are in this difbrift: few of them however were open, for
at this time the people had taken up their refidence in the
rice-grounds, to defend the crop againft the birds and monkies,
by which it would otherwife have been deftroyed.
When their curiofity was fatisfied, they hired a large failing
boat for two roupees, four fhillings, which brought them
back to the fhip time enough to dine upon one of the fmall
deer, weighing only forty pounds, which had been bought
the day before, and proved to be very good and favory meat.
We went on fhore in the evening, to fee how the people
who were employed in wooding and watering went on, and
were informed that an ax had been ftolen. As the palling
over this fault might encourage the commiflion of others of
the fame kind, application was immediately made to the
King, who after fome altercation promifed that the ax fhould
Saturday 12. be reftored in the morning; and kept his word, for it was
brought to us by a man who pretended that the thief, being
afraid of a difcovery, had privately brought it and left it at
his houfe in the night.
We continued to purchafe between two and three hundred
weight of turtle in a day, befides fowls and other neceflaries;
Sunday 13. and in the evening of the 13th, having nearly completed
our wood and water, Mr. Banks went alhore to take leave
of his Majefty, to whom he had made feveral trifling pre-
fents, and at parting gave him two quires of paper, which
he gracioully received. They had much converfation, in the
courfe of which his Majefty enquired, why the Englilh did
not touch there as they had been ufed to do. Mr. Banks
replied, that he fuppofed it was becaufe they found a deficiency
of turtle, of Which there not being enough to fupply
one fhip, many could not be expected. To fupply this de-
fedt, he advifed his Majefty to breed cattle, buffaloes, and
fheep,
1771, January.
* — y—
Friday 11.
fheep, a meafure which he did not feem much inclined to 1771.
adopt. ,
On the 14th we made ready to fail, having on board a Monday
good flock of refrelhments, which we purchafed of the natives,
confifting of turtle, fowl, filh, two fpecies of deer,
one as big as a fheep, the other not larger than a rabbit;
with cocoa-nuts, plantains, limes, and other vegetables. The
deer however ferved only for prefent ufe, for we could fel-
dom keep one of them alive more than four and twenty
hours after it was on board. On our part, the trade was
carried on chiefly with Spanifh dollars, the natives feeming
to fet little value upon any thing elfe; fo that our people,
who had a general permiflion to trade, parted with old
fhirts and other articles, which they were obliged to fubfti-
tute for money to great difadvantage. In the morning of
the 15th, we weighed, with a light breeze at N. E. and flood .-Toefday-rj..
out to, fea. Java Head, from which I took my departure,
lies in latitude 6° 49' S., longitude s53° 12' W.
Prince’s Ifland, where we lay about ten days, is, in the
Malay language, called Pulo Solan; and in the language of.
the inhabitants, Pulo Paneitaiu It is a fmall ifland, lituated in
the weftern mouth of the Streight of Sunda. It is woody,,
and a very fmall part of it only has been cleared: there is,
no remarkable hill upon it, yet the Englilh. call the fmall;
eminence which is juft over the landing-place the Pike. It
was formerly much frequented by the India Ihips of many,
nations, but efpecially thofe of England,, which of late have-
forfaken it,, as it is faid, becaufe the water is bad; and touch*
either at North Ifland, a fmall ifland that lies on the coaft of,
Sumatra, without the eaft entrance of the freight, or. a t
New Bay, which lies only a few leagues from Prince’s-.
Ifland, at neither, of which places any confiderable. quantity;
-8 o£