money, and they paid all in gold: the price he made here, was to us
indeed extravagant, though to them moderate, seeing they had been used
to buy these goods from the Acapulco ships, which came in yearly, from
whom to be sure they bought them dear enough. They bought as many goods
at this time as they paid the value of fifteen thousand pieces of eight
for, but all in gold by weight.
As for carrying our goods on shore, the governor, being present, no
officer had anything to say to them; so they were carried on shore as
presents, made by us to the governor and his retinue.
The next day three Spanish merchants came on board us, early in the
morning, before it was light, and desired to see the supercargo. They
brought with them a box of diamonds and some pearl, and a great quantity
of gold, and to work they went with our cargo, and I thought once they
would have bought the whole ship's loading; but they contented
themselves to buy about the value of two-and-twenty thousand pieces of
eight, which did not cost, in England, one-sixth part of the money.
We had some difficulty about the diamonds, because we did not understand
the worth of them, but our supercargo ventured upon them at ten thousand
pieces of eight, and took the rest in gold. They desired to stay on
board till the next night, when, soon after it was dark, a small sloop
came on board and took in all their goods, and, as we were told, carried
them away to some other island.
The same day, and before these merchants were gone, came a large shallop
on board with a square sail, towing after her a great heavy boat, which
had a deck, but seemed to have been a large ship's long-boat, built
into a kind of yacht, but ill masted, and sailed heavily. In these two
boats they brought seven tons of cloves in mats, some chests of China
ware, some pieces of China silks, of several sorts, and a great sum of
money also.
In short, the merchants sold so cheap and bought so dear, that our
supercargo declared he would sell the whole cargo for goods, if they
would bring them, for, by his calculation, he had disposed of as many
goods as he received the value of one hundred thousand pieces of eight
for, all which, by his accounts, did not amount to, first cost, above
three thousand pounds sterling in England.
Our ship was now an open fair; for, two or three days after, came the
vessel back which went away in the night, and with them a Chinese junk,
and seven or eight Chinese or Japanners; strange, ugly, ill-looking
fellows they were, but brought a Spaniard to be their interpreter, and
they came to trade also, bringing with them seventy great chests of
China ware exceeding fine, twelve chests of China silks of several
sorts, and some lackered cabinets, very fine. We dealt with them for all
those, for our supercargo left nothing, he took everything they brought.
Our traders were more difficult to please than we: for as for baize and
druggets, and such goods, they would not meddle with them; but our fine
cloths and some bales of linen they bought very freely. So we unloaded
their vessel and put our goods on board. We took a good sum of money of
them besides; but whither they went we knew not, for they both came and
went in the night too, as the other did.
This trade held a good while, and we found that our customers came more
from other islands than from the island where the governor resided; the
reason of which, as we understood afterwards, was, because, as the
governor had not openly granted a freedom of commerce, but privately
winked at it, so they were not willing to carry it on openly before his
face, or, as we say, under his nose; whereas, in other islands, they
could convey their goods on shore with very little hazard, agreeing with
the custom-house officer for a small matter.
These boats came and went thus several times, till, in short, we had
disposed almost of the whole cargo; and now our men began to be
convinced that we had laid out our voyage very right, for never was
cargo better sold; and, as we resolved to pursue our voyage for New
Spain, we had taken in a cargo very proper to sell there, and so,
perhaps, to double the advantage we had already made.
In the mean time, all our hands were at work to store ourselves anew,
with such provisions as could be had here for so long a run as we knew
we were to have next; namely, over the vast Pacific Ocean, or South Sea,
a voyage where we might expect to see no land for four months, except we
touched at the Ladrones, as it might happen; and our greatest anxiety
was for want of water, which our whole ship could scarce be able to stow
sufficient for our use; and our want of casks was still as bad as the
want of water, for we really knew not what to put water in when we had
it.
The Spaniards had helped us to some casks, but not many; those that they
could spare were but small, and at last we were obliged to make use of
about two hundred large earthen jars, which were of singular use to us.
