238: The VOYAGES of ■ ; Book I 
do a Thong. The Dutch have laid hold of this fuperfti- 
tious Folly of tho te Chine fe, who live under their Protection, 
and exaCt from all the Men a Poll-tax, of a Dollar a Month, 
for the Liberty of wearing their Hair, which, if they con- 
tented themfelves with a Dollar a Year, would amount to 
a confiderable Revenue. 
While we were at Batavia, Captain Hill was informed, 
that there were feveral Pirates in thefe Seas : He therefore 
joined the Dutch homeward-bound Fleet in Bantam Bay. 
The Dutch Commodore promifed to affifl Captain Hill in 
Wooding and Watering at Mew Hand, the Water at Ba- 
tavia being very bad. We met the Francis in the Streights 
of Sunda , who, we imagined, had been a great Way a-head 
of us. Upon our joining Captain Newjham, the Dutch 
made it a Pretence to leave us before we had got the Length 
ot Mew Hand ; and Captain Newjham alfo deferred us the 
fame Evening ; fo that we were left by ourfelves. We con- 
tinued at Mew Hand fix or feven Days, during which time 
feveral Boats came from Prince's Hand, and brought us 
Turtle, Cocoa-nut, Pine-apples, and other Fruits : Some 
of thefe informed us, that there had been two or three 
Ships at this Hand a few Days before us, which gave us 
fome Uneafinefs, not knowing what they could be : Some 
of the People, having feen fome wild Cattle grazing near 
the Hand, went on fhore to kill them ; but, before they 
had advanced near enough, they difcovered a fmall Tyger, 
and a TraCt of an old one, upon which they retired to the 
Boat. From Mew Hand we had a very pleafant Paffage 
to and about the Cape of Good Hope, which, in my Opi- 
nion, was greatly owing to Captain Hill's good ConduCt, 
in coming in with the Land betimes ; I mean, upon the 
Eaftermoft Part of the Bank, and keeping a moderate Dif- 
tance from the Land ; I cannot be pofitive, but I think 
we never exceeded a Degree, generally lefs, and fometimes 
even made the Land. The three Voyages I have been 
this Way, I had the good Fortune of being with Gentle- 
men who proceeded in the fame manner as Captain Hill 
did, and with the like Succefs. The fmall Experience of 
my own before, and an Inftance or two in this laft Paffage, 
makes me of Opinion, that there is too much Caution ufed 
in coming in with the Land in Soundings ; for it is known, 
that the feverefl Gales in this Part reign from the North- 
weft to the South-weft ; the firft Quarter blows off from 
the Land, and the other is a bold Wind on the Coaft ; and 
it is certain, that the Wind out of the Sea has fcarce ever 
been obferved to blow ftrong for any time, and never 
home to the Shore, This I have been informed of, both 
by Engli/h and Dutchmen, of greater Experience than my- 
felf in thofe Parts of the World. I don’t remember, that, 
in all the time we were approaching the Cape of Good 
Hope, we took in our Top-fails above once for a Squall, 
which was over in an Hour’s time *, and another time, be- 
ing threatened by the Appearance of bad Weather, Cap- 
tain Hill made all the requifite Preparations to receive it ; 
which done, he flood in for the Land, under Hopes of 
avoiding the feemingly approaching Storm ; and he was 
undoubtedly right in his Judgment ; for, in a few Hours, 
we had fair Weather, a favourable Gale, and all our fmall 
Sails fet ; and, at the fame time, there remained a great 
Appearance of foul Weather to the Southward, and fo 
continued to do for feveral Days afterwards. This I fhould 
not have obferved, did not what I am going to relate evi- 
dently demonftrate, that it blows hard Wefterly fome 
Diftance from the Land, when you have fair Weather nearer 
the Shore. I have obferved before, that the Francis, and 
Dutch Ships, had feven Days Advantage of us, by leav- 
ing us in the Streights of Sunda ; not with (landing which, 
we gained the Cape as many Days before the Francis did, 
altho’, at the fame time, fhe failed very confiderably bet- 
ter than we ; and, as to the Dutch Ships, there was no Shew 
of their Arrival when we left the Cape. The Officers of 
pur Ship, by comparing their Accounts with fome of the 
Gentlemen belonging to the Francis, found that fhe had 
fuffered a great deal of bad Weather *, whilft we, who were 
within ten Leagues, or thereabouts, to the Northward of 
them, or nearer Shore, enjoyed fine pleafant Weather, and 
fair Wind, continually, till we arrived in Table Bay, 
which we did the latter End of March 1722. This I 
fhould think of fufficient Weight to induce others to purfue 
4 
the fame Track We found here Governor Boon, in the 
London Eajl Indiaman , and others, bound for England . 
