s; when we had got into the pinnace
again, the blacks emerged with their arms from the wood at two different
points; by showing them bits of iron and strings of beads we kept them on
the beach, until we had come near them, upon which one of them who had
lost his weapon, was by the skipper seized round the waist, while at the
same time the quartermaster put a noose round his neck, by which he was
dragged to the pinnace; the other blacks seeing this, tried to rescue
their captured brother by furiously assailing us with their assagays; in
defending ourselves we shot one of them, after which the others took to
flight, upon which we returned on board without further delay; these
natives resemble all the others in outward appearance; they are
coal-black and stark naked with twisted nets round their heads; their
weapons are assagays, callaways and shields; we cannot, however, give any
account of their customs and ceremonies, nor did we learn anything about
the thickness of the population, since we had few or no opportunities for
inquiring into these matters; meanwhile I hope that with God's help Your
Worships will in time get information touching these points from the
black we have captured, to whose utterances I would beg leave to refer
you; the river aforesaid is in 13 deg. 7' Lat., and has in the new chart got
name of Coen river, in the afternoon the wind being W., we set sail on a
N. course along the land, and in the evening came to anchor in 3 fathom.

* * *

{Page 41}

NOTE

That in all places where we landed, we have treated the blacks or savages
with especial kindness, offering them pieces of iron, strings of beads
and pieces of cloth, hoping by so doing to get their friendship and be
allowed to penetrate to some considerable distance landinward, that we
might be able to give a full account and description of the same; but in
spite of all our kindness and our fair semblance [*] the blacks received
us as enemies everywhere, so that in most places our landings were
attended with great peril; on this account, and for various other reasons
afterwards to be mentioned, we have not been able to learn anything about
the population of Nova Guinea, and the nature of its inhabitants and its
soil; nor did we get any information touching its towns and villages,
about the division of the land, the religion of the natives, their
policy, wars, rivers, vessels, or fisheries; what commodities they have,
what manufactures, what miner