The 1st February, Captain John Jourdan the president came on board, who acquainted me with all that had taken place between them and the Dutch, in regard to the castle of Jacatra, during my absence, the Dutch having agreed to deliver up that fort to the English, on condition of being allowed to depart with bag and baggage, and a ship, for two thousand rials of eight, to carry them to the coast of Coromandel.[265] Sir Thomas Dale arrived in Bantam roads on the 4th, with the Moon, Clove, James, Pepper-corn, Hound, and Advice. As the pangran of Bantam had practised underhandedly with the Dutch to have the castle of Jacatra delivered into his hands, by which we had been unjustly deprived of that acquisition, we agreed, in a general consultation, that the president, and all the rest of the principal persons of our factory at Bantam, should repair on board, and get all our goods and provisions put aboard the ships. Accordingly, we were occupied from the 10th to 16th, both inclusive, in getting all the money and goods belonging to the honourable Company on board. During this time, the pangran sent several obscure persons to the president, as of their own accord, to enquire the reason of his departure, pretending that the pangran had given no just cause for leaving the country. Upon this the president drew up a memorial, enumerating the several grievances and wrongs which the English had suffered from him, meaning to have it translated into the Javan language, and then to be transmitted to the pangran.
[Footnote 265: This agreement was crossed by the Pangran of Bantam, who gave us leave to beat the bush, and thought to have caught the birds himself, but was deceived in the end.--Purch.]
The 17th, advice was received from Mr Ufflet, at Jacatra, that the Dutch were daily occupied in repairing and strengthening their fortifications; and that, when the messengers of the pangran demanded the surrender of their fort, with part of their money, goods, and ordnance, they gave for answer, That all these things were the property of their masters, which therefore they could not give away. We this day received news of two Dutch ships in the road of Jacatra, and that same night Sir Thomas Dale set sail with eight ships in quest of them, while I remained with four to attend upon the president. The 26th, having certain intelligence that four Holland ships were at anchor in the mouth of the Straits of Sunda, I went out that same evening to look for them, with the James, Gift, Unicorn, and the Little James. Next morning we anchored near Pulo Paniang, to take in water, and to put our ships into order, by taking aboard some planks that were alongside.
We weighed again in the morning of the 1st March, making sail towards the mouth of the Straits, where we observed the two Dutch ships at anchor near the island of Tamporan, about three leagues to the westwards of Viun, or Palambangan point. We immediately made all sail towards them, while they, as in a careless manner, plied to and fro, having their topsails half mast down. At length, as we drew nigh, the Dutch admiral and all the rest of his ships bore up with my ship, which was most to windward, and gave us two shots, one of which went through the ship's side under the half-deck, and the other through the steerage. They had no sooner begun than they were as quickly answered from my ship, and in such measure, that, in the space of two hours, they became as quiet as lambs; their admiral, who gave the onset with so much arrogance, being the first to run away, followed by all the rest. We chased them till night, and then finding them too swift of foot, we gave over the chase, standing over towards Pulo Tunda. We came to anchor again on the 2d of March in the road of Bantam, on which day we had intelligence that one of the two ships lately come to Jacatra had got aground near the castle, and had been set on fire by themselves on seeing Sir Thomas Dale. The other ship, which had taken in a valuable loading from the castle, was also cast away on some rocks, ten leagues east of Jacatra.
On the 4th, we had a letter from John Powell, residing at Jacatra, stating that Sir Thomas Dale had sailed on the 1st, with the Moon, Hound, Rose, and Bee, in search of the stranded Dutch ship. The 14th we heard from Sir Thomas that he had got almost within shot of the four Dutch ships we met with, but had been taken by a dead calm for twelve hours, succeeded in the night by a tempest, which scattered them so far asunder by next morning, that they lost all hopes of the chase, and had therefore returned to Point Ayre, whence he proposed bringing the Moon immediately to Bantam, leaving the rest of his ships to take in provisions at Jacatra. In a consultation as to the best course to be taken with the fleet, it was resolved to go to the coast of Coromandel, which we were informed was a good country for recovering the health of our men, and abounding in rice, wheat, butter, and other, provisions, which could not be procured here for any money.
S.3. Departure for Coromandel, with Occurrences there, and the Death of Sir Thomas Dale,--Capture of English Ships by the Dutch; and Occurrences at Tecoo.
On Monday the 19th of April, 1619, all our ships being together in Bantam roads, with three Chinese junks riding among us, it was resolved in council to execute the commission given us by the Honourable Company, by appropriating to them the goods in these junks, in payment of former debts due by the Chinese. Next day Kewee came aboard to the president, accompanied by the three nockhadas, or captains of the junks, to know his intentions. He gave him the following answer:--If the young king of Bantam would displace the pangran, who had treated us with so much injustice, he would then return on shore and bichar[266] with him, and restore the junks. The 28th, being ready to sail, intending to go for Morrogh to take in water and unload the junks, we descried a sail coming from the westwards round Palinbangan point, which turned out to be a Portuguese frigate, captured at Jasques, manned by twenty Englishmen, and sent by Captain Bonnar with advice to the president at Bantam. We learnt from these men that Sir Thomas Roe, the lord ambassador to the Mogul, was gone for England in the Ann Royal, having left the country with great honour and reputation to himself, and much advantage of the Honourable Company. Bodman, who was the cause of setting the Black Lion on fire, was hanged on the 22d of May, and that same night we set sail.
[Footnote 266: This unexplained term probably means to make peace.--E.]
The 30th May, Sir Thomas Roe stood in with his fleet under the island, while we held on our course for Masulipatam, having the Unicorn, Gift, and Bee in our company. The 30th June we anchored in nine fathoms, about two leagues from the coast of Coromandel, where we rode four days, being hardly able to visit each other in all that time, owing to W.S.W. winds, and a continual current setting to E.N.E. The surf also broke so lofty on the beach, that we durst not attempt landing with any of our boats. We were at length able to communicate together, when Mr Roberts, the master of the Unicorn, gave us notice of a bay on this coast in the latitude of 17° N. about five leagues to the eastwards of Nassapore, [Narsipore] where there was good riding during the westerly monsoon. This was exactly what I wanted, having no hope to recover Masulipatam against wind and current. We accordingly set sail on the 4th, in the morning, and stood to the eastwards, the coast trending W.S.W. and E.N.E. And having run about nine leagues by estimation, with the wind and current, we found the land to turn away N. and N. by W.[267] giving me hopes of a good road. At this point of land there cometh put a great river,[268] by the stream of which there has been raised a reef or shoal, extending half a mile into the sea from the point, and occasioning a smoother road. Bringing that sand to bear S.S.W. there is good and safe anchorage in six and a half fathoms, two miles from the land. Two leagues north from this point, which, for distinction, I name Cape Comfort, there issues forth another branch of the same river, by which the headland is made an island, and off the mouth of this river there is likewise a long spit of sand, which is dry at low water.
[Footnote 267: Obviously rounding Cape Godawery, in lat. 16° 83' N.]