailed from Buenos Ayres, and then lay at

Teneriff. The first project being thus defeated, they proceeded to put

the second in execution with all possible dispatch. On the 24th of

November they anchored on the island Le Grand, on the coast of Brazil,

where they buried Captain Pickering, and chose Lieutenant Stradling in

his room.

From this island they sailed the 8th of December; and, doubling Cape

Horn on the 20th of January, they changed their direction, sailed to the

northward, and on the 10th of February came to an anchor in the great

bay of Juan Fernandez, where they met their consort Captain Stradling,

with whom they had parted in passing Cape Horn in a violent storm, which

happened on the 26th of January.

At Juan Fernandez they continued refitting their ships till the 29th,

when seeing a sail, they slipt their cables, and put to sea. She proved

to be a French ship of 400 tons, 30 guns, and full of men. The St.

George fought her about seven hours, when a gale springing up, she

sheered off. On this occasion, the Cinque Ports behaved but

indifferently, firing only a few guns, and lying by.

Next day, in returning to Juan Fernandez, they fell in with two French

men-of-war of 36 guns each; from whom they narrowly escaped, leaving

their cables, anchors, and five or six of their men belonging to the

Cinque Ports on that island, with a new suit of sails, and several other

necessaries which they could ill spare.

They now proceeded upon their second enterprize; but they were equally

unfortunate in that as in the former. The Baldivian ships were sailed,

and the gold secured. They then meditated a surprize against the town of

Santa Maria, in the gulph of Panama, where the Spaniards getting

intelligence of their designs, laid ambuscades, and after killing and

wounding several of them, put the rest to flight.

In this manner, disappointments succeeding disappointments, differences

began to arise between the Commanders and they concluded to part

company. But about this time, a large ship, fortunately for them, coming

to an anchor in the night close by them, they instantly boarded and made

prize of her. She was deeply laden with flour, sugar, brandy, wine,

about thirty tons of malmalade of quinces, a considerable quantity of

salt, with some tons of linnen and woolen-cloth. This proved a

seasonable supply; and provisions that were before so scarce, that only

five green plantains were the daily allowance for six men, were now so

abundant on board the prize, that they might have laid in a stock for

several years; yet in less than six months we find them starving.

After rummaging the prize and dividing the spoil, the Captains parted;

and in two or three days, Dampier fell in with a Spanish man-of-war,

fitted out on purpose to take him. The two ships had a smart engagement,

and parted in the night by consent.

Soon after this engagement, Dampier and Clippinton, his first

Lieutenant, having some difference, Clippinton seized upon the ship’s

tender, in which were the stores and ammunition, and with 21 of the best

men weighed anchor, and set sail. When he had cleared the islands, he

sent to invite all those who were willing to sail with him to come on

board; but Dampier’s last project being now on the point of being

carried into execution, the men who remained with him resolved to abide

the issue. Clippinton, though he had quarrelled with the Captain, had no

mind to distress the men; he therefore thought fit to restore the powder

and ammunition, reserving only enough for his own use. In the bay of

Tacames, Dampier had taken a small bark of 60 tons, laden with

plantains. This bark they intended to keep as a tender. She had two

masts, with two square sails; and they named her the Dragon.

The Master of this bark, Christian Martin by name, was a Spaniard by

birth, but taken prisoner while he was a boy, and bred up in England.

This man they kept prisoner on board and now proceeded to intercept the

Manilla ship.

On the 6th of December in the morning, they saw a sail, and soon came up

with her. She proved their last hope, the great Manilla ship, from the

East-Indies. They instantly bore down upon her, and before she could

bring her guns to bear gave her several broadsides; and, taking her

unprepared, put the company on board in the utmost disorder. Captain

Martin, though a Spaniard, advised to lay her aboard immediately, before

the Spaniards had recovered their surprize; but that advice was

disregarded till it was too late; for while two parties were quarrelling

on board the St. George, the one for laying the enemy aboard, the other

not, the Spaniards got out a tier of 24-pounders, every one of which

that took place was ready to send the St. George to the bottom. The

assailants were therefore soon beaten off with disgrace, after having

received a shot between wind and water in the powder-room, by which two

feet of planking was driven in on each side the stern. And now, being

disappointed of this their last expectation, all the men grew

discontented, and impatient to return home. However, they were prevailed

upon to cruise a few weeks longer on the coast of Mexico; and with that

view passed the ports of Acapulco, Port Angels, Port Guatulco, and

several others; but without meeting with any prize worth waiting for.

Ill success is generally succeeded by discontent; the men who were

before impatient of fatigue without reward, grew now ungovernable. A

party, therefore, formed the design of returning home by way of the

East-Indies; and these were encouraged by Mr. Funnel, the chief mate,

who, having the command of the small Spanish prize already mentioned,

determined to hazard every thing to regain his native country, rather

than continue under the direction of a man with whom there was no

keeping terms. He therefore embraced the first opportunity to reach the

gulph of Amapalla, to new-water his bark, and prepare for his voyage

home.

It should seem, that this voyage of Dampier, though countenanced with a

government commission, was notwithstanding fitted out by private

adventurers; for, on this occasion, the owners agent is said to have

divided the provisions and stores between those who chose to remain with

Dampier, and those who determined to follow the fortune of Mr. Funnel.

Their whole number was already reduced to 60 effective men, 33 of whom

chose to accompany Funnel, and 27 only remained with Dampier, but upon

what terms they engaged, or what course they pursued afterwards, we are

not told; for Dampier, though he returned home, never published any

account of this voyage. What we have related concerning it, in order to

complete his adventures, as far as our materials extend, we have

extracted from the account published by Funnel; who, having left Dampier

in the gulph of Amapalla, on the 1st of February, 1705, takes no farther

notice of his Captain; but goes on with the story of his own voyage,

which was indeed unfortunate enough; for his ship was seized by the

Dutch at Amboyna, the goods on board confiscated, and most of the men

cruelly used, being confined and half-starved by our good friends the

Dutch, who were jealous lest they should make discoveries prejudicial to

their commerce. Funnel himself, however, soon got released; and, having

made strong representations against the authors of his sufferings at

Amboyna, he at length obtained some shew of redress; with which, though

not a compensation for his losses, he was forced to be contented. On the

2d of Nov. he, with two of his company, got passage to Europe in the

Dutch East-India fleet; and, on the 15th of July following, arrived safe

in the Texel, from whence, after visiting the principal towns in

Holland, he came to England, and published the account just mentioned,

in which he followed the example of Dampier, by giving a description of

the natural productions of the islands at which he touched, their

inhabitants, arts, and commerce.

We can find no traces of the latter part of the life of Dampier, who

seems to have been an able navigator, but of a restless turbulent

spirit, like the ocean on which he was bred. He certainly possessed the

art of sailing in a very eminent degree; but he wanted that happier art

of conciliating the wavering discordant passions of his followers and

associates. He seems, too, to have been more cautious than brave, more

subtle than wise, and more enterprizing than fortunate. In all his

engagements, both as an inferior officer and as a commander, he seems

neither to have braved danger nor to have feared it. It is not easy to

determine, whether his thirst for gold, or desire of knowledge, was the

governing principle that led him to range the world for new discoveries.

If the former, he seems totally to have failed in the pursuit; if the

latter, he was more successful. At Mindanao, we find him poor; at the

Bashee islands he laments the want of every article that could purchase

from the natives a small specimen of the yellow metal that bore the

resemblance of gold; but withal so honest, that he would neither take

the iron belonging to the owners of the ship to give in exchange, nor

would he take the metal from the inhabitants without an equivalent. In

short, I think, we may conclude, from what he himself has written, that

Dampier was a man of strong natural parts, of blunt manners, of quick

discernment, inflexible in his resolutions, but deficient in natural

qualities to command respect, and in acquired abilities to maintain it.

