Page:Journal of the Right Hon. Sir Joseph Banks.djvu/417

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In the course of conversation Mr. Lange gave us little accounts of the neighbouring islands; these I shall set down just as he gave them, merely upon his authority.

The small island to the westward of Savu, he said, produces nothing of consequence except areca nuts, of which the Dutch annually receive two sloop-loads in return for their presents to the islanders.

Timor is the chief island in these parts belonging to the Dutch, all the others in the neighbourhood being subject to it in so far as that the residents on them go there once a year to pass their accounts. It is now nearly in the same state that it was in Dampier's time. The Dutch have their fort of Concordia, where are storehouses, which, according to Mr. Lange's account, would have supplied our ship with every article we could have got at Batavia, even salt provisions and arrack. The Dutch, however, are very frequently at war with the natives, even of Copang, their next neighbours, in which case they are themselves obliged to send to the neighbouring isles for provisions. The Portuguese still possess their towns of Laphao and Sesial on the north side of the island.

About two years ago a French ship was wrecked upon the east coast of Timor. She lay some days upon the shoal, when a sudden gale of wind coming on broke her up at once and drowned most of the crew, among whom was the captain. Those who got ashore, among whom was one of the lieutenants, made the best of their ways towards Concordia, where they arrived in four days, having left several of their party upon the road. Their number was above eighty; they were supplied with every necessary, and had assistance given them in order to go back to the wreck and fish up what they could. This they did, and