Volume Ix Part 32 (2/2)

At noon of the 14th, having made way twenty-four leagues to the northward, by aid of the wind and a current setting to the north, we had sight of the high land of Bintang, rising with two hills and a deep swamp or hollow between, and, as we judged, twelve leagues from us. At this time, likewise, we had sight of three or four hummocks, S.W. by W.

eight leagues off, which seemed separate islands. We had here 20 f. our soundings from Lingan being 14, 15, 17, 18, 19, and 20 f. From noon of the 14th till noon of the 15th, we made twenty-seven leagues N. 1/3 W.

our soundings in these twenty-four hours being 21, 22, 23, and 24 f.

From noon till three p.m. of the 15th we made 3 1/2 leagues, and then had sight of Pulo Laor, N.W. 1/2 N. about twelve leagues off, having then 27 f. the ground resembling fuller's earth. At night, Pulo Laor being N.W. by W. eight leagues off, we had 39 f. on ooze. From noon of the 15th till eight a.m. of the 16th, we made our course N.N.W. 1/2 W.

fifteen leagues. At night of the 16th, Pulo Laor bore S.W. by S. five leagues; the body of the island of Hermano de Layo W.S.W. 1/2 W. seven leagues; and the S. end of Pulo Timon W. 1/2 N. ten leagues, its N.E.

end being W.N.W. 1/2 W. ten leagues. We anch.o.r.ed this evening within four leagues of the N. point of Pulo Timon, in 24 f. _streamy_ ground, that point bearing W. by S. 1/2 S. In the evening I sent my boat round the point, where they observed a town, with a junk riding close by the sh.o.r.e, and several proas fis.h.i.+ng. One of these came to enquire what nation our people were of, and told them there was good fresh water at the town, with plenty of buffaloes, goats, and poultry.

In the morning of the 17th, we sent the Unicorn's longboat along with ours to the town, whence they came back in the evening with four b.u.t.ts of water each, not willing to fill more, as it was brackish. They found at the watering-place a junk belonging to Johor, fitted out for war, having twenty men armed with fire-arms, besides lances and javelins.

They reported that they had taken a Chinese junk, which they had sold on the coast of Johor; the nokhada sending me word, that he would a.s.sist me against the Portuguese at the hazard of his life. In the bay next to the southwards of Pulo Timon, we found excellent fresh water, but could not conveniently take it in by means of our long-boat, which drew five feet water when loaded. Having thus spent the day to little purpose, we set sail at the beginning of the night, directing our course for Patane, and steering N. all night with little wind.

At noon of the 18th, we were in the lat.i.tude of 3 40' N. At four p.m.

we had sight of Pulo Tingoran, N.N.W. fifteen leagues off. At night we pa.s.sed by Tingoran, about six leagues to the eastwards, having 28, 30, and 32 f. on soft ground. At six a.m. of the 19th, Tigoran bore W.S.W.

seven leagues from us, when we had thirty-six f. soft ground. At noon of this day we were in lat. 5 30' N. Tingoran bearing S. 1/3 E. fourteen leagues off, by which we estimated the lat.i.tude of that island to be 4 50 N. We had likewise, at noon, the south isle of Pulo Rowdon, [Ridang,]

N.W. by W. seven leagues off. The same night at eight, I observed the croziers, making the lat.i.tude of the s.h.i.+p 5 48' N. At this time, the largest of the Ridang isles, which is the eastermost, bore from us due W. four leagues distant. From eight this night, till noon of the 20th, our course was nearly N.W. by W. nine leagues, our sounding being from 28 to 17 f. The northermost of the Pulo Ridang isles was then S. 1/3 E.

four leagues off, being a round hummock, much like Pomo in the gulf of Venice, but somewhat higher and more complete. These isles consist of good high land, having fair depth all along their eastern side to seawards, and I am told have a free and safe channel between them and the main land. There are thirteen or fourteen islands in this group, great and small.