THE

VOYAGE

OF

MASTER COWLEY

ROUND THE WORLD.

Of Master Cowley we can find no other account than what is contained in

the voyage written by himself; therefore, we shall, in his own words,

preserve such parts of that voyage as have not already been related in

the voyage of Dampier; premising only, that his first setting out among

the buccaneers was in the same prize, in which Dampier set sail from

Virginia, under the command of Captain Cook; that he continued to serve

that Commander, as Master, during his life; and that, after sailing

sometime in consort with Captain Eaton in the South Seas, he chose

rather to serve that gentleman than to continue with his own Captain’s

successor. One remark more, and then to proceed. We find him, in every

collection of voyages in which he is introduced, distinguished by the

appellation of CAPTAIN Cowley, though the highest employment to which he

ever seems to have arrived, was Master on board the buccaneers

before-mentioned; who, during the time they were suffered to commit

their ravages, traversed the globe as wolves the forest, merely for the

sake of whom they might devour. We find, however, but few of them

successful; by far the greatest part, like other robbers, died

miserably; and such of them as escaped with life, were, at certain

times, exposed to sufferings not less shocking to human nature, than the

distresses to which they reduced innocent people by their cruelty and

lust for gold. But now to proceed:

In August, 1683, I departed, says Cowley, from Cape Charles in Virginia,

lying in latitude 36 deg. N. and in longitude 305 deg. in the good ship

called the Revenge, Captain John Cook Commander, pretending to me, that

I should navigate the ship to Petitguavaz, where a Frenchman was the

Governor, and to which port I began to shape my course; but was told, as

soon as we had left the shore, that they were now bound for the coast of

Guinea, to provide a better ship; and that then their design was to sail

to the Great South Sea. I was thereupon obliged to alter my course, and

to steer E. S. E. for the Cape de Verd islands in lat. 16 deg. N.

In the month of September, we made the island of Salt, where we came to

an anchor, careened our ship, and afterwards sailed to St. Nicholas,

where was held a consultation of officers, whether to sail directly for

the South Seas in their present ship, or pursue their former resolution

and proceed to the coast of Guinea to seek a better. After much debate,

it was at length concluded to try St. Jago, another of the Cape de Verd

islands, and, if any ship was found in that road fit for their purpose,

to lay her on board, and make her their prize.

On our approach to this island on the eastern side, we descried a large

ship from the mast-head, which proved to be a Dutch East Indiaman of 50

guns, and, as we afterwards learnt, of 400 men, most of whom were on

shore; but on seeing us stand towards the road, they instantly repaired

to their posts, clapt a spring upon their cable, heaved their broad side

to us, struck out their ports below, and running out their lower tier of

guns, made themselves ready to receive us. We had now advanced too near;

but marking their force, and that it was in vain to attempt a conquest,

we put before the wind, and steered directly to the coast of Guinea,

where we had no sooner arrived, than we fell in with a new ship of 40

guns, which we boarded, and carried away. Upon examination, we found her

well stored with brandy, water, and provisions; and in order to furnish

her with other necessaries from our old ship, we put into Sherborough,

resolving to touch at no other port till we should come to Juan

Fernandez, in lat. 33 deg. 40. min. S.

About the beginning of December, we sailed from latitude 8 deg. N.

steering S. W. till we arrived in 12 deg. S. when we steered away S. W.

by W. till we came into soundings on the coast of Brazil; and finding 80

fathom water in a sandy bank, we altered our course to the S. W. and

about the latitude of 40 deg. S. found the sea as red as blood,

occasioned by great shoals of shrimps, which coloured the ocean, for

many leagues together. We found also a multitude of seals, and such

abundance of small whales as to exceed the number found in the North

Seas in the proportion of one hundred to ten. We held, on our course

till we came into lat. 47 deg. where we saw land, never before

discovered. It proved an uninhabited island, to which I gave the name of

Pepy’s island, and at which ships may conveniently wood and water,

having a harbour where 1000 sail may ride in safety. In this island we

saw plenty of fowls, and round it there is no doubt abundance of fish;

but, it blowing a storm, we could neither dare to approach it, nor to

examine its coasts. We therefore stood to the southward, shaping our

course S. S. W. till we came into the latitude of 50 deg. S. and then

steering S. W. by W. resolving not to attempt the straits of Magellan,

but to make the land of Ter del Fuego; and there, finding great

riplings, and apprehending danger, we resolved to attempt the passage

discovered by Bartholomew Sharpe, in 1681, and to sail round all,

leaving Staten land to the N. With this view, hauling away S. W. we came

a-breast of Cape Horn on the 14th of February, where, chusing

valentines, and discoursing of the witchcraft of women, there arose a

prodigious storm, which continued till the last day of the month,

driving us into latitude 60 deg. 30 min. which is farther than any ship

ever yet sailed to the south; so that we concluded that talking of the

wiles of women at sea was very unlucky discourse.

About the beginning of March, the wind coming to the south, we were soon

wafted into a warmer climate; for in the 60th deg. the weather was so

extremely cold, that we could bear drinking three quarts of burnt brandy

a man in four-and-twenty hours, without being the least intoxicated. We

steered north-by-east till we came into lat. 40 deg. S. where we fell in

with the Nicholas of London, Captain John Eaton Commander; and, being

glad of each others company, we sailed in consortship to the island of

Juan Fernandez, where we found plenty of good fat goats, good fish,

wood, and water. [Here Cowley relates the story of the Moskito-man, the

account of which has already been given by Dampier.] This island is

naturally fortified; so that with 100 men, and at 100 l. expence, it may

be defended from the attacks of 2000 men, in case of an invasion.

[Accordingly the Spaniards have taken the hint; for when the last ships

sailed upon discoveries, they found it fortified.] It lies 110 leagues

due west from the port of Valparayso.

[Illustration: _Cowley & his Men taking in Provisions at the Island of

Iuan Fernandez._]

We steered from this island north-north-east, till we made the high land

of Arica, in latitude 18 deg. S. Being before the bay, the officers of

both ships held a consultation whether best to go into Arica-bay, or

proceed farther on the coast; when it was resolved to sail as low down

at Cape Blanco, and there wait for the Spanish plate-fleet coming to the

bay of Panama. This was an unfortunate resolution; for in Arica-bay rode

at that time a ship with 300 tons of silver on board, which we missed,

and in the room of her took a timber-ship bound to Lima, with 30 hands

on board, which at that time stockt us with more mouths than we could

well spare meat to fill. With this ship we sailed away north to the

island of Lobos, in lat. 7 deg. S. where we set our sick men on shore,

though we could neither find wood or water upon it. Here having heeled

our ships, at a general council it was resolved, to attack the town of

Truxillo, in lat. 8 deg. N. ten miles within land; and with this view

just as we were weighing anchor to proceed, some of our people from the

mast-head espied three sail of ships passing by, which we instantly ran

out and took. These ships were all laden with flour, fruit, and

sweet-meats; but having had intelligence that we were upon the coast,

they had left all their silver (their silver-service plate not excepted)

on shore. Their provisions, however, were very acceptable; and we now

thought only of seeking a proper place to lay up our stores in security,

and where we might conceal ourselves for five or six months, to make the

enemy believe that we had forsaken their seas, and that they had nothing

to fear from fresh attacks. On this occasion, the islands called by the

Spaniards Gallapagoes, or Enchanted Islands, were proposed, and the only

objection made was, the uncertainty of finding them; but that being

overcome, we weighed anchor, and after three weeks sail came in sight of

them, being seventeen in number, to all which I gave distinct names. We

came to an anchor in a very good harbour, lying towards the northernmost

end of a fine island under the Equinoctial Line, in which we found

plenty of fish, sea and land-tortoises, fowls of various sorts, among

which were turtle-doves, so tame at first that they would often light

upon the hats and shoulders of our men as they walked abroad; but not

being able to satisfy their hungry appetite by catching them alive, the

sailors so scared them at last, by frequently firing upon them, that

they became, like other birds, very shy.

