Chap. I. 
Trade, and the Chinefe who refide there more ; fo that 
they annually fend Ships to Japan ; which, the Difficulty of 
the Navigation confidered, is not a little extraordinary. 
They boaft of having had the Ufe of the Compafs above 
1000 Years before it was difcovered in Europe ; but the 
Jefuits have obferved, and it is true, that the Compafs with 
them, as with the Chinefe , is very imperfedt ; which, I pre- 
fume, is owing to the Regularity of the Trade-winds, 
which renders an accurate Divifion of the Compafs lefs ne- 
ceffary among them, than with us. 
The third Refidency is fixed at Mocha , where the Refi- 
dent is always a Merchant, who has under him two FaCtors 
or Book-keepers, as Affiftants ; but, as they have all the 
Titles of Refidents, there have been, of late Years, fuch 
Difputes amongft them, as prejudiced the Butch Trade ex- 
ceedingly ; and therefore our Author tells us, that they 
were, in his Time, all three fent for to Batavia , in order 
to give an Account of their Conduct, and that the Point of 
Precedency might be better fettled for the future. This 
Country is under the Government of an Arab Prince, who 
has the Title of Immaum , or King, who refides at a Place 
200 Miles Eaft from Mocha, The Sea-port of his Domi- 
nions was formerly Aden-, but, that being very inconvenient, 
he removed it fifteen Leagues farther to Mocha ; which was 
then but a Fifhing-town. It is fituated clofe to the Sea, in 
a large, dry, fandy Plain, that affords neither Fruits, nor 
Water, except what is brackifh, and fo unwholfome, that 
fuch as are forced to drink it have long Worms bred by it 
in their Legs and Feet ; which are equally troublefome and 
dangerous. They are fupplied, however, with very good 
and wholfome Water from Mo fa, which lying at the Di- 
ftance of twenty Miles, and the Water coming by Land- 
carriage, makes it as dear to the Inhabitants, as Small-beer 
in England. The Town of Mocha , notwithftanding this 
great Inconvenience, is large, indifferently fortified, and 
makes a fine Appearance from the Sea. The Buildings are 
lofty, and make a much better Shew without, than within. 
Their Markets are well furnifhed with Provifions, fuch as 
Beef, Mutton of Sheep and Goats, Lamb and Kid, Camel 
and Antelopes Flefh, common Fowls, Guiney Hens, Par- 
tridges, and Pigeons. The Sea affords Variety of Fifh, but 
not well-tafted ; which proceeds from the extreme Saltnefs 
of the Sea-water, and the Nature of their Aliment. The 
Town is well furnifhed all the Year round with good Fruits, 
fuch as Grapes, Peaches, Apricots, and Quinces, of which 
they make Marmelade, both for their prefent Ufe, and Ex- 
portation, tho’, near the Town, there is not a Tree or Shrub 
to be feen, but a few Date-trees •, and they feldom have 
more than two or three Showers of Rain in a Year, and 
often no Rain for two or three Years. But, amongft the 
Mountains about twenty Miles off, feldom a Morning paffes 
without a moderate Shower •, which makes the Valleys very 
prolific in Fruit and Corn, fuch as the Soil will bear ; but 
they have no Rice, tho’ plenty of Barley and Wheat. 
Since the Immaum made Mocha the chief Port of his Domi- 
nions, and withal a free Port, it is become a Place of great 
Trade; for, befides the Butch Factory, there is one alfo 
belonging to the Engliflo Eaft India Company ; as alfo a 
Trade from India carried on by Engliflo free Merchants, 
portuguefe, Banyans, and Moors , and by Veffels from Baf- 
forah, Perfia, and Mufkat in Arabia Petrie a. The Country 
of itfelf produces very few valuable Commodities, befides 
Coffee, and fome Drugs ; fuch as Myrrh, Olibanum or 
Frankincenfe from Coffin , and Aloes Soccotrina from Socco- 
tra, liquid Storafr, white and yellow Arfenic, fome Gum 
Arabic, and Mummy, with fome Balm of Gilead, that 
comes down the Red-fea. The Coffee-trade brings in a 
continual Supply of Silver and Gold from Europe, Spanifh 
Money, German Crowns, and other European Coins of Sil- 
ver-, alfo Zequin's, German and Hungarian Ducats of Eu- 
ropean Gold ; and from turkey Ebramies and Mograbies : 
For it is a Point fettled here, that, notwithftanding other 
Goods and Merchandize may be bought and fold on Credit 
for a certain Time, Coffee is always bought for ready Mo- 
ney. The Europe Shipping lade yearly at Mocha about 
20,000 Tons, rather more than lefs ; and the other Nations 
about 20,000 Tons more. The whole Province of Betle- 
fackee is planted with Coffee-trees, which are never fuffered 
to grow' above four or five Yards high ; and the Bean or 
3°7 
Berry grows oh the Branches and Twigs; fififl green, then 
red, at laft a dark-brown Colour. The Berries cling to 
the Branches, like fo many Infefts ; and, when they are 
ripe, they fhake off. 
