Chap. II. of Mr. William Adam s. §.gf 
Japanefe Nation were become Converts to the Popifh Re- 
ligion, and confequently hated them no lefs as Hereticks, 
than if they had been Infidels. 
Taking thefe Circumftances therefore together, we need 
not much wonder that the Dutch in fome meafure defpaired 
of ever carrying their Point, and eftablifhing themfelves as 
a trading Nation in Japan\ yet fo frail and feeble a thing 
is human Policy, and fo little Certainty there is in the Fore- 
fight even of the wifeft Mart, that notwithftanding all thefe 
Obftacles, and contrary to all Appearance, they not only 
carried the Point, but after contributing as much as in their 
Power lay, to the Ruin of their Competitors the Portu- 
guese ; they have fecured the whole of this rich Trade to 
themfelves, and that too in fuch a manner, as that it is not 
very likely it fhould be ever taken out of their Hands. All 
this we may fafely affirm, on the Credit of the Dutch Wri- 
ters themfelves, is intirely owing, and was abfolutely brought 
about by the Intereft and Conduct of one poor Englijhman , 
this very William Adams , whofe Memoirs of this Country, 
collected from his own Writings, we are now to give the 
Reader. 
The Thing in itfelf is indeed wonderful, and if it was 
not fupported by the mofl authentick Evidence, would, to 
the prefent Age at leaft, appear incredible ; but as it is fup- 
ported, it cannot be denied, or even difputed, and there- 
fore it ought to convince us, that there is nothing of this 
Nature impoffible, or impracticable, if Men once fet hear- 
tily about it ; fo that we have no Reafon to doubt, that if 
the fame Spirit of extending Commerce, which prevailed 
in this Man’s Days, lhould revive in ours, it would produce 
like EffeCts, and difcover to us fuch new Routs, fuch un- 
expected and unlooked for Means of employing our indu- 
flrious Poor at home, by procuring a Vent for their Ma- 
nufactures abroad, as would raife this Age as high in the 
Opinion of Pofterity, as the laft Age appears, or ought to 
appear, in ours. But it is now Time to return to our Au- 
thor, and to attend to thofe Accounts of Japan which 
have been left us by fo able and fo experienced a Per- 
fon, than which there are not perhaps any better to be met 
with in any Language whatever. • 
2. In this Bufinefs, as we have feen, he was not the Ser- 
vant of his own native Country, but of Holland , being 
an able Pilot, and very fkilful in all Points of marine Know- 
ledge. He was hired by that People to go to Sea with 
them 5 his Poll was that of Mailer Pilot, the Management 
of the whole Fleet (which confifted of five Sail) being 
left principally to his Care and Prudence. They fet Sail 
from the Tex el June the 24th, and made it the 21ft of Au~ 
gujl , by that Time they reached St. Jago , one of the Cape 
de Verd Ifles. Here they flayed almofl a Month j fo long, 
that a good Part of the Fleet was lick with the unhealthy 
Air of that Place, and they found it too true by Experi- 
ence (which before the Dutch would not believe) that it was 
a very barren Place as to any manner of good Refrelhment. 
September the 15th they paffed the Line, though with 
Trouble, becaufe of the contrary foutherly Winds that then 
diftreffed them, and this was the EffeCt of having loitered 
away too much Time before they came to attempt ft. 
They were now carried away to the Coafl of Guinea , and 
coming up with Cape de Lopez Gonfalves , they landed their 
fick Company there ; but this Place denied Relief, as well 
as the former, and the fick Men were forced to carry their 
feveral Wants and Diftempers aboard with them again. At 
the Ifle of Annobon they met with a little better Entertainment. 
Here were Beeves, Oranges, and other Fruits ; but the 
Plague of having an unhealthy Climate embittered the Com- 
forts of this Refrelhment, and the bad Air made them fick, 
as fall as the good Provifions made them well. The Dutch 
landed a Party of Men, and took the Town, a fmall thing 
confifting of eighty Houfes, and like to be of as little 
Profit to the Conquerors, as it was Honour to them. ’Twas 
towards the Middle of November before they got away from 
thence, fo hard is it to leave a good baiting Place, efpecialiy 
when the next is fo very uncertain, as it is in the Cafe of 
Seamen between Annobon and 4 0 S. L. they had the Winds 
perpetually at S. by E. and S. S. E. but about that Parallel 
they came up by S. E. and E. S. E. and E. 
Tfieir Courfe was now for the Magellanick S tr eight r, and 
they made it five Months failing between them and the- 
Numb. LVIII. 
