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. 
20th. 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 Radja 
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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