144 
The 
VOYAGES of 
the Place where formerly our Englifh Factory was fettled ; 
■and near it is laid to be the Hole into which the Englifh 
were thrown, after they had been maffacred by the Dutch . 
There were few of us now here but expefled the fame 
Fate ; and fome of the Inhabitants were no way fhy to tell 
us, that the Journal, which was fent in the Dutch Ships that 
we met going out from hence for Batavia , was our Pro- 
tection ; for they were fenfible, that, upon thofe Ships Ar- 
rival at Batavia , it would be prefently known, that a Part 
of Captain Dampier’s Company was arrived at Amboy na , 
and from thence it would fpread all over India ; and fo they 
knew, if we fared otherwife than well, we fhould be in- 
quired after. A little to the Eaftward of this Ifland are 
feveral other fmall Elands ; the moft noted and biggeft of 
which are Boangbejfay and Hinomfa ; they lie Eaft from 
Amboyna , at a fmall Diftance : They are of an indifferent 
Height, and not above a third Part fo big as the Eland of 
Amboyna ; they are both pretty well fortified, and produce 
Store of Cloves : But the Chinefe Place for Nutmegs is the 
Ifland of Banda , which alfo belongs to the Dutch. It lies 
in the Latitude of 40° 20' South, and bears from Amboyna 
Eaft South-eaft, Diftance 28 Leagues. The Ifland is laid 
to be in form of a Man's Foot and Leg, and to be pretty 
well fortified ; and, as it has the fame Reputation for Nut- 
megs as Amboyna for Cloves, the Governor of Amboyna is 
reckoned the chief Governor of all thofe Spice Elands, 
even to Ternate and Tidore , which are alfo Spice Elands, 
in Poffeftion of the Dutch , and lie about forty Miles to the 
Northward of the Equator. Whilft we were at this Eland 
of Amboyna , we were fo much troubled with Mufkitoes, 
(which are a fort of Gnats) that every Night we were forced 
to put ourfelves in a Bag before we could go to fleep ; for 
otherwife thofe Creatures would fo bite us, that there was 
no getting Reft ; and where-ever they bit, they commonly 
raffed a red Blifter, almoft as broad as a Silver Peny, itch- 
ing very much ; and many cannot forbear fcratching them- 
felves, fo as to caufe Inflammations, which fometimes 
occafion the Lofs of a Limb. During our Stay here, 
we had the Liberty of a broad paved Yard, about fixty 
Yards fquare •, but they would by no means let us go 
out into the Town, being very jealous of us, and defirous 
4 o prevent our knowing their Strength, or making any 
other Difcoveries, which they thought might be prejudicial 
to them. Llere we remained from May 31. to September 
14. 1705. at which time there being three of the Com- 
pany’s Sloops ready to fail hence, laden with Cloves, 
twenty-five of our Men were fent away with them for Ba- 
tavia , and ten of us left behind, who were, as they laid, 
to go in another Veffel, which was almoft ready to fail. 
On September 27. a Malayan Man was brought in here at 
Amboyna to the Stadt-houfe, to be tried for his Life : He 
was accufed, by his own Wife, for murdering his Slave : 
The Slave had been dead about fix Months, and fhe had 
concealed it ; but, happening to fall out with her Llufband, 
iffe went before the Fifcal, in the Heat of her Anger, and 
declared it : So her Hufband was put in Prifon, and the 
Corps of the dead Slave dug up ; but, it being confumed 
and rotten, no Marks of Violence could be perceived upon 
it ; and it was generally believed, that the Man’s Wife 
accufed him wrongfully : He was upon his Trial when the 
Earthquake happened, at which time I obferved, that it is 
a common Error to fuppofe, that, during an Earthquake, 
it is always calm ; for we had a fine frefh Gale at South 
South- weft, both Days on which the Earthquake happened. 
This Earthquake made all the Court break up, being in 
fear the Houfe ftiould fall on their Heads : So the Man was 
committed to Prifon again ; and the next Day, being Sep- 
tember 28. about eleven at Noon, the Court being fet again, 
the Man was again brought to his Trial ; when, in about 
a Quarter of an flour, when his Wife was in her greateft 
Violence againft him, the Earth fhook very much again, 
and caufed them ail to break up a fecond time. The fame 
Day myfelf, with four more of our Men, were fent on 
board a Chinefe Sloop for Batavia : The other five of our 
Men, which were left behind, they promifed fhould be fent 
after us in a fhort time ; yet we never heard of them fince : 
But whether they languifhed out their Days in Confine- 
ment, found fome quicker Period to their Miferies, or 
were detained, in the Dutch Service during Life, are Points 
Book T. 
that will not be fpeedily cleared up, fince our Government 
has never thought fit to inquire after, or demand them. 
