A VOYAGE TO BORNEO.

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then gets on fhore to graze : fhe has a large body, a belly hanging low almoft to theground, Ihort thick neck and legs, and feems to be a very unwieldy flow creature: herteeth are large, with huge long tufts, which are counted good ivory. They fay theflelh of the young ones makes excellent bacon.

At the hither end of the garden is the flave-houfe, where all the Company’s flavesare lodged and dieted; their children are taken care of, and taught to write, read, &c.but continue flaves : you may fee the Dutch failors frequently go in and out to the flave-women, which is connived at by the government, and are very acceptable to them whoare negroes, and are very proud when their children prove whiter than themfelves.There are no Hottentot flaves ; for as ignorant and brutilh as thofe people are, theyhave a great love for liberty, and an utter averlion to flavery ; neither will they hirethemfelves in your fervice longer than from morning to night, for then they will bepaid, and fleep freemen, and no hirelings.

Here is a ftore-houfe, wherein are kept all forts of malls, anchors, cables, guns,rigging, &c. to fupply their own Ihips : but Ihould an Englilh fhip unfortunately lofea mall, or Hand otherwife in need of their affiltance, they may perilh fooner than befupplied, unlefs it be by fome clandeftine method which the government do not allow of,

» and then pay a moll exorbitant price for what they want.

The country all round is very pleafant and fertile, affording great plenty of all fortsof provifions, efpecially beef and mutton, which are both of a price, viz. about two-pence a pound, though the latter is much better in its kind, and not inferior to oursin England. As for carrots, cabbage, turnips, and falletting, they are not behindhand with us ; which things are very agreeable to our palates, after fo long an abfti-nence from fuch diet as we were ufed to in our native country. It abounds alfo withall manner of fruit, as oranges, lemons, citrons, mulk, and water melons; apples,pears, cherries, pomegranates, grapes, &c. They have lately improved their vine-yards, fo that they have plenty of red and white mufcadello wine, and another pleafant,though fmaller white wine. The mufcadello is fold from twenty to twenty dour poundsthe leaguer, which contains one hundred and fixty gallons, and the other at ten ortwelve pounds. The neighbouring vallies are full of herbs (very many being medicinal)and flowers : the rivers and bordering fea afford plenty of.filh, as the woods do venifonand honey.

Neither is there a leffer plenty of wild fowl, as duck, teal, widgeon, curlew, par-tridge, pheafant, and many other forts, as we have in England ; befides, fuch as arepeculiar to thofe parts, as oftriches, whofe eggs are fold very cheap, and are good eat-ing, one being fufficient for two or three men at a meal. Here are great numbers ofCanary birds. You may fee the fea, efpecially to the eaftward of the Cape, almoftcovered with a fmall beautiful fpeckled fowl, about the bignefs of a wood-pigeon, whichthey call pintado birds, fo named, I fuppofe, by the Portuguefe, by reafon of theirfpeckled and, as it were, painted feathers. They are very tame, and will fwim afteryou in light winds : and fometimes in the worft of weather, when the fhip tries underlittle or no fail, they will furround it in great numbers, fwimming and playing on everywave. The failors, for their diverfion, do often put out hooks, or crooked pins, at theend of a piece of twine, baited with tallow or fat meat, wherewith they catch a vaftmany of them, but they are of fo fifhy a tafte that they are hardly fit to eat. Youfhall alfo fee frequently in the bay, as you are at anchor, whales and other great fifhesfporting about, particularly great fhoals of feals, which will often follow ypur boat,whofe fldns-are very fine, and I believe the belt in the world..

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