From the Cape of Good Hope we had an agreeable Paffage 
to St. Helena , and from thence to England . We made 
the Land’s End the latter End of July ; and, being come 
into the Britijh Chanel, met with brisk Gales from the 
Weftern Quarters, with thick foggy Weather. The 30th, 
in the Evening, we anchored under Dungenefs and, the 
fame Night, fome of the Supercargoes and Paffengers, and 
myfelf, hired a fmall V effel to carry us to Dover, where we 
arrived early the next Morning, and, the fame Day, pro- 
ceeded towards London, where we arrived the ift of shiguji 
following. Thus ended a long fatiguing Voyage, of three 
Years, feven Months, and eleven Days, after having failed 
confiderably more than round the Circumference of the 
Globe ; and having undergone a great Variety of Troubles 
and Hardfhips, both by Sea and Land, and made fome 
Difcoveries, which, it is hoped, are worthy the Notice of 
the Curious. 
31. As we have been obliged to take up a great deal of 
Room in giving the Reader the Hiftory of this Voyage, 
we fhall be as fuccinCt as poffible in our Remarks upon it, 
though there are many Things which might juftify a fuller 
and more copious Criticifm on the Captain’s Conduct. It 
is very clear, from the Whole of this Relation, that the 
Captain’s Work was intended to be what we have repre- 
fented it, viz. An Apology for his own Behaviour •, which 
was occafioned by a Law-fuit commenced by the Pro- 
prietors againft him upon his Return home. This created 
a great Noife in the World, and People gave their Opi- 
nions very freely, without, perhaps, entering into the 
Merits of the Caufe. Captain Shelvocke , therefore, wrote 
this Book to bring the Affair before the Public, and to 
leave, for the Judgment of Pofterity, his State of his own 
Cafe. It rauft be confeffed, that he has put it into a very 
fair Light, and ffiewn a great deal of Skill and Addrefs in 
finiffiing, to the very utmoft, fuch Parts of the Picture 
as are likely to ftrike the Reader moft, and to give him 
ftrong Impreffions in the Captain’s Favour. Such are the 
Mutinies that fell out in the Beginning of the Voyage ; the 
tedious, troublefome, and melancholy Sojournment in the 
Hand of Juan Fernandez •, the Diligence, Skill, and Care, 
he ffiewed in getting a Bark framed out of the Wreck, 
and carrying off in it fuch a Body of People, almoft againft 
their Confent, at leaft without their Affiftance •, and many 
more, which the Reader will eafily difcern, without my 
pointing them out. But Captain Betagh , being returned 
from the Spanijh kFefi Indies, thought it requifite, for his 
own Juftification, to attack Captain Shelvocke' s Account 
almoft in every Part of it, as we have already fhewn ; all 
which Remarks tend to fupport a Charge which falls na- 
turally under the three following Heads : 
The firft is, that the Difputes which happened amongft 
the Crew were of his own contriving and fomenting ; in 
Proof of which, he alleges, that Matthew Stewart, who 
was at the Head of all thefe Mutinies, was abfolutely Shel- 
vocke's Creature. He takes notice likewife, that this fe- 
ditious Temper of his Crew ferves for a general Excufe 
for every wrong Step taken through the Voyage. It was 
an Attempt of his Men to return -to England , that made 
him do many ftrange Things at firft fetting out. At St. 
Catharine's, he fays, that they forced him to fign the new 
Articles, or elfe they would have run away with the Ship. 
Going into Chiloe, he fays, was the Mens Fault, where 
they fo narrowly efcaped a Shipwreck. At going into 
Conception, a little to Leeward, he fays the fame. At 
Fernandez, he fays, they forced him to divide the Owners 
Money, and enter upon the new Jamaica Difcipline. 
Upon meeting Clipperton , he fays, it was his Men de- 
manded a Confirmation of the firft Articles with the 
Owners, after they had twice made new ones for them- 
felves. When he left the four Men aboard the Bark, where 
they were murdered, he fays, his People would not let him 
bring-to till fhe came up •, yet it was thefe very Men, that 
profeffed themfelves willing to obey him in every thing, 
when he put Captain Hatley on board the Mercury , and 
treated with Scorn the Objections made to his Conduct, 
though founded in a Defire of preferving them from the 
bad Effects of it; It was thefe Men* alfo, who thanked 
fum 
