244

ACCOUNT OF CELEBES , AMBOYNA, &C.

As foon as I came on board, with the company that were with me, we were receivedwith great politenefs by the Chinefe chiefs, and tea, confectionery, and fruits were fetbefore us, previous to our taking a view of any thing. This veffel carried three mads,of which the Iargeft and middlemoft was nearly of the fame thicknefs as the main-maft:of my (hip the Ouwerkerk (a fhip of one hundred and fifty feet in length), and it wasmade of one entire piece of timber. The length of the junk, from the exterior of the 'Item to the extreme point of the head was, according to my computation, onehundred and forty feet. The hull was feparated into as many different divifions asthere were merchants on board, each having a diftindt place to flow- his commoditiesin. The water was likewife diftributed in feveral refervoirs, and being {farted in bulk,was drawn up by buckets through hatches which opened in the deck. The furnacefor cooking was by the larboard fide of the main-maft upon the deck ; for thefe veffelshave but one deck; and we faw the vicinals dreffed there, in a much cleaner andneater manner, than is practifed on board of European fliips. At the ftern were feve-ral tiers of little cabins, or huts, made of bamboos, as well for the officers of the veffelas for the merchants. Exactly in the middle between thefe was the fteerage, and inthe center of it was a fort of chapel, in which their jofs, or idol, was placed; theybring every year a new one with them from China , which is then placed in theirtemple, and the old one of the former year is taken away, and carried back to China ;and they never begin to land any part of the cargo until the image of this idol, whichis made of gold, and is about four inches high, has been fent on Ihore out of the junk ;both on board and on fhore they continually burn lights and incenfe, and in the even-ing fome filver paper, before the idol. The rudder is not attached to the veffel bypintles and googings, but it is hung in ropes made of cane, and is very different inlhape from thofe we ufe. Their anchors are crooked pieces of timber, to which heavy{tones are tied to make them fink. The whole of their tackling, both cordage andfails, is made of cane.

On the 15th of February my {hip’s company were muftered by the fifcal and depu-ties from the council of juftice of Macaffer. Thirty-one hands belonging to the (hipwere left behind here in the hofpital, molt of whom were afflicted with bad ulcers onthe legs, and had not been properly treated by the flip’s furgeon, as the furgeon ofthe place gave us to underftand 5 we received on board, in their room, feventy-fixother European failors.

The following day, at half paft feven in the morning, Mr. B. Van Pleuren, with hislady and two children, came on board, being, by appointment of the fupreme Indiangovernment, of the 7th of November 1774, made governor of the province of Amboyna,after having had the chief adminiftration as fecond of the government of Macaffer.

I he ceremonies which were obferved on the occafion of his departure were asfollows : at half paft fix o’clock the governor of Macaffer Mr. P. G. Van der Voort,with all the members of the council of polity, thofe who were married being accom-panied by their ladies, came to the houfe of Mr. Van Pleuren, in order to conduct himto the pier-head, where he was to embark, the garrifon being in the meantime underarms, and the drums beating a march : after having taken fome refrefhments, theformer walked with Mrs. Van Pleuren, and the latter with Mrs. Van der Voort, fol-lowed by all the members of the council, from the fort to the pier, where a boat layready to convey Mr. Van Pleuren, his lady, his children, and the deputies from thegovernment, on board. As foon as the boat put off, a falute of twenty-one guns wasfired from the fort, which was anfwered by the Company’s bark, the Moffel, whichwas likewife -deftined to go to Amboyna, with nineteen, and by the other veffels,