420 BATAVIA TO CAPE OF GOOD HOPE cu. xvi 
13th. My fever returned, but I resolved not to attempt 
to cure it till in the main ocean I should meet with a better 
air than this uncleared island could possibly have. In the 
evening after my fit I went ashore to the king, to whom 
time after time I had made small presents, altogether not of 
five shillings value, carrying two quires of paper, which, like 
everything else, he most thankfully received. We had much 
conversation, the purport of which was his asking why the 
English ships did not touch here, as they used to do. I 
told him that as they had not on the island turtle enough to 
supply one ship, they could not expect many; but advised 
him to breed cattle, sheep, and buffaloes, which advice, 
however, he did not seem much to approve of. 
Some account of Prince’s Island. 
Prince’s Island, as it is called by the English, in Malay 
Pulo Selan, and in the language of the inhabitants Pulo 
Panettan, is a small island situated at the western entrance 
to the straits of Sunda. It is woody and has no remarkable 
hill upon it, though the English call the small one which is 
just over the anchoring place the Pike. This island was 
formerly much frequented by India ships of many nations, 
but especially English, who have of late forsaken it, on 
account, it is said, of the badness of its water, and stop 
either at North Island, a small island on the Sumatra coast 
outside the east entrance of the straits, or at New Bay, a 
few leagues only from Prince’s Island, at neither of which 
places, however, can any quantity of refreshments be procured. 
Its chief produce is water, which is so situated that if 
you are not careful in taking it high enough up the brook, 
it will inevitably be brackish, from which circumstance alone 
I believe it has got a bad name with almost all nations. It 
also produces turtle, of which, however, its supplies are not 
great ; so that if a ship comes second or third in the season 
she must be contented with small ones, and no great plenty of 
them, as indeed was in some measure our case. We bought 
at very various prices, according to the humour of the people; 
