March.] 



SAIL TO THE WESTWARD. 



government, as Tanger is garrisoned by Dutch troops, and inhabited 

 by civilized natives. The necessary directions for touching at Tanger 

 point will be found in Horsburgh's East India Directory. 



The treachery and perfidy of the Malays having become proverbial, it 

 behooves every ship-master, when in any of their ports, to be constantly 

 on his guard, and not to go on shore, except in cases of absolute 

 necessity, when the boats' crew should be well armed, and he himself 

 furnished with a brace of pistols and cutlass. By neglecting these 

 necessary precautions, many valuable lives have been sacrificed among 

 these cowardly piratical wretches. The ships' guns, both great and 

 small, should also be constantly kept in perfect order, and well loaded. 

 When Malay proas are alongside of a ship, one-fourth of the crew 

 should always be stationed in the tops, on each of which at least 

 two swivels should be mounted, carrying a pound and a half ball, 

 and these should be kept loaded with canisters of musket-balls and 

 buck-shot. Each top should also be provided with a water-proof arm- 

 chest, well stored with loaded muskets and blunderbusses, charged 

 with the largest size buck-shot. Each man in the tops should have a 

 boarding-pike within reach, and their matches should be kept con- 

 stantly burning, sheltered from the weather by water-tight match-tubs. 



Thus equipped, two men in each top would do more execution in 

 case of an attack than one hundred upon deck ; and it has always 

 astonished me that ships trading in those seas have not been furnished 

 with close tops, armed and equipped in the manner here mentioned ; 

 instead of loading their decks with great guns, which are of little use 

 when attacked by these Malays, who always depend upon boarding. 

 In case they should obtain possession of the decks, to the number of 

 five hundred or even a thousand, a well delivered fire from the tops 

 would clear them off, like chaff before a tempest. 



For a description of the character, manners, habits, and customs of 

 the Malays I shall refer the reader to the journals of such voyagers 

 as have treated on these subjects at large ; particularly that of Cap- 

 tain H. M. Elmore, in the East India Company's service. 



January 29th. — On Saturday, the 29th of January, at eleven, A. M., 

 we passed Java Head, when the Antarctic was once more floating on 

 the bosom of the Indian Ocean, with light variable winds and calms ; 

 afterward succeeded by great falls of rain, together with heavy thun- 

 der and vivid lightning. We continued on a south-west course, making 

 the best of our way towards the Cape of Good Hope. 



February \2th. — On Saturday, the 12th of February, being in lati- 

 tude 11° 19' south, long. 95° 55' east, we took the south-east trade- 

 wind. We still pursued the same course, passing in sight of the Isle 

 of France and the island of Madagascar, for more than twenty days, 

 with variable weather. 



March 4th. — On Friday, the 4th of March, at four, P. M., being in 

 latitude 32° 15', long. 34° 11' east, we spoke the British East India 

 ship Sesostris, Captain Gates, from Canton, bound to London. Capt. 

 Gates very politely inquired if I wished any supplies or assistance 

 of any kind, assuring me it would be a pleasure to him to spare me a 

 part of any thing his ship afforded. I made a suitable acknowledge 