From noon of the 20th till eight in the morning of the 21st, our course was W.N.W. nine leagues. We saw two hills by the water-side, bearing W.

and five leagues off, resembling two great tortoises. From Pulo Tingoran all the way to Patani, the land up the country is very high, while that just within the coast is low, with a sandy beach. This is the case for at least twenty leagues south of Patani, but how much farther I know not. In the afternoon of the 20th, while standing towards the two hills just mentioned as resembling tortoises, we came from 17 into 14 and 13 f. with hard ground; and as we drew nearer these hills, the depth again increased to 19 f. on ooze, and then shoaled again to 18 and 17 f. on ooze.

The 21st of May, being Sunday, from eight a.m. to seven p.m. our course was N.W. 3/4 W. thirteen leagues, keeping mostly within four leagues of the low sandy sh.o.r.e, the depth all the way being 15, 14, and 13 f. We then anch.o.r.ed in 13-3/4 f. streamy ground, the northermost point in sight, falling down from a reasonably high land at the far end of the low land, bore from us W.N.W. 1/2 N. near 3-1/2 leagues off. S.E. by S.

from this point, six leagues off, there is a rock, as high above water as the hull of a small s.h.i.+p, which we pa.s.sed about 1-1/2 league on its E. side, finding no alteration in the soundings. This point I named the Gurnet's Head. From this point, the land trends W.N.W. and W. by N. all the way to the entrance into Patani roads, being all low land from the Gurnet's Head to the point of the road, this point being the lowest of all. The distance from the Gurnet's Head to that low point is six leagues, all the way of fair depth till coming near the low point of the road, to which a good birth must be given, as there lies a shoal from it half-way over to the western sh.o.r.e, wherefore it must not be approached too near, till you find in the first place the shoaling of the western sh.o.r.e, which is the softest ground. From the low point, in going across the bay to the western sh.o.r.e there are only from 5 f. to 4 1/2 when in the road; and then the low point bears from the anchorage, E.N.E. 1/3 E.

the highest mountains in the western side of the bay bearing S.S.W. 1/3 W.

We anch.o.r.ed in the road of Patani on Thursday the 25th of May, when we found the Sampson and a Dutch pinnace there at anchor. I went ash.o.r.e the day before to the English factory, where I found Mr Adam Denton and Mr Richard Welding, lately come from Jambee in Sumatra in a proa, with several of the Sampson's people, who were all rejoiced to see our s.h.i.+ps coming into the port. On getting to the English house, I told Mr Denton that my chief purpose for coming here was for arrack and fresh victuals, of which we were in great need, upon which he gave immediate orders to procure every thing we needed, so that in six days we were supplied with sixteen b.u.t.ts of arrack and arrack-apee; three b.u.t.ts of which last we had from the Dutch, for which courtesy we were chiefly obliged by their anxiety to have us away. We had also beeves, goats, and poultry, in abundance. We also bought here _dammar_ and oil, for the purpose of repairing our s.h.i.+ps, as I understood these things were dear at j.a.pan. I here found a small frigate or country bark, which had been bought by the English; and as she was of no great use there, it was agreed that she, with most of the English sailors, should attend upon us to j.a.pan.

We departed from Patani on the 31st May; and at seven a.m. of the 1st June, we saw a small rock, just above water, being very dangerous for s.h.i.+ps bound from Patani for the point of Camboja. When this rock bore N.N.E. 1/2 E. at the distance of a league, the high land over Gurnet Head was S.S.W. 1/4 W. eighteen leagues off; and by computation, the low point of Patani road was then eighteen leagues off, W.S.W. 1/2 S. After getting out of Patani road into 7 f. the depth increased regularly to 9, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, and 24 f. till we got sight of the rock; and two leagues from it we had 25 f. on ooze, as was the ground all the way over from Patani. This day at noon, we found the lat.i.tude of the s.h.i.+p to be 7 20' N. the rock bearing W. about four leagues off.

From that time till the 3d, at noon, our course was E. 1/2 N. forty-five leagues, when we had sight of Pulo Hube, bearing E.N.E. 1/2 N. eight leagues off, having 14 f. on ooze, as we constantly had for the last forty-eight hours, the sounding being from 27 to 36 f. and thence decreasing again to 14 f. Pulo Hube rises at first as one round hill, and on coming nearer some high land is seen rising in hummocks, but not above two-thirds so high as the round hill, being all one land with it.