This island I called the Duke of York’s Island, near to which lies a

small island, which being viewed in several directions, always assumed a

different shape. This I called Cowley’s Enchanted Island. I examined

several others; but upon none of them found fresh-water, save only upon

the Duke of York’s Island. The bay in which we anchored I called

Albany-bay, and the harbour York-road; and, after having laid up 1500

bags of flour, with a quantity of sweet-meats, and other provisions, in

a convenient store-room, we sailed to the northward, to try for fresh

water a second time; lest, being distressed, we should be forced, upon

some future occasion, to seek relief in other harbours, when it might

not be possible for us to reach the present; but we found good water in

none of them; and, to our great surprize, we met with such a violent

current, that when we would have returned to the Duke of York’s Island,

we could not stem it; and we were obliged to bear away N. N. E. when the

first land we made upon the main was Cape Trespontas, upon the

easternmost shore of which we watered our ship. The first day after our

arrival, we buried our Captain; the second day, three Spanish Indians

came down, whom our men brought on board. Being strictly examined

concerning the strength and opulence of the town of Ria Lexa, they gave

very satisfactory answers: but, while they were under examination, our

long-boat being sent on shore to get beef, a party of Spanish Indians

came down, and set their boat on fire, and drove the crew for shelter

upon a rock, where they were forced to remain till we sent another boat

with 20 men to rescue them.

We retained the three Indians, and led them with ropes about their necks

as guides to conduct us afterwards to Rio Lexa; but one of them having

got his neck out of the collar, made his escape, and alarmed the town;

so that our men returned very much discouraged at this second

disappointment. We now found it necessary to turn all our prisoners away

to shift for themselves; and then directed our course to the gulph of

St. Miguel, where we took two islands, one inhabited by Indians, the

other plentifully stocked with cattle; but for gold and silver, we got

but little. Here we staid and careened our ships; and here Captain

Cook’s ship and Captain Eaton’s broke consortship; and, both ships being

refitted, I got on board Captain Eaton, where I was entertained as his

master, to navigate his ship to any place or port where he should

direct.

[It is now that the voyage of Master Cowley may be said to commence.

Hitherto he has gone hand-in-hand with Dampier; but now Cowley pursues

one course with Captain Eaton, and Dampier another with Captain Davis,

the successor of Captain Cook.]

We in our ship, continues Cowley, towards the middle of August, set sail

from the gulph of Miguel [in the bay of Amapalla], steering for Cape St.

Francisco, where we chaced a ship that escaped from us; and then we bore

up to latitude 7 deg. S. where finding the country alarmed, we stood for

Payta, in lat. 5 deg. S. where we took two ships lying at anchor; which

the Spaniards refusing to ransom, we, by way of farewel, set them on

fire. From hence we sailed to Gorgona, at which island we watered our

ship for the East-Indies.

This island lies in lat. 3 deg. 15 min. N. and in long. 305 deg. E. and

as soon as we had supplied ourselves with wood and water, we took our

departure, steering W. N. W. till we came as low almost as the rocks of

St. Bartholomew, in long. 240 deg. then we sailed into lat. 15 deg. N.

till we judged we were past those rocks; and then returned into 13 deg.

N. which latitude we held till we made the island of Guam, in lat. 13

deg. N. and in long. 150 deg. E. according to our reckoning; at which

island, when we arrived, we had a very sickly ship, no man being free

from the scurvy, and most of us in a consuming condition. It was on the

14th of March about seven in the morning that we saw land. At 12 o’clock

we were in lat. 13 deg. 2 min. N. by observation, having made out on our

sailing, by judgment, 7646 miles, that is to say, departed so many miles

from Gorgona by loss made out in longitude, which is about 2549 leagues.

The next day we sailed about the south-west part of the island, and came

to an anchor in a fair bay, from whence we sent a boat on shore, with a

flag of truce; but, on landing, our people found that the natives had

burnt their houses, and had fled; however, our men felled some cocoa-nut

trees, and brought a hundred or two of them on board to refresh the

crew. In the mean time a party of Indians rushed from behind the bushes,

and in a hostile manner threatened to attack us; but we made signs of

friendship, and one of the Indians returned to the wood, and having

peeled a stick so as to make it appear white, he came forward, when one

of his companions perceiving that he had no cap to compliment our

people, called him back, and presented him with one for that purpose.

From Sunday the 15th till Tuesday the 17th, we continued a free trade

with the Indians; but on that day our men going over to a small island

on the west side of Guam, the Indians fell upon them with stones and

lances, which occasioned a fray, in which some of the Indians were

killed upon the spot.

Two days after, the Governor, who happened to be a Spaniard, came to a

point of land near the ship, and sent a letter written in Spanish,

French, and Dutch, demanding in the name of the King his Master, who we

were, whither we were bound, and from whence we came? Our answer was

written in French, that we were employed by some gentlemen in France

upon the discovery of the unknown parts of the world. On the return of

the messenger, the Governor sent a letter of invitation to the Captain

to come on shore, with which he instantly complied, and was received

under a triple discharge of cannon from the fort, which was answered by

the same number of guns from the ship. They soon came to a good

understanding. Our Captain made an apology for killing some of the

Indians in his own defence; and the Governor gave for answer, that, if

he had killed them all, he should have esteemed the favour the greater.

We were afterwards told, that the Indians on the small island were in

rebellion.

On Wednesday, about 12 o’clock, a Spanish Captain came on board, and

continued with us till 12 the next day. He brought as a present from the

Governor 10 hogs, a large quantity of potatoes, plantains, oranges,

papas, and red pepper; in return for which our Commander sent the

Governor a diamond-ring, and presented the Officer with a rich sword.

The next day the Governor sent on board a captain, a jesuit, and a

friar, with a request to our Commander to spare him some powder, of

which he was in want. This request was readily complied with; we sent

him four barrels, and offered him four great guns. The first he

thankfully received, and sent a box in which were 1600 pieces of eight

in gold and silver for the Captain to pay himself for the powder; but

the guns he politely declined accepting. Our Captain returned the box

with the money untouched, and afterwards received from the Governor a

valuable present.

While mutual civilities were passing between the Governor and our

Captain, our people went out every day chasing the Indians, whom they

had full license to kill and destroy wherever they met with them; but

they, finding us not to be Spaniards, became very tractable, and offered

to assist in supplying us with fish and fruit, which they exchanged with

us for old nails and old iron. After having tarried here sometime, and a

free intercourse had been established between the Indians on shore and

our people on board the ship, the Indians made signs for as many of our

men as chose it, to come and see them haul the seine. Our men, not

suspecting any design, manned the boat, and went to look at them; but,

while the men were amusing themselves with the sport, the Indians had

very artfully brought their seine round the boat, with a design to draw

it on shore, and thereby entangle both boat and crew; but the sailors,

discovering the plot, gave the Indians no time to carry it into

execution; for, being provided with fire-arms, which they never went

ashore without, they fired amongst the thickest of them, killed a great

many, and drove the rest away.

