Signed,

Tho. Dover, Pres.William Dampier,
Woodes Rogers,Cha. Pope,
Steph. Courtney, William Stretton,
Edw. Cooke,John Connely.

Rummaging to day in the Powder room, we found a Leak 3 or 4 Foot under Water, which we did our best to stop.

All English Ships are allowed by the Government here half a Leaguer of Arrack a Man for the Ships Use, and ’tis counted as part of the Provisions, but our Boats are not suffer’d to bring the least thing off Shore, without being first severely searched. This, tho’ we pay more, will likewise hinder all manner of Traffick with any one here. Our chief

Transactions at Batavia.

Officers have also prevented it aboard, and narrowly watch our Crews; so that I doubt they’ll want several Necessaries that this Place affords. This we do to avoid giving the India Company in England any Pretence to clamour against us at home, on account of our trading here without their Permission. We requested the Governour to have Liberty to sell the Marquiss by Inventory to the highest Bidder at a publick Sale; but the Sabandar, or chief Custom-house Officer for Foreigners, told us it was the Governour and Council’s Resolution to publish at the Sale, that if any Dutch Freeman should purchase the Ship, they must either rip her up or burn her. This we thought another great Hardship, that we could not get Dutch Carpenters at Liberty to careen and refit her at Unrest, nor get Freedom of Sale; so we drew up a Request, and got it put in Dutch, resolving to wait on the General, to set forth the Hardships we were under; and likewise requested to careen the Duke at Unrest, where we might have Dutch Carpenters, that being the only fit Place; now the Weather and Wind was changeable, and we could not do it at any other Island: But when Capt. Courtney and I came to the Castle, to wait on the General, the Guards told us, They had Orders, that no Englishman should be admitted without the Sabandar, and that they durst carry no Paper or Message from us to the Governour-General. We waited till past the middle of the Day, and then address’d our selves to one of the Rads of India, who us’d to listen to the English, when any was impos’d on: He treated us very handsomly, with our Linguists, Mr. Vanbrugh and Mr. Swart, at his House, and said, He believed we had not Justice done us; but the Sabandar being the General’s near Relation, he should make Enemies, if he appear’d in our Affair, and could advise us no better than to try what we could do again with the Sabandar, who we knew was inflexible; so we were forced to be silent and let this drop, that we might dispatch for the Cape of Good Hope, as fast as possible; the best Season for our Passage being now at hand.

July 30. The Plunder-Money was shar’d on the 24th Instant, which amounted to 26 Shillings a-share, being what was adjudg’d as Plunder, when at the Island Gorgona, to which I refer.

Octob. 7. This Week we made all Preparation for sailing, having got most of our Stores aboard, and discharged the Marquiss, which was so leaky that we sold her to Capt. John Opey, Commander of the Oley Frigate, lately arriv’d from London, for 575 Dutch Dollars, being an extraordinary Bargain; we had been offer’d much more before by another Person, but then I could not prevail with the Majority of our Council to consent to the Sale.