We got a large quantity of good rice here, which we bought of a Chinese
merchant, who came in here with a large China vessel to trade, who
bought of us also several of our European goods.
Just as we were ready to sail, a boat came from the town of Manilla, and
brought a new merchant, who wanted more English goods, but we had but
few left; he brought with him thirty chests of calicoes, muslins,
wrought silks, some of them admirably fine indeed, with fifteen bales of
romals, and twelve tons of nutmegs. We sold him what goods we had left,
and gave him money for the rest, but had them at a price so cheap, as
was sufficient to let us know that it was always well worth while for
ships to trade from Europe to the East Indies; from whence they are sure
to make five or six of one. Had more of these merchants come on board,
we were resolved to have laid out all the gold and silver we had, which
was a very considerable quantity.
The last merchant who came on board us was a Spaniard; but I found that
he spoke very good French, and some English; that he had been in England
some years before, and understood English woollen manufactures very
well. He told me he had all his present goods from Acapulco, but that
they were then excessively dear. He had considerable dealings with the
Chinese, and some with the coast of Coromandel and Bengal, and kept a
vessel or two of his own to go to Bengal, which generally went twice in
a year.
I found be had great business with New Spain, and that he generally had
one of the Acapulco ships chiefly consigned to him; so that he was full
of all such goods as those ships generally carried away from the
Manillas, and, had we traded with him sooner, we should have had more
calicoes and muslins than we now had; however, we were exceedingly well
stored with goods of all sorts, suitable for a market in Peru, whither I
resolved to go.
We continued chaffering after this manner about nine weeks, during which
time we careened our ships, cleaned their bottoms, rummaged our gold,
and repacked some of our provisions; endeavouring, as much as possible,
to keep all our men as fully employed as we could, to preserve them in
health, and yet not to overwork them, considering the heat of the
climate.
Some time before we were ready to sail, I called all the warrant
officers together, and told them, that as we were come to a country
where abundance of small things were to be bought, and going to a
country where we might possibly have an opportunity to sell them again
to advantage, I would advance to every officer a hundred dollars, upon
account of their pay, that they might lay it out here, and dispose of it
again on the coast of New Spain to advantage. This was very acceptable
to them, and they acknowledged it; and here, besides this, by the
consent of all our superior officers, I gave a largess or bounty of five
dollars a man, to all our foremast men; most of which I believe they
laid out in arrack and sugar, to cheer them up in the rest of the
voyage, which they all knew would be long enough.
We went away from Manilla, in the island of Luconia, the 15th of August,
1714; and, sailing awhile to the southward, passed the Straits between
that island and Mindora, another of the Philippines, where we met with
little extraordinary, except extraordinary lightning and thunders, such
as we never heard or saw before, though, it seems, it is very familiar
in that climate; till, after sixteen days' sailing, we saw the isle of
Guam, one of the Ladrones, or Islands of Thieves, for so much the word
imports; here we came to an anchor, Sept. 3, under the lee of a steep
shore, on the north side of the isle of Guam; but, as we wanted no trade
here, we did not at first inquire after the chief port, or Spanish
governor, or anything of that kind; but we changed our situation the
next day, and went through the passage to the east side of the island,
and came to an anchor near the town.
The people came off, and brought us hogs and fowls, and several sorts of
roots and greens, articles which we were very glad of, and which we
bought the more of because we always found that such things were good to
keep the men from the scurvy, and even to cure them of it if they had
it. We took in fresh water here also, though it was with some
difficulty, the water lying half a mile from the shore.
