1780. THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 41S 



senting them with a dollar each for their trouble, and 

 intrusting to their care a bottle of rum for the Man- 

 darin. One of them chose to accompany us on board. 



At two in the afternoon we joined the ships, and 

 several of our shooting parties returned about the 

 same time from the woods, having had little success, 

 though they saw a great variety of birds and 

 animals, some of which will be hereafter noticed. 



At five, a proa with six men rowed up to the 

 ship, from the upper end of the harbour, and a 

 decent-looking personage introduced himself to 

 Captain Gore with an ease and good breeding, 

 which convinced us his time had been spent in 

 other company than what this island afforded. He 

 brought with him the French paper above trans- 

 cribed, and said he was the Mandarin mentioned in 

 it. He spoke a few Portugueze words, but as none of 

 us were acquainted with this language, we were 

 obliged to have recourse to a black man on board, who 

 could speak the Malay, which is the general language 

 of these islanders, and was understood by the Man- 

 darin. After a little previous conversation, he declared 

 to us, that he was a Christian, and had been baptized 

 by the name of Luco ; that he had been sent hither 

 in August last, from Sai-gon, the capital of Cochin 

 China, and had since waited in expectation of some 

 French ships, which he was to pilot to a safe port, 

 not more than a day's sail hence, upon the coast of 

 Cochin China. We acquainted him, that we were 

 not French, but English, and asked him whether he 

 did not know that these two nations were now at 

 war with one another? He made answer in the 

 affirmative ; but, at the same time, signified to us, 

 that it was indifferent to him to what nation the 

 ships he was instructed to wait for belonged, pro- 

 vided their object was to trade with the people 

 of Cochin China. He here produced another 

 paper, which he desired us to read. This was a 

 letter sealed and directed, •" To the captains 



