Chap. I. 
George Anson, Efq; 
dible Violence at N. Eh for about twelve Hours, accom- 
panied with moil horrid Claps of Thunder, large flying 
Sheets of Lightning, and a prodigious Rain, This furious 
Wind does not die by Degrees, but finks almoft all atorce ; 
then follows a dead Calm for about an Hour, till the Wind 
rifes from the oppofite Point at the S, W. and then it blows, 
thunders, lightens, and rains, with as much Violence, and 
for about the fame Time, as it did before. 
Varenius , who isjuftly efteemed for his excellent Write- 
ings on this Subject, has given us a large Defcription of this 
Kind of Storm, which, becaufe it is more general, the 
Reader may perhaps be well pleafed to fee. ‘ A Typhon , 
4 lays he, is a ftrong fwift Wind, blows from all Points, wan 
6 dering about all Quarters, and generally comes from above. 
‘ This is frequent in the Oriental Seas, efpecially in the Seas 
6 of Siam , China , and Japan , and between Malacca and 
4 Japan. It breaks out violently, almoft from the Weftern 
4 Point, and turning round the Horizon with a rapid Force, 
4 performs the Revolution in twenty Hours •, till, growing 
4 ft ranger and ftronger, raiflng thofe Seas; with its ftrong 
4 Whirling about, to a great Height, every tenth Wave 
4 riling above the reft, which dafhing againft one another 
4 with great Force, the Seamen lofe all Hopes of their 
4 Lives ; for which, and other Storms, failing from India 
4 to Japan is very dangerous ; fo that if one Ship in three 
4 gets fafe there, it is look’d upon to be a profperous Voy- 
4 age. The Typhon rages moft in Summer, and more than 
4 can be conceived by thofe who have not feen it ; fo that 
4 it is no Wonder the Ribs of the ftrongeft and largeft Ships 
4 fhould be loofened •, you would think the Heavens and 
4 the Earth were turned to their antient Chaos. It rages 
4 not only at Sea, but alfo on Land ; and overturns Hcufes, 
4 and pulls up Trees by the Roots, and carries great Ships 
4 a Quarter of a Mile from the Sea. The Caufe of it, no 
4 doubt, is, that the Wind rufhing to a certain Point is ob- 
4 ftr lifted, and returns on itfelf, and is thus turned round ; 
4 as we fee in Water, that turns round about in a Vortex, 
* when it meets with an Obftacle *, or it may come from 
4 furious Winds meeting one another, which renders the 
4 Sea plain, and dallies againft the Ships between them.’ 
28. On the 19th of April 1743, they failed from 
Macao ; and, on the 3d of May, faw the Souther moft 
Part of the Hand Formofa , lying Eaft by South, at the 
Diftance of ten Leagues, which afforded them a very 
pieafant Profpeft. This Hand, in the belt Maps we, have 
of China, is laid down from the Latitude of 22°" to 25 0 10' 
North, and in Longitude, from 3 0 20' to 5 0 30' Eaft from 
Peking. Its neareft Diftance from the Continent is about 
thirty Leagues ; it is about feventy Leagues in Length, 
and twenty in Breadth. Th q Spaniards, who firft difco- 
vered it, called it, from the fair Profpeft: it affords at Sea, 
Formoja •, bur the Chinefe call it Tai-ouan ; which our Sea- 
men, fuelling according to the Pronunciation, write Tey- 
w(m. It is, in all refpefts, a very fine Hand, Situated in 
a very whoifome Climate, finely diverfified by Hills and 
Valleys, Plains and Woods, well watered, and affording- 
not only the Neceffaries and Conveniences of Life, but 
alfo very rich and valuable Commodities ; fuch as Gold in 
great Plenty, Raw Silk, Sugar, Copper, finer than in China , 
but coarfer than that of Japan, with Abundance of 
Drugs. 
ft he Natives differ much from their Neighbours 
Chinefe, and the Inhabitants of the Philippines, in t 
Complexions, Stature; and Make, for they are, Vener 
fpeaking, a low fquat People, with large Heads, : 
Eoreheads, hollow Eyes, their Cheek-bones remarks 
high, large. Mouths, fhort flat Chins, with little or 
Beard ; their Necks fmall and long ; their Arms and L 
long, fmall, and ill-fhaped ; their Feet very feno- 
Load and generally fpeaking, they are Raker-kne 
I he Englijh and Dutch had Faftories there till about 
Lear 1678, when the Province of Fokien having- 1 
rmtted to the Tartars , who were then about fubduing 1 
li-an-ci, they directed the Europeans to remove their Set 
ments to. the Continent; upon which the Englifh w 
drew their Faftory to Amoy ; but the Dutch, havim 
good Fortrefs, and a numerous Garifon, fuftained a k 
Siege, and fold their Settlement very dear, the Tart 
lofing feveral Thoufands of Men, before they beca 
Mailers of it ; and, fince that time, the Government of 
it is annexed to the Province of Fokien , and no Strangers 
are fuffered to trade thither. 
