Chap II. to the EAST 
Englijh had fpread falfe Reports, in order to exclude the 
1 French from the Trade of Achen . That the Men he had 
imprifoned were reprefented to him as Robbers and Pi" 
rates, but as foon as he underftood they belonged to me, 
he immediately fet them at Liberty. That he was afraid 
the King of France might have taken it ill, if he had put 
his Subjects into the Hands of the Englijh and Butch , 
who were their mortal Enemies, and that he only waited for 
the Arrival of a French Ship, in which he might fend 
them Home. But after all, when I thanked him for 
fending the Men on Board, he told me, he had only fent 
them to vifit me, but not to flay with me, for that they 
being Ship- wreck’d and loft Men, belonging to him, into 
whofe Port they came. 
This, as I took.it, he faid to prevent me from afking for 
what he had taken from them, the Value of which a- 
mounted to very near 2000 Rials. However, I refolved 
to play him a Trick for it, and with that View defired M. 
Limmony ‘(fo the firft Commiffary of the St. Malo's Com- 
pany at Bantam was called) who was now Proprietor in 
the Pinnace, to retire from Achen as foon as he could, to 
avoid the Danger he might incur through the Infolence 
and Perfidioufnefs of the King. But Limmony made An- 
fwer, that he had fome Goods to put off, which would re- 
quire fome Time, and he being of another Company, I 
could not force him to ad as I would have had him. Up- 
on this Anfwer I refolved to put in for a Licence for Ti- 
cow , and for that Purpofe I offered Orankay Laxemane a 
Diamond if he would procure it me. The Orankay told 
me, it might be done, provided I made a Prefent of fome 
fine Diamond to the King, who was then paffionately fond 
of Diamonds. 
I ihewed him a rough Diamond weighing 1 2 Grains, 
which I defigned for the King, and another cut of five 
Grains for himfelf. Next Day he acquainted me, that he 
had {hewn the Diamonds to the King, but the Englijh 
having very lately prefented him with large ones, he did 
not value mine but after all, that if I could find any ex- 
traordinary Rarity, I might certainly obtain my Requeft. 
Upon this Advice, I bought of Periby the Portugueze , 
who was lately returned from Mujilipatan , two Diamonds, 
one weighing 18 Grains, cut Lozengewife, and very 
prettily fet, which coft me 550 Rials, and another of 
nine Grains, cut Pointwife, which coft me 120 Rials. I 
Ihewed them to Laxemane , who advifed me to prefent 
them myfelf ; upon which I defired Quylin the Goldfmith, 
who was my Interpreter, and who ufed to fpeak very bold- 
ly to the King, to acquaint him, that I had fome Jewels 
to fhew his Majefty, without telling him whether I meant 
to fell them or give them to him. 
37. Accordingly, after fome Time, the King fent for 
me, and defired a Sight of the Diamonds he heard I had. 
I Ihewed him the large one, which he looked upon, and 
when he alked the Price of it, I told him, it was at his 
Service, if he would allow me to buy 300 Bahars of Pep- 
per at Ticow. His Anfwer was, that if the Butch fhould 
offer him 30000 Rials for that Liberty he would not 
give it them ; but to me he would give a Licence of {lay- 
ing at Ticow twenty Days, provided I gave him another 
Diamond like that. I told him, I had none fuch, nor 
could poffibly find any. Then he defired I would prefent 
him with a Cannon in the room of it, but I begged his 
Majefty’s Pardon. Upon which he faid, all other Nati- 
ons had prefented him with Cannons, and I ought not to 
refufe him. I prayed him to excufe me, in regard I had 
fo many Enemies, and that there were fome Ships near 
Ticow. He replied, I need not fear the Butch at Ticow, 
fince they had a Factory at Achen, which was more va- 
luable than my Ship. After all, finding he was fo bent 
upon the Gun, I agreed to let him have it. 
Upon which he called for the Orankay Laxemane , and 
ordered him to give me a Commiftion to trade at Ticow. 
After that, he began to queftion me very particularly concern- 
ing M. Limmony ’s Circumftances, the Force of his Ship, the 
Value of his Cargoe, and. atlaft, advifed me to carry him 
and nis Pinnace along with me, and not leave him expofed 
to the Difcretion of . the Portugueze, Butch , EngUJh, and 
even the Moors X hcmfelves, who would be eafily tempted 
to fall, upon fo fmall a Veffel;; reprefenting, that his Af- 
HUMB.JO. 
