Chap, II. between the Inhabitants of Great-Britaiii, 
« no Enemy appearing, but ftill frefh Fires breaking out 
44 in different Places, which could not have been done 
46 other wife than by our own Buggafes or Malays , that 
44 are in our own Service : No Enemy yet appearing, we dif- 
44 charg’d what few great Guns we had mounted, at the 
44 thickeft of thefe Fires, as we thought in doing of 
44 which, one of the Wadds of our own Guns unfortu- 
44 nately fell upon the Tops of the Fort Buildings, which 
44 took Fire, and burnt fo fierce, that there was no extin- 
44 quisling of, them : At which Time, we marched out of the 
44 Fort in one Body to meet the Enemy. We firft paffed 
44 the Lower Guard j from thence, round the Horfe Stable- 
44 Hill, to the Hermitage, and fo by the China-Town and 
44 Brick- fheds, which were all on Fire, but no Enemy 
44 to be feen. 
44 We then came to the Sea- fide, where we faw fome 
44 Thoufands of the Malays , headed by our Sultan and 
44 Buggaffes •, which Train reach’d from Bencoulen to 
44 Marlbrough : Mold of the Chinefe had fecured them- 
44 felves in Boats, and on board of their own Praw. We 
44 had then none left to ftand by us but the Blacks: Un- 
44 der thefe Difadvantages, we thought it in vain to ha- 
44 zard our Lives any longer, againft fo numerous an Ene- 
44 my; our Fort and moft of our Buildings being deftroyed 
. 44 by Fire, which put every Man upon faving his Life by 
44 fwimming, or getting on board the Boats in the belt 
44 Manner he could : In which Attempt, near Half our 
44 People were either drown’d or kill’d by the Enemy, 
44 before they could make their Efcape. The next Morn- 
44 ing, we computed near Three Hundred and Fifty black 
14 and white Men, Women, and Children, were faved on 
44 board the Ship Matchlapatam , Mr. Newcomers Barge, 
44 and three Tombongons, or Boats for going on board 
44 Ships ; for which Number we had not Water for 
44 above five Days, at a Pint a Man each Day. Our 
44 firft Defign was to go to Bantal , but both the Wind 
44 and Current were fo ftrong againft us, that we 
44 could not ftir that Way, and fo it continued ’till the 
44 29th of March \ till which Time, we remained in the 
44 Road, when we were obliged to alter our Refolution, 
44 and make the beft of our Way to Batavia ; where, in 
44 all Probability, we might fooner arrive, as the Wind 
44 and Current were then fet ; or at fome Place where we 
44 might get fome frefti Water, which we could not expert 
44 to be fupplied with on the Coaft of Sumatra , to the 
44 South of Bantal. After we had fupplied each Boat with 
44 five Day’s Provifions of Water and Rice, we weighed 
44 Anchor and fet Sail in Company for Batavia. On the 
44 Second of Aprils we loft Sight of all our Boats : On 
44 the ninth, we anchored at New-IJland , where we wa- 
44 tered, and got fome Provifions : On the nth, we 
44 weigh’d from thence, and arrived at Batavia on the 
44 Sixteenth. 
44 On the 1 8th and 19th,' fifty out of our Military, 
44 who where fent in Boats to guard the Blacks and Slaves, 
44 arrived at Batavia from Lampoun , where they had put 
44 in for Water *, where the Blacks mutined, and cutaway 
44 the Rigging of their Boats, which occafioned their dri- 
44 ving on Shore : Then the Blacks left them, encouraged 
44 by one Serjeant Thomas Wright , who alfo went with 
44 them. The reft of our Europeans , after being plundered 
44 of their very Shirts off their Backs, were at laft kindly 
44 affifted by them with two large Sampans ; in which 
64 they faved their Lives, and arrived at Batavia. We 
44 met with kinder Ufage as to our Entertainment at Ba- 
44 tavid) than indeed we expedited ; for they affifted us in 
44 tranfporting one Hundred and Twenty of our People, 
44 on their own Ships, to this Place : Seventy of which, 
« had their Paffage free, and the Ship’s Provifion, they 
44 working for the fame *, and for fifty more, we were 
44 obliged to pay twenty Rix Dollars each for their Tranf- 
44 portation ; and twenty Rix Dollars each more, to the 
44 Captains for their Provifions, in their Voyage. Thirty 
44 Perfons more came with the Deputy- Governor on the 
44 Ship Matchlapatams, and feven more are on board the 
44 Madrafs Brigantine, who left Batavia in Company with 
44 us j fo that we had faved one hundred and fifty-feven 
44 Perfons from the Hands of our Enemies, befides twenty 
44 Slaves belonging to the Honourable Company, and 
44 private Perfons which were difpofed of in Batavia . 
