C 456 3 
44 Extract of a Letter from Mr, tengnacel to 
44 Count bentinck, dated at Batavia the 5th 
44 of January 1770. 
44 Near the iflands Paul and Amfterdam, we met 
44 with a dorm, which had nothing particular in it 
44 worthy of being communicated to you, except 
“ that the captain found himfelf obliged, for great- 
44 er fafety in wearing the fhip, to pour oil into the 
“ lea, to prevent the waves breaking over her, which 
“ had an excellent effeCt, and fucceeded in prelerv- 
44 ing us. — As he poured out but a little at a time, 
44 the Eaft India company owes perhaps its fhip to 
44 only fix demi-aumes of oil -olive. I was prefect 
44 upon deck when this was done ; and I fhould not 
44 have mentioned this circumftance to you, but that 
44 we have found people here fo prejudiced againft 
44 the experiment, as to make it neceffary for the 
44 officers on board and myfelf to give a certificate of 
44 the truth on this head, of which we made no 
44 difficulty.” 
Ontbisoccafion, I mentioned toCaptain bentinck, 
a thought which had occurred do me in reading the 
voyages of our late circumnavigators, particularly 
where accounts are given of pleafant and fertile 
iilands which they much defired to land upon, when 
licknefs made it more neceffary, but could not ef- 
ledt a landing through a violent furf breaking on 
the fhore, which rendered it impracticable. My 
idea was, that poffi.bly by falling to and fro at fome 
dilfance from luch lee fhore, continually pouring oil 
into 
