Chap. I. 
On the Banks of the River Bancalis , they have another 
very confiderable Factory, which produces a large Profit 
from the Sale of Cloth and Opium, that are coriftantly paid 
for in Gold-duft. This was difcovered, about forty Years 
ago, by a Fador in the Company’s Service, who, after he 
had carried it on privately for about ten Years, and acquired 
by it upwards of a Ion of Gold per Annum , which is a 
Butch Phrafe, that implies as much as 10,000 /. Sterling, 
he refolved to fecure what he had got, by making a free 
Difcovery of this Branch of Commerce to the Company, 
There are likewife feveral Dutch Plantations on this Ifiand, 
which are, all together, comprehended under the general 
Title of the Weft Coaft. There fubfifts in Sumatra a very 
powerful and warlike People, who have no other Name, 
than that of the Free Nation , and are equally averfe to the 
Yoke, either of the Monarchs of the Ifiand, or of the Euro- 
peans^ having always valiantly defended themfelves againft 
both. All the Inhabitants of Sumatra are much more in- 
clined to the EngUfh than the Dutch , perhaps becauie they 
are not under their Power \ but the latter take all the Pains 
they can to prevent it, and to force the Natives to deal with 
none but themfelves. There is one ftrange Fifed, that 
very probably flows from the great Commerce of Gold in 
this Ifiand , which is this, that, for twenty or thirty Years 
paft, the Chiefs at Padang have been fo unlucky, as to have 
their Flonefty always fufpeded. This is chiefly owing to 
their Management of the Mines, that do not turn greatly 
to the Account of the Company, while all their Officers get 
immenfe Eftates out of them ; a thing the Council at Bata - 
*uia can neither underftand, nor digeft. For this Reafon, 
they change the Chief very often, but to very little Purpofe , 
and, when our Author was in the Indies , they fent from 
Batavia an Order, not only for arrefting the Chief of Padang, 
but all his Council alfo, on a Charge of Mabadminiftration ; 
but, as he foen afterwards left the Country, he could not 
give us any Account of the Iffue of that Profecution, 
The third Chief refides at Japan. He is always a prin- 
cipal Merchant, and is affifted by fome Writers in the 
Company s Service. The Profit, which they formerly 
made by this Eftablifiiment, was Very confiderable, amount- 
ing frequently to 80 or 100 per Cent, but is now funk to 
fuch a degree, that they rarely make above eight or ten. 
This great Diminution is chiefly Owing to the Pradice of 
the Chinefe, who, for fome time paft, have purchafed all 
forts of Goods proper for that Market at Canton , and have 
exported them from thence to Japan. It is alfo laid, that they 
have contraded with the Japonefe to furnifli them with all 
forts of Merchandize at the fame Price as the Dutch. 
Another Caufe is a Pradice eftablifhed by the Japonefe them- 
lelves , which is that or fixing the Price of all forts of Goods. 
We will give you, fay they, fo much for this, and fo much 
tor that , and, if you do not like what we offer, there are 
your Goods take them home again. It is very poffible, 
that this Notion was fuggefted to them by the Chinefe , who 
were treated in the fame manner formerly at Batavia. The 
Go vernoi -General van Zwol thought proper to fot a Price 
on all forts of Silks, and other Goods, the Chinefe brought 
to Batavia , and, at the fame time, fixed the Rate of the 
Commodities and Manufadures, which the Company were 
to give in Exchange, i his the Chinefe looked upon as a 
prodigious Hardship, and a thing altogether incompatible 
with the Nature of Commerce. Fhey reprefented this in 
the fhongeft Terms to the General , but to no manner of 
Purpofe. They then addrefted themfelves to their Sove- 
reign, and complained of this Innovation fo warmly, that, 
after various Expoftulations with the Governor to no Effed, 
all Commerce between the two Nations was broken off,’ 
and Things continued in this Pofture till the Death of Mr! 
van Zwo'l. But his Succeffor Mr. Swaardekfoon , purfuino- 
quite different Principles, reftored all Things to their Formed 
State, arid put their Commerce on the old Foot again. But 
to return to Japan • 
1 here is no Place in the Eaji Indies , where the Dutch 
hs/e fo little Authority, and where their Eftablifiiment is 
of lo littie Confequence, as here in Japan. They have, it 
is true, a little Ifiand allowed them to themfelves, where 
they have Warehoufe's for their Goods, and a few ordinary 
Houfes, in which fuch Perfons live as are in the Company’s 
Service. But then this Ifiand is, in effed, a Prifon, in 
5 
which they are Unit up for Life, or at leaft for the Time 
they ftay here, and are not fo much as allowed to pafs the 
Bridge, that joins this Ifiand to the City of Nangazaqtii. 
