FORT CONCORDIA. 187 



neo, where the Resident had been Superintendent 

 for twelve years, we took our leave. I was glad to 

 find that Mr. Gronovius entertained views more 

 liberal than Dutchmen generally do. He had, as 

 he told me, written to the Governor-General at 

 Batavia, requesting that Coepang might be made a 

 free port, and emigration allowed. He most kindly 

 offered us horses and guides for riding- or shootino-. 

 The observations for latitude, longitude, &c. were 

 made in Fort Concordia,* near the flag-staff. I was 

 surprised to find this fort so much out of repair ; 

 the only guns fit to be fired out of were two brass 

 six-pounders, the carriages indeed of which were not 

 trustworthy. On these guns I noticed the same 

 mark as on that we found at Houtman's Abrolhos, 

 namely, two sides of a triangle bisecting two small 

 circles. I never see an old fort without thinkincy 



o 



of the anecdote of a party from the Beagle visiting 

 one at Valdivia on the west coast of South Ame- 

 rica. The guns were very much out of repair, and 

 when the remark was made to the old Spaniard who 

 shewed the fort, that they would not bear to be 

 fired out of owcfi, with a shrug of his shoulders he 

 replied that he thought they would bear it twice ! 

 But to return to Fort Concordia : it stands on a 

 madreporic rocky eminence, about 60 feet in eleva- 

 tion, commanding the straggling town of Coepang, 

 which, certainly, from the anchoragef does not im- 

 press the stranger with a favourable opinion of the 



* Lat. 10° 10' 11" S., and long. 9" 50' 00" W. of Swan River, 

 t See the view annexed. 



