Chap. II. 
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fufed, but the great Objects of their Worfhip were the 
Sun and Moon. They talk’d likewife of an invifible King 
of the Mountains, Forefts, Seas and Rivers, but they did 
not worfhip him. Their Government was very regular 
and exad, and themfelves the beft-natured and heft-be- 
haved People the Miffionary had ever feen. Their Com- 
merce confifted chiefly in dried Fifh, and in.a fort of Seal- 
fkins, which they exchanged for Rice, Cotton, Thread, 
and other Neceffaries ; for as for Gold and Silver, they 
made little account of them, but left the Trade in them 
to the Japoneze. On his firft going over, Father Angelis 
was inclined to believe, that this Country was the fouthern 
Part of Canary % but after he had made a longer Stay 
there, he in fome meafure altered his Sentiments, as ap- 
pears by the following Letter he wrote upon this Subject, 
which is very curious and entertaining, and is, withal, the 
utmoft that can be faid on this Subjed, from the Lights 
given us by the Portugueze. 
“ I am at prefent perfuaded, that the Opinion enter- 
« tained as to the Country of Tejfo 1 s being an Ifland, is 
4£ not without Probability, and the Reafons upon which I 
«■ go, are thefe : In the firft Place, it is very certain, that 
44 this Country is bounded on the Eaft, and on the South, 
66 by the Sea. On the other Hand, the Land of Tejfoi , 
« £ which is the weftern Extremity of Tejfo, is likewife 
44 bounded by the Sea, where the Currents are fo violent, 
“ that tho’ there is a Country on the other Side the 
44 Strait, within Sight, and where they are able to diftin- 
44 guilh the Florfes feeding, yet hitherto none of the In- 
44 habitants of Tejfo have paffed over thither, becaufe great 
Quantities of large Canes are driven with prodigious Vio- 
lence by thofe Currents, fo that if they were to hazard 
themfelves in their frnall Boats, they muft run an appa- 
rent Hazard of being over-fet and loft. From hence I 
conclude, that according to all Appearance, 'Tejfo hath 
a fourth Sea on the North, which confequentiy fepa- 
rates it from Tart ary. From whence fhould thofe impe- 
44 tuous Currents come, but from a Sea to the North of 
64 Teffo r running Eaft and Weft, or from Weft to Eaft, 
44 and dlfcharging itfelf to the South, through the Straits, 
<4 on the Weft of Tejfo , with fuch Rapidity, as. renders 
them impaffable to the People of the Country ? 3 ’ 
44 The fecond Reafon is, that the Inhabitants of Tejfo 
are not under the Dominion of any one Prince, nor 
have they amongft them any Chief that has a T rad of 
Country of any great Coniequence, that is fubjed to 
him ; they are likewife far Irom acknowledging the 
44 Supremacy of any Khan of the Tartars , or feem to be 
acquainted with that Title, or with any thing of the 
like Import; but every Family, or at leaft every little 
Village, has a Chief who governs it abfolutely, and 
without acknowledging any Superior, which appears to 
me a ftrong Proof, that they are feparatecl by a Sea 
44 from all other Countries, fince if it were otperwife, 
44 they would undoubtedly be governed as thofe Countries 
44 are. I am fenfible, that it may be objected againft the 
44 firft Proof I offer, that the Currents of which I am 
44 fpeaking, may poffibiy be occafioned by the Opening 
44 of fome great River, which difcharges itfelf into the 
44 Sea, fomewhat farther to the North, and thereby occa- 
44 fions fuch an Acceffion of Water, as in paffing thro* 
thofe Streights, form fuch terrible Currents. But after 
all, I cannot help efteeming it more reafonable to believe, 
that this Country is bounded on that Side, as well as 
on the reft, by an Arm of the Sea. At leaft this is 
the moft common Opinion, and I remember to have 
feen in Sicily an old Map of the World, in which the 
44 Land of Tejfo is laid down as an Ifland. As to what 
84 the Inhabitants of the Country fay, I have examined 
a thofe that came from the Eaft, and others who came 
44 from the Weft, but found ’em ali alike ignorant of 
s4 Geography. ” 
Thus far this Miffionary, who is the only Portugueze 
that has wrote fenfibly upon this Matter. He does not, 
however, feem to have been acquainted with one thing, 
which he might have learned in japan , and that is, 
that thofe People diftinguifh between the Ifland of Tejfo 
and Oku Tejfo , that is, the higher or upper Tejfo ; from 
whence it is. very plain, that there is both an Ifland and a 
Numb. 47. 
