Dollars . 
Chap. I. Captain John Clipper ton. 
Officer Hoppou which may, perhaps, fet us right as to 
the Pronunciation. The Chinefe , in genera], are very 
juftly reputed the craftieft People in the World *, and it is 
an invariable Maxim of their Policy, to chufe the cunningeft 
Man they can find to execute the Office of Hoppo •, and, 
after faying this, we need not defcend to the particular 
Character of the Man Captain Clipperton had to deal with. 
I ffiall only add, that the People of Amoy, in general, are 
thought to be the leaft nice in Points of Honour, or Prin- 
ciples of Honefty, in China. The firft thing thefe Cuftom- 
houfe Officers demanded was, what the Ship was reputed 
to be ; and what Bufinefs ffie had there. Captain Clipper- 
ton anfwered, the Ship belonged to the King of Great Bri- 
tain-, and that ffie put in there by Strefs of Weather, in or- 
der to obtain Provifions and other Neceffaries. The Cuftom- 
houfe Officers next demanded an exa£t Account of the Num- 
ber of Men and Guns, their Cargo, and the Time they 
intended to flay ; all which they put down in Writing, and 
then they departed. The very next Morning, the Men 
mutinied, and infilled, that the Captain ffiould immediately 
pay them their Prize-money, becaufe they were fatisfied the 
Succefs was in no Condition to put to Sea. The Man, who 
made this Demand, was one John Dennifon and Mr. T ay- 
lor , to whom we are indebted for this Account, interpofing 
in the Captain’s Behalf, one Edward Boreman told him, He 
had bell defift, unlefs he had a mind to have a Brace of 
Balls through his Head ; fo that here was plainly an End of 
all regular Proceedings, as well as of the Captain’s Autho- 
rity. The People brought aboard a good Quantity of Rice, 
fome Cattle, Fowls, Wood, and Water; for which they 
were paid : And, on the 1 2th, the Officers went on ffiore, 
to wait on the Hoppo, who had a very fine Palace, and who 
treated them with great Civility, and gave them Leave to 
anchor in the Harbour, and to remain there till the Mon- 
foons were over ; for which, however, he demanded, and 
loon after received in ready Money, a very extraordinary 
Compenfation, under the Title of Port Charges, amount- 
ing to 1700 Dollars, which is about 400 /. Sterl. We have 
already taken notice, that Captain Mitchell went out Second 
to Captain Clipperton ; and that, on his going to Brafil, 
Mr. Davifon fucceeded him ; and, on his being killed in 
the unfortunate Affair of Guam* Mr. Cook fucceeded him, 
who now demanded thirty Shares, in Right of his Office ; 
in which he was fupported by the Men, whom he courted 
by a continual Compliance with their Humours. Captain 
Clipperton , and the reft of the Officers, feeing the Turn 
things were likely to take, were very defirous, that fome 
Allowance ffiould be made to the Officers that were taken 
Prifoners, and to Mr. Hendrie and Mr. Bod, who came on 
board them from the Speedwell But their Endeavours were 
fruitlefs ; for the Men would hear of no fuch Allowances. 
While thefe Difputes lafted, fome took it in their Heads to 
go affiore, without afking Leave ; and, when Captain Clip- 
perton would have corrected them, the whole Company de- 
clared on their Side, and prevented it. After this, all 
things fell into Confufton : The Men refufed to work till 
they had their Prize-money ; and, to ffiew they valued the 
Credit of their Country no more than they did the Relpedt 
due to their Officer, they applied to the chief Mandarin of 
the Place, whom the Chinefe ftyle Hyhung , and defired that 
he would do them Juftice againft their Captain. Upon this, 
Mr. Clipperton was fummoned before him ; and, on the 
Mandarin’s demanding a Reafon why he refufed to give his 
Men Satisfaction, the Captain produced the Articles^ which 
ffiewed that they were not to fhare their Prize-money, till 
their Return to London. But Captain Cook (for fo he was 
now ftyled) gave the Mandarin another fort of Account ; 
which produced a Guard of Soldiers being fent on board the 
Ship, with a peremptory Order from the Mandarin to Cap- 
tain Clipperton, immediately to fettle the Shares, and pay 
them over to the Men ; with which he was obliged to com- 
ply. I his TranfaClion would admit of fome Remarks ; 
but, as they muft be obvious to every Reader, I ffiall not 
dwell upon them, but proceed with my Relation. 
