Chap. I. Captain Willi 
Way betwixt Canton (a Chinefe Sea Port) and Manilla , in 
20° 4' North Latitude •, but the Eaft Winds continuing for 
five or fix Days longer with great Violence, we faw our- 
lelves obliged to alter our Refolution once more, and to obey 
the Wind, which brought us near the Chinefe Shore the 
,25th of June, where we came to an Anchor on the Nonh- 
ead: End of the Ille of St. John , lying on the Sea Coaft of 
Quantung or Canton , in China , in 22 0 30' North Latitude. 
The only Grain we obferved here was Rice, in great 
Plenty. Their tame Cattle were China Hogs, Buffaloes, 
Goats, and fome Oxen. The Inhabitants were Chinefe , 
and, confequently, now under the Subjection of the Tar- 
tars, In the file of St. John was a finall Town, built in 
a mardiy Ground, upon Polls : The Houfes mean, low, 
and ill-furnifhed. The Inhabitants live for the molt part 
by cultivating their Grounds, which produce Rice. Whilft 
we lay at Anchor here, a Chinefe Junk lay near us : She 
was fiat both at the Head and Stern, with little Huts on 
her Deck of three Feet high, covered with Palmetto-trees. 
She had a large Cabin with an Altar and Lamp burning in 
it. The Hold was divided into feveral Partitions, each 
of them fo tight, that, if a Leak fhould fpring in one, the 
Goods in the next would receive no Damage. Every 
Merchant has his particular Room, where he Hows his 
Goods, and fometimes lodges in it himfelf. Thefe Junks 
have no more than two Malls, viz. a Main- malt and Fore- 
mall : The laft has a fquare Sail, and fquare Yard •, but 
the Main-mall has a Sail narrow aloft like a Sloop’s Sail. 
In fair Weather they ufe alfo a Top-fail, which they hale 
down on the Deck in foul Weather, Yard and all. The 
Main-mad of the biged Junks are as big as any of our 
third-rate Men of War, but not pieced, being all of one 
I ree. 
52. As we faw the Forerunners of an approaching 
Temped, we weighed Anchor, not to want Sea-room. It 
was not long before we found our Guefs too true ; for the 
next Day, being the 4th of July, the Wind coming to the 
North-ead, we were furprifed by the mod violent Temped 
I ever remember in all my Voyages j which laded, by 
Intervals, till the 6th, when the Weather proved very 
ferene. We refitted our Ship •, but our Men, being terrified 
to the highed Degree by the lad Storm, and dreading the 
approaching Full-moon, refolved to deer towards the 
Fife adores, or Fifher Ides, in 23 0 North Latitude. Thefe 
are a good Number of Idands lying betwixt the Ide of 
Formofa , and the Continent of China. Betwixt the two 
Eadermod is a good Harbour ; and, on the Wed Side of 
the Eadermod, is a large Town and Fort, defended by a 
Tartar Garifon of about three hundred Men. The Houfes 
were low, but neatly built. On the Idand, on the Wed 
Side of the Harbour near the Sea-fide, we faw another 
finall Town, inhabited by Chinefe ; and mod of the other 
Ides have fome Chinefe (more or lefs) living in them. We 
came to an Anchor in the Harbour July 20. and, fending 
our Boat afliore, were civilly received by the T artarian 
Governor, who fent us fome Prefents, (among the red a 
Heifer, the fined I ever eat in my Life) but would not 
allow us either to trade there, or come alhore on that 
Ide. In Return for which, Mr. Read (now our Captain) 
fent him a Silver-hilted Sword, a Carbine, and a gold 
Chain. We failed from hence the 29th with a South-wed 
Wind, deering for certain Idands we had pitched upon, 
that lie betwixt Formofa and Luconia , being known by no 
other Names than the Five Ifles. We failed by the South- 
wed End of Formofa , a large Ide fituated betwixt 21 0 20', 
and 25 0 1 o' North Latitude, from South to North. Its 
Longitude is from 142 0 5', to 143 0 16' Eadfrom the Pike 
of Teneriff. It was formerly well inhabited by the Chinefe , 
and frequented by the Englifh but the Tartars have fince 
fpoiled the Harbour, for fear the Chinefe fhould fortify them- 
felves there. Augufi 6 . we came to an Anchor on the Ead 
Side of the Northermod: of the five Ides in fifteen Fathom 
Water: They lay in 20° 20' North Latitude ; and their 
Longitude, according to the Charts, in 14 T 50'. Con- 
trary to our Expeditions, we found, on the Ide near which 
we anchored, three or four large Towns. The Weder- 
mod Ide is the bigged : This the Dutch among us called 
the Prince of Orange IJle , being feven or eight Leagues 
Jong, and two broad, dretching North and South. There 
Numb. 8. 
