are to be found here, except water-melons, a few potatoes,
fmall gourds, chibbols (a fmall fpecies o f onion), and little
black beans. At prefent, belides the buffaloes, o f w hich
we underftood there were feveral large herds, we purchafed
from the natives fome remarkably fine fat hogs, o f the
Chinefe breed. T he y brought Us three or four o f a wild
fo r t ; and our fportfmen reported, that they frequently
met with their tracks in the woods, which alfo abound with
monkies and fquirrels, but fo fhy, that it was difficult to
ihoot them. One fpecies o f the fquirrel was o f a beautiful
fhining black co lo u r ; and another fpecies ftriped brown
and white. This is called the flying-fquirrel, from being
provided with a thin membrane, refembling a bat’s w ing ,
extending on each fide the belly, from the neck to the
thighs, which, on ftretching out their legs, fpreads, and
enables them to fly from tree to tree, at a confiderable dif-
tance. Lizzards were in great abundance; but I do not
kn ow that any o f us faw the guano, and another animal
defcribed by Dam p ie r* as refembling the guano, only
much larger.
Amongft its vegetable improvements, I have already mentioned
the fields o f rice we paffed through ; and plantains,
various kinds o f pompions, cocoa-nuts,.oranges, fhaddocks,
and pomegranates, were alfo met w ith ; though, except the
plantains and fhaddocks, in no great abundance.
It is probable, from what has been already faid, relative
to the Bifliop o f Adran, that the French have introduced
thefe improvements into the ifland, for the purpofe o f makin
g it a more convenient refrefhing ftation for any o f their
ifiips that may be bound for Cambodia, or Cochin China.
* Vid. Dampier, Vol. i, p. 392. »
Should
Should they have made, or intend to make, any fettlement
in thofe countries, it is certainly Well fituated for that purpofe,
or fo r annoying the trade o f their enemies, in Cafe o f
war.
Our fportfmen were very unfuccefsful in their purfuit
o f the feathered game, with w h ich the woods are well
flocked. One o f our gentlemen had the good fortune to
ihoot a wild hen; and all the ihooting parties agreed that
they heard the crowing o f the cocks on every fide, which
they defcribed to be like that o f our common cock, but
ih r ille r ; that they faw feveral o f them on the wing, but
that they were exceedingly fhy. T he hen that was ihot was
o f a fpeckled colour, and o f the fame ihape, though not
quite fo large, as a fu ll grown pullet o f this country. Mon-
iieur Sonnerat has entered into a long difiertation, to prove
that he was the firft perfon who determined the country to
which this moft beautiful and u fe fu l bird belongs, and denies
that Dampier met with it here.
T h e land in the neighbourhood o f the harbour is a continued
h ig h hill, richly adorned with a variety o f fine tall
I780.
January-
trees, from the fummit to the water's edge. Among o thers,
w e obferved what Dampier ealls the tar-tre e*; but obferved
none that were tapped, in the manner he defcribes.
T h e inhabitants, who are fugitives from Cambodia and
Cochin China, are not numerous. The y are o f a ihort fta-
ture, and ve ry fwarthy, and o f a weak and unhealthy
a fp e ft ; but, as fa r as we could judg e, o f a gentle difpofition.
We remained here till the 28th o f J a n u a r y a n d , at tak- Friday
in g leave o f the Mandarin, Captain Gore, at his own requeft,
* Dampier, Vol. i. p. 390»
gave