Volume Ix Part 38 (1/2)

Timothy Johnson, a.s.sistant at the same place.

John Wetheral, a.s.sistant at Cambello.

John Clark, a.s.sistant at Hitto.

William Griggs, factor at Larika.

John Fardo, steward of the factory at Amboina.

Abel Price, surgeon to that factory.

Robert Brown, tailor.

The only Portuguese was Augustine Perez, born in Bengal, who was superintendant of the slaves in the employment of the English at Amboina.

_j.a.panese_.

Hit.i.tso, Tsiosa, and Sinsa, natives of Firando.

Sidney Migial, Pedro Congie, Thomas Corea, from Nangasaki.

Quinandaya, a native of Coaets.

Tsabinda, a native of Tsoncketgo.

Zanchae, a native of Fisien.

Besides these, there were two other j.a.panese tortured, who both confessed a partic.i.p.ation in the pretended plot, but were not executed, or even condemned, for reasons which the surviving English did not learn. The executions were all by cutting off the heads of the condemned with a scymitar; and the Dutch prepared a black velvet pall for Captain Towerson's body to fall upon, which they afterwards had the effrontery to charge in account against the English East India Company.

SECTION XV.

OBSERVATIONS DURING A RESIDENCE IN TISLAND OF CHUSAN, IN 1701, BY DOCTOR JAMES CUNNINGHAM; WITH SOME EARLY NOTICES RESPECTING CHINA.[318]

Among the early voyages of the English to the East Indies, none have been preserved that were made to China, nor have we been able to discover any satisfactory account of the commencement of the trade of our East India Company with that distant country, now said to be by far the most profitable branch of the exclusive commerce. In the _Annals of the Company_,[319] several references are made to the China trade, but more in the nature of notices or memoranda for the purpose of after investigation, than as conveying any actual information on the subject.

In this singular paucity of materials, we are reduced to the following short ”Observations and Remarks, by Doctor James Cunningham, made during his Residence as Physician to the English Factory at the Island of Chusan, on the Coast of China.” Doctor Cunningham is stated by Harris to have been a fellow of the Royal Society, distinguished by his natural talents and acquired accomplishments, well versed in ancient and modern learning, and to have diligently used these advantages in making judicious remarks on the places where he resided in the service of the Company. Yet all that has been recorded by Harris of these remarks, give only a very imperfect account of Chusan and of China. This short article consists of extracts from two letters written by Cunningham from Chusan, and a brief supplement by Harris respecting two unfortunate factories at Pulo Condore and Pulo Laut.--E.

[Footnote 318: Harris. I. 852.]

[Footnote 319: Annals of the E.I. Co. vol. II. and III. _pa.s.sim_.]

--1. _Voyage to Chusan, and short Notices of that Island_.[320]

In my last letter, from the island of Borneo, I gave you an account of our arrival at that island on the 17th July. We only remained there two days, as the season of the year was already far advanced, and made the best of our way from thence through the Straits of Banda,[321] with favourable winds and weather. We got upon the coast of China on the 13th August, when we had variable winds, which carried us abreast of _Emoy_[322] by the 19th following. The wind then set in fresh at N.E. so that we were in great fear of losing our pa.s.sage, and were now obliged to beat up all the way against both wind and current; yet the weather remained so favourable that we were never obliged to hand our top-sails, otherwise we must have lost more way in a single day than we could have recovered in eight. On the 31st August we came to anchor under the _Crocodile islands_,[323] both for shelter from the bad weather, usual on this coast at new and full-moon, which has been fatal to many s.h.i.+ps, and also to procure fresh water, now scarce with us, as we had not recruited our store since leaving the Cape of Good Hope. These are three small islands in lat. 26 N. about six leagues from the river of _Hokien_, [Fo-kien] on two of which we found very good water, with a convenient landing-place on the S.W. side of the innermost island. By the a.s.sistance of some Chinese fishers, we procured also some fresh provisions from the main land, not thinking it safe to venture there ourselves, lest we may have been brought into trouble by the governor of that part of the country. While here, on the 5th September, we had a sudden short s.h.i.+ft of the monsoon from the S.W. blowing with great fury; which was also experienced by other vessels then coming on the coast of China. We again put to sea on the 18th September, turning to windward night and day on the outside of all the islands, which are very numerous all along this coast, but with which we were unacquainted after pa.s.sing beyond _Emoy_. Besides, the hydrography of this coast is. .h.i.therto so very imperfect, that we could not trust in any degree to our draughts, owing to which our navigation was both difficult and dangerous.

[Footnote 320: From a letter to a member of the Royal Society, dated in September, 1701.--Harris.]

[Footnote 321: This must have been the straits of Maca.s.ser, as Banda is far out of the way between Borneo and China.--E.]

[Footnote 322: Emoy or Amoy, was on the coast of China, opposite to the island of Formosa, and appears, from the Annals, to have been the first port frequented by the s.h.i.+ps of the India Company for the Chinese trade.--E.]

[Footnote 323: The islands of Pe-la-yang are, in the indicated lat.i.tude, off the estuary of the princ.i.p.al river of the province of Fo-kien.--E.]

On the 1st October, we got into the lat.i.tude of 30 N. where we came to anchor near the land, and found our way by boat to _Chusan_,[324] about twelve leagues within the islands, whence we got a pilot, who brought our s.h.i.+p safely to that place on the 11th of the month. The Chinese government have granted us a settlement on that island, with the liberty of trade; but do not allow us to go up to Ning-po,[325] which is six or eight hours sail to the westwards, all the way among islands, of which this of Chusan is the largest, being eight or nine leagues from E. to W.

and four or five from N. to S.

[Footnote 324: Tcheou-chan, an island about twenty English miles in length from E. to W. in lat. 30 23' N. long. 121 43' E. off the estuary of Ning-po river, in the province of Che-kiang, is obviously the Chusan of the text--E.]