These Indians are large in stature, some of them being seven feet and a

half high; they go stark-naked; never bury their dead, but let them lie

in the sun to rot. They have no arms but slings and lances; the sharp

ends of the latter are pointed with dead mens bones, which, being cut

like scoops, and jagged at the edges like unto saws, if a man happens to

be wounded by them, and is not cured in nine days, he certainly dies.

Our people took four of these treacherous savages prisoners, bound them,

and brought them on board; but they had not been long among us, before

three of them leapt into the sea, and with their hands tied behind them

swam away like fishes. However, we sent the boat after them, and found

that a strong man at the first blow could not penetrate their skins with

a cutlass. One of them, in my judgment, had received 40 bullets in his

body before he died; and the last of the three that was killed, swam a

good English mile, not only with his hands tied behind him, but with his

arms pinioned, before he expired.

The Spanish Governor’s kindness increased in proportion to the mischief

done to the Indians. He sent us, the succeeding day, by one of his

captains, thirty hogs, some melons, pumpkins, potatoes, fruits, and

rice; and received in return six small patararoes.

Having now new rigged our ship, and supplied ourselves with wood and

water, we began to prepare for our departure. On the first of April, we

weighed anchor, and next day came a-breast of the fort, which we saluted

with three guns, and were complimented with the same number; and on the

3d the Governor sent his last present to our Captain. On the 4th we set

sail, and steered W. by S. till we arrived at the height of St.

Bartholomew, when we shaped our course W. N. W. till we came into the

latitude of 20 deg. 30 min. N. where we fell in with a cluster of

islands lying to the north of Luconia, distant from Guam 560 leagues.

They seemed to be uninhabited; but the men who went ashore in the boat,

found abundance of nutmegs on one of them, and saw some goats.

From these islands we steered S. W. for the island of Luconia, and on

the 26th of April Cape Bajadore bore from us east; after which we came

up with Cape Mindato, where the S. W. monsoon overtaking us, we were

obliged to bear away for Canton, in China, where we lay and refitted our

ship, and where we might have laden ourselves with plunder from thirteen

Tartar ships, who came thither full of the richest goods of China: but

our men, being under no government, refused to attack them; saying, They

came for gold and silver, not to be made pedlars to carry packs. But,

alas! had reason prevailed, we might have all made our fortunes, without

injuring any prince or subject in christendom; for these goods the

Tartars had taken from the Chinese about two years before, and had

stored them at Macao, an island near Canton, to be taken away when they

judged it convenient.

From Canton we sailed for Manilla, to wait for the Tartar ship that

annually goes thither, and which, we were informed, was laden one half

with silver; but, though we were fortunate enough to come in sight of

her, yet she out-sailed us, and escaped. We then bore away for an island

that lies to the north of Luconia, intending there to stay till the wind

came fair to carry us to Bantam, not then knowing that Bantam had been

taken from the English by the Dutch.

At this island we stored ourselves with fruit, goats, and guanos; which

last are here good meat: and here we found an Indian who directed us to

an island, where there was plenty of great cattle; but the wind soon

coming fair, we made sail to the southward, steering our course S. S. W.

till we came into lat. 10 deg. N. where we were so entangled among the

islands of Paragoa, that none of us ever expected to escape with life.

After three days, however, we very providentially got clear; and stood

in for an island at the north end of Borneo, where we hauled our ship

ashore, and erected a tent, planting a battery of ten guns for our

defence, in case of an attack from the natives. Here we unloaded our

ship, and, having provided sufficiently for our security, we ranged the

country for natives to trade with us; but they, having never seen any

white men before, were very shy; and when, by chance, our men fell in

with one of their canoes that was full of women, (among whom was the

queen of the country and her retinue) on the approach of our ship’s

boat, they all leapt over-board; but, after taking them up, and treating

them kindly, they laid aside their fears, and grew familiar; and, upon

our offering them civility, instead of avoiding, they soon became fond

of us. They brought us fish in great plenty, with oranges, lemons,

mangoes, plantains, and pine-apples; and, besides these, we exchanged

some trifles for bezoar, musk, and civet, with which the island is well

stored.

The year was now drawing to a close, when we set sail from this little

island, directing our course for Timor, where, finding the ship’s

company begin to grow mutinous, and not under command of their Captain,

myself, Mr. Hill, and eighteen more, joined our forces together, and

purchased a large boat, in which we sailed to the island of Java,

distant from Timor 300 leagues. The wind being contrary to carry us to

Batavia, we bore away for Cheribon, a factory belonging to the Dutch,

lying eastward of Batavia, where we were kindly received by the

Governor. There we heard that King Charles was dead, and that his

brother James was proclaimed king; we heard also that Bantam had been

taken from the English; and that the Dutch had erected a new factory in

that island.

After refreshing at Cheribon, we agreed to divide our twenty men into

three parties; two of which chose to sail for the bay of Bengal, and the

third to stay with me; but knowing that Batavia was the Hollander’s

magazine for India, we proposed first to sail thither, and there to

provide for ourselves as well as we could. Being all arrived, we were

courteously received by the General; and I, with Mr. Hill and another

friend, who were all my party, were promised our passage to Europe in

their East-India fleet. About this time the General was sending four or

five ships of war, with soldiers, to procure satisfaction from the King

of the island for an outrage that had been committed on a party of

Hollanders, who, to the number of 80, had been slaughtered by the

Javanese. These ships, it seems, were originally designed against

Sillebar, an English settlement on the west coast of Sumatra; but this

act of hostility happening to intervene, it had diverted their purpose,

and saved the factory for this time. There were now in Batavia twenty of

us, who, on hearing this news, would willingly have repaired to

Sillebar; but the Dutch would by no means permit us, though we had

bought a sloop for that purpose. When we were just ready to sail, the

General ordered our sloop to be seized; and when we remonstrated against

this incivility, they produced an old law, by which the subjects of the

republic in India are forbidden to sell any vessel to any foreigner; and

they even went so far as to imprison those who had transgressed it. To

us, indeed, they gave the prime cost of the sloop, but paid us nothing

for fitting her up.

This project failing, Mr. Hill, another friend, and I, embarked on board

the _Solida_ Indiaman, bound to Holland; and, as we were putting out of

the road, we saw our ship Captain John Eaton coming in; however, we held

our course; but, finding the wind unfavourable, we turned down to Bantam

to take in provisions, and from thence steered to Prince’s Island, where

we lay for a fair wind three weeks. About the end of March, we set sail

from thence, with the wind at N. W. and shaped our course to the Cape of

Good Hope. On the 11th of May, after a pleasant passage, we made the

land called Point Primicra, bearing from us N. W. distant 12 leagues. We

had the wind at N. E. being distant from the cape 560 miles, the land

trending away S. W. by W. The fish which came about the ship near the

island of Mona, the 30th of March, left us now, when we judged ourselves

in latitude 32 deg. 47 min. S. From the 15th of May to the 29th we had

sailed only 96 miles; but observing next day, we found by our latitude

that we had a very strong current, that had driven our ship to the

southward 34 miles farther than we judged ourselves to be; for we

thought we had been in the latitude of 33 deg. 41 min. S. whereas we

found ourselves in lat. 34 deg. 15 min. S. our course having been S. W.

40 miles. I argued the reason with the chief mate of the ship, and he

told me it once happened in this place, that they lay a-trie with three

main-sails, and the wind at W. S. W. three days; and when they took

their observation, they found the ship driven to windward 200 English

miles; and likewise in lat. 36 deg. 37 min. they say, they often find

the like.

