On the full and change days, it was high water in the Typa at 5h 15m, and in Macao harbour at 5h 50m. The greatest rise was six feet one inch. The flood appeared to come from the south eastward; but we could not determine this point with certainty, on account of the great number of islands which lie off the mouth of the river of Canton.
Price of Provisions at Canton, 1780.
| £ | s. | d. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ananas | 0 | 4 | 0 | a score. |
| Arrack | 0 | 0 | 8 | per bottle. |
| Butter | 0 | 2 | 44⁄5 | per catty.[[79]] |
| Beef, Canton | 0 | 0 | 23⁄4 | |
| Ditto, Macao | 0 | 0 | 51⁄5 | |
| Birds-nests | 3 | 6 | 8 | |
| Biscuit | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
| Beache de Mar | 0 | 2 | 04⁄5 | |
| Calf | 1 | 6 | 93⁄5 | each. |
| Caravances, dried | 0 | 0 | 22⁄5 | per catty. |
| Cabbage, Nankeen | 0 | 0 | 44⁄5 | |
| Curry stuff | 0 | 1 | 4 | |
| Coffee | 0 | 1 | 4 | |
| Cocoa-nuts | 0 | 0 | 4 | each. |
| Charcoal | 0 | 3 | 4 | per pecul. |
| Coxice | 0 | 1 | 4 | per catty. |
| Canton nuts | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
| Chesnuts | 0 | 0 | 22⁄5 | |
| Cockles | 0 | 0 | 31⁄5 | |
| Ducks | 0 | 0 | 51⁄5 | |
| Ditto, wild | 0 | 1 | 04⁄5 | each. |
| Deers’ sinews | 0 | 2 | 13⁄5 | per catty. |
| Eels | 0 | 0 | 62⁄5 | |
| Eggs | 0 | 2 | 0 | per hundred. |
| Fish, common | 0 | 0 | 31⁄5 | per catty. |
| Ditto, best | 0 | 0 | 62⁄5 | |
| Ditto salted, Nankeen | 0 | 0 | 93⁄5 | |
| Fruit | 0 | 0 | 13⁄5 | |
| Ditto, Nankeen | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| Frogs | 0 | 0 | 62⁄5 | |
| Flour | 0 | 0 | 1-76/100 | |
| Fowls, capons, &c. | 0 | 0 | 71⁄5 | |
| Fish maws | 0 | 2 | 13⁄5 | |
| Geese | 0 | 0 | 62⁄5 | |
| Greens | 0 | 0 | 13⁄4 | |
| Grass | 0 | 0 | 22⁄5 | per bundle. |
| Grapes | 0 | 1 | 04⁄5 | per catty. |
| Ham | 0 | 1 | 22⁄5 | |
| Hartshorn | 0 | 1 | 4 | |
| Hogs’ Lard | 0 | 0 | 72⁄5 | |
| Hog, alive | 0 | 0 | 43⁄4 | |
| Kid, alive | 0 | 0 | 43⁄4 | |
| Limes | 0 | 0 | 04⁄5 | |
| Litchis, dried | 0 | 0 | 22⁄5 | |
| Locksoy | 0 | 0 | 62⁄5 | |
| Lobchocks | 0 | 0 | 53⁄5 | per catty. |
| Lamp oil | 0 | 0 | 53⁄5 | |
| Lamp wick | 0 | 0 | 8 | |
| Melons | 0 | 0 | 44⁄5 | each. |
| Milk | 0 | 0 | 11⁄4 | per catty. |
| Ditto, Macao | 0 | 0 | 31⁄5 | |
| Mustard seed | 0 | 0 | 62⁄5 | |
| Mushrooms, pickled | 0 | 2 | 8 | |
| Ditto, fresh | 0 | 1 | 4 | |
| Oysters | 0 | 3 | 4 | per pecul. |
| Onions, dried | 0 | 0 | 22⁄5 | per catty. |
| Pork | 0 | 0 | 71⁄7 | |
| Pig | 0 | 0 | 53⁄5 | |
| Paddy | 0 | 0 | 04⁄5 | |
| Pepper | 0 | 1 | 04⁄5 | |
| Pheasants | 0 | 5 | 4 | each. |
| Partridges | 0 | 0 | 93⁄5 | |
| Pigeons | 0 | 0 | 51⁄5 | |
| Pomegranates | 0 | 0 | 22⁄5 | |
| Quails | 0 | 0 | 13⁄5 | |