When I parted from Manilla, and was getting through the Strait between
the island of Luconia and that of Mindora, I had some thoughts of
steering away north, to try what land we might meet with to the
north-east of the Philippines; and with intent to have endeavoured to
make up into the latitude of 50 or 60 deg., and have come about again to the
south, between the island of California and the mainland of America; in
which course, I did not question meeting with extraordinary new
discoveries, and, perhaps, such as the age might not expect to hear of,
relating to the northern world, and the possibility of a passage out of
those seas, either east or west, both which, I doubt not, would be
found, if they were searched after this way; and which, for aught I
know, remain undiscovered for want only of an attempt being made by
those seas, where it would be easy to find whether the Tartarian seas
are navigable or not; and whether Nova Zembla be an island or joined to
the main; whether the inlets of Hudson's Bay have any opening into the
West Sea; and whether the vast lakes, from whence the great river of
Canada is said to flow, have any communication this way or not.
But though these were valuable discoveries, yet, when I began to cast up
the account in a more serious manner, they appeared to have no relation
to, or coherence with, our intended voyage, or with the design of our
employers, which we were to consider in the first place, for though it
is true that we were encouraged to make all such kinds of useful
discoveries as might tend to the advantage of trade, and the improvement
of geographical knowledge and experience, yet it was all to be so
directed as to be subservient to the profits and advantages of a trading
and cruising voyage.
It is true that these northern discoveries might be infinitely great,
and most glorious to the British nation, by opening new sources of
wealth and commerce in general: yet, as I have said, it was evident that
they tended directly to destroy the voyage, either as to trading or to
cruising, and might perhaps end in our own destruction also. For
example, first of all, if adventuring into those northern seas, we
should, by our industry, make out the discovery, and find a passage,
either east or west, we must follow the discovery so as to venture quite
through, or else we could not be sure that it was really a discovery;
for these passages would not be like doubling Cape de Bon Esperance, on
the point of Africa, or going round Cape Horn, the southernmost point of
America, either of which were compassed in a few days, and then
immediately gave an opening into the Indian or Southern Oceans, where
good weather and certain refreshment were to be had.
Whereas, for the discovery in the north, after having passed the
northernmost land of Grand Tartary, in the latitude of 74 even to 80 deg.,
and perhaps to the very north pole, there must be a run west, beyond the
most northerly point of Nova Zembla, and on again west-south-west, about
the North Kyn and North Cape, about six hundred leagues, before we could
come to have any relief of the climate; after that, one hundred and
sixty leagues more, and even to Shetland and the north of Scotland,
before we could meet with any relief of provisions, which, after the
length we must have run, from the latitude of 31/2 deg., where we now were at
the Philippine Islands, to 74 deg. north, being near five thousand miles,
would be impossible to be done, unless we were sure to victual, and
furnish ourselves again with provisions and water by the way, and that
in several places.
As to the other passage east, towards the continent of America, we had
this uncertainty also; namely, that it was not yet discovered whether
the land of California was an island or a continent, and if it should
prove the latter, so as that we should be obliged to come back to the
west, and not be able to find an opening between California and the land
of north America, so as to come away to the coast of Mexico, to
Acapulco, and so into the South Sea, and at the same time should not
find a passage through Hudson's Bay, &c., into the North Sea, and so to
Europe, we should not only spoil the voyage that way also, but should
infallibly perish by the severity of the season and want of provisions.
All these things argued against any attempt that way; whereas, on the
other hand, for southern discoveries, we had this particular
encouragement; that whatever disappointment we might meet with, in the
search after unknown countries, yet we were sure of an open sea behind
us; and that whenever we thought fit to run south beyond the tropic, we
should find innumerable islands where we might get water, and some sort
of provisions, or come back into a favourable climate, and have the
benefit of the trade winds, to carry us either backward or forward, as
the season should happen to guide us.
Last of all, we had this assurance, that, the dangers of the seas
excepted, we were sure of an outlet before us, if we went forward, or
behind us, if we were forced back; and, having a rich cargo, if we were
to do nothing but go home, we should be able to give our employers such
an account of ourselves, as that they would be very far from being
losers by the voyage; but that, if we reached safe the coast of New
Spain, and met with an open commerce there, as we expected, we should
perhaps make the most prosperous voyage that was ever made round the
globe before.