From hence to the 27th nothing remarkable happened; but on that day we

had the wind very furious, blowing a storm from W. S. W. We lay a-trie

with our main-sails, and found we were in lat. 30 deg. 2 min. S. coming

in with the land; and now the current went to the eastward, and we began

to fear lest we should lose our passage by the cape. Our Captain, who

had long been sick, was now judged to be past recovery, and in the

middle of the night died: this occasioned a great deal of confusion;

and, to add to our difficulties, our water began to fail, and we were

reduced to a pint a day per man. Next day we heaved our Dutch Captain’s

corpse overboard, when a council-of-war was called, wherein it was

resolved, that Captain Tominall, Commander of the Critsman, should

command the Solida, and that Captain Tominall’s chief-mate should

command the Critsman. The pilot also of the Solida, whose name was

Houdin, was ordered on board the Critsman; but he refused to go, and the

men assembled tumultuously, and declared, they would not part with him.

The Lord Van Heldine was in a great rage with the steersman; but the

crew were resolute, and he was obliged to yield.

On the 1st of June we again came in sight of land. It appeared like a

round hill flat at top, and bore from us N. N. E. with a smaller hill to

the eastward of it. Next day we were before the harbour of the cape,

with the wind at north, and fine fair weather. On the 3d, at night, we

came to an anchor in the bay before the castle, in nine fathom water.

Three days before we lost sight of the Critsman in the hard gale; but

this day we saw a sail at sea, and concluded that it must be the

Critsman. Here we heard, that the Francis Maria was lost, with 400 men

on board; and here likewise we were told, that the King of England had

taken the Duke of Monmouth, and that he was beheaded. Another piece of

news we learned was, that a Portuguese carrack was cast away upon the

reef, having on board four millions of guelders in gold, sent as a

present from the King of Siam to the King of Portugal; and that four

Dutch ships had likewise struck upon the same reef, but that they had

fortunately escaped with very little damage.

This day four of the natives came down to the city, dancing naked, and

offering their wives to the Hollanders for little bits of tobacco. They

were the filthiest men I ever saw. Next day my two friends and I walked

about the town, in which are about 100 houses, built very low to save

them from the boisterous gales of wind that blow here in the months of

December, January, and February: but the Dutch have here a strong

castle, with 80 guns well mounted, and a spacious garden with pleasant

walks, and planted with almost every kind of fruit, flowers, and herbs.

This is the greatest rarity that we saw at the cape. We walked,

moreover, without the town to the village inhabited by the Hodmandods

(so called by the Hollanders), who are the natives of the country. These

people are said to be born white, but make themselves black by anointing

their bodies, and exposing their infants to the sun and smoke. Their

houses, or huts, are built round, like the cabbins in Ireland of the

wild Irish, with the fire-place in the middle, round which they all lie

in common, covered only with the skins of some beast, and without any

other bed than the ashes of the wood on which they dress their meat.

They eat any thing that is foul, and will gather from the dunghills the

offal that is thrown out by the Dutch to feed their dogs. Their men are

not at all jealous of foreigners; but will beat their wives unmercifully

for lying with their neighbours. When the women marry, they cut off a

joint of the middle-finger; and if the husband dies, and the widow

marries again, she cuts off another joint; and so many men as they

marry, so many joints of their fingers they lose. They are supposed to

worship the moon, because at the full and change they assemble in great

numbers, dancing and rejoicing when she shines, but howling and

lamenting when they are deprived of her light.

It happened while we were at the cape, that one of the Hodmandods drank

himself dead at the fort; of which his countrymen getting intelligence,

they assembled about him, and with oil and milk endeavoured to recover

him; but, finding all their efforts vain, and that they could perceive

no spark of life remaining, they began to make preparations for his

funeral, which they performed in the following manner. They first

brought knives, and shaved him from head to foot; then, digging a hole

in the ground, they carefully placed him in a sitting posture, with his

body and head erect, and his legs and thighs stretched out horizontally,

and pressed down streight; this being performed, they propt him up in

this attitude with stones and then came a company of their women to howl

over him, who accompanied their lamentations with a hideous shrieking,

as if death appeared before them in the shape of a monster, and was

ready to devour them. After their time of mourning was over, they filled

up the hole with earth, and covered it over with the green turf.

During the time of our stay at the cape, our people were chiefly

employed in cleansing and scouring the ship, in fishing her masts, and

in fitting and trimming her rigging. We also took in wood and water,

supplied ourselves with fresh provisions; and, on the 15th of June, when

the wind came fair, we were ready to sail.

We were now three ships in company, the Solida and Critsman, who came

together from Batavia, and the Emeland who came from Bengal. On Tuesday

the 16th, we pursued our course to the N. W. and N. W. by W. till

Tuesday the 29th, without any material incident intervening. We had no

observation; but I judged we were in lat. 19 deg. 54 min. S. This day it

was that I spoke with an Englishman on board the Emeland, that had been

some time in the Dutch service, who told me, that they came out in

company with two English ships, one named the Resolution, the other the

Defence, with both of whom they had parted in a storm on the coast of

Coromandel; that the Resolution was leaky, and that there were little

hopes of her crew’s being able to keep her above water. He told me

likewise, that there were several Englishmen in the King of Siam’s

service; that the English East-India Company was but little regarded by

the Moors; but that the interlopers were very much encouraged; and that

one Mr. Deane, being their Chief, lived in great splendor, never going

out without 70 or 80 Moors to attend him.

We had, moreover, this day great feasting on board us, the Commanders of

the other ships being invited to an entertainment. But while the men

were loading the guns to pay the usual salute, they were alarmed by a

strange voice from the sea, crying out, _Come help, come help, a man

over-board!_ on which they forthwith brought the ship to, thinking to

take him up; but they neither saw, nor heard any more of him. Enquiry

was then made through all the ships, if any of them had lost a man; but

upon the strictest examination, it appeared that every ship had her

proper complement; so that they concluded it was the spirit of some man

that had been drowned in that latitude by accident.

On the 11th of July another very wonderful incident very much astonished

our company. When we left Batavia we took a she-goat on board, which had

then two young kids about three weeks old. This creature was observed to

grow bigger every day; and all that our people could conjecture was,

that it proceeded from the unwholesomness of the water that made her

swell; but, to the astonishment of all of us, she now brought forth four

young ones, although no male had been on board.

On the 4th of July we threw one man overboard who died the night before,

though no one knew of his being ill. He was an old Dane, who, having no

body on board to take care of his effects, those who first perceived he

was dead fell to rummaging his chest, to secure to themselves what he

had saved; but, as in like cases, they could not agree about dividing

the plunder, the matter came to the knowledge of the Captain, who made

the thieves give up all they had stolen, which he took under his own

care for the benefit of his family.

On the 12th of July we came up with the Island of Ascension, and next

day took a new departure from thence. On the 20th we found we were in

lat. 15 deg. N. And now a council-of-war was called upon our Captain.

His accusation was, that he had formed a conspiracy with five men more,

to murder a person of quality and his lady, with some other passengers

on board, and that, when the murders were accomplished, they were to

seize upon their riches, and run away with the ship. The purser was the

chief accuser; but, upon examination, the whole charge seemed so

improbable, and the man who broached the story denying upon the trial

what he had confidently affirmed before to the purser, the Captain was

honourably acquitted, and the villain punished.

