A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels Volume X Part 20

Captain Townley went with 140 men in twelve canoes to endeavour to cut out the Lima s.h.i.+p; but finding her at anchor within 100 yards of both the castle and platform, found it impossible to effect his purpose, so that he was obliged to return much dissatisfied. We accordingly sailed on the 11th November along the coast to the N.W. between Acapulco and Petaplan, where we found every where good anchorage two miles from sh.o.r.e, but the surf beat with such violence on the coast that there was no safe landing. Near the sea the country was low, and abounding in trees, especially spreading palm-trees, some of which were twenty or thirty feet high in the stem, but of no great size. This part of the country was intermixed with many small hills, mostly barren, but the vallies seemed fertile. The hill of Petaplan, or Petatlan, sends out a round point into the sea, called Cape _Jequena_, in lat. 17 27' N.

which appears from sea like an island, and a little farther west there is a knot of round hills, having an intervening bay, in which we anch.o.r.ed in eleven fathoms. We here landed 170 men, who marched fourteen miles into the country, when they reached a wretched Indian village, deserted by the inhabitants, so that we only found one mulatto-woman and four young children.

Proceeding on the 18th about two leagues farther to the N.W. we came to a pretty good harbour named _Chequetan_, having the convenience of a good fresh-wafer river and plenty of wood. On the 19th we landed ninety-five men, having the mulatto-woman for their guide, at _Estapa_,[180] a league west from Chequetan. The guide now conducted them through a pathless wood along a river, and coming to a farm-house in a plain, they found a caravan of sixty mules, laden with flour, chocolate, cheese, and earthenware, intended for Acapulco, and of which this woman had given them intelligence. All this they carried off, except the earthenware, and brought aboard in their canoes, together with some beeves they killed in the plain. Captain Swan went afterwards on sh.o.r.e, and killed other eighteen beeves, without any opposition. We found the country woody but fertile, and watered by many rivers and rivulets.

[Footnote 180: Istapha is to the eastward of Petatlan, but Chequetan is not delineated in modern maps, neither are any rivers noticed for a great way either N.W. or S.E. from Petatlan.--E.]

Sailing on the 21st to the N.W. the land appeared full of rugged hills, with frightful intervening vallies. On the 25th we pa.s.sed a high hill having several peaks, in lat. 18 8' N. near which there is a town named _Cupan_,[181] but we could not find the way to it. The 26th, 200 men were sent to find out the way to _Colima_, said to be a rich place, but after rowing twenty leagues along sh.o.r.e they could not find any place fit for landing, and saw not the least sign of any inhabitants, so that they returned to the s.h.i.+ps on the 28th. Soon after we got sight of the volcano of Colima, remarkable for its height, six leagues from the sea, in lat. 19 5' N. It shewed two peaks or summits, both of which always emit either fire or smoke. The valley at the foot of this mountain is said to be fertile and delightful, abounding in cacao, corn, and plantains, and is said to be ten or twelve leagues wide towards the sea, and to reach far into the country. It is watered by a deep river named Colima, but which is so obstructed by a sand-bank at its mouth, as not even to allow admission to canoes; but there is no landing on this part of the coast, owing to the impetuosity of the surf. The town of Colima is the chief place of this part of the country.

[Footnote 181: Probably Texupan, in lat. 18 17' N. is here meant.--E.]

The 29th, 200 men were sent in canoes to attempt to land, and if possible to find a road to the town of _Selagua_, seated, as we were told by the Spaniards, at the N.W. end of the vale of Colima, but they were unable to land, owing to the violence of the waves. We came in sight of the port of _Selagua_ on the 1st December. This is a bay in lat. 19 8' N. parted in the middle by a rocky point, so that it appears like two havens, in either of which there is safe anchorage in ten or twelve fathoms, though the western harbour is the best, and has besides the advantage of a fresh-water rivulet. We saw a considerable number of armed Spaniards on the land, to whom we made a visit next morning with 200 men, but they soon fled. In the pursuit our people found a broad road, leading through a wooded and rocky country, which they followed for four leagues, but found not the least appearance of any inhabitants, and therefore turned back. On their return they took two straggling mulattoes, who said the broad road led to the city of _Oarrah_,[182] four long days journey into the country, and that these men came from that city to protect the Manilla s.h.i.+p, which was expected to set her pa.s.sengers ash.o.r.e at this place. The Spanish maps place a town called Selagua hereabouts, but we could not find any appearance of it.

