858 PAHT OF THE TREPAN G FLEET, 



solitary post. Even in Hobarton, where they had 

 touched on coming out, he could get no information 

 as to the extent of the place, and the most erroneous 

 ideas seemed to have been held of it. 



From Messrs. Ince and Macgillivray we learnt 

 that the rainy season had been moderate, one or 

 sometimes two squalls of wind and rain every day, 

 with thunder and lightning, but no long continued 

 rains. They had, however, a short time before our 

 arrival, had a gale of wind from the S.S.E., almost 

 amounting to a hurricane, blowing down trees, and 

 lasting with great fury for four or five hours. 



There were two Bugis prahus, from Macassar, 

 at anchor in the harbour, being part of the trepang 

 fleet ; small, poor, dirty-looking things, like the 

 common fishing prahus of the archipelago. One 

 had arrived in ten, the other in fifteen days from 

 Macassar. Their crews were like the vessels, 

 ragged and very poor-looking, evidently belong- 

 ing to the very lowest of the people ; so that 1 

 should think the voyage can hardly be a very 

 profitable one, or a higher class of people, and 

 better vessels, would be engaged in it. They spoke 

 Malay in a different dialect from that used at Sour- 

 abaya, and though very civil and quiet, were dull, 

 and rather stupid-looking men. On Jan. 30th 

 another prahu arrived, and reported that four others 

 had been lost outside, having foundered in a gale 

 of wind, and all hands lost, except the crew of 

 one that they had been able to save. This prahu 



