276 cook's FIRST VOYAGE SEPT* 



He boasted that there were no less than six hundred 

 Christians in the township of Seba ; but what the 

 Dutch Christianity of these Indians may be, it is not 

 perhaps very easy to guess, for there is not a church, 

 nor even a priest, in the whole island. 



While we were at this place, we made several 

 enquiries concerning the neighbouring islands, and 

 the intelligence which we received is to the following 

 effect. 



A small island to the westward of Savu, the name 

 of which we did not learn, produces nothing of any 

 consequence but areca-nuts, of which the Dutch re- 

 ceive annually the freight of two sloops, in return for 

 presents that they make to the islanders. 



Timor is the chief, and the Dutch residents on the 

 other islands go thither once a year to pass their 

 accounts. The place is nearly in the same state as 

 in Dampier's time, the Dutch having there a fort and 

 storehouses; and, by Lange's account, we might there 

 have been supplied with every necessary that we ex- 

 pected to procure at Batavia, salt provisions and 

 arrack not excepted. But the Portuguese are still in 

 possession of several towns on the north side of the 

 island, particularly Laphao and Sesial. 



About two years before our arrival, a French ship 

 was wrecked upon the east coast of Timor ; and after 

 she had lain some days upon the shoal, a sudden gale 

 broke her up at once, and drowned the Captain, with 

 the greatest part of the crew T : those who got ashore, 

 among whom was one of the lieutenants, made the 

 best of their way to Concordia ; they were four days 

 upon the road, where they were obliged to leave part 

 of their company through fatigue, and the rest, to the 

 number of about eighty, arrived at the town. They 

 were supplied with every necessary, and sent back 

 to the wreck, with proper assistance for recovering 

 what could be fished up : they fortunately got up all 

 their bullion, which was in chests, and several of their 

 guns, which were very large. They then returned 