AM DAMPIER. 105? 
are two more large Ifles ; the Northermod we called 
Grafton Ide : It dretches four Leagues in Length North and 
South, and is one League and an half broad : Unto the 
third great Ide we gave the Name of Monm-outh Ide, lying 
to the South of Grafton Ide, three Leagues long North and 
South, and one broad : The other two Ides, lying Ead and 
Wed, betwixt Monmouth , and the South End of Orange 
Ide, are called the Bafhee , (from a certain Liquor we 
drink there) and the Goat Ifles. Orange Idand is the 
larged, but uninhabited, being rocky and barren, and no 
Anchorage near it. Monmouth and Grafton Ides are hilly, 
but well inhabited. The Goat and Bafloee Ides are flat and 
even, and the firfl has one Town in it. The Hills of all 
thefe Ifles are rocky, but the Valleys fertile in Grafs, Plan- 
tains, Bananas, Pine-apples, Pompions, Sugar-canes, 
Potatoes, and fome Cotton ; and are well watered with 
Brooks of frefli Water. They are alfo well dored with 
Goats and Hogs, but fcarce any Fowl, either wild or 
tame. The Natives are fliort and thick, round-vifaged, 
with low Foreheads, and thick Eye-brows ; their Eyes of 
an hazel Colour, and final!, but much bigger than the 
Chinefe their Nofes are both low and fhort ; their Lip 
and Mouth middle-fized, with white Teeth, and thick, 
black, lank Flair, cut fhort to their Ears their Com- 
plexion is of a dark Copper-colour. They go always 
bare-headed and the greated Part have no Cloaths, but a 
Clout about the Middle : Some have Jackets of Plantain- 
leaves, as rough as a Bear-skin. The Women have a fhort 
Petticoat of coarfe Calico, (of their own making) which 
reaches a little below the Knees. Both Sexes wear Ean 
rings made of a yellow Metal, (they dig out of their 
Mountains) having the Weight and Colour of true Gold, 
but lomething paler : Whether it were fueh in Effect or 
no, I am not able to fay ; for it looks of a fine Colour at 
fird, but afterwards fades •, which made us fufpebl it, and 
therefore our People did not purchafe much of it. We 
obferved the Natives to befmear it with red Earth, and 
then, putting it into a quick Fire till it was red-hot, brought 
it to its former Colour again. Their Houfes are finall, 
and fcarce five Feet high. They inhabit in Villages built 
on the Sides of rocky Hills, three or four Rows one above 
another. Thefe rocky Precipices are framed by Nature 
into different Degrees, or, as it were, deep Steps or Stories, 
upon each of which they build a Row of their Houfes, 
and a fecond up to them, gradually, by Ladders fet from 
each of thefe Rows up to one another in the Middle of it ; 
which if they remove, there is no coming at them. 
They are alfo very expert in building their Boats, (for the 
Men live modly by Fifliing) much like our Deal Yalls. 
They have alfo larger Veffels, managed with twelve or 
fourteen Oars, two Men on one Bank. They never kill 
any Goats or Hogs themfelves, but feed upon the Guts or 
Intrails, and their Skins, which they broil, after they have 
finged the Hair off. They make alfo a Diffi of Locufls, 
which come at certain Seafons to devour their Potatoes. 
They take them with Nets, and broil or bake them in an 
Earthen-pan. This Difli eats well enough. Their ordL 
nary Drink is Water j but, befides this, they boil a fort 
of Liquor out of the Juice of Sugar-canes, mixed with 
Blackberries : This they put afterwards into Jars, and Jet 
it work four or five Days. After it is fettled, it becomes 
clear, and affords a ftrong and pleafant Liquor, in Tafte 
and Colour not unlike Englifh Beer, The Natives call this 
Liquor Bafloee ; whence our Crew gave this Name to one 
of the Ides. What Language they ipeak, I know not, as 
not having any Affinity either with the Chinefe or Malayan 
Languages. The only Arms they ufe are Lances, headed 
with Iron ; and they wear a kind of Armour of a Buffalo’s 
Hide, without any Sleeves, which reaches down below the 
Knees, where it is three Feet wide, and as ftiff as a Board, 
but clofe about their Shoulders. I could not perceive them 
worffiip any thing ; neither faw I any Idols, or any Go- 
vernment or Precedency among themfelves, except that 
the Children were very refpectful to theirParents. However,, 
it is likely, they have fome antient Cufl:omsinfl:ead of Laws ; 
for we faw a young Lad buried alive, as we fuppofed, for 
Theft. They have but one Wife, and fhe and the Chib 
dren are very obedient to the Head of the Family ; the Boys 
are educated to Fifhing, and the Girls to work with their 
% F - Mothers 
