tp6 The V O Y 
dities, before their Arms or Ammunition are returned. It 
would require a Sheet or two to lay open all the reft of their 
Practices •, and therefore I fhall content myfelf with giving 
the Reader an Account of what happened to a Britijh Ship 
in this Port in the Year 1715, which, very probably, was 
of Service to Captain Clipper ton, and hindered him from 
being worfe treated than he was. This Ship anchored in the 
Port of Amoy ; and, having run through the whole Circle 
of their Frauds, fold the belt Part of their Cargo, at laft, to 
Merchants recommended by the chief Mandarin, who very 
fairly became Bankrupts in twenty-four Hours after they had 
the Goods in their Hands. The Captain bore this with 
the greateft Patience; he did not fo much as fuffer any 
harfti Expreftion to efcape him ; he took all things in good 
Part, and even duped the Chinefe themfelves by his ftudied 
Diffimulation ; but, as foon as he had Licence to depart, 
he made a clear Ship, loaded all his Guns, ordered his Men 
to their refpeffive Polls, and then cut away a Japonefe Junk 
of twice the Y alue of his Cargo, and carried her into the 
Bay direffly. This furprifed the Chinefe exceftively ; but 
they immediately fitted out twenty or thirty Chanpans, 
crouded full of Men, who had the Courage to venture very 
near the Britijh Ship, till the Captain difcharged a Stem 
Gun ; and then they fled precipitately into Port. This Affair 
being brought before the Emperor, he ordered all the Man- 
darins at Amoy to be cafhiered, and Satisfaction to be made 
for the Japonefe Junk out of their Effeffs ; only the chief 
Mandarin had a milder Sentence than the reft, being mulcted 
a Year’s Profits of his Employment. This gave them a 
great Dread to the Englifj Ships ; and perhaps one Rea- 
fon that induced them to fide with the Seamen againft Cap- 
tain Clipperton was; that they might have Power on their 
Side. In Ihort, during the Stay they made of ten Weeks, 
they fufficiently experienced all the Artifices of this fraud- 
ulent and covetous People, from whom the Captain had now 
no way to defend himfelf, but was obliged to fubmit to 
whatever they demanded. By December 25. the Seafon 
and their Inclinations concurred to deliver them from fo 
uneafy a Situation ; for, by this time, even the common 
Men began to be weary of the Place, or rather of the Peo- 
ple, who carried their Scheme of Politics quite through, 
and, in fmall as well as great Matters, Ihewed themfelves 
as finifhed Cheats, as the VCorld could poffibly produce, of 
which almoft every Man, who dealt with them, was a com- 
petent Witnefs. On September 25. their Arms and Am- 
munition were again put on board the Succefs , and the very 
fame Day they weighed out of the Harbour, and got into the 
Road or Gulph, 'from whence they propofed going to Ma- 
cao, in order to have the Ship ftirveyed, the Crew infilling, 
that flie was not in a Condition to put to Sea, in order to 
return home ; and Captain Clipperton affirming the contrary, 
as well knowing, that they infilled on this Point purely to 
juftify their own Concluff, and prevent their being pumffi- 
ed in England for their Behaviour in China. 
24. On September 30. they weighed Anchor from the 
Bay of Amoy, which lies in the Province of Tonkin, in order 
to proceed to Macao , in the Road of which they anchored 
October 4. This was formerly one of the moll confiderable 
Places in China , tho* it is now much fallen to Decay. This 
Place has been now above 150 Years in the Hands of the 
Portuguefe : And the Manner in which they became pof- 
feffed of it is an excellent Specimen of Chinefe Generality ; 
for they, coming from Malacca and India to trade with the 
Chinefe , and being overtaken with the bad Weather, fome 
Ships miferably perifhed, for want of fecure Harbours, in 
the Illands about Macao ; which made them alk fome Place 
of Safety to winter in, till the Seafon would allow them to 
return home : And the Chinefe, for their own Advantage, 
gave them a Spot of rocky Land, then inhabited by Rob- 
bers, that they might expel them, as they did. At firft, 
they were permitted to build thatched Houfes ; but after- 
wards, having bribed the Mandarins, they not only ereffed 
fubftantial Structures, but Forts. One of thefe is at the 
Mouth of the Harbour, called the Fort of the Bar, the 
Wall of which terminates at the Rock called Appenha , 
which is an Hermitage of the Fathers of the Order of St. 
Auguftin on the ELill The other, being the biggeft, is called 
the Fort of the Mountain, becaufe fituated on the very Top 
of an Hill. There is alfo another high Fort, called Nuejira 
AGES of Book I. 
