.Hamilton’s account, of,the east, indies.

.490

.in three .days, I would run a muck, (which is a mad cuftom among the Mallayas whenthey become defperate,) and that I thought twenty-five men well armed Were fufficientto go off- by violence, when by fair means they could not obtain it, that being the laftremedy, what blood might be fpilt in the a£tion, the hapoa and his chaps would anfwerto the Emperor for, who, no doubt, would enquire into the caufe.

■ I then bade farewell to all the gentlemen of the French factory, and left a prefentof50 tayels for the linguift that lay in prifon, and came home to my inn, and acquaintedrny men with my refolution, who unanimoufly approved of it, promifing to live and diewith me ; and immediately we new cleaned our arms, and new loaded them withpowder and ball; which the fervants of the haung taking notice of, went and informedmy merchants what we had been doing, and that we looked brilker than ufual. Themerchants went to the French chief, to fee if he knew what defign we had, and hefrankly told them all that I had told him. They immediately acquainted the hapoa*who forthwith fent us a permit for ourfelves and goods, and next day I departed withtwelve of my crew, and fome goods, leaving the reft to follow with the reft of mygoods and marts.

In three days we got to Maccao, and got all things in readinefs to fail. There weretwo Portugueze lying in Tiepe-queberado, waiting for me to accompany them for fear ofa French cruifer of 32 guns that had been at Manilla. One Mr. Burno commandedher, who had made his brags to the Spaniards, that he would bring all the Englifti andPortugueze that were bound from China to the Streights of Malacca , into Manilla, andmake a prefent of our Aips to the Spaniards, which frightened the Portugueze. Onewas a lhip of two-and-twenty.guns, and the other of fixteen.

However Tome China merchants contradled with me to carry them, and about 15 0tons of bricks and Chinaware , to Pullo-condore, and were to pay me 1000 tayels.Three days after my arrival came my malts, and as they were paffmg through theharbour of Maccao, towards my lhip, they were flopped by the procuradore of the city.When word was brought me, 1 fent my purfer, who fpake good Portugueze, that if my• marts were not delivered the fame day, I would take the malts out of their Ihips that layclofe by me, let the confequence be what it would. So to avoid trouble, my maltswere cleared.

Two of my merchants came to Maccao, under pretence of clearing accounts fairly-I invited them on board to dine with me, but they would not do me that honour.They had heard of the contract I had made with the China merchants, to carry themand their goods to Pullo-condore, which contract they broke, for that ftrong reafon,that they had bought me of the hapoa, and that freight I had no power to contract for*but they would furnilh them with a palfage for them and their goods, on the fameterms that I had agreed on, fo I was obliged to lofe my freight.

I received what goods they were pleafed to bring me, but I found wanting 80 cheftsof Japon copper, and fome toothenague that I had weighed olf at Canton, and put theflock’s mark on them. I alked the reafon why they did not deliver thofe goods, fince,according to their own account, there was a balance due to me of 1800 tayels. Theytold me that they would give no more, and the balance they would keep, for fear theyfiiould lofe on my imported cargo. I bid them farewell, and promifed to let them hearfrom me by the firft jonk of theirs that I met with. Next day I fent them my account,wherein I fliewed that they and the hapoa had cheated me of 12,000 tayels, and that 1fiiould not fail to make reprifals when I met with any effects of theirs. Accordingly ^did at Johore , by the King’s permiffion, feize a jonk of theirs, and fecured their booksof accounts, having two Portugueze natives of Maccao, who could fpeak and write

Chinefe