and had
driven the rest from the island; placing the king's son upon the
throne, who had become the deadly enemy of the Portuguese, and was
now preparing an expedition to drive them from Tidore.

The religion of these people was that of the Mussulmans, and the
rigor with which they fasted--it being, at the time of the English
visit, one of their festivals--greatly astonished those who saw
them; for, during the whole time, they would eat nothing between
morning and night; but the appetite with which they devoured many
meals, throughout the night, almost equally astonished the British.

While the Golden Hind lay in the harbor of Ternate, they received a
visit from a Chinese gentlemen of high station, and who was
assuredly the first Chinaman who ever came in contact with one of
our race. His reason for being at the Moluccas was singular. He had
been a man of great rank in his own country, but was accused of a
capital crime; of which, though innocent, he was unable to free
himself. He then implored the emperor to allow him to leave the
country, placing the proof of his innocence in the hands of
Providence; it being a bargain that, if he could bring back to the
emperor strange and wonderful tidings of things new to him, such as
he had never heard of, he should be restored to his place and
honors, and held to be acquitted of that crime. If such news could
not be gained by him he was to remain in exile, and to be accounted
guilty of that of which he was accused.

Coming on board, he very earnestly entreated the admiral to give
him the account of his adventures, from the time of leaving his
country. This Captain Drake willingly did; and the Chinaman, in
great delight, exclaimed that this was fully sufficient for him to
bear back to the emperor. He gave a very warm and pressing
invitation to Sir Francis to bring the ship to China, where he
assured him of a welcome at the hands of the emperor.

Had Captain Drake been able to accede to this proposition, it is
probable that our dealings with the East, on a large scale, might
have begun some centuries earlier than they did; but the Golden
Hind was much battered by the voyage she had gone through, being,
indeed, not a new ship when she started. The crew, too, were all
longing to get home, and the treasure which had been gathered from
the Spaniards was ample for all their desires. The admiral,
therefore, although truly he longed to see this country, and to
open relations betwee