Wednesday the 22d, we made out in longitude from the cape 11 deg. 56

min. judging ourselves to be in long. 355 deg. 56 min. And no wit was

that I cut the same Line which I did when I departed from Virginia in

the year 1683, having encompassed the globe; and cannot but note, that I

have been farther southward than any man that I ever heard or read of

before me in this voyage, having, as I have already said, reached as far

as lat. 60 deg. 30 min. S. and so it happened, that, being bound to go

north about Scotland to make Holland, I passed about 60 deg. north,

though I mention this as no extraordinary thing.

We met with no extraordinary occurrence till the 2d of August, when our

Captain, after three days illness, died of a pain in his bowels. His

chief steersman was made Commander in his room; but, though his cause

was warmly espoused by the men on a former occasion, yet it was not till

after much opposition that they acquiesced in his present advancement.

On the 5th of September, about 10 at night, we had a violent storm, and

we had like to have been on board the Critsman; and, by endeavouring to

avoid it, had well-nigh overset our own ship.

On Sunday the 19th, when the weather began to clear up, I saw land, as

did also two men more. I supposed it to be the island of Shetland; but

our Captain would not believe it; however, about six in the evening, the

Critsman’s people saw land also, and let go the flag, which nettled our

Captain, who blamed his own incredulity.

We came up with the Isle of Farley by the 22d, steered on, and on the

25th had the wind all round the compass. About this time we came up with

a Scotch ship, who steered so that we ran her on board on her quarter;

and, had we not slackened sail, should certainly have sunk her. Two

passengers leapt into our ship to save their lives; but they happened to

be more afraid than hurt. The ship was called the Lion of Leith; and the

crew told us, that the Turks lay at Plymouth and Dartmouth, where they

had victualled and careened, and from whence they had occasionally slipt

out, and had taken 100 sail of Hollanders, and among them a Dutch

frigate of 36 guns, which gave occasion to many hard speeches against

the English nation; though we found afterwards that the whole was an

idle story, framed only to amuse the Dutchmen, and to flatter their

humour by belying the English.

On sailing next day with the wind at E. S. E. we found ourselves in

latitude 53 deg. 35 min. N. and I judged us to be on the West-bank. At

the same time we came up with two ships, one a Dane, the other an

Englishman from London, with whom I sent my quadrant, and with whom

myself and my two friends would willingly have gone, if our Dutch lord

would have given us leave; but he told us, he could not answer the

letting us go, to his Masters the States-General.

On Tuesday the 28th, we came before the Maes, with the wind at E. N. E.

When it was day we saw the Brill Church, and came to an anchor in 10

fathom water. On the 30th we got bread and beer on board. Next day we

entered the harbour at Helvoetsluys, after we had been seven months in

our passage from Batavia. Three days after our arrival, one of my two

mates died, and I made no great stay here but went to Rotterdam, where I

found the Anne yacht. In her I came passenger for England, and, through

the infinite mercy of God, arrived at London, October 12 following.

Of Cowley’s history, as we can know nothing but from this relation of

his voyage, so it is not easy either to form a judgment of his capacity

or of his acquirements. He seems to have been an excellent navigator, as

we do not find, in the whole course of his pursuits, either that he was

ever at a loss in finding the ports he sought, or that the ships of

which he had the direction were ever in danger of being cast away. The

nature of his employment in a subordinate station, led him rather to a

habit of obedience than of opposition; and therefore his quitting the

ship in which it was his choice to sail, is more to be wondered at, than

that he should steal away from his company at Batavia with only two

friends. Perhaps his conduct on this occasion might be owing to

principle; for of the enormities committed by the buccaneers, with whom

he was engaged, Cowley must be acquitted, because he was drawn into

their service by stratagem; and a strong proof of his honesty is, his

embracing the first fair opportunity of deserting them.

We know there are writers, and those of no mean credit, who have taken

pains to justify the practices of the buccaneers, and who have

attributed to their discoveries and to their exploits the advancement of

the art of navigation, and the emolument of their country: but it

neither appears to us, that their discoveries were of any consequence in

a national sense, or that the riches they brought home were a

counter-balance for the lives that were sacrificed in the acquisition.

Their discoveries were chiefly of lurking-places to which they were

forced to retire to escape the pursuit of the enemy; and, as to the

treasures they acquired, they were generally purchased with the lives of

many brave men, who, had they been employed in honest commerce, would

have gained profit to themselves and honour to their country.

It is not from the temporary excursions of a banditti that a nation can

hope to become rich; nor is it by a hasty race round the world that the

art of navigation is to be improved. The improvements of art are slow in

their progress; and the acquisition of national wealth can only be

obtained by a steady perseverance in industry and commerce. It is,

therefore, the true interest of every commercial nation to

discountenance plunderers, and to applaud those only who are employed in

cultivating the arts of peace.

*** Though the following relations may seem foreign to our design of

giving an account only of the discoveries of our English navigators,

yet we have judged them too curious to be here omitted.

_Extract from a_ Dutch _Relation of_ ROGGEWEIGN’_s_ _Discovery of_

Easter Island.

“Upon the 6th day of April, being in lat. 27 deg. S. and long. 268 deg.

we discovered an island, hitherto unknown to any European; for which

reason, according to the usual custom on the first discovery of any

unknown land, we christened it by the name of EASTER ISLAND, it being

the anniversary of our Saviour’s Resurrection on that very day that we

arrived there. As soon as the anchors were ready to drop, we observed at

a distance a neat boat, of a very remarkable construction, the whole

patched together out of pieces of wood, which could hardly make up the

largeness of half a foot. This boat was managed by a single man, a giant

of twelve feet high, who exerted all his strength to escape us, but in

vain, because he was surrounded and taken. His body was painted with a

dark-brown colour. We tried with such signs and words as are used here

and there among the islands in the South Sea, to get some intelligence

from him, but could not perceive that he understood any thing, wherefore

we permitted him to go into his boat again and depart. Two days

afterwards the whole sea was covered with the savage inhabitants of this

island, who came swimming round the ship in such multitudes, that we

neither could, nor did we think it adviseable to land. They clambered

like cats up the ship’s sides with the utmost assurance, and came

aboard, where they did not appear to be in the least afraid of us, but

they seemed very much surprized at the largeness and extent of our ships

and rigging, and could not conceive the meaning of all that they saw;

but their curiosity was chiefly engaged by the great guns, which they

could not enough admire, and which they frequently struck their hands

upon, to try if they could not lift them up, and carry them off; but

when they saw that such logs by such an attempt were too heavy for them,

and could not be moved, these overgrown fellows stood abashed, and were,

in appearance, very much out of humour. They no sooner came aboard, than

we immediately found that they were naturally as thievish and

nimble-fingered as the inhabitants of those islands to which voyagers

have affixed the name of the Islands of Thieves, from the great

propensity of the people to rob and steal, if they were not beaten from

it. Rusty nails, old iron, and whatever they could catch or lay hold on,

was equal to them, with which they jumped overboard immediately. They

attempted with their nails to scratch the bolts out of the ship, but

these were too fast for them. These huge fellows came at last aboard in

such numbers, that we were hardly capable to keep them in order, or keep

a watchful eye upon their motions, and the quickness of their hands; so

that fearing they would become too many for us, we used our best

endeavours to get rid of them in a friendly way; but they not seeming

inclinable to leave us, we were obliged to use harsher methods, and

drive these savages out of the ships by force.

