able. The general purport o f it was, that he had heard a
letter had been fent to me, charging him, in conjunction
with the King of Bony, with a defign to cut us off: that the
letter was altogether falfe, exculpating himfelf with the
moft folemn proteftations, and requiring the letter to be delivered
up, that the writer might be brought to fuch punilh-
ment as he deferved. It is fcarcely necefiary to fay that I
did not deliver up the letter, becaufe the writer-would certainly
have been punifhed with equal feverity whether it
was true or falfe ; but I returned the Governor a polite an-
fwer, in which I juftified the meafures I had taken, without
imputing any evil defign to him or his allies; and indeed
there is the greateft reafon to believe, that there was not
fufficient ground for the charge contained in the letter,,
though it is not equally probable that the writer believed
it to be falfe.
At. day-break on Sunday the 2ad o f May, we failed from
this place, of. which,, and o f the town o f Macaffar, and the
adjacent country, I ffiall. fay but little, there being many accounts
of the illand o f Celebes and its inhabitants already
extant. The town is built upon a kind of point or neck o f
land, and is watered by a river or two which either run
through, or very near it. It feems to be large, and there is-
water for a Ihip to come within half cannon fliot of the-
walls : the country about it is level, and has a rnoft beautiful
appearance; it abounds with plantations, and groves o f
cocoa-nut trees, with a great number o f houfes interfperfed,.
by which it appears to abound with people. At a diftance
inland, the country rifes into hills o f a great height, and
becomes rude and mountainous. The town lies in latitude
5° lo , or 5° is ' S„ and. longitude by account 1.1.7° 28'E. of,
London.
Bonthaios
Ü
Bonthain is a large bay, where fliips may lie in perfect >768.
fecurity during both the monfoons: the foundings are good Mj>' ..
and regular, and the bottom foft mud ; nor is there any
danger coming in, but a ledge -of- -rocks which are above
water, and are a good mark for anchoring. The higheft
land in fight here is called Bonthain hill, and when a fliip
is in the offing at the diftance o f two or three miles from
the land, ffie fhould bring this hill north, or N. S$i W. and
then run in with it and anchor. We lay right under it, at
the diftance o f about a mile from the lhore. In this Bay
there are feveral fmall towns; that which is called Bonthain
lies in the north eaft part o f the bay, and here is the fmall
pallifadoed fort that has been mentioned already, on which
there are mounted eight guns that carry a ball of about
eight pounds we igh t: it is juft fufficient to keep the country
people in fubjedtion, and is intended for no other pur-
pofe: it lies on the fouth fide o f a fmall river, and there
is water for a fhip to come clofe to it. The Dutch Refident
has the command of the place, and of Bullocomba, another
town which lies about twenty miles farther to the eaftward,
where there is fuch another fort, and a few foldiers, who at
the proper feafon are employed in gathering the rice, which
the people pay as a tax to the Dutch.
Wood and water are to be procured here in great plenty;
we cut our wood near the river, under Bonthain h i ll:
our water was procured partly from that river, and partly
from another; when from the other, our boat went above
the fort with the cafks that were to be filled, where there is
a good rolling way ; but as the river is fmall, and has a bar,
the boat, after it is loaded, can come out only at high water.
There are feveral other fmall rivers in the bay, from which ,
water may be got upon occafion.
3 I 2 We