[Footnote 182: Guadalaxara, the latter part of which is p.r.o.nounced _achara_, is probably here meant. It is 160 miles inland from the port of Selagua.--E.]

We pursued our voyage on the 6th December towards Cape Corientes, in hopes of meeting the Manilla s.h.i.+p. The land on the coast was moderately high, sprinkled with many rugged points, and full of wood, having several apparently good ports between Selagua and Cape Corientes, but we did not touch at any of them. Cape Corientes, of which we came in sight on the 11th, in lat. 20 28' N. is pretty high, being very steep and rocky towards the sea, but flat on the top. I found its longitude from the Lizard in England, by our reckoning, 121 41' W.[183] As the Manilla s.h.i.+p is obliged to make this point on her voyage to Acapulco, we took up a station here with our four s.h.i.+ps in such a manner that we judged she could hardly escape us; but as we were in want of provisions, fifty or sixty men were sent in a bark beyond the cape to endeavour to get some.

They returned, however, on the 17th, not having been able to double the cape, but left forty-six men in four canoes, who intended to attempt to get beyond by rowing.

[Footnote 183: It is only in long. 105 88' W. from Greenwich; that in the text, from computation or dead reckoning, being considerably erroneous in excess.--E.]

The 18th December we sailed to the isles of _Chametly_, eighteen leagues to the east of Cape Corientes. These are five small low and woody islands, surrounded with rocks, and lying in form of a half-moon a mile from the sh.o.r.e, having safe anchorage in the intermediate s.p.a.ce. These isles are inhabited by fishers, who are servants to some of the inhabitants of _Purification_, a considerable town or city fourteen leagues up the country.[184] We anch.o.r.ed at these isles on the 20th, and here provided ourselves with wood and water, and caught great abundance of rock-fish. Next day sixty of our men were sent under Captain Townley to surprise an Indian village, seven or eight leagues to the N.W.

[Footnote 184: Villa de la Purificacion is considerably to the S.E. of Cape Corientes, but the isles of Chametly are omitted in modern maps.

Puerto de Navidad, in lat. 19 20' N. seems the haven belonging to Purificacion.--E.]

On the 24th the four canoes left by Captain Townley's bark returned to the s.h.i.+ps. They had got beyond the cape by means of rowing to the valley of _Valderas_, or _Val d' Iris_, the valley of flags, at the bottom of a deep bay, inclosed between Cape Corientes on the S.E. and point _Pontique_ on the N.W. In this delightful valley they landed thirty-seven men, who advanced three miles into the country, and were attacked by 150 Spaniards, horse and foot. Our men retreated into an adjoining wood, whence they kept up a heavy fire on the Spaniards, killing their leader and fourteen troopers, besides wounding a great many, while four of our men were slain and two wounded. Owing to this loss the Spaniards took to flight, and our people were enabled to re-embark. This valley is about three leagues broad, and is bounded towards the inland country by an easy ascent, affording a delightful prospect of extensive pastures well stored with cattle, interspersed with pleasant groves of guavas, orange-trees, and lime-trees. The sandy bay affords a safe landing, and has a fresh-water river, navigable by boats, but becomes brackish in the end of the dry season, which is in February, March, and April.

We continued cruizing off Cape Corientes till the 1st January, 1686, when we sailed for the valley of _Valderas_, proposing to provide ourselves with some beef, of which we were in great need. At night we anch.o.r.ed in sixty fathoms, a mile from sh.o.r.e. On the 7th we landed 240 men, fifty of whom were kept together in a body to watch the motions of the Spaniards, while the rest were employed in providing cattle. We killed and salted as much beef as would serve us for two months, and might have procured a great deal more if we had not run out of salt. By this time our hopes of meeting the Manilla s.h.i.+p were entirely vanished, as we concluded she had got past us to the S.E. while we were employed in procuring provisions, which we afterwards learnt had been the case, by the information of several prisoners. The loss of this rich prize was chiefly owing to Captain Townley, who insisted on taking the Lima s.h.i.+p in the harbour of Acapulco, when we ought to have provided ourselves with beef and maize, as we might then have done, instead of being now forced to procure provisions at the critical time of her coming on the coast. We were likewise deceived by the hope of falling in with rich towns and mines on this coast, not then knowing that all the wealth of this country is in the interior. Seeing that we were now entirely disappointed in our hopes, we parted company, Captain Townley going back to the S.E. while we in Captain Swan's s.h.i.+p went to the west.

