296 L IE U T E N A N T COOK’s V O Y A G E
1770. in the language of this and the neighbouring iflands. Dr.
September. g0jan(jer) wi10 was at h;s houfe, faw the books, and the copybooks
alfo, of his fcholars, many of whom wrote a very fair
hand. He boafled that there were no lefs than fix hundred
Chriftians in the townfhip of Seba ; but what the Dutch
Chriftianity of thefe Indians may be, it is not perhaps very
eafy to guefs, for there is not a church, nor even a prieft, in
the whole illand.
While we were at this place, we made feveral enquiries
concerning the neighbouring iflands, and the intelligence
which we received is to the following effeft:
A fmall ifland to the weft ward of Savu, the name of which
we did not learn, produces nothing of any cpnfequence but
areca-nuts, of which the Dutch receive annually the freight
of two Hoops, in return for prefents that they make to the
iflanders.
Timor is the chief, and the Dutch refidents on the other
iflands go thither once a year to pafs their accounts. The
place is nearly in the fame ftate as in Dampier’s time, the
Dutch having there a fort and ftorehoufes ; and by Lange’s
account we might there have been fupplied with every ne-
cefifary that we expedted to procure at Batavia, fait provifions
and arrack not excepted. But the Portuguefe are ftill in
pofieffion of feveral towns on the north fide of the ifland,
particularly Laphao and Sefial.
About two years before our arrival, a French lhip was
wrecked upon the eaft coaft of Timor; and after Ihe had
lain fome days upon the lhoal, a fudden gale broke her up
at once, and drowned the Captain, with the greateft part of
the crew: thofe who got aifhore, among whom was one of
the Lieutenants, made the beft of their way to Concordia;
they were four days upofcthe road, where they were ob-
-liged to leave part of their company through fatigue, and
the reft, to the number of about eighty, arrived at the town. \— -,— j
T hey were fupplied with every neceflary, and fent back to
the wreck, with proper afliftance, for recovering what could
be filhed up; they fortunately got up all their bullion, which
was in chefts, and feveral of their guns, which were very
large. They then returned to the town, but their companions
who had been left upon the road were miffing, having,
as it was fuppofed, been kept among the Indians, either
by perfuafion or force; for they are very defirous of having
Europeans among them, to indraft them in the art of war.
After a flay of more than two months at Concordia, their
number was diminifhed nearly one half by ficknefs, in con-
fequence of the fatigue and hardfhip which they had fuf-
fered by the fhipwreck, and the furvivors were fent in a
fmall vefTel to Europe.
Rotte is in much the fame fituation as Savu; a Dutch factor
refides upon it to manage the natives, and look after its
produce, which confifts, among other articles, of fugar.
Formerly it was made only by bruifing the canes, and boiling
the juice to a fyrup, in the fame manner as Toddy ; but
great improvements have lately been made in preparing
this valuable commodity. The three little iflands called the
Solars are alfo under the influence of the Dutch fettlement
at Concordia: they are flat and low, but abound with provifions
of every kind, and the middlemoft is faid to have a
good harbour for fhipping. Ende, another little ifland to
the weftward of the Solars, _is ftill in the hands of the Por-
tuguefe, who have a good town and harbour on the north
eaft corner of it called Larntuca : they had formerly an harbour
on the fbuth fide of it, but that, being much inferior
to Larntuca, has for fome time been altogether neglefted.
Vol.HI. PP The