SEPT. 1770 DUTCH RESIDENT AT SAVU 335 
We landed and walked up to the town, which consisted 
of a good many houses, some tolerably large, each being a 
roof of thatch supported by pillars three or four feet from 
the ground, and covering a boarded floor. Before we had 
been long there it began to grow dark, and we returned on 
board, having only just tasted their palm wine, which had 
a very sweet taste, and suited all our palates very well, 
giving us hopes at the same time that it might be service- 
able to our sick, as, being the fresh and unfermented juice 
of the tree, it promised antiscorbutic virtues. 
19th. We went ashore, and proceeded immediately to 
the house of assembly, a large house which we had yesterday 
mistaken for the king’s palace; this, as well as two or three 
more in the town, or nigric, as the Indians call it, have 
been built by the Dutch East India Company. They are 
distinguished from the rest by two pieces of wood, one at 
each end of the ridge of the house, resembling cows’ horns ; 
undoubtedly the thing designed by the Indian, who on the 
17th made a sign of the mark by which we were to know 
the town by crossing his fingers, and which our Catholic 
Portuguese interpreted into a cross, making us believe that 
the settlement was originally Portuguese. In this house of 
assembly we met Mynheer Lange, and the Radja, Madocho 
Lomi Djara, attended by many of the principal people. We 
told them that we had in the boat an assortment of what 
few goods we had to truck with, and desired leave to bring 
them ashore, which was immediately granted, and orders 
given accordingly. We then attempted to settle the price 
of buffaloes, sheep, hogs, etc., which were to be paid in 
money, but here Mynheer Lange left us, and told us that 
we must settle that with the natives, who would bring 
down large quantities to the beach. By this time the 
morning was pretty far advanced, and we, resolving not to 
go on board, and eat salt meat, when such a profusion of 
flesh was continually talked of, petitioned his Majesty that 
we might have liberty to purchase a small hog, some rice, 
etc, and employ his subjects to cook them for dinner. He 
answered that if we could eat victuals dressed by his 