Illand of Annobon ; but the Miferies they endured by Hun- 
ger in that Time were extream, and in the higheft Degrees 
dreadful : According to Mr. Adams' s Relation* for a good 
while they had each Man but a Quarter of a Pound of Bread 
a Day, with a proportionally fmall Quantity of Wine and 
Water ; but it came at lafl to that pafs, that they eat the 
very Skins that covered the Ropes* of the Ships, and by 1 this 
unnatural fort of Diet brought on ftrangeDiforders and Fed- 
blenefs of Body upon themfelves *, through ail thefe Difficul- 
ties,. they made a Shift at laft to reach the Magellanick 
Streights , coming into the firft Narrow of that Paffage, 
April the 6th ; but this was but ftill out of one Difficulty 
into another; ’twas only altering the Scene of their Misfor- 
tunes, and coming to be miferable in another Place ; for 
the Winter was coming on here apace, the Cold began to 
be fevere and pinching, and the great Snows began too. To 
make their Circumftances more compleatly difmal, many a 
time would the Wind have ferved to have carried them 
through the Streights , but the obftinate General would not: 
embrace the Opportunity, at the Advice of thofe that per-* 
fuaded it, and fo was the Qccafion of the miferable Con- 
finement of the Fleet all the Winter Seafon. 
Here was Firing, indeed, enough for them all about the 
Str eights , every Place abounding with Wood ; but there 
was a worfe Neceffity amongft them, which this would 
never fupply, and the Cravings of the Belly were to be 
fatisfied by another fort of Provifion. Flere they continued 
confiibling with Hunger, Diftempers, and bad Weather, 
till September , fo that they ftood the Shock of the whole 
Winter at this Place, and endured the Extremities of ail 
the very worft Months of the Year. Abundance of their 
Men died, being downright ftarved, and the reft were as 
near it as they could well be ; and now the General, having 
had enough of the Winter Pleafures of the Magellanick 
Streights , very politickly concluded, ’twas time to go away. 
His Men were half dead, and the Remainder were almofl 
famifhed *, the difmal Winter fpent ana gone, and the chear- 
ful Spring coming on, with the returning Sun, he thought 
it high time to put out to Sea again before the Comfort of 
the approaching Seafon forfook them. 
3. So the latter End of September they fet fail out of the 
Streights , and being got into the South-Sea , were wretch- 
edly toffed and beaten about in that turbulent Ocean : In 
fhort, a furious Storm fcattered the whole Fleet, and drove 
them to feek their Fortunes, every one by themfelves ; they 
had agreed before, in cafe of any fuch Difafter, that they 
would flay for one another at fome Place upon the Coafl of 
Chili t in the Latitude of 46°, and if the reft came not in a 
Month, then thofe that were there fhould go on. Hither 
Mr. Adams' s Ship came, according to the Agreement, and 
flayed the appointed Time. The Natives were civil and 
friendly to them at firft, and bartered Sheep and Potatoes 
for little Toys, which they gave them ; but at laft they fell 
off, removed up into the Country, and came no more to 
them. Their Company not coming, they went away, 
touching, as they paffed, at the Bay of Baldivia , and the 
Ifle of Mocha ; but not coming to Anchor any where, till 
they did at the Cape Santa Maria , which is about twenty 
Leagues from the Ifland of that Name to the Southward. 
Here they found a convenient Bay, and good Ground 
for anchoring ; there were confiderable Numbers' of People 
that appeared upon the Shore, but their Temper and Life 
pofitions, as they were unknown, fo they were now to be 
tried •, but they proved very crofs and untoward ; for at 
their firft Attempt to land the Indians looking upon them 
as Invaders of the Country, fet themfelves to oppofe them, 
and poured in a Shower of Darts and Arrows upon the 
Boats that came up to the Shore *, but they being under the 
Pinch of Hunger, and driven by an abfolute Neceffity to 
endeavour fome Means for the getting a Refrelhment, 
broke through the Weapons of the Barbarians , and landed 
their Men. Now they made Signs of Peace on both Sides, 
and a Ceffation of Arms being, as it were, agreed on, they 
came to a Parly in that Language of Signs, and the In- 
dians underftanding what they meant, brought them Wine 
and Fruits for the little Commodities the others fhewed 
them, and then fignified to them, that they lhould now 
return aboard again *, and if they came afhore again the 
next Day, they lhould have a farther Supply of Victuals. 
10' I ~ Accord- 