These considerations put an end to all my thoughts of going northward;
some of our secret council, (for, by the way, we consulted our foremast
men no more, but had a secret council among ourselves, the resolutions
of which we solemnly engaged not to disclose); some of these, I say,
were for steering the usual course, from the Philippines to New Spain,
viz., keeping in the latitudes of 11 or 13 deg. north the line, and so
making directly for California; in which latitude they proposed that we
might, perhaps, by cruising thereabout, meet with the Manilla ships,
going from New Spain to Manilla, which we might take as prizes, and then
stand directly for the coast of Peru. But I opposed this, principally
because it would effectually overthrow all my meditated discoveries to
the southward; and, secondly, because I had observed, that, on the north
of the line, there are no islands to be met with, in all the long run of
near two thousand leagues, from Guam, one of the Ladrones, to the land
of California; and that we did not find we were able to subsist during
so long a run, especially for want of water; whereas, on the south of
the line, as well within the tropic as without, we were sure to meet
with islands innumerable, and that even all the way; so that we were
sure of frequent relief of fresh water, of plants, fowl, and fish, if
not of bread and flesh, almost all the way.
This was a main consideration to our men, and so we soon resolved to
take the southern course; yet, as I said, we stood away for the Ladrones
first. These are a cluster of islands, which lie in about 11 to 13 deg.
north latitude, north-east from the Moluccas, or Spice Islands, and east
and by north from that part of the Philippines where we were, and at the
distance of about four hundred leagues, and all the ships which go or
come between the Philippines and New Spain touch at them, for the
convenience of provisions, water, &c.; those that go to Spain put in
there, in order to recruit and furnish for, and those that come from
Spain, to relieve themselves after so long a run as that of six thousand
miles, for so much it is at least from Guam to Acapulco; on these
accounts, and with these reasonings, we came to the isles of the
Ladrones.
During our run between the Philippine and Ladrone islands, we lived
wholly upon our fresh provisions, of which we laid in a great stock at
Manilla, such as hogs, fowls, calves, and six or seven cows, all alive,
so that our English beef and pork, which lay well stored, was not
touched for a long time.
At the Ladrones we recruited, and particularly took on board, as well
alive as pickled up, near two hundred hogs, with a vast store of roots,
and such things as are their usual food in that country. We took in also
above three thousand cocoa-nuts and cabbages; yams, potatoes, and other
roots, for our own use; and, in particular, we got a large quantity of
maize, or Indian wheat, for bread, and some rice.
We stored ourselves likewise with oranges and lemons; and, buying a
great quantity of very good limes, we made three or four hogsheads of
lime-juice, which was a great relief to our men in the hot season, to
mix with their water; as for making punch, we had some arrack and some
sugar, but neither of them in such quantity as to have much punch made
afore the mast.
We were eighteen days on our passage from the Strait of Mindora to Guam,
and stayed six days at the latter, furnishing ourselves with
provisions, appearing all this while with French colours, and Captain
Merlotte as commander. However we made no great ceremony here with the
Spanish governor, as I have said already, only that Captain Merlotte,
after we had been here two days, sent a letter to him by a French
officer, who, showing his commission from the king of France, the
governor presently gave us product, as we call it, and leave to buy what
provisions we wanted.
In compliment for this civility, we sent the governor a small present of
fine scarlet camlet and two pieces of baize; and he made a very handsome
return, in such refreshments as he thought we most wanted.
There was another reason for our keeping in this latitude till we came
to the Ladrones; namely, that all the southern side of that part of the
way, between the Philippines and the Ladrones, is so full of islands,
that, unless we had been provided with very good pilots, it would have
been extremely hazardous; and, add to this, that, beyond these islands
south, is no passage; the land, which they call Nova Guinea, lying away
east and east-south-east, farther than has yet been discovered; so that
it is not yet known whether that country be an island or the continent.