-INDIES. fA 
Fedion to the King of France moved him to give that 
Advice ; and that tho’ M. Limmony was not under my 
Command, yet out of Refped to my Countrymen and 
Acquaintance, I ought to refcue them from the Danger 
they were in. Becember the 5th, having afked Laxemane 
often for my Commiffion, and finding he only fhuffied 
and put me off, I complained of him to the Kipp whd 
bid me give him a Diamond, as if that had been agreed to 
at firft. To make fhort of my Story, I Very foon difcovered 
that the Orankay Laxemane could do nothing, for that the 
King difpatched all his Commiftions himfelf, and that the 
Defign q{ turning me over to him, was to worm out of 
me another Diamond for the King’s own Ufe. On thri 
Difcovery, 1 I gave him another Diamond that weighed 
about 6 Grains, and at laft, after many Stops and Delays, 
I received out of the King’s' own Hand a Letter im pow- 
ering me to traffick in Ticow for twenty Days, and order- 
ing the King and Governor of that Place to affifl me in 
carrying on the Trade of Pepper, for which I was to pay 
the ufua! Duties. 
At the fame Time, the King ordered me to pay die 
Duty of fome Goods that I had bought up in order to fell 
at Ticow, which I thought to have been excufed from, in 
regard I meant to put thepn off within the Territories of 
the King of Achen : Flowever, I was forced to pay it. I 
had frequently defired my Interpreter to defire Reftkution 
of the King for what he had taken from my Men, but 
the Interpreter would not venture to mention it, becaufe 
he found it was difagreeable to the King. 
After all, I preffed Orankay Laxemane to reprefen t my 
Requeft to the King, which at laft he did, and then gave 
me to underftand it was in vain to exped it ; that the 
King had a Title to all the Goods of thofe who were fhip- 
wreck’d upon his Coaft, and that the King had been very 
favourable in delivering the Men themfelves. On the fix™ 
teenth we weighed Anchor, and arrived in the Road of 
Ticow, the laft Day of this Year. January the firft 
1622, I {hewed the Inhabitants of the Bland the King 
of Achen' s Letter, who received it with Pleafure. In this 
Place I bought above four hundred Bahars of Peppery 
which coft me about 25 Rials the Bahar, including the 
Charges of my Commiftion, and the Prefents I made at 
Achen. February the ift we weighed Anchor in the 
Road of Ticow , in order to return Home, having on 
Board 75 Men, all in good Health, and Provifions for 
nine Months. But before I proceed farther, I will give 
here a fuccind Defcription of the Bland of Sumatra. 
38. The Bland of Sumatra is larger than Great Bri- 
tain. It extends 11 Degrees in Length, running S. E: 
and N. W. i. e. from the Point of Achen , which lies in 
5 0 30' N. Lat. to the Straight of Sunda, the Lat. of which 
is 5° 3 CD 1 ° that its Length may be computed 300 French 
Leagues. Its South End is broader than the North, but 
one with another its Breadth will make about ^70 Leagues. 
The Coaft for the moft Part lies low, tho’ there are very 
high Mountains within the Country. Its Vallies afford 
excellent Pafturage, and are fertile in Rice, and all other 
Fruits. It is watered with many noble Rivers, fome of 
which are very great •, for Inftance, Cinquel , Badros , Bay a 5 
Achen , Pedir , Jambi, and Rippura, befides feveral fmall 
Riveis and Infinity of Brooks, by which Means it is ren- 
dered very moift, and in fome Places marfhy ; befides, it 
is fubjed to frequent Rains, for the Equinoctial cuts it’di- 
redly in the middle. 
It bears very large Trees, which retain their Verdure 
all the Year round. The Air is unhealthy for Strangers* 
efpecially near the Equinoctial Line, as in Ticow, PoJJd - 
man , &c. nay, the very Inhabitants of Achen don’t care 
to live in thole Places during the wet Seafon, which lafts 
from June to October, and in which the wefterly Winds 
mixed with Whirl- winds, Rains, Tempefts, and fuddeii 
Calms, blow upon the Coaft. In thefe Calms, the Air be- 
ing unmoved, and the Ground foaked with conftant Rain, 
the Sun, by its perpendicular Rays, attra&s very ftinkin® 
Vapours, which occafion peftilential Fevers, that carry 
Strangers off in two or three Days, or at leaft terminate 
in obftinate Swellings, .add. Dropfics. The City of Achen, \ 
fituate on the North Point, is more temperate. It {lands 
upon a great River, about half a League from the Sea, 
9 C. ' ~ in 