The 7th January we pa.s.sed point Pontique in lat. 20 38' N. ten leagues from Cape Corientes, being the N.W. point of this bay of the valley of Valderas. A league beyond this point to the W. there are two little isles called the _Pontiques_, and beyond these to the north the sh.o.r.e is rugged for eighteen leagues. The 14th we came to anchor in a channel between the continent and a small white rocky isle, in lat. 21 15'. The 20th we anch.o.r.ed a league short of the isles of _Chametly_, different from those formerly mentioned under the same name, being six small isles in lat 28 11' N. three leagues from the continent.[185] One or two of these isles have some sandy creeks, and they produce a certain fruit called _penguins_. These are of two sorts, one red and the other yellow.

The plant producing the latter is as thick in the stem as a man's arm, with leaves six inches long and an inch broad, edged with p.r.i.c.kles. The fruit grows in cl.u.s.ters at the top of the stem, being round and as large as an egg, having a thick rind, inclosing a pulp full of black seeds, of a delightful taste. The red penguin grows directly out of the ground, without any stalk, sometimes sixty or seventy in a cl.u.s.ter, no bigger than onions, but the shape of nine-pins, the cl.u.s.ter being surrounded with p.r.i.c.kly leaves eighteen inches or two feet long.

[Footnote 185: In modern maps these are called the isles of _Mazatlan_, and are placed in lat. 28 15' N. The name given in the text appears taken from a town on this coast called Charmela, in lat 22 50' N. but improperly.--E.]

Captain Swan went with 100 men in canoes to the north, to find out the river _Culiacan_, supposed to be in lat. 24 N.[186] and said to have a fair and rich town of the same name on its banks; but after rowing thirty leagues he could not find the river, neither was there any safe landing place on the coast. Seven leagues N.N.W. from the Chametla or Mazatlan isles, our men landed in a small lake or river, having a narrow entrance, called _Rio de Sal_ by the Spaniards, in lat. 23 30' N.[187]

They here procured some maize at an adjacent farm; and learnt at another landing place of an Indian town five leagues distant, to which they marched. Coming near the place we were encountered by a good number of Spaniards and Indians, who were soon beat off. On entering the place we only found two or three wounded Indians, who told us the town was named _Mazatlan_, and that there were two rich gold-mines at the distance of five leagues.

[Footnote 186: The mouth of the river of Cullacan is in 24 45' N. and the town of that name is about eighty-five or ninety statute miles up the river, supposed to have been an ancient seat of the Mexican nation, before their removal to the vale and lake of Mexico.--E.]

[Footnote 187: The Rio Rastla de Panuco, in 23 45' N. is certainly here meant.--E.]

On the 2d February 80 men were landed in the river _Rosario_.[188] We came to a pretty little town of the same name, a considerable way up that river, where we were a.s.sured by some prisoners that the gold-mines were not above two leagues from thence; but as we had present occasion for provisions, we carried about ninety bushels of maize on board from this place, without searching for the mines. As this small supply was insufficient for our necessities, we resolved to return to the S.E. to the _Rio San Jago_,[189] where we anch.o.r.ed on the 11th. This is one of the most considerable rivers on the west coast of New Spain. The country having a good appearance, Captain Swan sent seventy men to look for a town. After rowing up and down for two days, they landed in a corn field, and, while busy in gathering maize, they seized an Indian, who told them of a town called _Santa Pecaque_, four leagues farther.

[Footnote 188: The mouth of this river is in lat. 28 N. about fifty miles S.E. from Cape Mazatlan, where Dampier seems to have been then at anchor among the Mazatlan isles.--E.]

[Footnote 189: So called by Dampier from the town of St Jago on its banks. Its proper name is the _Rio Grande_, or river of _Tololotlan_.

The mouth of this river forms a large bay, in lat 21 30' N. in which is the considerable island of St Blas.--E.]