On the 6th in the Morning, they were in Sight of the 
Bafhee Hands, which are five in Number, lying in the 
Latitude of 20° 25', Three of thefe Hands are pretty 
large ; that which lies moft to the Weft is the biggeft of 
the three, being about feven or eight Leagues long, and 
about two wide, lying almoft North and South, the Land 
high, flat, and even on the Top, with fteep Cliffs againft 
the Sea. The other two Hands are about four or five 
Leagues to the Eaft ward of this, being between three and 
four Leagues long, and a League and an half wide, ftretch- 
ing North and South ; and are very mountainous, with 
many deep Precipices. The two fmall Hands are fiat and 
even ; only one of them hath a fteep rocky Hill : The In- 
habitants live in fmall Villages, built on the Sides and 
Tops of thefe rocky Hills, and confift of feveral Rows of 
rioufes, one over another, on thefe fteep Precipices : 
They go to the firft Row up a wooden Ladder, and fo 
wadi a Ladder up to that above it, there being no other 
Way to afeend. The Plain on the firft Precipice is fo wide, 
as to have Room for a Row of Houfes that (land all along 
on the Edge or Brink of it, and a very narrow Street run- 
ning ^ along before their Doors : Between the Row of 
Houfes, and the Brow of the next Precipice, the Plain is, 
in a manner, level to the Top of the Houfes below ; and 
the reft are pretty near the fame Order and Proportion. 
1 he common Ladder to each Row or Street comes up at 
a narrow Paffage, left purpofely about the Middle of it ; 
and the street being bounded with a Precipice alfo at each 
End, it is but drawing up the Ladder, if they are attacked, 
and then there is no coming at them from below ; and, 
that tney may not be affaulted from above, they take care 
to build on a Hill, the Backfide of which hangs over the 
Sea, or on feme high, fteep, perpendicular Precipice, al- 
together inacceftible. 
I he Men are generally employed in Fifhing, and take 
their Sons with them, but their Daughters live at home 
witii their Mothers ; and, when they are grown up, they 
fend them to their Plantations to dig Yams and Potatoes, 
of which they bring home on their Heads, every Day, 
enough to lerve the whole Family ; for they have no Rice 
or Maize. Their Plantations are in the Valleys, at a 
good Diftance from their Houfes, where every Man has a 
certain Spot of Land, which is properly his own ; this he 
manages for his own Ufe, and provides enough, that he 
may not be beholden to his Neighbours. Both Men and 
Women wear very large Ear-rings, made of yellow Metal, 
which they call tsullawan , i. e. Gold, and very probably 
it is fo. They are very ingenious in building Boats, hav- 
ing feme that will carry forty or fifty Mien ; thefe they row 
with twelve or fourteen Oars of aSide. In regard to their 
Manners, they are a neat, fober, civil, induftrious, quiet, 
honeft People, juft to each other, and equally courteous 
and generous to Strangers. 
They are very moderate rin their way of living, con- 
tenting themfelves ufually with Fife and Roots. As for 
their Drink, it is commonly Water ; yet they have a better 
fort of Liquor amongft them, made of the Juice of Sugar- 
canes, which they boil, and put feme Blackberries among 
it ;. when it is well boiled, they put it into a great Jar, and 
Jet it ftand three 01 four Days to ferment ; then ft fettles, 
and becomes clear, and is prefently fit to drink. It is an 
excellent Liquor, very much like EngliJIo Beer, both in 
Colour and lafte ; it is very ftrong and whoifome. They 
have no fort of Coin, but barter fmall Pieces of yellow 
Metal, wrapped up in Plantain-leaves, for what they want* 
They are great Admirers or Iron, and will fell a good fat 
Goat for an iron Hoop •, and a large Hog, of feventy or 
eighty Pounds Weight, for two, three, or four Pounds of 
Iron. 1 hey will alfo give feveral Jars of their favourite 
Liquor for old Nails, Spikes, or Bullets. 
This Account is intirely taken from Mr. Dampier , who, 
for any thing we know, is the only Author that has given 
any Defcription of them : He was there with Captain Swan 
in the Year 1687, or rather in Captain Swan’s Ship, for his 
Crew had then left him behind, and it was his Sailors 
that bellowed upon them the Name of the Bafhee Hands, 
which 
