•Go«#- of a small island to the,westward of Gallao, and bear-
...- “ ii&gjfrom thfe anchorage northtwenty-sixdegreeswest,
“ and north sixty-six degrees west.:
| i The brig had been scarcely, brought to anchor, and
“ the sails clewed up, before they observed eight very
“ large two-masted gallies^ and a few smaller ones stand-
“ ing ouf'-oP;the bay .'apparently: with an intention of
“ coming towards the Jackall; but they had no sooner
“ cleared the. points .that form the bay, than they hauled
“ their wind, and stoodalong shore towards the northern
“ extremity o f the island, and having reached a ,passage
“ between it and a small: islet lying to the westward Of
’f^dfijthey furled their sails, and, with their oars,'bfdnght
“ all the gallies into,a regular . line , ah ead, soccupying
“ the whole passage. The brig hoisted Ehglishi colours;
op: the idea, that some of. the people might* recdgnize
“ them, as similar,. to those flying’, in the harbour' df
“ Turon.
“ The gallies, however, still kept their position;
“ while the Jackall’s boat landed at the! bottom of.'the
“ bay, .on a fine sandy beach, upon the margin of which
“ stood a small, but very pleasant.village,, built chiefly
“ of bamboo. None of the natives had appeared upon
“ the beach, nor were1 seen about the houses; and oh
“ entering into them; it was discovered that the-village-
“ was deserted. The doors of the houses were all-left
open; and several domestic animals Were feeding before
“ them. After some itimoaperSon was perceived lurk-
“ ing among the neighbouring.^ trees,:who, .finding he ^
“ was observed, c&mesfbcw&rd with:reluctance,.andseyi-
“ dent marks of'fear; While he was yet at some dis1»
“ tanee,' he fell upbn his knees, and touched'the ground
^%with his foreheadJjstvetal times. -On approaching to
“ him itWasnoticed that the?first ijoiritiof everypne pf
“ his fingers and iloes Were wanting, and as if twisted
a*' off was possihMrthat.jhe'might hayft
c‘ thus, theem ■ treated byfiway of punishment-for, some
“'dime;, and thaWhcAvas considacd as tlie fittest person
“ to be exposed to, «the supposed dangerSo’f wa.tel^ng the
“ movements of the. strangers doming, ashore. In a little
“ time some others, hidden in the thickets^,finding, that
“ no mischief was suffered by the first, ysentiixecf out.
“ None of-them tould understand thte< Chinese Mitejpre-
ter, and riot being able to read or, writer there» was; no
“ conversing with them1 by the medium1 off: the Chinese
“ characters. Recourse Was^h<ad)to>hierbgly p h i^ 1s arid
“ rude figures were drawn of the ^ articles' which
“ proposed to be purchased • and this method?,saicseeded
“ tolerably ^elL; poultry and fruits'Were brought for
“ sale, for which high -prices were given, purposely
to conciliate the goodwill1 of those' .’islanderst. There
“ were very few of them prOsent on it,: .phe^princip^l
“ inhabitants having embarked, i't;-:sedmed,dri their>g^l-
“ lies on the brig’s approach .toilhetisland.- Theywho
3 A i ^
Gochin-
, china.
VOL. I .