A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 12: Arranged in Systematic Order: Forming a Complete History of the; Origin and Progress of Navigation, Discovery, and Commerce, by Sea; and Land, from the Earliest Ages to the Present TimeKerr, Robert
History
A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 12: Arranged in Systematic Order: Forming a Complete History of the; Origin and Progress of Navigation, Discovery, and Commerce, by Sea; and Land, from the Earliest Ages to the Present Time
Kerr, Robert
Voyages and travels
however reasonable, he could not comply; because, by rendering lead
current, it would have encouraged the stealing it, and the market would
have been as effectually spoiled by those who could not procure nails,
as by those who could; it was therefore necessary, upon every account,
to render this leaden currency of no value, though for our honour I
should have been glad to have called it in.
On Tuesday the 7th, I sent one of the mates, with thirty men, to a
village at a little distance from the market, hoping that refreshments
might there be bought at the original price; but here they were obliged
to give still more than at the water-side. In the mean time, being this
day able to get up for the first time, and the weather being fine, I
went into a boat, and rowed about four miles down the coast. I found the
country populous, and pleasant in the highest degree, and saw many
canoes on the shore; but not one came off to us, nor did the people seem
to take the least notice of us as we passed along. About noon I returned
to the ship.
The commerce which our men had found means to establish with the women
of the island, rendered them much less obedient to the orders that had
been given for the regulation of their conduct on shore, than they were
at first. I found it necessary therefore to read the articles of war,
and I punished James Proctor, the corporal of marines, who had not only
quitted his station, and insulted the officer, but struck the master at
arms such a blow as brought him to the ground.
The next day, I sent a party up the country to cut wood, and they met
with some of the natives, who treated them with great kindness and
hospitality. Several of these friendly Indians came on board in our
boat, and seemed, both by their dress and behaviour, to be of a superior
rank. To these people I paid a particular attention, and to discover
what present would most gratify them, I laid down before them a
Johannes, a guinea, a crown piece, a Spanish dollar, a few shillings,
some new halfpence, and two large nails, making signs that they should
take what they liked best. The nails were first seized, with great
eagerness, and then a few of the halfpence, but the silver and gold lay
neglected. Having presented them, therefore, with some nails and
halfpence, I sent them on shore superlatively happy.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account