A New Voyage Round the World by a Course Never Sailed BeforeDefoe, Daniel
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A New Voyage Round the World by a Course Never Sailed Before
Defoe, Daniel
Adventure stories; Voyages around the world -- Fiction
That as to the returns, we had the advantage either way: for, first, we
should be sure to receive a great part of the price of our goods in
Chinese or Japan gold and silver, or in pieces of eight; or, if we
thought fit to trade another way, we might take on board such a quantity
of China damasks, and other wrought silks, muslins and chintz, China
ware, and Japan ware; all which, would be immediately sold in America;
that we should carry a cargo of these goods to New Spain, infinitely to
our advantage, being the same cargo which the four great Acapulco ships
carry back with them every year: That when we had gone to the South Seas
with this cargo, of which we knew we should make a good market, we had
nothing to do but to come back, if we thought fit, to the East Indies
again, where we might load for England or Flanders such goods as we
thought proper; or, if we did not think fit to take so great a run, we
might go away to the south, and round by Cape Horn into the Atlantic
Ocean, and perfect those discoveries, which we made part of in the
beginning of our voyage.
This was so clear a scheme of trade, that he seemed surprised with it,
and fully satisfied in every part of it. But the captain then objected
against the length of the voyage to the South Seas from the Philippines,
and raised several scruples about the latitude which we should keep in
such a voyage; that we should not be able to carry any provisions which
we could take on board in those hot countries, that would keep for so
long a run, and several other difficulties; to all which I made answer,
that when we had sold our cargo at the Philippines, and found our
advantages there to answer our desires, I would not oppose our returning
from thence directly to England if they found it needful; or, if they
thought a farther adventure would not answer the risks we were to expect
in it, we would never have any dispute about that.
This satisfied them fully, and they went immediately with the news to
the men, as what they thought would please them wonderfully, seeing they
were mighty uneasy but two or three days before, about their being to go
back again to the south of America, and the latitude of 64°, where we
had not only been twice driven back, as if heaven had forbidden us to
pass that way, but had been driven so far to the south, that we had met
with a most severe cold, and which pinched our men exceedingly, who
being come, as we might say, a hot-weather voyage, were but ill
furnished for the state of the air usual in the latitudes of 64°.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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