Chap. II. through the greatefl Part 
when they were not only forced from, thence, but alfo 
obliged to acknowledge the Sovereignty of the Emperor 
of China. About the Year 1600, feven powerful Colonies 
of the hfar, tars were joined into one Kingdom under the 
Name of Niuche , whole King entered China , in 1 61 6, with 
a powerful Army. Many bloody Engagements happened 
among the Chinefe and 'Tartars , efpecially in 1618, 1619, 
1 620, 1 62 5, 1 62 7, till at laft in 1630, the Tartars were once 
more forced to quit the Poffeffion of China , and to con- 
tent themfelves with making Incurfioqs, as they found Op- 
portunity. Butin 1641 no iefs than eight Armies of Rob- 
bers appearing at once in the Chinefe Empire, and the 
Grandees being divided into Fa&ions, fome of them called 
in the Tartars to their Aid, and at laft betrayed the capital 
City and the Emperor to them, who was ftrangled in 
1644. Upon which the Tartars , having fpentfome Years 
in reducing other Provinces, they made themfelves abfo- 
lute JMafters of the whole Empire by the Conqueft of the 
City of Quangcbeu, in the Province of Quangfi, Nov. 14, 
1650. But it is now Time to proceed with our Voyage 
regularly and circumftantially. ; 
18. We told you how we were becalmed in the Sight 
of the Ifte of Ceylon , where we continued till the 20th of 
February , when the North- Weft Wind obliged us to fteer 
our Courfe to the South- Eaft. We found ourfelves then 
2 0 beyond the Equinoctial Line. I took this Opportunity 
to afk the Mafter of the Ship, whether (according to the 
vulgar Opinion) I might difcover both the Poles here ; but 
lie fufficiently convinced me, that the Ardick Pole was not 
to be feen till about fix Degrees, and the Antartick not 
till eight beyond the Line, and that when you come to 
8 or io° the North- Weft Wind reigns there conftantly for 
fix Months, as the South-Eaft does the other Months of 
the Year. We faw abundance of Birds, fome white like 
Pigeons, others like Wild-ducks, and vaft Quantities of 
certain Birds, called by the Portugueze , Garayos, being 
black and white, but larger than our Magpies. Their 
Tails are divided like a Pair of Taylor’s Sheers : All thefe 
Eve upon the flying Fifh, who, to avoid the Purfuit of the 
Albicores, Benitos, and Dorados , betake themfelves to the 
Air. The Albicores are white, and without Scales, and 
fo are the Bonitos ; but the firft exceed the others in Big- 
nefs, and have but one Bone from the Head to the Tail, 
but are not extraordinary Meat. The Dorado is like a 
Salmon, but more lufeious, and has fmaller Scales. We 
alfo took a Sea-Hog (fo called from its Snout, which is 
like that of a Pig) which is feen in great Shoals near the 
Veffel, are looked upon by the Seamen as the Forerunners 
of a Storm, which may naturally be accounted for. 
The Dutch , in their firft Voyage into thofe Parts, opened 
one of thefe Fifh, and found a great deal of Fat, and a 
young Pig in the Belly of it. There is another great Fifh 
in thofe Seas called Hayes by the Dutch , and Shark by the 
Englifh ; their Teeth are very clofe and ftiarp, and as they 
delight in Man’s Flefti, it often happens, that they fnatch 
a Limb of any unwary Seaman. Their Mouth being be- 
low their Heads, they lie upon their Backs when they are 
to catch a Prey. That we took had the Heart in the 
Head, and lived a good while after it was taken. Their 
Fleftyis not fit to be eaten. There are alfo abundance of 
that fort of Fifti hereabouts, called by the Portugueze Pa - 
fupuarco , becaufe they make a Noife like Pigs, and are of 
the Bignefs of a Bream. Tortoifes (the Meat of which 
are as fine as Veal) are in fuch Plenty here, that the Sea- 
men draw' them, at Pleafure, into the Ship with Hooks. 
February the 21ft we found ourfelves in i° 20' of the Line, 
with very rainy and unconftant Weather, which is common 
hereabouts. On the 23d one of our Seamen died of the 
Pox*, the 25th we were becalmed; but the next Night 
there arofe a Tempeft, which made us continually upon 
our Guard, for fear of the Travados, or Whirl-winds, 
which are fo hidden here, that the Seamen have fcarce 
leifure to furl their Sails. We could not make any Obfer- 
vation by the Sun till the 5th of March, when we were in 
8° 6 ' Latitude, and on the 10th in io° 14' the Wind 
at Weft. 