| Rabbits | 0 | 1 | 4 | |
| Rice | 0 | 0 | 2 | per catty. |
| Ditto, red | 0 | 0 | 22⁄5 | |
| Ditto, coarse | 0 | 0 | 11⁄5 | |
| Ditto, Japan | 0 | 0 | 8 | |
| Raisins | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| Sheep | 3 | 6 | 8 | each. |
| Snipes | 0 | 0 | 11⁄2 | per catty. |
| Sturgeon | 0 | 4 | 93⁄5 | |
| Ditto, small | 0 | 2 | 44⁄5 | |
| Sugar | 0 | 0 | 31⁄5 | |
| Salt | 0 | 0 | 13⁄5 | |
| Saltpetre | 0 | 2 | 13⁄5 | |
| Soy | 0 | 0 | 13⁄5 | |
| Spices | 0 | 16 | 8 | |
| Sweet-meats | 0 | 0 | 62⁄5 | per catty. |
| Sago | 0 | 0 | 31⁄5 | |
| Sallad | 0 | 0 | 22⁄5 | |
| Sharks’ fins | 0 | 2 | 13⁄5 | |
| Samsui soy | 0 | 0 | 22⁄5 | |
| Teal | 0 | 0 | 62⁄5 | each. |
| Turtle | 0 | 0 | 93⁄5 | per catty. |
| Tea | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| Turmeric | 0 | 0 | 22⁄5 | |
| Tamarinds | 0 | 0 | 8 | |
| Vinegar | 0 | 0 | 13⁄5 | |
| Vermicelli | 0 | 0 | 31⁄5 | |
| Wax candles | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| Walnuts | 0 | 0 | 44⁄5 | |
| Wood | 0 | 1 | 4 | per pecul. |
| Water | 0 | 6 | 8 | per 100 Bs. |
| £ | s. | d. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rent of Poho Factory | 400 | 0 | 0 | per annum. |
| ---- of Lunsoon | 316 | 13 | 4 | |
| Servants’ rice | 0 | 8 | 0 | per month. |
| Ditto, wages | 0 | 19 | 22⁄5 | per month for resiants. |
| Doll. | ||
|---|---|---|
| Servants’ wages for the season | 20 | |
| Stewards’ wages | 80 | per annum. |
| Butlers’ ditto | 80 |
Prices of Labour.
| £ | s. | d. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A coolee, or porter | 0 | 0 | 8 | per day. |
| A taylor | 0 | 0 | 5 | and rice. |
| A handicraftsman | 0 | 0 | 8 | |
| A common labourer, from | 0 | 0 | 3d. | to 5d. |
| A woman’s labour considerably cheaper. |
CHAP. X.
LEAVE THE TYPA.—ORDERS OF THE COURT OF FRANCE RESPECTING CAPTAIN COOK.—RESOLUTIONS IN CONSEQUENCE THEREOF.—STRIKE SOUNDINGS ON THE MACCLESFIELD BANKS.—PASS PULO SAPATA.—STEER FOR PULO CONDORE.—ANCHOR AT PULO CONDORE.—TRANSACTIONS DURING OUR STAY.—JOURNEY TO THE PRINCIPAL TOWN.—RECEIVE A VISIT FROM A MANDARIN.—EXAMINE HIS LETTERS.—REFRESHMENTS TO BE PROCURED.—DESCRIPTION AND PRESENT STATE OF THE ISLAND.—ITS PRODUCE.—AN ASSERTION OF M. SONNERAT REFUTED.—ASTRONOMICAL AND NAUTICAL OBSERVATIONS.
On the 12th of January, 1780, at noon, we unmoored, and scaled the guns, which, on board my ship, now amounted to ten; so that, by means of four additional ports, we could, if occasion required, fight seven on a side. In like manner, the Resolution had increased the number of her guns from twelve to sixteen; and, in both ships, a stout barricade was carried round their upper works, and every other precaution taken to give our small force as respectable an appearance as possible.