9 
Chap. II. Portugueze Empire in the Eaft-Xndies. 691 
founding their own Senfe of Things with that of their 
Authors. It has, for example, been queftioned, whether 
there be not Inconfiftencies in thefe Accounts of the Indi- 
ans t It is fuggefted that, as no European ever was in that 
Country, fo the Belief of fuch an Archipelago of Iflands 
cannot be eftabliftied on any rational Foundation •, and that 
there is a vifible Abfurdity in the Indians being feventy 
Days in palling from a Country, the Smoak of which was 
feen from the Mountains of Mindanao . This Humour of 
Reafoning away Fads, is fo ftrong at prefent, that though 
I have already taken up more Room than I intended, yet 
I cannot forbear adding another Relation, with refped to 
thefe Iflands, of a much later Date, viz. in the Year 
1 y 1 o, becaufe I think it will put this Matter out of Dif- 
pute, and becaufe, hitherto, it has never appeared in our 
Language. 
“ The Veflfel in which we embarked* in order to profe- 
cute theDifcovery of the Iflands of Palaos, was called the 
* 4 Holy Trinity , and her Crew confifted of eighty-fix Per- 
46 fons : She was commanded by Serjeant-Major, Don 
64 Francis Padilla , who carried with him the Reverend Fa- 
44 thers Duberon and Corlil , Jefuits, accompanied by Bro- 
44 ther Stephen Baudin , who were made Choice of to 
44 propagate the Faith among thefe Ifianders. It was on 
44 the Fourteenth of November , in the Year 1710, that I 
44 failed from the Philippine I Hands, in order to find the 
44 Iflands of Palaos , fuppofing my Departure to be from 
44 the Lat. of 13 0 g', and from the Long, of 144 0 22', I 
44 navigated fifteen Days, as I have marked in my Chart *, 
44 and, on the Thirtieth of November , we difcovered Land 
44 to the North-Eaft 3 0 towards the North, having obferved 
44 4 or 5 0 Variation to the Eafl in this Courfe, the Land 
44 lying from us about three Leagues. 
44 We made Sail again in order to approach nearer, 
44 when it appeared, that there were two Iflands, which 
44 Father Duberon thought fit to call the Iflands of St. An - 
44 drew, becaufe, on the Day that we difcovered them, 
44 the Church celebrated the Feaft of that great Apoftle. 
44 When we were very near thefe Iflands, we perceived a 
‘ 4 Boat coming to us, in which were fome of the Inhabi- 
* 4 tants, who cried out, when they were within hearing, 
44 Mapia , Mapia , which is as much as to fay. Good Peo- 
46 pie, A Palaos , who had been baptized at Manila , and 
<b whom we carried with us, fhewed himfelf then, and 
44 (poke to them : As foon as they came on Board, they 
46 informed us, that thefe Iflands were called Sonforol , and 
44 that they were Part of the Archipelago we fought for. 
44 They exprefled a great deal of Satisfaction and Joy at 
44 the Sight of us, which they teftified by killing our 
44 Hands, and embracing us. 
44 Thefe People are extremely well fliaped, and of a 
44 very robuft Conftitution * they were naked, except that 
44 about their Middle they wore aPiece of Mat. Their 
14 Hair was curled * they had very little Beard, and, to 
44 defend themfelves from the Rain, they wore upon their 
44 Soulders a kind of Mantle, made of a thick fort of 
44 Mat, and, on their Heads, Hats of the fame fort of 
44 Stuff, round which they ftuck Birds Feathers upright. 
48 They were extremely furprized to fee our People fmoke 
44 Tobacco ; and, of all things, feemed mod to efteem 
44 Iron jand when ever they faw it, they gazed on it in fuch 
44 a manner as vifibly betrayed how much they coveted 
44 it : And in cafe we did not underftand their dumb 
44 Signs, they made no Difficulty of earnellly and fre- 
44 quently demanding it. In the Afternoon there came off 
44 two other Boats, in each of which there were eight 
44 Men ; as foon as they came near us, they began to fing, 
44 beating Time with their Hands upon their Thighs. 
44 When they were on Board, fome of them began to 
46 meafure the Length of the Ship, taking it for granted, 
44 that it was made of a Angle Tree, while others counted 
44 our Number of Men. They brought us fome Loaves, 
44 fome Fifh, and fome Herbs. 
