i"88. we came to with the beft bower, in nine fathom water, over a
March. .
— j muddy bottom, mooring the fhip with the large kedge and frrearn
cable. North Ifland bore North Eaft by North, three miles
diftant.
In the Roads lay .three Dutch veffels belonging to Batavia,
At five o’clock in the morning of the 14th, the long-boat was
hoifted out and fent on fhore for water. Our people found excellent
water on the Sumatra fhore, about five hundred yards
from the beach; fo that by noon on the 15th, our water-cafks
were all filled. We wanted a fmall fupply of wood for firing, but
as there were numbers of inhabitants on the Sumatra coaft, we
apprehended that cutting wood there might be attended with
difficulty; fo, in the afternoon of the 15th parties were lent from
both veffels to cut wood on North Ifland, there being no inhabitants
or other obftruftion to cutting any quantity we wanted.
At fix o'clock the people returned on board, having procured a
fufficient quanity of fuel.
North Ifland is very fmall, being perhaps not more than two
miles, in circumference. It is totally covered with trees- of various
forts; many of which I believe are found in our Weft India
iflands. Thefe being eternally clothed with a fine green verdure,
afford an excellent afylum for the feathered tribe, of which there
is great variety. I believe there is no water on the ifland, fo that
wood is the only article which the place affords for fhips which
lay at anchor in the adjacent Road.
The people who inhabit Sumatra are Malays, and many of
them, inhabit this part of the ifland in order to reap what advantage
tage they can from wrecks, or veffels in diftrefs, as well as to trade
with the fhips which ©ccafionally anchor here. c—v—
I have before obferved, that the Sandwich Iflanders are in all'
probability defeended from thefe people, and there is, in my opinion,
an evident fimilarity between them in refpect to perfon and
feature. The Malayans, ’tis true, are of a deeper hue, but this
may poffibly be owing to the extreme heat of the climate.
We purchafed fome turtle from one of the Malay boats, for
the fhip’s ufe. They deal likewife in Geneva, arrack, fowls,
pumpkins, plantains, &c. twelve forry fowls they fell for a dollar,
and their other articles in proportion. The Dutch are fre-
quently concerned with thefe boats, and a Dutchman was principally
concerned in that we traded with.
Having compleated our wood and water, at fix o’clock in the
morning of the 16th we unmoored, and at feven Weighed and
made fail, Handing for the Straights of Sunda, with a frefh breeze
at Weft North Weft, and cloudy weather. Towards noon we
had frequent fqualls, with heavy rain ; and the wind growing
light and variable, about one o’clock we let go an anchor in
twenty fathom water, the fhips in North Ifland Roads bearing
North, about fix miles diftant, and Mid-channel Ifland South 7
degrees Eaft. The weather, during the afternoon, was moderate
qtrd cloudy, but in the night we had frequent fqualls and heavy
rain, attended with thunder and lightning.
\ At feven o’clock in the morning of the 17th, we weighed and
made fail, having a moderate Wefterly breeze. At noon the Peak
T U of