The only Shadow of Liberty that is left them, tohfifts in 
the Chief s going once a Year, attended by two Or three 
other Perfons, to the Court of the Emperor, in Quality 
of Embaftador, in order to renew the Treaty of Amity and 
Commerce, which fubfifts between that potent Monarch and 
the Company. One great Reafon that is affigned for the 
holding the Dutch to fuch hard Terms is, their having at- 
tempted fome familiarities with the Japonefe Women 5 but 
tne true Reafon is a well-grounded Sufpicion, that the Dutch 
have an Inclination to fix themfelves there by Force, of 
which they have, more than once, given fome remarkable 
Tokens, the laft of which fell out not many Years ago, 
and is like to be ever remembered. 
It is to be obferved, that the Hollanders have been more 
obliged to Foreigners for maintaining their Commerce in 
Japan , than in any other Place. They owe their original 
Eftablifiiment there to the Care of one Mr. Adams an Eng- 
li/hman , as fhall be largely fhewn in the next Chapter *, and 
they had. well nigh brought about what they have been fo 
long aiming at, the eftablifhing a Fort on their Ifiand, by 
the. Contrivance of a Frenchman , who was at the Head of 
their Fadory. This Gentleman’s Name was Mr. Carr on , 
a Perlbn of great Parts, and who, in feveral Journeys he 
had made to the Emperor’s Court, had found means to 
ingratiate himfelf with that Monarch, by entertaining him 
with Accounts of the State of Europe at that time ; which 
that Prince, and indeed all the Japonefe Emperors, are 
curious to know. Having by this means frequent Accefs 
to the Imperial Prefence, he, prefuming on his Credit 
with the Emperor, begged his Permifiion to build a Houfe 
on the little Ifiand where their Fadory ftood, on his 
Mafters Account, Which Requeft the Emperor granted,. 
Accordingly the Foundation was laid very large for an 
Houfe. Flowever, the Building went chearfully on, till it 
grew into an handfome Fortification, of a regular Tetragon. 
The Japonefe , being intirely ignorant of the Art of Forti- 
fication, had not the leaft Sufpicion of Deceit, but buffered 
them to finifii it. When it was finifhed, Mr. Canon 
advifed his Mafters at Batavia of the Progrefs he had 
made , and defired, by the next Shipping, to have fome 
Cannon fent him in Casks filled with Rubbifti, fuch as 
Oakam or Cotton, the Cafks to be well-bound with iron 
Hoops, and the Heads fecurely fixed in, with fome Cafks 
of the. fame Make filled with Spices , which Advice was 
accordingly followed. W r hen the Shipping arrived, the 
Lading was landed, according to Cuftom , but, in rolling 
the Cafks, one of them, that had a Brafs Guh, had the 
Misfortune to have one of its Heads fall out ; and the 
Cheat was, by that Accident, difcovered. This put a Stop 
to all Commerce, till the Emperor’s Pleafure was known. 
This Affair gave the Emperor a Very bad Impreffion of the 
Dutch , and of all who were employed by them. He would 
not, however, prohibit Trade, but gave Orders to put any 
Dutchman to Death, who fhould prefume to ftir out of the 
Ifiand , and direded, that Mr. Carron fhould be feijt to 
anfwer for this Fault to Jeddo, where his Imperial Majefty 
refided. On his Arrival, and being interrogated there, he 
was able to fay nothing in Excule, when the Emperor re- 
proached him with abufing hisKindnefs , for which he had 
his Beard pulled out Hair by Hair , and then, being dreffed 
in a Fool s Coat and Cap, was expofed, in that Condition* 
throughout all. the Streets in the City : After which, he was 
fent back to his Fadory, with Orders to return in the firft 
Ship that was fent to Batavia. 
Many Engliflo Writers call the Ifiand, upon which the 
Dutch baritones ftand, Nangefack , but this feems to be a 
Corruption of the Name of the City, which is properly 
called Nankefaki , and the ifiand where the Dutch refide 
Defima . This Ifiand is divided from the City by a fmall 
Stream of fait Water* of about forty Feet broad , over 
which lies a Bridge, about fifty Feet broad , at one End 
of which there is a Draw-bridge, of which the Japonefe 
are Mafters, and over which the Dutch dare not pais 
without Leave from the Governor of the City , neither 
dare any of the Japonefe converfo with the Dutch , except- 
ing only the Merchants, and the Fadors, who have a Li- 
cence 