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ire in the Eaft-IridieS. 
Continent of Tejfo \ but’ we fhall have occafion to refunfe. 
this Subjed, when we come ,to fpeak of the BifcoVenes 
made by the Dutch , on this Side, who were both more 
capable of making fuch Difcoveries, and more induftriou.s 
in making them than the Portugueze. It may not be 
amifs to obferve here, that the Japoneze informed the 
Miffionaries, that there lay NortlvEaft from their Coun- 
try, and to the Eaft of that of Tejfo , two Elands, of 
which the ftnalleft, and that at the greateft DIftance, they 
call Tenfima ; that is, the filv.er Eland, and that which is 
neareft their Continent, Kinfim'a , or the golden Ifland ; but 
as they haVe been always very cautious of explaining them- 
felves as to the Situation of thefe Countries, fome Doubts 
have arifen, whether there were really any fuch Elands 
or not. 
However, in the Year 1620, a Ship was ferit by Order 
of Philip II. of Spain , to difcover them, but without Sue- 
cefs ; and the Dutch have likewife made an Expedition, 
with the fame View, to as little Purpofe. This may feem 
to juftify the Suppofition of their being fabulous ; but theil 
on the other hand, there are two Circumftances equally 
ftrong, that feem to prove the contrary : The firft is, that 
there is fuch a Plenty of Gold and Silver in japan , as can- 
not be accounted for from the Mines known to be wrought 
in that Country, the other, that tho 5 the Emperors of that 
Country have granted feveral Licenfes to Europeans , and 
particularly to our Countryman Captain William Saris , for 
making Difcoveries to the Weft and North, yet they haVe 
been always extreamly cautious of permitting any Strangers 
to examine their Coafts on the Eaft. 
24. The new Philippine Elands are a late Difcovery, of 
which we have an Account in the Philofophical Tranfac- 
tions, in a Letter from a Miffionary at Manila , who tells 
us, that being accidentally at the Town of Guivam , in the 
Ifland of Samal , he there found twenty-nine Palaos or In- 
habitants of certain new difeovered Elands* who were driven, 
thither by the Eafterly Winds, which blew in thofe Seas 
from December to May . They had run before the Wind 
for feventy Days together, according to their own Relation* 
without being able to make any Land till they came in 
Sight of the Town of Guivam , an Inhabitant of whicli being 
on the Shore, perceived them, and judging from the Make 
and Size of their Veffels, they were Strangers, and out of 
their Courfe, took a Piece of C om and made them a Signal 
of en tering the Road he directed ; to avoid the Shoals and 
Banks of Sand they would otherwife have run Upon. Thefe 
poor People were fo frightened at the Sight of this StJranger, 
that they began to put to Sea again ; yet the Wind forced 
them back a fecond time towards the Shore; when they 
came near, the Guivannefe made the fame Signal as before; 
but feeing they would not mind it, but would unavoidably 
be loft, he threw himfelf into the Sea, and fwam to one 
of the little Veffels on purpofe to bring them fafe into 
Shore. He was no fooner got to them, but the Women 
with their Children on their Backs, and all that were in, 
that Vefifel, threw themfelves overboard, and fwam to the 
other. He feeing himfelf alone in the Veffel, refolved to 
follow them, and getting aboard the fecond, fhewed them 
how to avoid the Shoals, and brought them fafe to Land * 
in the mean time they ftood immoveable, and refigned 
themfelves up entirely to the Condud of this Stranger, as 
fo many Pri loners. 
The Inhabitants of Guivam running to Shore, received 
them very kindly, and brought them Wine and other Pro- 
vifions, they eat Cocoas very freely, which are the Fruit of 
the Palm-trees of this Country. Their Pulp is fomething 
like that of Chefnu.ts, only that it is more oily, and it fu'p- 
plies them with a fort of fweet Water, very pleafant to 
drink ; they gave them Rice boiled in Water, which is 
eat there and all over jjfia as Bread is in Europe ; they 
looked on it with Surprize, and taking up fome Grains of 
it, threw them on the Ground, imagining them to be 
Worms; upon bringing them large Roots called Palawan^ 
they eat greedily of them. In the mean time they brought 
them two Women that had formerly been driven on Shore 
on the Coaft of Guivam , and who underftood a little of the 
Language of this Country ; one of the Women found 
among thefe Strangers one of her Relations, and, as food, 
as they knew each other, they fell a weeping. The Inha- 
8 N bkant# 
