The Malays are of a copper complexion, well made, but of small stature. They wore turbans on their heads, and pieces of cloth, fastened with a silver clasp, round the waist; but one old man among them was habited nearly in the Persian fashion. Their houses, which are raised on posts eight feet from the ground, are composed of the bamboo, slit, and are very neatly constructed. The island produces the cocoa-nut and cabbage-trees in great abundance, and there are some rice grounds on it. While the ships lay at anchor, some of the inhabitants brought a living animal on board, which had legs like that of a deer, with a body like a hare, which proved to be very fine eating. The crews catched large quantities of fish in this harbour, from whence they sailed on the 7th of the month.
Nothing worth notice happened till the 14th, when a sloop being seen at anchor in the harbour of an Island named Pulo Toupoa, Mr. Byron, having anchored in the same harbour, and observed that the vessel hoisted Dutch Colours, sent an officer on board her, who was received with great politeness, tea being immediately made for him and his attendants; but he could not make himself understood, the crew consisting entirely of Malays. This vessel, which was made of slit bamboo, had a piece of timber on each quarter, which served to steer her instead of a rudder.
The Commodore sailed the following day, and held his course till the 19th, when he spoke with an English Snow, bound from Bencoolen to Malacca and Bengal, in the East India Company’s service. At this time their biscuit was filled with worms and rotten, and their beef and pork was stinking. The master of the Snow being apprized of this circumference, sent Mr. Byron two gallons of arrack, a turtle, twelve fowls, and a sheep; which is supposed to have been the half of his stock, and for which he refused to accept the slightest return. They dropped their anchors this day in the road of Sumatra; and on the 27th, came to an anchor in that of Batavia.
Having anchored nearer the town on the following day, they fired eleven guns, which were returned; and an English ship from Bombay fired 13 guns in honour of the Commodore.
The Dutch Commodore sent his boat on board the Dolphin, under the command of his cockswain, who made but a shabby appearance. He put several questions to Mr. Byron respecting his voyage and destination, and took a book from his pocket to write down his answers, which Mr. Byron considering as an indignity, desired him instantly to leave the ship; which he did not think proper to hesitate at doing.
Mr. Byron visited the Dutch Commodore at his country-house, was received with great politeness, and told, that he might take a house in any part of the city, or be lodged at the hotel. Any inhabitant of Batavia permitting a stranger to sleep, though but for a single night, in his house, incurs a penalty of 500 dollars; the hotel being the only licensed lodging house, the Governor appoints the keeper of it, who at this time was a Frenchman. This hotel is the most superb building in the city, having more the air of a palace than an inn. All the streets of Batavia are well disposed, and having canals running through them, resemble the cities of Holland. The inhabitants are a motley herd of Dutch, Portuguese, Chinese, Persians, Moors, Malays, Javanese, &c. and their numbers are amazingly great. The Chinese live in a kind of separate town without the city walls, and deal very largely, having annually ten or twelve vessels laden from China. The roads, for several miles round the city, are very wide, and have a canal, shaded with trees, running by them, which is broad enough for the navigation of large vessels. Adjoining to this canal are the country-houses and gardens of the citizens.
The ships remained in this harbour till the 10th of December, when they sailed, being saluted with eleven guns by the fort, and thirteen by the Dutch Commodore. During their run from hence to Prince’s Island, in the Streight of Sunda, they were so abundantly supplied with turtle, by boats from the Java shore, that the common sailors subsisted wholly on that fish. They staid at Prince’s Island till the 19th, when they sailed for the Cape of Good Hope.
On the 10th of February they saw a great smoke arising from a sandy beach, which they supposed to have been made by the Hottentots. On the 13th they came to an anchor, and the next morning the Governor sent his coach and six for the Commodore, and received him with great politeness, offering him the accommodations of the company’s house in the garden, and the use of his coach. The Cape is a fine country, situated in a healthy climate, and abounding with various kinds of refreshments. In a paddock adjoining the Company’s garden, which is extremely elegant, ostriches, zebras, and other curious birds and animals are constantly kept. The Commodore frequently gave his men permission to go on shore, and they as constantly returned--drunk with the Cape wine.
They sailed on the 7th of March, and on the 25th crossed the equinoctial line. About this time an accident happening to the rudder of the Tamar, and it being impossible to make a perfect repair of it at sea, the Captain was ordered to bear away for Antigua; in consequence of which, they parted company on the first of April; and the Dolphin, without meeting with any other material occurrence, came to an anchor in the Downs on the 9th of May, 1766, after having been rather above twenty-two months in the circumnavigation of the globe.
CAPTAIN WALLIS’S VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD.
Samuel Wallis, Esq; having been appointed to the command of his Majesty’s ship the Dolphin, which was destined for a Voyage round the World, he sailed down the river on the 26th of July, and came to an anchor in Plymouth Sound on the 16th of August; three days after which he received sailing orders, and directions to take under his command the Swallow sloop, and Prince Frederick store-ship. These vessels sailed on the 22d, and on the 7th of September, in the evening, came to an anchor in the road of Madeira. The next morning Captain Wallis saluted the Governor with 13 guns, and the compliment was returned with an equal number.
They sailed thence on the 12th, after having taken in beef, wine, and onions, as sea-stores. On the 16th, as they were sailing off the Island of Palma, at the rate of eight miles an hour, the wind suddenly died away, so that the vessels lay quite still. On the 20th they catched several bonettas, out of a great number which surrounded the ship; and this day they saw some herons flying to the eastward. The Swallow, which was a bad sailer, parted from the other vessels, in the night between the 21st and 22d, but she joined company again on the 24th, within six leagues of the Isle of May. This day the three vessels came to an anchor in Port Praya, in the above-mentioned island; and the next morning they obtained leave from the commanding officer at the fort, to get water and other necessaries. This being the sickly season there, and the small-pox being very fatal, the Captain detained every man on board who had not had that distemper.
They here catched great quantities of fish, and having procured cattle and water, and found some wild purslain that was very refreshing, they sailed on the 28th; and, in the night, saw the burning mountain on the peak of Fuego. Captain Wallis now ordered every man to be furnished with hook and line, that he might supply himself with fish; and likewise, to prevent infection, commanded that no man should keep his fish above twenty-four hours. On the 20th they began to serve the crews with oil, all the butter and cheese being consumed; and orders were issued, that, during the remainder of the voyage, they should be served with vinegar and mustard once a fortnight. On the 22d they judged that they were within 60 degrees of land, from the sight of a great number of birds. Two days after this orders were given for serving the men with brandy, the wine being reserved for those that were ill. On the 27th the Prince Frederick sprung a leak, and her crew were at this time so sickly, through the fatigue of pumping, and the badness of their provisions, that her commander, Lieut. Brine, was apprehensive he could not keep company much longer, except some assistance could be given him. The Captain sent a carpenter and six sailors on board, but he was unable to supply her with better provisions. As the carpenter found he could do little toward stopping the leak in the store-ship, the Dolphin and Swallow compleated their provisions from her stores, and put on board her the empty oil jars, staves, and iron hoops.
By the 12th of November they were in 30 degrees of south latitude, when they found the weather so cold as to have recourse to their thick jackets. On the 19th, at eight o’clock at night, they saw a meteor, which flew horizontally from north-east to south-west, leaving a train of light, which made it as bright as at mid-day on the deck. From the 20th to the 22d they saw whales, seals; snipes, plover, and other birds, and some butterflies. On the 8th of December they saw land, and on the 9th remarked, that the sea appeared coloured, by the immense quantities of red shrimps that surrounded the ship.