|03 L IEUTENANT COOK ’S V O YA GE
1770- country looked like one continued wood, and had a very
Odcbcr.' 1 *
>,— ~_> pleafant appearance.
Tuefday 2. r
About eleven o’clock, we faw two Dutch fhips lying off
Anger Point, and I fent Mr. Hicks on board of one of them
to enquire news of our country, from which we had been
abfent fo long. In the mean time it fell calm, and about
noon I anchored in eighteen fathom with a muddy bottom.
When Mr. Hicks returned, he reported that the fhips were
Dutch Eaft Indiamen from Batavia, one of which was bound
to Ceylon, and the other to the coaft of Malabar ; and that
there was alfo a flyboat or packet, which was faid to be fta-
tioned here to carry letters from the Dutch fhips that came
hither to Batavia, but which I rather think was appointed to
examine all fhips that pafs the Streight: from thefe fhips we
heard, with great pleafure, that the Swallow had been at
Batavia about two years before.;
At feven o’clock a breeze fprung up at S. S. W. with which
having weighed, we flood to the N. E. between Thwart-the-
way-Ifland and the Cap, founding from eighteen to twenty-
eight fathom : we had but little wind all night, and having
a ftrong current againft us, we got no further by eight in
Wednef. 3. the morning than Bantam Point. At this time the wind
came to the N.E. and obliged us to anchor in two and twenty
fathom, at about the diftance of two miles from the fhore;
the-point bore N.E. by E. diftant one league, and here we
found a ftrong current fetting to the N.W. In the morning
we had feen the Dutch packet ftanding after us, but when
the wind fhifted to the N. E, lhe bqre awav.
At fix o'clock in the evening, the wind having obliged us
to continue at anchor, one of the country boats came along-
fide of us, on board of which was the Mailer of the packet.
He feemed to have two motives for his vifit, qne to take an
ace.ount
R O U ND T H E WORLD. 3®;
account of the fhip, and the other to fell us refrefhments;
for in the boat were turtle, fowls, ducks, parrots, paroquets,
rice-birds, monkies, and other articles, which they held at a
very high price, and brought to a bad market, fprour Savu
flock was not. yet expended: however, I gave a Spanifh dollar
for a fmall turtle,’ which weighed about fix and thirty
pounds; I gave alfo a dollar for ten large fowls, and afterwards
bought fifteen more at the fame price; for a dollar
we might alfo have bought-, two monkies,. or a whole cage
of rice-birds. The, Mailer of the Hoop brought with him
two books, in one of which he defined that any of our officers
would write down the name o f the fhip and its Commander,
with that of the place from which fhe failed, and
of the port to which fhe was bound, with fuch other particulars
relating to themfelves, as they might think proper, for
the information of any of our friends that fhould.come after
us: and in the other he entered the names of the fhip and
the Commander, himfeif, in order to tranfmit them to the
Governor and Council of the Indies. We perceived that in
the firft book many fhips, particularly Pqrtuguefe, had made
entries of the, fame kind with that fpr which it was pre-
fented to us. Mr. Hicks, however, having written the name
of the fhip, only added “ from Europe.” He took notice of
this, but faid, that he was fatisfied with any thing we
thought fit to write, it being intended merely for the information
of thofe who fhould enquire after us from motives
of friendfhip.
17 70 . Oft ober.
Wednef. 3.
Having made feveral attempts to fail with a wind that
would not flem the current, and as often come to an anchor,
a proa came along-fide p f us in the morning of the 5 th, Friday 5.
in which was a Dutch officer, who fent me down a printed
paper in Englifh, duplicates of which he had in other lan-
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guages,