io8 The V 0 Y 
'North-eaft Gale $ and continued the fame Courfe, till we 
came a-breaft fame of the other Philippine Ides to the North 
of us, and then fleered towards them., yet fo as to keep on 
the Weft Side. February 3. we anchored in a Bay on the 
Weft Side of an liland without a Name, in 9 0 15', on the 
Weft Side of the life of Sebo, in eighteen Fathom Water, 
oufy Ground, Its Length is eight or -ten Leagues. In the 
Middle of this Bay, we law a low, fmall, woody Me, 
haunted by a fort of Bats, of the Bignefs of a large Fowl, 
their Wings, when extended, being feven or eight Feet 
long : Every Night we faw them, in vaft Swarms, take 
their Flight towards the great Me, and return to the little 
one in the Morning. 
51. We failed hence February 10. with a North Wind, 
coafting along the Weft Side of the Philippine Ifl.es. In 
our Paffage by Panga , (a large Me inhabited by the Spa- 
niards) we faw many Fires, fuppofed to be lighted to give 
Notice of our Approach, it being rare to fee a Ship on this 
Coaft. The 18th, we came to an Anchor at the North- 
weft End of the Me of Mindora , in ten Fathom : It is a 
large Me, the Middle of it lying in 13 0 Longitude. _ It 
ftretches in Length forty Leagues North-weft and South- 
eaft. A fmall Brook of Water runs into the Sea near the 
Place where we anchored, and we faw good Store of Hogs 
and Oxen, but they were fo wild we could catch or kill 
none. Whilft we were here, a Canoe, with four Indians , 
came hither from Manilla , who told us, that the Harbour 
of Manilla was feldom without twenty or thirty YelTels, 
Chinefe , Portuguefe , and Spaniards and that if we had a 
Mind to trade, ( clandeftinely ) they would carry our 
Letters to certain Merchants there. The 21ft, we failed 
again, and, the 23d, came to the South-eaft End of the 
Me of Luconia. We took two SpoMijh Barks from Pa- 
gaffanam , a fmall Town on the North-eaft of this Me, 
bound to Manilla : One of thefe had Goods aboard for 
the Acapulco Ship. The Me of Luconia extends in Length 
6 or 7 0 of Longitude, and its Breadth, near the Middle, 
lixty Leagues. The South End is in 12 0 30', and the 
North End in 90° North Latitude. It is furrounded by 
many other fmall Mes, efpecially at the North End. Min- 
dora is the Chief, and the neareft to it, and imparts its 
Name to a Chanel that runs between it and the Me of Lu- 
£onia , called the Streights of Mindora. The Country is 
partly compofed of large Pafture Plains, and partly of 
Mountains. Thefe afford fome Gold, as the Savannas 
or Plains are well ftored with Buffaloes, Bullocks, Horfes, 
Sheep, Goats, and Hogs. The Inhabitants, who live in 
little Towns, are Indians , under the Spanijh Jurifdiction, 
and inftrufled in the Romifh Religion by Spanijh Priefts. 
Manilla is the chief, if not the only City of the Me of 
Luconia , feated at the Foot of a Ridge of high Hills 
fronting the Harbour near the South-weft Point of the Me 
in 1 4 0 North Latitude. It is defended by a ftrong Wally 
the Houfes are fpacious, ftrong, and covered with Pantile ; 
and the Streets large and regular, with a Market-place in 
the Midft. They have many fair Churches and Convents. 
The Harbour is very large. Befides the two great Aca- 
pulco Ships, they have abundance of fmall Veffels of their 
own , The Chinefe have commonly thirty or forty Junks 
or flout Veffels here: And the Portuguefe have alfo Li- 
berty of Commerce in this Me. Many Chinefe Merchants 
refide conftantly in this City. A League on this Side the 
City is a ftrong Fort to defend the Harbour, where the 
great Ships lay at Anchor. The greateft Part of this Re- 
lation I had from Mr. Coppinger , our Chirurgeon, who 
came hither from the Coaft of Coromandel. The Time of 
the Year being too far fpent for our Purpofe, we refolved 
to fail for Pulo Condor e, a Knot of fmall Mes on the Coaft 
of Cambodia , and to return in May, to lie in Wait for the 
Acapulca Ship. Accordingly, February 26. we failed from 
Luconia. Coming to 14 0 North Latitude, we fleered 
South by Weft for Pulo Condor e ; and, in our Way thither, 
got Sight of the South End of the Prafel Sholes, of three 
little fandy Mes, or large Spots of Sands, Handing juft 
above the Water, a Mile from us. March 13. we came 
in Sight of Pulo Condore , or the Ifle of Condor e, and an- 
chored the 14th on the North Side of the Ifle, in tea Fa- 
thom, clean hard Sand, two Miles from the Shore. Pulo 
Condore is the chief of a Knot of Iiles, and the only inha- 
bited one of them, in 8° 40' North Latitude, forty 
AGES®/ Book I 