Then another and smaller island is seen to rise, nearly of the same height with the hummocks, and close to the larger island. At the east end of this lesser round island, there are two little isles very near, and a mile east of them there is a long rock like the hull of a galley.

This night we anch.o.r.ed in 13 1/2 f. on ooze, about three leagues from the largest and highest isle. In the morning of the 4th we weighed, and stood E. by S. with little wind. At six p.m. we had the body of Pulo Hube W. by N. four leagues off. From thence we steered E. by S. and E.

till six next morning, but were so opposed by the current, that we made our course to the northward of east. From six a.m. of the 5th till six p.m. we ran fifteen leagues in the before-mentioned course, when we saw a very small round isle about four leagues to the southward, having a long flat rock S. from it about a mile, a good height above water. From Pulo Hube till three leagues from this island, our soundings were 13, 14, 15 f. and then 15, 14, 13 f. again, all ooze. When within two leagues of this small island, we had 13 f. on sand.

Here we descried Pulo Condor, its N. end bearing E. by N. from this small island about seven leagues off. This day at noon, we made our lat.i.tude 8 42' N. the highest land on Pulo Condor bearing from us E.

six leagues off. From Patani till we were in sight of Pulo Condor, the wind was mostly S.S.W. This day at noon, we steered away N.E. then N.E.

by N. and in the night N.N.E. so that we made our course on the whole, till next day at noon, N.E. by N. about twenty-four leagues, the depths being 13 and 14 f. on ooze. At noon of the 6th, we had sight of two hummocks on the coast of Camboja, bearing N. by E. nine leagues off, with low land to the westwards. From Pulo Condor till we had sight of this coast, the current set E. by N. At this time we had 12 f. on streamy ground. The 7th at noon, we were in lat. 10 42' N. having run from the former noon twenty-five leagues N.E. 1/2 N. and found that the current had carried us ten leagues to the N. of our computation. Our depths were in these twenty-four hours, from 12, to 16, 20, and 24 f.

and then back to 20, 18, 16, 14, on sandy ground.

From the before-mentioned two hummocks, as we coasted along, about eight leagues from the land, sometimes more, and sometimes less, we saw high land all the way in the inland country, and a smooth land in most places by the sea side, about the height of the Lizard, with many plots upon it resembling white sand, as well as the sea side. The first of these white spots was on a point ten leagues W. of Cape Cessier, which we at first thought had been a town with fair white houses and white walls. This day, at noon, being the 7th, when in the lat. of 10 48' N. that Cape bore from us about six leagues W.N.W. 1/2 W. At noon of the 8th, we were in lat. 11 30' N. having gone twenty leagues N.E. 1/2 N. from noon of the 7th. From the 8th, till noon of the 9th, we steered along sh.o.r.e N.N.E. sixteen leagues, N. by E. six leagues, N. six leagues, and N. by W. nine leagues, making our course in all N. by E. 1/3 E. thirty-six leagues. We now had Cape Varella[279] W.S.W. eight leagues off, and were in the lat. of 13 13' N. This cape is called Jentam by the Chinese, signifying a chimney in their language, because it has a sharp hummock on the top of the hill, much like a chimney on the top of a house. From noon of the 9th, till noon of the 10th, our course was N. two-thirds W.

twenty-six leagues; our lat.i.tude on the 10th being 14 30' N. when we were about ten leagues from the land.

[Footnote 279: Cape Verelly is in lat. 12 40' N. on the coast of Cochin China--E.]

The 11th, at noon, we were in lat. 16 10' N. having run, from the foregoing noon, thirty-three one-third leagues due N. Next noon, the 12th, we had made other twenty-six leagues, N.N.E. 1/2 N. and were in lat.i.tude 17 40' N. the current having set us six leagues to the N. of our computation. This evening, at six, we descried the island of Aynam, [Hainan] its high land bearing N.W. by N. twelve leagues, and we had run from noon seven leagues N.E. From hence, till noon of the 13th, our course was N.E. by E. twenty-two leagues, and we were then in lat. 18 30' N. We this morning chased a Portuguese frigate, but she was so light that we could not get near her. The 14th, at noon, we were in 19 35' N.

<script>