Returning to the s.h.i.+p with this intelligence, Captain Swan went with 140 men in eight canoes, and landed five leagues up the river, which was there about a pistol shot across with high banks. He marched from thence through fertile plains and woods for three or four hours, and on approaching St Pecaque the Spaniards evacuated the place, so that we entered unopposed. This town is situated in a s.p.a.cious plain on the side of a wood, being neatly built, with a market-place in the middle, but not large, and has two churches. There are silver-mines five or six leagues from this town, the ore from which is carried on mules to Compostella to be refined. _Compostella_, the capital of this part of Mexico, is twenty-one leagues from _Pecaque_, being inhabited by seventy families of Spaniards, and by five or six hundred mulattoes and Indians.

Finding great plenty of maize, sugar, salt, and salt fish at this place, Captain Swan divided his men into two parts, one of which kept possession of the place, while the other half were employed to carry these articles to the canoes, which was done turn and turn about, with the a.s.sistance of some horses. We continued this work for two days; but on the 19th Captain Swan learnt from a prisoner that 1000 men had marched from St Jago, a rich town three leagues from Pecaque on the river, for the purpose of attacking us. On this Captain Swan wanted our people to march altogether with what provisions we could carry; but they refused to obey him till all the provisions should be carried on board, and he was forced to allow half of them to go on with fifty-four loaded horses. They had not gone a mile from Pecaque when they were attacked by the Spaniards from an ambush, and were all slain on the spot. Captain Swan marched to their relief, but came too late, finding the whole party slain and stripped naked; yet the Spaniards never once attempted to engage him, having certainly paid dear for their victory.

Returning on board with the rest of his men, and what provisions had been carried off, Captain Swan resolved to sail for Cape Lucas in California, in hopes of trafficking with the Indians there and in the _lake_ or gulf of California. We accordingly sailed on the 21st with the wind at N.W. and W.N.W. and anch.o.r.ed at the islands of _Santa Maria_, in eight fathoms on clean sand. There are three islands, usually called the _Three Marias_,[190] stretching fourteen leagues from S.E. to N.W. of moderate height, stony, barren, and uninhabited, in lat 21 30' N.

[long. 106 15' W.] from which Cape St Lucas in California is forty leagues W.N.W. and Cape Corientes twenty leagues E.S.E. We anch.o.r.ed off the east end of the middle island, which we called Prince George's island. These islands produce some cedars, and we found near the sea a green p.r.i.c.kly plant, with leaves like those of the _penguin_ plant, and roots like those of the _sempervivum_, but much longer, the Indians of California subsisting mostly on these roots. We baked and eat some of these roots, which tasted like boiled burdock roots. I had been long afflicted with dropsy, and was here buried in the sand for half an hour, covered up to the neck, which brought on a profuse sweat, and I believe with good effect, for I began to recover soon after. We careened here; but as there is no fresh water to be had at this place in the dry season, we had to return to the valley of Valderas, but finding the river brackish we sailed three leagues nearer Cape Corientes, and anch.o.r.ed beside a small round isle four leagues north of that cape, and half a mile from the sh.o.r.e, opposite to a rivulet on the continent, where we filled our water casks.

[Footnote 190: In reality _four_, the fourth or most northwesterly, being named St Juanica.--E.]

Being now sufficiently convinced of our mistaken notion of the riches of this coast, founded on an erroneous idea that the commerce of this country was carried on by sea, whereas it is entirely conducted by land on mules, we now resolved to try our fortune in the East Indies. With this view we sailed from Cape Corientes on the 31st March, and next noon, being thirty leagues from the cape, clear of the land-winds, we had the wind at E.N.E. in which direction it continued till we were within forty leagues of Guam. In all this long pa.s.sage across the Pacific, nearly in the lat. of 13 N. we saw neither fish nor fowl except once, when by my reckoning we were 5975 miles west from Cape Corientes in Mexico, and then we saw a vast number of _b.o.o.bies_, supposed to come from some rocks not far off, which are laid down in some hydrographical charts, but we saw them not.