Leagues South by Eaft from the Mouth of the River of 
Cambodia. Two of thefe Mes are pretty high and large, 
the reft very fmall. That I fpeak of, is five Leagues long, 
lying Eaft and Weft, and three Miles broad, but in fome 
Places not a Mile. The other large Me is three Miles 
long, ftretching North and South : Betwixt thofe two, at 
the Weft End of the largeft, is a convenient Harbour, the 
Entrance on the North Side, where thefe two Mes lie a 
Mile afunder. On the largeft Me grows a tall Tree, the 
Trunk three or four Feet Diameter^ which the Inhabitants 
cut horizontically half through, a Foot from the Ground ; 
and then cutting the upper Part aflope inwardly down, till 
it meets with the tranfverfe Cut, thence diftils a Liquor 
into an Hollow made in the Semicircular Stump *, which, 
when boiled, becomes good Tar *, and, if boiled ftill more, 
perfect Pitch, and anfwers both Ufes. Such a Tree affords 
two Quarts of Juice every Day for a Month together, then 
dries up, and recovers again. Here are alfo Mango- 
trees, the Fruit whereof they pickle, while they are green, 
with Salt, Vinegar, and a little Garlick. Grapes grow in this 
Me on a ftrait Tree, of a Foot Diameter, in Clufters about 
the Body of the Tree, like the Cocoas*, they are both 
red and white, much like our Grapes, and of a pleafant 
Tafte. This Me alfo abounds in wild Nutmeg-trees : 
Thefe are of the Bignefs of our Walnut-trees, and the 
Fruit grows amongft the Boughs, like our Walnuts. It 
is fmallerthan the true Nutmeg, but grows like it, and is 
of the fame Shape, but without Smell or Tafte. Befides 
Hogs, Guanoes, and Lizards, thefe Mes have divers Sorts 
of Birds, as Parrots, Parraquetoes, Turtle-doves,- Pigeons, 
and wild Cocks and Hens. The Sea affords Limpits, 
Muffels, and Tortoifes. They have many frefh-water 
Brooks running into the Sea for ten Months in the Year, 
and lie very conveniently for Trade with Japan , China , 
Manilla , L unquin, Co chin china, &c. The Inhabitants of the 
Me of Condore are originally Cochinchinefe of a middle Sta- 
ture, but well-fhaped, much darker than the Mindanyans ; 
their Hair is ftreight and black, their Eyes of the fame 
Colour, but fmall, and fo are their Nofes, yet pretty high ; 
their Lips thin, with a little Mouth, and white Teeth. 
They are very civil, but poor, having no other Employ- 
ment but to gather the Juice for Tar, and draw fome Oil 
from the Fat of the Tortoife, which they tranfport to 
Cochinchina. They offer their Women to all Strangers 
for a very fmall Matter *, a Cuftom ufed alfo at Pegu , Siam, 
Cochinchina and Cambodia in the Eaft Indies , and on the 
Coaft of Guiney , in Africa, and alfo at T unquin. They 
are Pagans, and worfhip chiefly the Elephant and Horfe, 
befides other Images of Birds and Filh. But I obferved 
none of human Shape. March 15. we looked for a Place 
to careen in ; and, having met with one, we entered the 
fame the 1 6th, where we ftaid till the 6th of April, when 
we went hence to the Place where we anchored before, on 
the North Side of the great Me, to fill frefh Water ; 
which being accompliflied by the 21ft, we failed again 
from Pulo Condore , our Courfe Weft by South, with an 
Eaft North-eaft Wind, for the Bay of Siam. The 23d, 
we came to the Me of Ubi, forty Leagues Weft of the 
Ifle of Condore , lying at the Entrance near the South-weft 
Point of Land, that makes the Point of Siam called the 
Point of Comodi a. Its Circumference is feven or eight 
Leagues, being higher Land than any of the Condore Ifles. 
It has good Water on the North Side, where you may 
anchor *, but the belt Anchorage is on the Eaft Side, 
againft a fmall Bay. The 24th, we entered the Bay of 
Siam, which is very deep *, and went in among the Mes, 
at the Bottom of the Bay. In one of thefe we found a 
fmall Village, inhabited by Fifhermen, but no Filh : So we 
turned back ; but, being becalmed, did not return to 
Pulo Ubi till May 13. where we call Anchor on the Eaft 
Side, and were detained by Tempefts till the 20th. The 
2 1 ft, we failed thence back for Pulo Condore , where we 
came to an Anchor the 24th : Here five or fix of our Men, 
going aboard a Malayan Veffel, were ftabbed by the Ship’s 
Crew. June 4. being provided with Fuel and frefh Water, 
we failed from Pulo Condore with a South-weft Wind, 
intending to make Manilla ; but the Wind foon turn- 
ing Eaft and South-eaft, and continuing fo for ten Days, 
we were forced to alter our Courfe, and fleer for the Ifle of 
Praia , a fmall low Island inclofed with Rocks, in the 
Way 