54 Thefe Iflands were all covered with Trees to the Sea- 
cs Shore. Their Boats appeared to us very neatly made, in 
44 which they made ufe of Smack-Sails, having a Lee-Board 
44 on the other Side the Boat, in order to preferve it from 
a going over. We-defired them to fliew us which was the 
54 Courfe to the largeft of their Iflands, or Panlotpue, and 
84 they pointed to the N. N. E. They added, that to the 
44 S. S. W. and to the S. S. E. there lay two other Iflands, 
84 one of which was called Merieres , and the other Poulo „ 
44 When we were very near the Land, I fent my under 
44 Pilot to found, that I might bring the Ships to an An- 
44 chor. The Shallop being arrived within a quarter of a 
44 League of the Ifland, there came off three Boats full of 
44 People, and fome of them going on Board our Shallops 
44 one of the Indians took notice there of a Sabre, which*, 
44 after he had, for fome time, confidered attentively, lie 
44 jumped into the Sea, and took it with him. My under 
44 Pilot reported, at his Return, that there was no fit 
44 Ground for Anchorage, inafmuch as there was a great 
44 Depth of Water, and a rocky Bottom all along the 
44 Shore. I afterwards fent another Man on the fame Er- 
44 rand, who quickly returned with the fame Anfwer. 
44 All this Time I had made a fliift, by keeping under 
44 Sail, to Item the Current which ran very ftrongly to 
44 the South-Eaft, but the Wind failing in the Evening*, 
44 we began to drive at large *, the Indians then got into 
44 their Boats to go affiore. Our Miffionaries laboured all 
44 they could to keep them on Board, but could not prevail 
44 upon them by any Means. They talked with them, 
44 however, fome Time, on the firft Principles of pur Re- 
44 ligion, and taught them to pronounce plainly the holy 
44 Names Jefus and Maria . We afked them feveral 
44 Queftions as to the Bignefs of the Ifland, and the Num- 
44 ber of its Inhabitants. They anfwered, that the Ifland 
44 was about two Leagues and a half in Circumference, 
44 and that very probably there might be eight hundred 
44 People, who lived chiefly on Cocoa, Fifh and Salads. 
4< I obferved the Height of the Sun at Noon, and found, 
44 that we were in the Latitude of five Degrees fixteen 
44 Minutes North, the Variation of the Compafs at Sun- 
44 rife being about 5° to the N. E. 
44 The Currents carrying us away to the South-Eaft 
44 with great Violence, we were not able to recover the 
44 Land till the fourth, about Six in the Morning. We 
44 then found ourfelves at the Mouth of the Channel* be- 
44 twixt the two Iflands. I then fent the Shallop once 
44 more to look for an Anchorage ; it was to no Purpofe, 
44 for about 4 in the Afternoon they returned with an 
44 Account* that the Coaft was an entire Rock, and that 
44 it was to no Purpofe to let go an Anchor. On the 
44 5th, about 7 in the Morning* the two Fathers came to 
44 a Refolution of going affiore, and fetting up a Crofs. 
44 Don Padilla , and myfelf, reprefented to them the Dan- 
44 gers to which they would be expofed, and how much 
44 they had to fear from thefe Flanders, with whofe Tem- 
44 per we were fo little acquainted* and how much they 
44 might be embarraffed, in cafe the Currents carried us to 
44 fuch a Diflance as might put it out of our Power to 
44 fend a Boat to bring them off* or to, afford them any 
44 Affiftance. Their Zeal was fo warm, that they made 
44 little Account of thefe Difficulties, but perfifted firmly 
44 in their Refolution, in fpite of all we could fay. At 
44 laid* therefore, leaving Brother Baudin on Board the 
44 Ship, they went into the Shallop, taking with them the 
44 Quarter- Mafter of the Veffel, and the Enfign of the 
44 Land Forces we had on Board : They likewife carried 
44 with them the Palaos I have before mentioned, together 
44 with his Wife and Children. 
44 The two Miffionaries being gone* we kept near the 
44 Ifland all Day, by the Favour of the Wind, notwith- 
44 Handing the Force of the Current ; but towards the 
44 Evening* the Wind funk, and we were driven out to 
44 Sea. We put out Lights from the Time it was dark, 
44 on the Bok-fprit* and alfo on the Mizen-maft* that 
44 they might fee where we were.- During the Night, we 
44 had fome Gufts of Wind from the North-Eaft, the 
44 North-Weft, the Weft and South-Eaft* fo that in the 
44 Morning at break of Day* we found the largeft of the 
44 two Iflands bore from us, N. N. W. diftant about 8 
44 Leagues. We endeavoured from that Time to the 9th 
44 at Noon, to get as near the Land as we could, but 
44 without Effedt ; nay, the Current drove us ftill farther 
44 and farther* fo that I found myfelf in the Latitude o| 
44 5°' 28' N* 
a w* 