May 20th, at four p.m. being in lat. 12 55' N. and steering W. we discovered, to our great joy, the island of Guam, eight leagues off, having now only three-days provisions left. _Guam_ is one of the Ladrones, in lat. 13 15' N. and long. 216 50' W. consequently its meridional distance from Cape Corientes on the coast of Mexico is 111 14', or about 7730 English miles. It is twelve leagues long by four broad, extending north and south, and is defended by a small fort mounted by six guns, and a garrison of thirty men with a Spanish governor, for the convenience of the Manilla s.h.i.+ps, which touch here for refreshments on their voyage from Acapulco to Manilla. The soil is tolerably fertile, producing rice, pine-apples, water and musk melons, oranges, limes, cocoa-nuts, and bread-fruit. This last grows on a tree as big as our apple-trees, with dark green leaves. The fruit is round and as large as a good penny-loaf,[191] growing on the boughs like apples. When ripe it turns yellow, with a soft and sweet pulp; but the natives pull it green, and bake it in an oven till the rind grows black.

They sc.r.a.pe off the rind, and the inside is soft and white, like the crumb of new-baked bread, having neither seed nor stone; but it grows harsh if kept twenty-four hours. As this fruit is in season for eight months in the year, the natives use no other bread in all that time, and they told us there was plenty of it in all the other Ladrone islands.

[Footnote 191: This vague description may now safely be changed to the size of a three-penny, or even four-penny loaf--E.]

On the 31st May we came to anchor near the middle of the west side of this isle, a mile from sh.o.r.e, as there is no anchoring on its east side on account of the trade-winds, which force the waves with great violence against that side. The natives are of a copper-colour, strong-limbed, with long black hair, small eyes, high noses, thick lips, white teeth, and stern countenances, yet were very affable to us. They are very ingenious in building a certain kind of boats, called _proas_, used all over the East Indies. These are about twenty-six or twenty-eight feet long, and five or six feet high from the keel, which is made of the trunk of a tree like a canoe, sharp at both ends. They manage these boats with a paddle instead of a rudder, and use a square sail, and they sail with incredible swiftness, twenty or even twenty-four miles in an h.o.a.r. One side of these boats is quite flat and upright like a wall from end to end, but the other side is rounded and full-bellied like other vessels. Along this side, parallel with the boat, at the distance of six or seven feet, a log of light wood, a foot and a half wide, and sharp at both ends, is fastened by means of two bamboos eight or ten feet long, projecting from each end of the main boat, and this log prevents the boat from oversetting. The English call this an out-lier, or out-rigger, and the Dutch _Oytlager_. The air of this island is accounted exceedingly healthy, except in the wet season between June and October.

The Indians inhabit small villages on the west side of this island near the sh.o.r.e, and have priests among them to instruct them in the Christian religion. By means of a civil letter from Captain Swan to the Spanish governor, accompanied by some presents, we obtained a good supply of hogs, cocoa-nuts, rice, biscuits, and other refreshments, together with fifty pounds of Manilla tobacco.

Learning from one of the friars that the island of _Mindanao_, inhabited by Mahometans, abounded in provisions, we set sail from Guam on the 2d June with a strong E. wind, and arrived on the 21st at the Isle of St John, one of the _Philippines_. These are a range of large islands reaching from about the lat.i.tude of 5 to about 19 N. and from long.

120 to 126 30' E. The princ.i.p.al island of the group is _Luzon_, or Luconia, in which Magellan was slain by a poisoned arrow, and which is now entirely subject to the Spaniards. Their capital city of Manilla is in this island, being a large town and sea-port, seated at the south-west end, opposite to the island of Mindora, and is a place of great strength and much trade, especially occasioned by the Acapulco s.h.i.+ps, which procure here vast quant.i.ties of India commodities, brought hither by the Chinese and Portuguese, and sometimes also by stealth by the English from fort St George or Madras; for the Spaniards allow of no regular trade here to the English and Dutch, lest they should discover their weakness, and the riches of these islands, which abound in gold.

To the south of Luzon there are twelve or fourteen large islands, besides a great number of small isles, all inhabited by, or subject to, the Spaniards. But the two most southerly, Mindanao and St John, are not subjected by the Spaniards.

