SEPT. 1770 TRADE AT SAVU 337 



to the inferior people, or to leave any with the principal 

 ones to be distributed among them after she was gone. 

 This we were told did not at all extend to the beads or 

 small pieces of cloth which we gave the natives in return 

 for their small civilities, as bringing us palm wine, etc. 

 Some of our gentlemen were of opinion that the whole of 

 this letter was an imposition, but whether it was or not I 

 shall not take upon myself to determine. 



In the evening we had intelligence from our trading 

 place that no buffaloes or hogs had been brought down ; but 

 only a few sheep, which were taken away before our people, 

 who had sent for money, could procure it. Some few fowls, 

 however, were bought, and a large quantity of a kind of 

 syrup made from the juice of the palm tree, which, though 

 infinitely superior to molasses or treacle, sold at a very 

 small price. We complained to Mynheer Lange : he said 

 that as we had not ourselves been down upon the beach, 

 the natives were afraid to take money from any one else, 

 lest it should be false. On this, the captain went im- 

 mediately down, but could see no cattle : while he was gone, 

 Mr. Lange complained that our people had not yet offered 

 gold for anything : this he said the islanders were displeased 

 at, as they had expected to have had gold for their stock. 



2Qth. In the morning early the captain went ashore 

 himself to purchase buffaloes : he was shown two, one of 

 which they valued at five guineas, the other a musket : he 

 offered three guineas for the one, and sent for a musket to 

 give for the other. The money was flatly refused, and 

 before the musket could be brought off, Dr. Solander, who 

 had been up in the town in order to speak to Mr. Lange, re- 

 turned, followed by eighty spearmen and twenty musketeers 

 sent by the king, to tell us that this day and no more 

 would be allowed us to trade, after which we must be gone. 

 This was the message that Dr. Solander had from the Eadja 

 by Mr. Lange's interpretation, but a Portuguese Indian who 

 came from Timor, probably next in command to Mr. Lange, 

 carried it much further, telling us that we might stay ashore 

 till night if we pleased, but none of the Indians would be 



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