32. After we had left Amboyna, we failed South- weft 
by Weft, till we came to the Ifland of Lancas , which lies 
in the Latitude of 5 0 27 South; and I make its meridian 
Diftance from Amboyna 2 0 35' Weft, or 155 Miles. We 
then fleered Wfoft by North, till we made the two Elands 
Cabefes-, where, it falling calm, we fent our Boat afhore 
on the Eaftermoft, and cut down fome hundred of Cocoa- 
nuts, which were brought on board. This Eaftern Ifland 
of Cabefes is low, not inhabited, but full of Cocoa-nut- 
trees, which are planted here for the Ufe of fuch Dutch 
Ships and Veffels as pafs by for Batavia ; for it is a fort 
of Miracle, to fee any European Ship here except the 
Dutch. Off this Ifland we met our Bark, which had 
brought us from America to Amboyna ; the Dutch , after 
they had taken her from us, had fitted her up, put a Mizen- 
maft in, and made a very good Veffel of hen This Eland 
lies in the Latitude of 5 0 23' South, and nearly Weft by 
North from the Eland Lancas , diftant about forty-five 
Miles ; it is Shole two Miles from the Shore. To the 
South-weft of this lies the other Ifland of Cabefes , which 
is a pretty high Eland, and upon it the Dutch always keep 
a Corporal and fix Soldiers, who, two or three times a 
Year, go round the Eland, to fee that no Cloves are planted ; 
and if there be, they cut them down and burn them, for 
fear any other Nation fhould take it from them ; which if 
they fhould, I am apt to believe Amboyna would be of lit- 
tle Ufe to them, Cloves being the only Product that is va- 
luable upon it. We paffed next by the South End of the 
Ifland Bouton , which is a pretty large Place, in the Lati- 
tude of 5 0 45 South. We fleered Weft ward from hence 
paffing between the Ifland Cebeles and the Eland Zalayer. 
The South Part of the Ifland Celebes is very high Land : 
It is very well inhabited, and is a very large Eland, taking 
up feven Degrees in Latitude. At the South End of 
this Ifland, on the Weft Side, the Dutch have a Fadlory 
called Macaffar , where they have a Fort of about feventy 
Guns, manned with fix or feven hundred Dutch Soldiers. 
The chief Product of the Place is Rice, with which they 
fupply all or moft of their Eaftern Elands. Here are alfo 
faid to be feveral Gold Mines, of which the Dutch are not 
yet Mafters ; for the Inhabitants are often at War with the 
Dutch , and have kept them hitherto from thofe Places. 
There lie between the South End of this Eland Celebes \ 
and the Ifland of Zalayer , three low fmall Ifles ; and the 
very befc Paffage is that which lies between the Ifland next 
to Zalayer , and another very little one which lies to the 
Northward. This is called the fecond Paffage, and the 
firfl, third, and fourth of thefe Paffages are exceedingly 
dangerous, fo that Ships generally avoid them if it be 
poffible. 
33. I fhould willingly give an Account of every Ifland 
I mention, if it was in my Power ; but, as it is not, the 
Reader mull be fatisfied with what I can fay without Injury 
to Truth. This Eland of Zalayer is of a moderate Height ; 
it is inhabited by Malayans , and planted all round with 
Cocoa-nut-trees. The Inhabitants are forced yearly to fend 
Store of Oil and Match to the Dutch at Macaffar , by way 
of Tribute. From hence v/e fleered Weft by North, till 
we had paffed a dangerous Shole, called the Brill, and then 
we haled up South-weft ; and, in the Night, faw a fmall 
Ifland juft by us, which finding we could not weather, we 
tacked and flood the other W ay till Day-light ; and then, 
finding ourfelves to the Southward of the faid Ifland, we 
tacked and flood to the South-weftward, and foon after faw 
two other low fmall Hands, bearing from the North to the 
North- weft. We could fee the Ground very plain for • 
about two Miles, and never had above fix, or under five 
Fathom Water, though it looked as if there was not above 
two Fathom : We came over this Shole about a League to 
the Southward of thefe two fmall Hands ; and this is ac- 
counted the narroweft Shole ; for, further to the South- 
ward, it is five or fix Leagues over ; but there alfo is no 
Danger, becaufe you have very even Soundings, as five or 
fix Fathom, feldom over or under. But to the Northward 
of thefe two Elands it is very dangerous, it being all very 
foul rocky Ground, and in fome Places not above four or 
five Feet Water. . Therefore go to the Southward of thefe 
Hands, 