The Island of St John, or _San Juan_, is about the lat. of 9 N. on the east side of Mindanao, and about four leagues from that island, being about thirty-eight leagues in length from N.N.W. to S.S.E. and about twenty-four leagues broad in the middle, having a very rich and fertile soil. _Mindanao_, next to Luzon, is the largest of the Philippines, being sixty leagues long by forty or fifty leagues broad. Its southern end is in lat. 5 30' N. the N.W. extremity reaching to 9 40' N. The soil is generally fertile, and its stony hills produce many kinds of trees, most of which are unknown to Europeans. The vallies are supplied with brooks and rivulets, and stored with various sorts of ever-green trees, and with rice, water-melons, plantains, bananas, guavas, nutmegs, cloves, betel-nuts, _durians, jacks_, or _jackas_, cocoa-nuts, oranges, &c.; but, above all, by a species of tree called _libby_ by the natives, which produces sago, and grows in groves several miles in length. The poorer people feed on sago instead of bread for several months of the year. This tree resembles the cabbage-tree, having a strong bark and hard wood, the heart of which is full of a white pith, like that of the elder. They cut down the tree and split it open, taking out the pith, which they stamp or beat well in a mortar, after which, putting it into a cloth, and pouring in water, they stir it well, till the water carries all the farinaceous substance through the cloth into a trough. After the farinaceous matter has settled to the bottom, the water is poured off, and the sago is baked into cakes, which they use as bread. The sago, which is carried from hence to other parts of the East Indies, is dried into small grains, and is used with milk of almonds as a remedy against fluxes, being of an astringent quality.

The other fruits of this island, being well known or described by various authors, need not be here mentioned. The nutmegs here are very large and good, but the natives do not care for propagating them, being afraid lest the Dutch, who monopolize the spice islands, should be induced to pay them a hostile visit. This island also produces abundance of animals, both wild and tame, as horses, cows, buffaloes, goats, wild hogs, deer, monkeys, and others; also guanas, lizards, snakes, scorpions, and centipeds. These last are not thicker than a goose-quill, but five inches long, and they sting fiercer even than scorpions. Of tame fowl, they have only ducks and hens; but have plenty of wild birds, as pigeons, parrots, parrakeets, turtle-doves, bats as large as our kites, and an infinite number and variety of small birds. Their wild hogs feed in the woods in prodigious herds, and have thick k.n.o.bs growing over their eyes. There are mountains in the interior of this island, which afford considerable quant.i.ties of gold. Their chief fish are bonitos, snooks, cavallies, breams, and mullets; and they have abundance of sea-tortoises; and the island has many harbours, creeks, and rivers.

Considering the situation of this island, so near the Line, its climate is by no means excessively hot, especially near the sea, where the sea-breeze cools the air by day and the land-breeze at night. The wind blows from the east between October and May, and then blows from the west till October. The west wind produces the wet season, which is heaviest in July and August, and, gradually lessening in September, ceases in October, when the east wind brings fair weather, which lasts till May. The inhabitants of this island, though all resembling each other in colour and stature, and all Mahometans, differ considerably in language and government. The mountaineers, or _Hillanoons_, who inhabit the interior, and are masters of the gold-mines, are also rich in bees-wax, both of which they exchange with the _Mindanayans_ on the coast for foreign commodities. The _Sologus_ inhabit the N.W. end of the island, and traffic with the inhabitants of Manilla and some other adjacent islands, but not with the Mindanayans. The _Alfoores_ were formerly under the same government with the Mindanayans, but were separated from them by falling to the share of the younger children of the sultan of Mindanao, who has of late laid claim to their allegiance.

The Mindanayans, properly so called, are of low stature, with small limbs, little heads, straight bodies, small eyes short noses, wide mouths, thin red lips, and sound black teeth, having black lank hair, and tawny complexions, but rather brighter than other Indians. They are ingenious and nimble, much addicted to indolence, obliging to strangers, but implacable when once disobliged. They wear turbans on their heads, formed of a cloth tied once round, the ends of which hang down, and are ornamented with lace or fringe. They also wear breeches, over which they have a kind of frocks, but have neither shoes nor stockings. The women tie their long black hair in a knot, which hangs down behind, being smaller featured than the men, with very small feet. Their garments consist of a piece of cloth sewed together at both ends, forming a kind of petticoat, with a frock reaching a little below the waist. They covet the acquaintance of white men, and are very free with them, as far as they have liberty. When any strangers arrive at the city of Mindanao, the men come aboard and invite them to their houses, where they immediately ask if any of them wish to have a _pagally_, or female friend, which they must accept, and return the favour by some small present, which is repeated from time to time, in return for which they eat, drink, and sleep, in their friend's house.

