Hamilton’s account of the east indies.

460

who had been there the year before, and praifed it for a wholefome country, and theinhabitants very civil and obliging. He bought fome Surat baftaes of me, at 45 p ercent, on invoice, and expeded to make as much himfelf.

It is reported, that on the coaft of Borneo , between Lao and Sobar, there are manyeanibals, but 1 never heard it confirmed by any but Chinefe. And from Sobar toSuccadaana the people are civil enough to ftrangers.

Sambas is the next country of commerce to the northward of Succadaana. It pro-duces but very little pepper, but fome gold, pearls, and bees-wax, which makes it wellfrequented by the Chinefe, who carry Surat piece-goods from Malacca and Johore , andbarter to very good purpofe for the aforefaid commodities. Bees-wax is the currentcafh in that country. It is melted but not refined, and caft in moulds of an oblongfquare, the breadth about two thirds of the length, and the thicknefs half of thebreadth, and a rattan withy to lift them by, call in the wax. A piece weighs aquarter of a pecul, which comes to, in Englifh weight, 34 pounds, and a pecul is valuedin payments at 10 malfcies, or 40 fhillings flerling. They have alfo for fmaller pay-ments pieces of eight to a pecul and fixteenths, and for fmaller money they havecouries. The prince and people are very hofpitable and civil, fo that ftrangers tradethere with fecurity. I knew a French Armenian, who coming from Manilla, had themisfortune to lofe his fhip on that part of the coaft that belongs to the King of Sambas.They had but little goods, for generally Spanifh dollars are the common return forgoods fold at Manilla. When the people that were fhipwrecked came afhore, they werecarried to the King, who examined what they were, from whence they came, andwhither bound, with what they were loaded, and feveral other interrogatories, and thenordered them provifions, and men and boats to aflift them in faving their treafure, forthere was but very little loft befides the fhip and ftores that were not worth thetrouble of faving. The King gave him pearls and bees-wax for his filver, at fuchreafonable rates, that the Armenian gained 40 per cent, at Batavia (whither he wentin a China veffel) for the goods he difpofed of there. At Batavia he took paffage onboard a French fhip for China , and in their way called at Trangano, where I met withhim in the year 1719. I had the whole account from himfelf, and faw fome beautifulpearls that he was carrying to the China market, and among them a £air of pearsworth 50I. flerling.

The Chinefe drive a fmall trade from Siam and Cambodia , to the town calledBorneo , that lies about 80 leagues to the northward of Sambas, and thefe are all thetrading places that lie about the north end of this ifland, that I could hear of. Thereligion in Borneo is Pagan , except in fome places on the fea coaft there are foineMahometans ; and fo I mull leave Borneo , and fleer my courfe towards the coaftJohore on the continent, but in my way there are two clufters of iflands that lie half-way. One is called Anamba, and the other Natuna, but by the natives Sciantan isthe common appellation for both clufters. Their inhabitants are called Bougies, afierce defperate people, and the only produd of thofe iflands is bettle-nut, and thereligion Mahometan. The iflands are very high, and may be eafily feen in a clear dayabove fifteen leagues.

Chap. XLVI. — A Continuation of the Dominions of Johore on the Continent , ond

the Iflands adjacent.

THE Johore iflands to the north-eaftward of the promontory of Romano, (fr 0 ^ 1whence I took my departure, when I fleered among the iflands) are firft, Pullo-ting 1 *

c then