“On the 10th of April we made for the island in our boats, well armed,

in order to land, and take a view of this country, where an innumerable

company of savages stood on the sea side to guard the shore, and

obstruct our landing; they threatened us mightily by their gestures, and

shewed an inclination to await us, and turn us out of their country; but

as soon as we, through necessity, gave them a discharge of our muskets,

and here and there brought one of them to the ground, they lost their

courage. They made the most surprizing motions and gestures in the

world, and viewed their fallen companions with the utmost astonishment,

wondering at the wounds which the bullets had made in their bodies;

whereupon they hastily fled with a dreadful howling, dragging the dead

bodies along with them; so the shore was cleared, and we landed in

safety.

“These people do not go naked, as many other savages do; every person is

cloathed in different colours of cotton and worsted, curiously woven, or

stitched; but nothing misbecomes them more than their ears, which are

abominably long, and in most of them hang upon the shoulders; so that,

though they themselves look upon this as the greatest ornament, they

appeared very uncouth to us, who were not accustomed to such; the more

so, as there were in them such extravagantly large holes and openings,

that we could easily put our hands through them.

“Thus far my narrative will gain credit, because it contains nothing

uncommon, yet I must declare, that all these savages are of a more than

gigantic size, for the men are twice as tall and thick as the largest of

our people; they measured, one with another, the height of twelve feet,

so that we could easily, (who will not wonder at it!) without stooping,

have passed betwixt the legs of these sons of Goliah. According to their

height, so is their thickness, and are all, one with another, very well

proportioned, so that each could have passed for a Hercules; but none of

their wives came up to the height of the men, being commonly not above

ten or eleven feet. The men had their bodies painted with a red or dark

brown, and the women with a scarlet colour.

“I doubt not but most people who read this voyage will give no credit to

what I now relate, and that this account of the height of these giants

will probably pass with them for a mere fable or fiction; but this I

declare, I have put down nothing but the real truth, and that this

people, upon the nicest inspection, were in fact of such a surpassing

height as I have here described.

“After the inhabitants of Easter Island had made trial of the strength

of our weapons, as we have before related, they began to use us in a

more civil manner, and brought us from their huts all kinds of

vegetables, sugar canes, with yams, plantains, and a great quantity of

fowls, which came very a-propos, and tended to refresh us greatly.

“What I have seen of the worship and idols of these savages is very

wonderful. Two stones, of a largeness almost beyond belief, served them

for gods; the one was broad beyond measure, and lay upon the ground;

upon this stood the other stone, which was of such extent and height

that seven of our people with outstretched arms would hardly have been

able to encircle it; so that it appeared to me, and all others,

impossible that this stone could have been lifted up and placed upon the

other by the inhabitants of these islands, how large and strong soever

they might be; for, besides the thickness, it was fully as high as three

men. About the top of this stone there was cut or carved the shape of a

man’s head, adorned with a garland, which was set together in the manner

of inlaid work, made of small stones, in a manner not very improper. The

name of the largest idol was called Taurico, and the other Dago; at

least these were the words they called to them by, and wherewith they

worshipped them.

“These savages had great respect for the two idols Taurico and Dago, and

approached them with great reverence, namely, with dancing, shouting,

jumping, and clapping of hands, in the same manner as we read in holy

writ, that the children of Israel worshipped the golden-calf which Aaron

set up; and when the cannon (of which they seemed to be in great terror)

were discharged, and the heavy shot sounded in their ears, they made

surprizing and wonderful gestures and leaps, and pointed with their

finger, first to our people, and then to their gods, whom they appeared

to supplicate for help against us, and to call upon with a frightful

shout, and howling of Dago! Dago!

“While we lay before this Easter Island, a heavy tempest surprized us,

which pressed so much on the ships, that I had no thought but that they

would drive from their anchors, and we with them come to a miserable end

on this coast, which God prevented, the storm being at last appeased,

without having done any damage to the ships.

“On the 12th of April, leaving this island, we put to sea again, and

shaped our course to the westward.

“On the 20th of May we came into the latitude of 14 deg. 41 min. S.

where we fell in with a great number of sunken rocks, rocks above water,

and small islands, all entangled together; so that we were of opinion,

they had been joined together in former times, and composed one solid

piece of land, but separated from one another afterwards by a pressure

of the waters. Among these an island appeared above the rest, the most

stately and eminent, intersected by many rivers and springs of water,

which therefore was christened Water Island by Schouten and Le Maire,

who discovered it in 1616, on their voyage to the Terra Australis. In

this labyrinth of islands and rocks, we had the woeful misfortune to

lose one of our ships, the African Galley, which struck upon the rocks,

and beat to pieces. It may be accounted, however, a happy circumstance,

that all the people aboard were saved and brought off; and being divided

among the two remaining ships, were a reinforcement to their crews. It

was impossible for the ships to approach very near the land, where no

anchoring ground was to be found. It is a low, sandy, and rocky island,

being in the inland parts almost all drowned land; but upon the borders

it is full of trees, among which neither palmetto or cocoa-nut trees

were to be found; which I believe is the reason of its not being

inhabited; nevertheless, five of our men who went ashore willingly

remained on the island, and would not return again to the ships, being

wearied out with the hardships they had already suffered, and fearing

many more unforeseen disasters were still awaiting them. The loss of the

above-mentioned ship would be a happy circumstance for them, since from

the wreck, and what would be drove ashore, they might be supplied with

arms, and all other necessaries.

“On the 25th of May we passed by the island of Flies, also discovered by

the foresaid Schouten in his above-mentioned voyage. The inland parts of

it are likewise full of salt-water, and it abounds in great plenty of

wild green trees. It is inhabited by savages of a large stature, armed

with bows and arrows. The island was very properly named, from the

incredible quantity of nasty flies wherewith it is covered, which also

come aboard, and fall so thick on the face, and other parts of the body,

that one is at a loss to conceal himself from them, and every thing one

eats or drinks is full of them; they put us to great trouble for two or

three days, when these uninvited guests departed.

“On the 29th of May we passed among a number of rocks, and islands, from

whence we sometimes saw a smoak ascend, a sign that they were inhabited;

but we had no opportunity of going ashore. This day we found ourselves

in lat. 15 deg. 17 min. S. and long. 224 deg.

“On the 1st of June, in 15 deg. 47 min. and long. 224 deg. we came in

sight of an island hitherto unknown to, and unlooked for by, any

European. Thither we went in our boats, in order to take a view of it,

and to procure refreshments; when the inhabitants, who saw us approach

from afar, came down upon the shore to make us return back, and to

prevent our landing. They are people of an excellent shape, well

proportioned, and comely in person; and what is surprizing, their skin

is as _clear and white as that of a native of Holland_. They seemed to

shew a resolution to stay for us; for, as soon as we came near, they

jumped like madmen into the water to meet us, and pushed with great

cruelty with their weapons, which consisted of spears and lances, whose

points were armed with a very sharp wood as hard as iron: wherefore,

being obliged to free ourselves, and preserve our lives from this

hostile attack, we fired upon them with our muskets, which made these

savage warriors immediately take to their heels, and obliged them to

look out for a place of safety; for as soon as they had tasted the

deadly effects of these weapons, they turned their backs upon us, and

fled to a high steep rock, which they scrambled up like monkies, with

incredible swiftness.

“From thence, being convinced of our superior force, they gave us to

understand, that all hostilities should cease on their part, and they

would treat with us as friends; and on our side we used every means to

allure them to us, being in the utmost want of all manner of

refreshments. Every thing succeeded according to our wishes; they

brought us their commodities, consisting of cocoa-nuts, and a certain

bitter herb of the taste of Dutch cresses, which is found here in great

plenty. For these we gave them in exchange several trifles and trinkets;

such as small looking-glasses, glass beads of all colours, combs, bells,

and a number of such toys of little value, with which they were as well,

and even better pleased, than we were with the cocoa-nuts and bitter

herbs, which, however, were much more agreeable and useful to us in our

present condition than gold and silver, as we thereby enjoyed a

remarkable benefit and amazing relief against the scurvy, which had

already brought us into a most deplorable situation.