The capital is named Mindanao, like the island, being on the south-west side, two miles from the sea, on the bank of a small river, in lat. 7 N. The houses are built on posts, fourteen to twenty feet high, consisting only of one floor, but divided in many rooms by part.i.tions.

The house or palace of the sultan rests on 150 great posts, being much higher than any of the others, and had great broad stairs leading up to it from the ground. In the hall there were twenty pieces of iron cannon upon field carriages, and the general and other great men have also some cannon in their houses. The floors are generally well covered with mats, and they have no chairs, but usually sit cross-legged. Their ordinary food is rice, sago, and some small fish; but the better people use buffaloe beef, and fowl, with a great deal of rice, every one using their fingers, as they have no spoons. The inhabitants of the city of Mindanao speak both the Mindanayan and Malay languages, and their prayers are in Arabic, in which also they retain some Turkish words.

Some of the old people of both s.e.xes can speak Spanish, as the Spaniards had formerly several forts in the island, and had a.s.suredly reduced the whole if they had not been afraid of an attack from the Chinese at Manilla, on which account they withdrew their troops from Mindanao, when the father of the present sultan laid hold of the opportunity to gain possession of their forts, and to expel them from the island. At present they are most in fear of the Dutch, for which reason they have often invited the English to make a settlement among them, believing them not so ready to encroach as either of the other nations.

The chief trades in this city are goldsmiths, blacksmiths, carpenters, and s.h.i.+pwrights, for they build good s.h.i.+ps both for war and trade. Their chief commodities for export are gold, bees-wax, and tobacco; the two first being purchased from the mountaineers, and the last grows in all parts of the island in great plenty. They exchange these commodities for calicoes, muslins, and China silks. The Mindanao tobacco is reckoned as good as that of Manilla, and yet ten or twelve pounds of it may be bought for a rial, or the eighth part of a dollar. The natives are generally afflicted with a dry itchy scurf all over their bodies, and by scratching, the skin peels off in small white flakes, like the scales of small fish, leaving broad white spots all over their bodies; but they did not seem to make any great account of this disease, which is not infectious. They are also troubled with small-pox; but their most common diseases are fevers, agues, fluxes, and violent griping pains in their bowels. They have many wives, but I could not learn their marriage ceremonies.

They are governed by a sultan, who has no great revenue, yet is so absolute that he even commands the private purse of every one at his pleasure. The reigning sultan was between fifty and sixty years old, and had twenty-nine concubines besides his wife or sultana. When he goes abroad he is carried in a couch on the shoulders of four men, and is attended by a guard of eight or ten men. His brother, named Rajah Laut, a shrewd person of good conversation, is both chief minister and general, and both speaks and writes Spanish very readily. In war they use swords and lances, and every one, from the highest to the lowest, constantly wears a _criss_ or dagger, much like a bayonet. They never fight any pitched battles, but construct small wooden forts defended by guns, whence the adverse parties endeavour to surprise each other in small parties, and never give or take quarter.

We came first to anchor on the N.E. side of the island, but learning from the natives that the city of Mindanao was on the W. side, we again set sail and anch.o.r.ed on the 4th July on the S.W. side of a very deep bay in fifteen fathoms, the land within the bay on the E. side being very high and woody, but watered by several rivers. On its W. side, bordering on the sea, there were large plains covered with long gra.s.s, on which were vast herds of deer, of which we killed as many as we thought fit. We remained here till the 12th, when we again set sail, and arrived on the 18th at the entrance of the river of Mindanao, in lat. 7 N. and long. 124 35' E. from Greenwich.[192] We here anch.o.r.ed in fifteen fathoms on clean hard sand, two miles from the sh.o.r.e. Soon afterwards Rajah Laut came on board, accompanied by one of the sultan's sons, and asked in Spanish, Who we were? Being told we were English, he asked if we came to settle among them, of which they had formerly some promise, and were now in hopes of its being effected, to serve to protect them against the Dutch, whom they greatly dreaded. Had we properly considered the matter, it might have been much for our advantage, Mindanao being conveniently situated between the Spice islands and the Philippines, and besides the three islands of _Meangis_,[193] only about twenty leagues from hence, abound with spice and cloves. We were also well filled for such a settlement, having among our company all manner of artificers, as carpenters, bricklayers, shoemakers, tailors, and the like, as also abundance of tools, arms, cannon, and sufficient ammunition to begin with; and, notwithstanding the great distance from England, we might easily have had supplies from thence, providing s.h.i.+ps set out the latter end of August, proceeding round Cape Horn, and so directly across the Pacific for Mindanao, or else coasting along the western sh.o.r.e of America as far as was necessary, and then stretching across to have the advantage of the trade-wind. By this way the voyage might be accomplished in six or seven months, which would at least require eight or nine by the Cape of Good Hope.

