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nao while we were there to invite us thither. Captain Swan conferred with him aboutit divers times, and I do believe he had fome inclination to accept the offer, and I amfure mod of the men were for it ; but this never came to a head, for want of a trueunderftanding between Captain Swan and his men, as may be declared hereafter.
Befide the benefit which might accrue from this trade with Meangis, and other thefpice-iflands, the Philippine iflands themfelves, by a little care and induftry, might haveafforded us a very beneficial trade, and all thefe trades might have been managed fromMindanao , by fettling there firft. For that ifland lieth very convenient for tradingeither to the fpice-iflands, or to the reft of the Philippine iflands; fince as its foil ismuch of the fame nature with either of them, fo it lies as it were in the centre of thegold and fpice trade in thefe parts 5- the iflands north of Mindanao abounding moft ingold, and thofe fouth of Meangis in fpice.
As the ifland Mindanao lies very convenient for trade fo confidering its diftance,the way thither may not be over long and tirefome. The courfe that I would choofefhould be to fet out of England about the latter end of Auguft, and to pafs roundTerra del Fuego, and fo ftretching over towards new Holland, coaft it along thatfhore till I came near to Mindanao ; or firft I would coaft down near the Americanfhore, as far as I found convenient, and then direct my courfe accordingly for theifland. By this I fhould avoid coming near any of the Dutch fettlements, and befure to meet always with a conftant brifk eafterly trade-wind, after I was once paftTerra del Fuego. Whereas in palling about the Cape of Good Hope , after you arefhot over the Eaft Indian occean and are to come to the iflands, you muft pafs throughthe Streights of Malacca or Sandy, or elfe fome other ftreights eaft from Java, whereyou will be fure to meet with contrary winds, go on which fide of the equator youpleafe ; and this would require ordinarily feven or eight months for the voyage, butthe other I fhould hope to perform in fix or feven at moft. In your return fromthence alfo you muft obferve the fame rule as the Spaniards do in going from Manila to Acapulco ; only as they run towards the north pole for variable winds, fo youmuft run to the fouthward, till you meet with a wind that will carry you over toTerra del Fuego. There are places enough to touch at for refrefhment, eithergoing or coming. You may touch going thither on either fide of Terra Patagonia,or, if you pleafe, at the Gallapagoes Iflands, where there is refrefhment enough ; andreturning you may probably touch fomewhere on New Holland, and fo make fomeprofitable difcovery in thefe places without going out of your way. And to fpeakmy thoughts freely, I believe it is owing to the negleft of this eafy way that all thatvaft trad! of Terra Auftralis which bounds the South Sea is yet undifcovered : thofethat crofs that fea feeming to defign fome bufinefs on the Peruvian or Mexican coaft,and fo leaving that at a diftance. To confirm which, I fhall add what Captain Davistold me lately, that after his departure from us at the haven of Ria Lexa, (as ismentioned in the eight chapter,) he went after feveral traverfes to the Gallapagoes,and that Handing thence fouthward for wind, to bring him about Terra del Fuego,in the latitude of twenty-feven fouth, about five-hundred leagues from Copayapo, onthe coaft of Chili, he faw a fmallTandy ifland juft by him; and that they faw to theweftward of it a long tract of pretty high land, tending away towards the north-weft out of fight. This might probably be the coaft of Terra Auftralis Incognita.
But to return to Mindanao : as to the capacity we were then in, of fettling ourfelvesat Mindanao , although we were not fent out of any fuch defign of fettling, yet wewere as Well provided or better, confidering all circumftances, than if we had. Forthere was fcarce any ufeful trade but fome or other of us underftood it. We hadfawyers, carpenters, joiners, brickmakers, bricklayers, fhoemakers, tailors, &c.
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