Page:Journal of the Right Hon. Sir Joseph Banks.djvu/397

Rh that an old one printed by Mount and Page, the Lord knows when, which has it by the name of San, but confounds it with Sandel Bosch, which is laid down quite wrong. Rumphius mentions an island by the name of Saow, and says it is that which is called by the Dutch Sandel Bosch, but no chart that I have seen lays either that, Timor, Rotte, or indeed any island that we have seen hereabouts, in anything near its right place.

While we were here an accident happened by the imprudence of Mr. Parkinson, my draughtsman, which might alone have altered our intended and at first promised reception very much; indeed, I am of opinion that it did. He, desirous of knowing whether or not this island produced spices, carried ashore with him nutmegs, cloves, etc., and questioned the inhabitants about them without the least precaution, so that it immediately came to Mr. Lange's ears. He complained to the doctor that our people were too inquisitive, particularly, says he, "in regard to spices, concerning which they can have no reason to wish for any information unless you are come for very different purposes than those you pretend." The doctor, not well versed in the German language, in which they conversed, immediately conceived that Mr. Lange meant only some questions which he himself had asked concerning the cinnamon; nor did we ever know the contrary till the day after we had left the place, when Mr. Parkinson boasted of the information we had obtained of these people certainly having a knowledge of the spices, as they had in their language names for them.