Senhora da Guia , or, Our Lady of Guidance. The City of 
Macao Hands on a Peninfula ; and there is a very ftrong 
Wall built acrols the Ifthmus, with a Gate in the Middle of 
it, through which the Chinefe go in and out at Pleafure ; 
but it is Death for any Portuguefe to pafs that way. Some 
Travellers have reported, that the Portuguefe were Sove- 
reigns here, as in other Places in the Eafi Indies : But they 
never were ; for the Chinefe are much too wife a People to 
fuffer any thing of that kind. It is indeed true, that, tak- 
ing all things together, the City of Macao is as fine, or 
perhaps a finer City, than could be expeffed, confidering 
its untoward Situation. It is likewife true, that it is very 
regularly and very ftrongly fortified ; and that there are up- 
wards of 200 Pieces of Brafs Cannon upon its Walls : But, 
with all this, it can only defend itfelf againft Strangers. The 
Chinefe ever were, and ever will be. Mailers of it, without 
firing a Cannon, or ftriking a Blow. They have nothing 
to do, but to flrut that Gate, which they have often done, 
and place a Guard there ; for Macao is then undone. The 
Inhabitants cannot fubfift fo much as for a Day, without 
receiving Provifions from the adjacent Country ; and, be- 
fides, the Place is fo ffiut in by well-peopled Elands, and 
the Chinefe are fo much Mailers at Sea, that, on the flighted; 
Difference, the Portuguefe at Macao might be ftarved. 
But to proceed from Reafoning to Faffs : The Portuguefe 
have indeed the Government within the City- wails over their 
own People, and yet Macao is, ftriffly and propely, a Chi- 
nefe City ; for there is a Governor refident upon the Spot, 
and an Hoppo, or Commiflioner of theCuftoms ; and thefe 
Chinefe Mandarins, with all their Officers and Servants, are 
maintained at the Expence of the City, who are at the 
Charge of the Portuguefe Government alfo. In fpite of all . 
this, the Inhabitants were formerly exceffively rich, which 
was owing to the great Trade they carried on to Japan 
which is now, in a manner, loft : Bnt, as they are feated 
near Canton , and are allowed to go to the two annual Fairs 
at that City, and to make trading Voyages when they arc 
over, they ftill find a way to fubfift, and that is all ; for 
the prodigious Prefents they' were forced to make to the 
Chinefe Mandarins upon all Occafions, eat up, in a great 
meafure, their Profit. A Veffel, that goes to Canton, 
pays, in the firft Place, 100 /, Sterl. for Leave to trade ; 
they are next forced to make a confiderable Prefent for Per- 
miffion to have their Goods brought on board by the Chi- 
nefe, to whom they not only pay ready Money for what 
they buy, but advance it likewife fometimes a Year before- 
hand. After all this, there is a Prefent neceffary for Leave 
to depart, which is at leaft double to what was given for 
Leave to trade ; and they pay Duties to the Emperor for all 
they buy, over and above thefe Prefents to his Minifters. 
As foon as Captain Clipperton in the Succefs entered this 
Port, he faluted the F ortrefs ; which Compliment being 
returned, he went on ffiore, and found in the Place the 
Captain of a Portuguefe Man of War, whofe Name we 
have mentioned before, and who undertook to carry what 
belonged to the Owners to Brafil. The Crew found them- 
feives a little at a Lofs here, the Portuguefe Captain declar- 
ing abfolutely in favour of their Commander ; and there- 
fore Mr. Cook, and another Gentleman, propofed going to 
Canton, to confult Mr. Winder, Supercargo to an Eafi India - 
man, and Son to one of the principal Proprietors, as to the 
Meafures which fhould be taken about carrying the Succefs 
home ; and, upon their Return, the Ship was furveyed, 
condemned, and fold for 4000 Dollars ; which was much 
lefs than fhe was worth ; but that was none of Captain Clip- 
per toP^ Fault, who, to fhew that he ftill adhered to his 
former Opinion, agreed with the Perfons who had bought 
her for his Paffage in her to Batavia ; a plain Indication, 
that there was no Danger of her foundering at Sea. The 
Ship fold, the Crew immediately conceived, that every 
Man was at Liberty to ffiift for himfelf, and to ufe his beft 
Endeavour to fave what little was left him, after fo unlucky 
an Expedition. They had Reafon indeed to think it un- 
lucky, fince they were, by this time, fatisfied, that Cap- 
tain Mitchell, his Crew, and Cargo, were all gone to the 
Bottom, or elfe fallen into the Hands of the Spaniards ; 
which was to them pretty much the fame thing. It was, how- 
ever, fome Confolation to them, that they were in the Neigh- 
bourhood of the Englifh Faftory at Canton ; and therefore s 
