Page:Captain Cook's Journal during His First Voyage Round the World.djvu/431

obliged us to Anchor again. At 1 o'Clock we weigh'd with the Land wind at S.S.E., which died away in the Morning, and the Current running strong against us we Anchor'd in 17 fathoms. A little before this, a Proe came alongside, wherein was a Dutch Officer who came upon the same business as the other. He sent me down a printed paper in English containing 9 Articles or Questions, of which this is a Copy.

 

"The Commanders and Officers of the Ships where this Paper may be presented, will be pleased to answer on the following Questions: viz.,

1. "To what Nation the Ship belongs, and its Name.
2. "If it comes from Europe or any other place.
3. "From what place it lastly departed from.
4. "Where unto design'd to go.
5. "What, and how many, ships of the Dutch Company by departure from the last shore there lay'd, and their names.
6. "If one or more of these ships in Company with this is departed for this or any other place.
7. "If during the Voyage any particularity is hapned or seen.
8. "If not any ships in Sea, or the Streights of Sunda have seen or Hail'd in, and which.
9. "If any other News worth Attention at the place from whence the Ship lastly departed or during the vogage is hapned.

"Batavia in the Castle,
the
By Order of the Governor
General and the Counselors of India.

"J. Brander Bungl, Sect."

 

The first and fourth of these Questions I only answer'd, which when the Officer saw, he made use of the very same words the other had done before, viz.: that we might write what we pleased, for it was of no consequence, etc. and yet he immediately said that he must send that very paper away to Batavia by water, and that it would be there by to-morrow noon, which shows that the Governor and Counselors of India look upon such papers to be of some consequence. Be this as it may, my reason for taking notice of it in this Journal, is because I am well inform'd that it is but of very late years that the Dutch have taken upon them to examine all Ships that pass these Streights. At 10 o'Clock we weigh'd with a light breeze at S.W., but did little more than stem the Current. At Noon, Bantam Point^[1] and Pula Baba, in one bearing E. by N., distant from the Point 1½ Mile. Latitude observed, 5° 53′ S.

Saturday, 6th.—At 2 o'Clock P.M, finding we could not stem the Current, we anchor'd, with the Kedge Anchor, under Bantam Point, where we lay until 9, at which time Current made Slowly to the Eastward, and at the same time a light breeze springing up,

1. Bantam Point, now called St. Nicholas Point, is the north-west point of Java, and forms the north-eastern extreme of Sunda Strait.