Having for all these reasons gone to the Ladrones, and being
sufficiently satisfied in our reasons for going away from thence to the
southward, and having stored ourselves, as above, with whatever those
islands produced, we left the Ladrones the 10th day of September in the
evening, and stood away east-south-east, with the wind north-north-west,
a fresh gale; after this, I think it was about five days, when, having
stretched, by our account, about a hundred and fifty leagues, we steered
away more to the southward, our course south-east-by-south.
And now, if ever, I expected to do something by way of discovery. I knew
very well there were few, if any, had ever steered that course; or that,
if they had, they had given very little account of their travels. The
only persons who leave anything worth notice being Cornelius Vanschouten
and Francis Le Mare, who, though they sailed very much to the south, yet
say little to the purpose, as I shall presently show.
The sixteenth day after we parted from the Ladrones, being, by
observation, in the latitude of 17 deg. south of the line, one of our men
cried, A sail! a sail! which put us into some fit of wonder, knowing
nothing of a ship of any bulk could be met with in those seas; but our
fit of wonder was soon turned to a fit of laughter, when one of our men
from the foretop, cried out, Land! which, indeed, was the case; and the
first sailor was sufficiently laughed at for his mistake, though, giving
him his due, it looked at first as like a sail as ever any land at a
distance could look.
Towards evening we made the land very plain, distance about seven
leagues south-by-east, and found that it was not an island, but a vast
tract of land, extended, as we had reason to believe, from the side of
Gilolo, and the Spice Islands, or that which we call Nova Guinea, and
never yet fully discovered. The land lying away from the west-north-west
to the south-east-by-south, still southerly.
I, that was for making all possible discovery, was willing, besides the
convenience of water, and perhaps fresh provisions, to put in here, and
see what kind of country it was; so I ordered the brigantine to stand in
for the shore. They sounded, but found no ground within half a league of
the shore; so they hoisted out their boat, and went close in with the
shore, where they found good anchor-hold in about thirty-six fathom, and
a large creek, or mouth of a river; here they found eleven to thirteen
fathom soft oozy sand, and the water half fresh at the mouth of the
creek.
Upon notice of this, we stood in, and came all to an anchor in the very
creek; and, sending our boats up the creek, found the water perfectly
fresh and very good upon the ebb, about a league up the river.
Among all the islands in this part of the world, that is to say, from
the Philippines eastward, of which there are an infinite number, we
never came near any but we found ourselves surrounded with canoes and a
variety of boats, bringing off to us cocoa-nuts, plantains, roots, and
greens, to traffic for such things as they could get; and that in such
numbers, we were tired with them, and sometimes alarmed, and obliged to
fire at them. But here, though we saw great numbers of people at a
distance from the shore, yet we saw not one boat or bark, nor anything
else upon the water.
We stayed two or three days taking in fresh water, but it was impossible
to restrain our men from going on shore, to see what sort of a country
it was; and I was very willing they should do so. Accordingly, two of
our boats, with about thirty men in both of them, went on shore on the
east side of the creek or harbour where our ship lay.
They found the country looked wild and savage; but, though they could
find no houses, or speak with the inhabitants, they saw their footsteps
and their seats where they had sat down under some trees; and after
wandering about a little, they saw people, both men and women, at a
distance; but they ran away from our men, at first sight, like
frightened deer; nor could they make any signal to them to be
understood; for when our men hallooed and called after them, they ran
again as if they had been bewitched.
Our men gathered a great variety of green stuff, though they knew not of
what kind, and brought it all on board, and we eat a great deal of it;
some we boiled and made broth of, and some of our men, who had the
scurvy, found it did them a great deal of good; for the herbs were of a
spicy kind, and had a most pleasant agreeable taste: but none of us
could tell what to call them, though we had several men on board who had
been among the Spice Islands before in Dutch ships.
We were very uneasy that we could get nothing here but a little grass
and potherbs, as our men called it, and the men importuned me to let
them have two boats, and go up the river as high as the tide would carry
them; this I consented to, being as willing to make the discovery as
they; so I ordered the captain of the Madagascar ship, who had, as I
have said, been formerly my second mate, to go along with them.