23. On September 1 6 . this Diftribution was made, pur- 
iuant to the Mandarin’s Order • and, no Allowance being 
relerved for fuch as were taken Prifoners, theReprefentadves 
ot thole who were dead, or the two Gentlemen, who had 
lerved on board the Speedwel, the Prize-money Hood thus : 
The Share of Money and Plate 
The Share of Gold 
The Share of Jewels 
280 
100 
39 
The Total of a Fore-maft-man’s Dividend - 41 g 
Which, at 4 s. 8 d. a Dollar, makes Engliffo Money 
97 /. 1 5 s. 4 d. 
According to this Diftribution, 
The Captain’s Share was - 
The fecond Captain - 
The Captain of Marines, Lieutenants of the 
Ship, and Surgeon - 
/. s . d 6 
1466 10 00 
133 35 00 
1 6 08 
But tho’ Captain Cook, and his Affociates, had the good 
Luck to carry their Point in this manner, yet Captain Clip- 
per toA s Defence had fo much Weight with the chief Man- 
darin, that, before he obliged him to proceed to this Diftri- 
bution of Shares, he ordered one Half of the Cargo to be 
fecured for the Benefit of the Owners ; which, in ready 
Money, wrought Silver, Gold, and Jewels, amounted to 
between 6 and 7000 /. Sterl. which he caufed to be imme- 
diately put on board a Portuguefe Eajl Indiaman , called the 
Queen of Angels, Don Francifco la Vero Commander : 
Which Ship was unfortunately burnt at Rio Janeiro on the 
Coaft of Brafil , June 6. 1722. So that of thefe Effe&s the 
Owners received no more, the Charges of Salvage deducted, 
than 1800/. I have drawn all thefe Fadls together, tho* 
the laft of them did not happen till their Arrival at Macao , 
that the R.eader might, in one View, fee the Confequences 
of this Mutiny, and the Means, by which the Proprietors 
of this Expedition were defeated of its Profits, notwithftand- 
ing all the Care that Captain Clipperton could take to fecure 
their Property. The Reader will eafily perceive, that there 
was a ftrange Mixture of Right and Wrong, of Juftice and 
of Violence, in the Conduct of the Chinefe Mandarin towards 
Captain Clipperton and his People. I have endeavoured 
already to throw fome Light upon the Subject, by giving 
the Reader a general Account of the Difpofition and Con- 
duct of thefe People ; but, as I have fome very particular 
Memoirs, not only of this Tranfacftion, but of the State 
of Things in general in this Port at that time, I prefume I 
ffiall do him a Pleafure, if I dwell fomewhat longer upon 
this Subject. The People, and even the Mandarins, at 
Amoy , have fo managed Matters for a long Space of Time, 
that, amongft their Countrymen, who ffiould know them 
belt, they have acquired to their Port the Epithet of Hia- 
muin Booz , i. e. Amoy the wicked, or, ftill more literally 
tranflated, Amoy the roguiffi. The Fifliermen upon the 
Coaft ffiake their Heads, and pronounce thefe Words with 
a very fignificant Air, whenever they meet with any Euro- 
pean Ship inclined to put into that Port ; but, for want of 
underftanding the Language, or, perhaps, from a Confi- 
dence in their own Prudence, they very rarely make a right 
Ufe of thefe Warnings ; which, in a ffiort time, however, 
they are fure to repent : For it is a certain Rule, that parti- 
cular Provinces never acquire fuch Marks or Characters of 
Diffionefty, without deferving them. The Cuftom of this 
Port is, to difarm every Ship that comes into it, and then 
to fend two Frigates, or, as they are called in the Chinefe 
Tongue, Chanpans , full of Men, to ride near the Veffel, 
in order to oblerve her, and execute the Directions, which 
the Mandarins may fend them. Befides the monftrous Im~ 
pofition, under the Name of Port-Charges, which has bee r 
already mentioned, they have fome other ftrange Methods 
of coming at Money here ; for tho’ the Small-craft of the 
Country feem to have free Liberty of carrying on board all 
forts of Provifions, which, being in great plenty there, 
ought to be afforded at a moderate Price, yet, in Reality, 
every one of thefe Veffels goes on board the Chanpan firft, 
and there pays a Confideration for Leave to go on board the 
ftrange Veflel ; and, by this means, the Price of all man- 
ner of Provifion is raifed about a third. Another mean Ar- 
tifice, pracftifed by the Mandarins, is, fending Prefents. of 
Wine, Provifions, and coftly Curiofities, to the Captains, 
and other Officers ; of which, when the Ship is ready to fail, 
they fend a very exad Memorial, with the Prices tacked to 
it ; and the laft Article is fo much for the Clerk’s writing 
the Bill : Which muft be difcharged in Money or Commo- 
dities, 