[Footnote 192: In Harris, this longitude is made 23 12' W. from the Lizard by some strange error, being 235 25' W. from Greenwich.--E.]

[Footnote 193: It does not appear what islands these were, unless perhaps the Silibabo islands, about half way between Mindanao and the northern end of Gilolo, but considerably farther distant than is stated in the text.--E.]

Rajah Laut invited Captain Swan ash.o.r.e, and promised to furnish what provisions we wanted, and desired him in the mean time to secure our s.h.i.+p within the river, for fear of the approaching westerly monsoon, which Captain Swan agreed to after some deliberation. The river being narrow, and having not above eleven feet water on the bar in spring-tides, we had much ado to get our s.h.i.+p a quarter of a mile above its mouth, where we moored head and stern in a hole, so that she lay always afloat. The city of Mindanao is a mile in length, but not very broad, stretching along the right bank of the river as you go up, though there are some houses also on the opposite side. The inhabitants frequently came aboard of our s.h.i.+p, and invited our men to their houses, where they were kindly entertained after their manner with tobacco and betel, and such of them as had money, or other articles of value, did not want their _pagalies_, or female friends. Captain Swan was entertained daily by Rajah Laut, and those of our men who had no money had boiled rice, with sc.r.a.ps of fowl and buffalo beef given them.

Yet, after all these outward shews of friends.h.i.+p, we soon after began to discover that Rajah Laut had sinister intentions. The sheathing on our s.h.i.+p's bottom being much eaten by worms, we began in November to remove the old sheathing, to see whether the main plank remained sound; on seeing which, Rajah Laut shook his head, saying he had never seen a s.h.i.+p with two bottoms. Besides, he did not perform his promise of providing us with beef, pretending he could not get any; and he borrowed a considerable sum in gold from Captain Swan, which he never repaid.

These circ.u.mstances at length induced most of our men to think of leaving Mindanao, especially those who had not much money; and as our s.h.i.+p was new sheathed and tallowed on the 10th December, they began to urge our commander to depart in continuation of our voyage. Accordingly, Captain Swan appointed the 13th January, 1687, for all our company to be on board and ready to sail; but many being unwilling to depart so soon, having dispersed about the country at the instigation of Rajah Laut, and even Captain Swan not being very ready to come aboard, by reason of some insubordination among the men, they deposed him from the command, and chose Captain Teat in his room. After this we weighed in the morning of the 13th January, and sailed out of the river, having Captain Swan and forty-four more of the men on sh.o.r.e, besides sixteen others we had buried there.

We coasted along the south side of the island to the west, and pa.s.sed next day in sight of _Chambungo_,[194] another town in this island, thirty leagues west from the river of Mindanao, and said to have a good harbour. On the 10th February we coasted along the west side of the Philippine islands, and while pa.s.sing Panga,[195] a large island inhabited by the Spaniards, we saw many fires, which we supposed were intended to give notice of our approach, it being rare to see a s.h.i.+p on this coast. The 18th we anch.o.r.ed in ten fathoms at the N.W. end of the island of _Mindora_. This is a large island, the middle of which is in lat 12 45' N. its length from N.W. to S.E. being forty leagues. While here, a canoe with four Indians came from Manilla, who told as that the harbour of Manilla was seldom without twenty or thirty vessels, Chinese, Portuguese, and Spaniards, and if we had a mind to trade clandestinely, they would deliver letters from us to certain merchants there.

[Footnote 194: Probably Sambuang, at the western extremity of Mindanao, in lat. 6 52' N. long. 122 20' E. from Greenwich.--E.]