Numb, 62, 
. 9 l 3 
44 One of the Dutch Ships arrived here the 24th Inftant; 
64 wines Mr, Newcome , &c. advifed the Governor of our 
44 Misfortunes, but the Letter we underftand is not yet 
44 gone from this Place. The Matchlapatam arrited here 
44 Yefterday, and this Day the other two Ships, on which 
44 are our whole Complement ; and we fhall flay here no 
44 longer than abfolutely neceffary, to provide for our Paff 
44 fage to Fort St. George ; where we hope to arrive foon 
44 after this comes to your Hands. The Madrafs Rrigan- 
44 tine is not yet arrived. Whilft we were in Batavia , 
44 we ufed all our Endeavours to fend fome Affiftance to 
44 Bent al y tho’ we had but little Reafon to hope that Plac® 
44 had efcaped the fame Fate we ourfelves had met with 5 
66 but in this the Dutch oppofed us in all our Propofals. 
44 The Deputy-Governor would have gone himfelf on the 
44 Mat chlap atari S) with as many of our People as fhe could. 
4 * conveniently carry ; but this they would not allow with- 
44 out he could take all our People along with him, which 
44 was altogether impoffible ; nor would they fupply us 
44 with a Veffel on that Occafion. 
44 We endeavoured to hire the Madrafs Brigantine, for 
44 that Purpofe, but the Mafter and Supercargoes alledged, 
44 fhe was not in a Condition to proceed. We then pro- 
44 pofed to the Dutch , that we might have four Chefts of 
44 Treafure, and fome Gun-powder to be forwarded to 
44 them on the Amelia, on her Arrival ; but they refufed to 
44 take Charge of it, as they pretended, left Difputes 
44 might enfue : We then requefted, to leave It in the 
44 Hands of any private Perfons ; or that we might leave 
44 fome of our own Servants there, to take Charge of it ; 
44 but they would not confent to any one of thefe Propofals, 
44 nor fuffer the Treafure to be; left behind in any manner 
44 whatfoever. We had drawn out a Proteft againft them 
44 for this Refufal, but when we were going to deliver it, 
44 the Shawbander, who had been our Friend, plainly told 
44 us, what the Effedts of it would be, that the next 
44 Englijh Ships that fell in there, would fuffer for it, in 
44 meeting with worfe Treatment than ever any had yet 
44 done ; whereas we ourfelves had been civilly treated in 
44 all other Refpebts. 
44 Upon this, we eonfidered, that the Amelia would 
44 fhortly arrive, for whom we have left Orders to pro- 
44 ceed firft to Bantal , and from thence to Fort St. George „ 
44 with Advice, if fhe arrives Time enough to get away 
44 by the 15th o{June\ if not, to come direftly for Fort St. 
44 George •, as alfo the outward-bound China Ships : And 
44 probably this Year’s Shipping from the Weft Coaft, 
44 might be obliged to put in there for Provifions ; which, 
44 if they fhould fail of our Company, might fuffer more 
44 than the Advantage they would reap by our Proteft : 
44 Upon which Confederation, it was agreed, it fhould not 
44 be delivered. This is a true Narrative of our Proceed- 
44 ings, fince our Troubles commenced ; and what we 
44 have omitted herein, you will find more particularly in- 
44 ferted in our Diaries and Confultations, when we come 
44 to lay them before your Honour, &c. for your Perufal, 
44 which we hope will be fufficient to demonftrate, that this 
44 Misfortune is no Way owing to our Mifconduft, which 
44 we fubmit to your Honour’s favourable Conftrudlioni 
44 and beg Leave to fubfcribe. 
Honoured Sir , 
Tour moji Obedient * and 
Obliged Humble Servants 3 
Negapaum, Thomas Cook, Dept, Gevirmr, 
June 28, 1719. Stephen Newcome, 
William Palmer. 
44 The foregoing is an Account of our proceeding, as 
44 it was remitted to the Governor and Council of this 
44 Place from Negapatam ; to which it will not be arrlifs to 
44 add, the Reafons that were the Occafion of this Mil™ 
44 fortune, which is omitted in the foregoing Narrative : 
44 Firft, it is to be eonfidered, that th e Englijh had been in- 
44 volved in Troubles with the Country Government, both 
44 at Marlbrough and Bantal box fome Time before they 
44 arrived on the Coaft *, which tho’ I was fo fortunate as 
5 0 Z, to 
