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leagues to a faudy beach, when the country rifes
gradually from the lhoi\e to a great height, in various
September, ridges, clothed with wood, preienting a pleafing p.ro-
ipedt. . Several houfes were fcattered along the ftiore,
sand boats Open the beach. . We alfo.remarked feyeral
people fifhiug. At noon the Point bore S. 73° E.»
about three leagues : water at SO fathoms.
-i 2th. In the afternoon we were- vifited by thice_ filling
boats. The people in theni were of a light eppper
^colour, with dark hair, very thick and cut lhort behind.
All of them had long beards, and expreffive
good-natured countenances. -They were of a middling
frature, and clothed in gowns woven from the barks of
trees, and edged at the cuffs and collars- with blue
linen..: A piece.of cloth was tied .round their, waifts,
fimilar to the Maros-at Owyhee’. They .wore filver.earrings
; and each of them had a knife in a {heath hanging
from their middles. They did not_come on board
the {hip till they had previoufly faluted us in a folemn
* refpectful manner, agreeable to the Oriental coubtefy
o f falams. We prefented them with beads and trink-«
■ets, with which they feemed much pleated ; but we
could not underhand each other. I fhpuld imagine,
from their behaviour, that they had never feen a jhip
before, as they feemed alarmed, and fat. down: clofe
. - to
to the gangway, where they entered without utteringa c h a p .
word. We enquired of them, if the ifland was called <—
Matfinai, whiph they univerfaliy-pointed to be to the September.
Weft; and, as we could gather from their pronunciation,.
called their own land Having remained
with
* Infuis flic famous land of Jefo; only known to {Europeans before
this and La'Pèroufe’s voyage, by the journals of the Caftricom and
BreBces.. The following extra dt is quoted from RheitfhoM Foftcr'sVoy- -
ages to theNorth.' « in 1643, Dutch Eaft Company gave orders for
two Aips tq.be fent from India to tlie North, in oïtler to explore the route
from Japan northward, and. even to go-as far as to North America, and
to feek for the1 paffage there. In cohfequenOe ot tfeie orders, the two
thips A t fail together from the harbour of the iïlancf of Ternafe: thèir ■
names.were the Caftricom, commanded by Captain Martin Herizoóm.
Va» Vriez, and tlie Brejkes, trader die command of Captain Hendrick
Cornelius Shaep. On the t4th of May, the two fhips'wfere fepafate% by
a florm, at the diftance of 56 leagues from Jeddo, the capital of Japan?
and both faw the land of Jefo. The Brelkes failed ^through the ftraits of
Sangaar, 1041° 50' N. lat., and in long. ^ 4 « 18'Mffi ^Tenerifib, 1, e. .
148“ .0' Eaft of Greenwich. They faw land again in' 43° 4'latitude. In
44? 4' la t fame boats came off from ftore to thé ftfip. In lat. 43* 4 ? :
Jhey defcried land again, as alfo in the lat. of 44° 12', and long." 167» 21 'E.
In 45?ri2'N. and trip0 36' E., the land appeared at a drftance like a great
.nuinber ofiflands} but on coming nearer, it appeared one continued trad
of country.. In lat. 46° 15' and 1720 53' E.,
they had fight of feme high, mountains : "they alfo faw Ml more land in
lat. 47S 8' N. and 1739 53.' E. "We fee from this relation, as well as
from that of the Caftricom, that the land of Jefo> contains infadt a quans
s i s ë f e tit«