“Although it appeared by these mutual exchanges that these savages were

got into good understanding and friendship with us, we soon discovered

that this was no more than a feigned reconciliation, serving only to

deceive us and make us the more easily fall into their snares, with

which villainous inclination almost all the inhabitants of the islands

lying in those seas are infected; for as some of our people, ordered to

view and make a further discovery of the country, were passing betwixt

the rocks and cliffs, along a strait and narrow path, to see the form

and condition of the place, they were met by an old grey-headed man,

who, although he neither understood them or they him, endeavoured by

many signs and motions to make them sensible that they were not in

safety, and that it would be best for them to return back; he pointed to

the road that brought them thither; and the better to make them

understand the secret ambush and the approaching danger, he took up a

stone from the ground and threw it down before him. How well soever our

people ought to have understood from this, that those barbarians would

attack them from the tops of the rocks with stones, yet they paid no

regard to the signs and admonitions of the good old savage, but marched

forward, trusting to their arms. They had not gone far before a dreadful

shower of stones came pouring upon them from all quarters, when they

least thought of it, in such large quantities and with such violence,

that many of our people were thereby lamed and wounded, without being

able to make resistance in defending themselves or driving the savages

from above them, who had made their assault from too secure a place; so

that our people were constrained to slacken their pace, contrary to

their inclinations, and return back with their wounded heads, being very

well pleased however that they had escaped so well.

“What further regards these villains and traitors, I have already

observed that they are comely and well-proportioned in their persons,

and wear as an ornament pearls of a large size in their ears. About

their necks and bodies they wear, as a singular ornament, the shells of

pearl oysters. As we received great benefit and relief from our sickness

by means of the bitter herb which is found here in great plenty, and was

given us by the savages in exchange for our toys, so this new-discovered

island was by us christened by the name of the Verkwikking’s island.

“After this adventure with these roguish savages no delay was made

there, but we got again under sail; and because the provisions lessened

gradually from day to day, and the disorders, notwithstanding the relief

from the bitter herbs, continued to increase, to the great grief of us

all, it was resolved, in a council of the principal officers, to return

home by the East-Indies. We then lay up to lat. 15 deg. 47 min. S. and

according to our reckoning 224 deg. 18 min. long. being then about 1200

leagues from the coast of Peru.

“On the 12th of June we found ourselves in latitude 15 deg. 16 min. S.

and longitude 205 deg. 8 min.

“On the 14th we discovered two islands, which we could not approach near

enough to take a proper view of, by reason of the rough and stormy sea;

but, on the other hand, we had this satisfaction, that the inhabitants

came to take a view of us, and kept hovering about the ships in a number

of boats of such neat and exquisite workmanship as is almost incredible

that any thing of the kind should have been found among such savages,

they being of such an artful construction, the furniture so pretty, and

the form so neat, adorned with a number of the most curious carved

figures, that it is impossible for the imagination to conceive any thing

more elegant; and really their carved image work (which was the greatest

ornament of these boats) was so exquisite, that I much doubt if there

are many engravers in Europe capable of producing more curious

workmanship. The people in these fine boats were armed with darts, and

had their heads adorned with green leaves, and their bodies cloathed

with reeds. This island got the name of Bowman’s island from a captain

of that name. It was very pleasant and delightful to behold, fruitful,

and surrounded with trees, among which the palmetto shewed itself.

“On the 15th we came in sight of an island about seven miles in length,

lying in lat. 13 deg. 41 min. S. and 250 deg. long. Many of us felt a

longing desire to touch at this island, in hopes of procuring some

refreshment; but it was deferred, and we pursued our voyage without

landing, in order to save time, because our miseries and inconveniences

daily increased, and the disorders from many causes increased also.

“On the 18th of July we perceived many different islands, and among

others New Zealand, computed to be in extent about 300 leagues, lying

under 6 deg. of S. lat. and 166 deg. long.”

This relation is copied verbatim from Mr. Dalrymple’s valuable

Collection of Spanish and Dutch Discoveries in the South Seas, as is

likewise the following Relation of the Discovery of Davis’s Land; but

neither the one nor the other of these discoveries have since been fully

confirmed.

_An Account of the_ DISCOVERY _of the Land called_ DAVIS’S LAND.

“We went from Gallapagoes under the Line, for the southward; intending

to touch nowhere till we came to the island of Juan Fernandez.

“In our way thither, about four o’clock in the morning, when we were in

the latitude of 12 deg. 30 min. S. and about 150 leagues from the main

of America, our ship and bark felt a terrible shock, which put our men

into such a consternation, that they could hardly tell where they were,

or what to think, but every one began to prepare for death. And, indeed,

the shock was so sudden and violent, that we took it for granted the

ship had struck upon a rock: but, when the amazement was a little over,

we cast the lead, and sounded, but found no ground; so that, after

consultation, we concluded it must certainly be some earthquake. The

suddenness of this shock made the guns of the ship leap in their

carriages, and several of the men were shaken out of their hammocks.

Captain Davis, who lay with his head over a gun, was thrown out of his

cabin. The sea, which ordinarily looks green, seemed then of a whitish

colour; and the water which we took up in our buckets for the ship’s

use, we found to be a little mixed with sand. This at first made us

think there was some spit of land; but when we had sounded, it confirmed

our opinion of the earthquake. Some time after, we heard news, that at

that very time there was an earthquake at Callao, which is the road for

Lima, and that the sea ebbed so far from the shore, that on a sudden

there was no water to be seen; and that after it had been away a

considerable time, it returned in rolling mountains of water, which

carried the ships in the road of Callao a league up into the country,

overflowed the city of Callao, though it stood upon a hill, together

with the fort, and drowned man and beast for 50 leagues along the shore,

doing mischief even at Lima, though six miles within land from the town

of Callao.

Having recovered our fright, we kept on to the southward. We steered S.

and by E. half easterly, until we came to lat. of 27 deg. 20 min. S.

when, about two hours before day, we fell in with a small, low, sandy

island, and heard a great roaring noise, like that of the sea beating

upon the shore, right-a-head of the ship: whereupon the sailors, fearing

to fall foul upon the shore before day, desired the captain to put the

ship about, and to stand off till day appeared; to which the captain

gave his consent. So we plyed off till day, and then stood in again with

the land; which proved to be a small flat island, without the guard of

any rocks. We stood in within a quarter of a mile of the shore, and

could see it plainly, for it was a clear morning, not foggy nor hazy. To

the westward, about twelve leagues, by judgment, we saw a range of high

land, which we took to be islands, for there were several partitions in

the prospect. This land seemed to reach about fourteen or sixteen

leagues in a range; and there came hence great flocks of fowls. I, and

many more of our men, would have made this land, and have gone ashore at

it, but the captain would not permit us. The small island bears from

Copayapo almost due east 500 leagues, and from the Gallapagoes, under

the Line, 600 leagues.

Dampier says, “Captain Davis told me lately, that after his departure

from Ria Lexa, he went, after several traverses, to the Gallapagoes; and

that standing thence southward for wind, to bring him about Terra del

Fuego, in the latitude of 27 deg. S. about 500 leagues from Copayapo, on

the coast of Chili, he saw a small sandy island just by him; and that

they saw to the westward of it a long track of pretty high land,

trending away to the N. W. out of sight.”