The Butch have here, as in moft other Places in the In- 
dies, a great Advantage over other Nations, by their being 
poffefied of the Monopoly of Spices, which are consumed 
here in great Quantities, and confequently enable them tb 
come at Coffee at much eafier Rates than their Neighbours : 
Yet this Trade of theirs at Mocha is continually finking, 
on account of the vaft Quantities of Coffee cultivated in 
their own Colonies, efpecially at Batavia, Amboyna , and 
the Cape of Good Hope ; Yet the Butch themfelves acknow- 
ledge, that there is no Comparifon between the Flavour bf 
the Coffee raifed in their own Plantations, and that which 
is brought from Mocha. Our Author obferves, that Arabia 
the Happy is divided into abundance of finall Principalities, 
under the J urifdidtion of independent Princes, filled Emirs , 
by which he means independent of each other; for they all 
pay a kind of Homage, tho’ little or no Obedience, to the 
Grand Signor. He likewife takes notice of a vulgar Error 
as to the Colour of the Red-fea, which, he allures us, is not 
at all red ; but derives that Appellation from fome Parts of 
its Bottom being of that Colour. In the next Chapter, how- 
ever, we fhall fhew, that this is a Miftake likewife ; and 
that the Reafon of this Name is the bad Verfion of its He- 
brew Denomination, firft given into by the Greeks , and 
through them propagated amongft other Nations. Thefe 
Refidents are the laft Officers in the Direction of the Affairs 
of the Eaft India Company ; and this Account of the Di- 
ftinCtion of their Factories is fo much the more valuable, as 
it affords us a clear Notion of every Branch of their Com- 
merce through the Indies at this Day, except in the Ifiand 
of Borneo, and in the great Empire of China , where they 
have no Factories ; but content themfelves with trading to 
both Places, as other Nations do : And of the Nature of this 
Commerce our Author has likewife given us an Account, 
which is far from being the leaft curious or inftruCtive Part 
of his Work. 
37. The Ifiand of Borneo is, in point of Extent, the largeffc 
in the Eaft Indies, and perhaps in the World. Some Writers 
fay, that it is 600 Leagues in Extent * but the Butch tell 
us, that it is not quite fo big. It is divided into abundance 
of little Principalities, of which the moft powerful is the 
King of Banjaar-Maffeen ; and, after him, the Princes of 
Borneo and Sambas. The Air of Borneo is reckoned very 
unwholfome ; which is occafioned by the Country’s being 
low in fome Places, and marfhy. The Ifiand is but thinly 
peopled, though it abounds in very rich Commodities. 
When the Butch firft fettled in the Eaft Indies, they were 
very folicitous about eftablifhing their Factories in Borneo ; 
and accordingly they fixed them at the City of that Name, 
at Sambas, and at Succadano ; but they foon found, that 
there was no fuch thing as dealing with the Inhabitants, who 
are certainly the bafeft, cruelleft, and moft perfidious People 
in the World. The Butch therefore quitted the Ifiand, and, 
though invited thither feveral times fince, have abfolutely 
refufed to return. 
An Eng lift Factory, that was, in fome meafure, fettled 
at Banjaar-Maffeen, under the Direction of one Mr. Cun- 
ningham, was obliged to withdraw, and at the fame time 
glad to efcape ; which has frighted the Englifto away alfo. 
The Story is very remarkable, and worth the Hearing: It 
feems, the Place fixed on for the FaCtory was very ftrangely 
chofen, fince it lay in the Mouth of a River, where fome 
of their Buildings had Beams tied together in the Wa- 
ter for their Foundation ; and the very beft of them were 
built upon Polls, or rather upon Piles. Thefe Habitations 
of theirs, forty as they were, had not yet attained their ut- 
moft Perfection, when the Quarrel happened between them 
-and the Banjaareens. The Chief, Mr. Cunningham, was a 
very honeft, worthy Gentleman, bred originally to Phyfie 
or Surgery, who fell accidentally into Trade, and was now 
advanced to a Poll, in which he knew not well how to aCE 
He left therefore the Management of all Things to fuch as 
were under him ; and thefe happened unluckily to be ftill 
lefs capable than himfelf. In fhort, they began to reftrain 
the Natives in their Trade, before they had a Gun mounted, 
flopping their Boats., and fearching them; and, amongft the 
Commodore Roggewein. 