The 1 2th and 13th it blew a great Storm, with Thun- 
der and Lightening; but what moft furprized us was, that 
though we were in 1 3 0 , we found not the leaft Effeds of 
Numb. L1V, 
of theft AST-INDIE& 797 
the Monfoon, or ordinary Wind of the Seafon, which is 
commonly perceived at 8 or 9 0 , the South Wind blowing 
fo.hard, that we were in. fear of being forced back to the' 
Indian Coaft. It was not till March the 15th; that we 
found the Wind changed to the South, when putting out 
all our Sail, we made two Leagues in an Hour, and took 
feveral Dolphins that fwam near our Ship. On the 20th 
we were becalmed in 16% where we found the Compais 
decline 30' to the Weft, and fo it continued till the 24th ; 
but as foon as the Cape of Good-Hope is doubled, the Load- 
ftone draws towards the Eaft. As we were floating thus 
up and down the 21ft of March , our Ship took’ Fire, by 
the Carelefsnefs of the Butler, who let Fire to a Barrel of 
Aqua Vita, as he was removing it. Our freih Water be- 
ginning to be fcarce, we made ufe of an Engine to draw 
frefh Water out of the Sea ; but its Tafte being fomewhat 
naufeous, it ferved only for the drefling of Meat. 
On the 2 2d we made, by the Help of the Monfoon 
Winds, two Leagues an Hour, which continued the 2 3d, 
24th, and 25th. On the 26th the Wind held ftill fair ; 
but, for fear of a Change, and Want of frefh Water, was 
refolved to direft our Courfe to Maurice Hand, to take in 
Refrefhments there. We difeovered the fame Night the 
Ifle of Diego Rodriguez in 20° 48', which lies fixtv Leagues 
from the faid Ifland of Maurice, fo called by the Dutch 
from the Prince of Orange, who was Admiral of the United 
Provinces at the Time of their firft Voyage to the Inaies . 
I ts Harbour is very fpacious, being able to contain fifty large 
Veffels, and commodious, by reafon of its Depth, which is 
a hundred Fathom at the Entrance. The high Mountains, 
which are covered with Trees, may be feen at a great Di~ 
ftance at Sea. The Vallies produce fome Fruit, and abun- 
dance of other Trees, fome of which are thofe that afford 
the belt Ebony in the World, black, red, and yellow ; 
but the two laft are in the greateft Efteem, and the Sea 
abounds in Fifh. The Dutch in their Relations (peak of a 
Thornback they catched near this Ifle, which found two 
good Meals for the whole Ship, and Tortoifes of fuch a 
Bignefs, that ten Men might fit on one Shell. The Ifle 
was quite deftitute of Inhabitants at that Time ; but fince 
1640, the Dutch have ere&ed a Fort there. It abounds 
in Birds ; but is deftitute of four-footed Beads ; but as for 
Fruits and Water, it affords fufficient Refrefhment to Ships 
that are palling that Way. 
The Wind continuing fair when we came within Sight 
of this Ifland, a Council was called, in which it was 
agreed not to lofe any Time by putting into this Ifland, 
but to^ continue our Voyage, with all pofiible Speed, to 
the Cape of Good-Hope , to avoid the Danger of being 
obliged to winter in the Ifland of Madagafcar . Accord- 
ingly we loft Sight of this Ifle the fame Day, and pafled 
the Tropick of Capricorn March the 30th, fteering our 
Courfe Weft-South- Weft. April the ill we found our- 
felves in 26° f, and after having made forty Leagues, were- 
becalmed before Night. We faw the next Day divers 
Whales, and the Weather becoming very ftormy, carried 
us to the Weft-South-Weft, our Bufinefs being to fteer to 
the South, and confequently to the Cape of Good-Hope. On 
the 5th the Compafs ftill varying, we held our Courfe ftill 
to the Weft, and though we had not much Wind, made 
feventy-three Leagues in thefe two Days from the 9th, 
(when we were about three hundred Leagues from the 
Cape) we advanced tolerably well, but the 15th it blew 
very hard, and thofe Birds, called by the Portugueze Pin- 
tados, which keep within forty Leagues of the Land, and 
feveral other Birds, came near our Ship, On the fixteenth 
thefe Signs perfuaded our Seamen that we were not far from 
the Shore ; the 17th we continued our Voyage with a frefh 
Gale; but the 18th and 19th we had fcarce any Wind, 
thro 5 the Roughnefs of the Sea, which proved an infallible 
Omen of the Tempeft that overtook us the fame Night 
from the South-Weft in 350 Latitude. As thefe Storms 
are unavoidable about the Cape of Good-Hope , we took in 
our Sails. 
On the 20th, perceiving the Water fomewhat more in- 
clinable to white than before, and a great many Sea-mews, 
called Mangas de Valudo by the Portugueze, round our Ships* 
we concluded that there was Ground within an hundred, 
or an hundred and fifty Fathom, and, upon Trial, found 
9 R ' it 
