ace, containing 3366
cattees, each cattee being six English pounds and nearly two ounces,
costing at the rate of one dollar the cattee;[259] which, had it gone
safe, might have sold in England for L5000. In this proa there were
eight Englishmen and thirty Bandanese, under the charge of Walter
Stacie, who had been mate under Mr Hinchley in the Defence. His
knowledge and care, however, did not answer expectation, for he ran the
proa on the rocky shoals near the island of Bottone, where she bilged
and lost all the mace, the men getting ashore. Stacie is much blamed by
the rest, some of whom told him they saw land on the lee-bow, but he was
peevish and headstrong, calling them all fools, and would not listen to
them.

[Footnote 258: In a marginal note, this is called a junk.--E.]

[Footnote 259: From the statement in the text, the suckle appears to
have been about 122 English pounds, and the quantity of mace
accordingly, shipped on this occasion, about 185 cwt. or 9 1/4
tons.--E.]

May it please your worships to understand, that the Hollanders replied,
when told that their vile abuses to us would lie heavy on them when
known in Europe, "That they can make as good friends in the court of
England as your worships; that this which they have done will oblige
your worships and them to join, so that a gold chain will recompence
all, and they have dollars enough in Holland to pay for a ship or two,
providing they can hinder us from trading at Banda."

In regard to the trade of the Banda islands, Puloroon is reported to be
the worst island. It is about eight English miles in circuit, and the
small adjoining island of Nylacka is about a mile round. There is a
tolerable quantity of nutmegs and mace grown on Puloroon, and
considerably more might be got there if the island were well cultivated.
Rosengin is a fine island, producing the largest nutmegs and best mace
of all the Banda islands; and, if we hold possession of Puloroon,
abundance of nutmegs and mace could be had from Rosengin, Lantore, and
other places; as the natives would come over to us with their spices,
provided we supply them with rice, cloth, salt, pepper, molasses, and
other necessaries, and some Macassar gold, which passes as current in
Banda as Spanish rials of eight, and at the same rate, though only worth
at Bantam two shillings and fourpence or two and sixpence, for the piece
called mass. Our cargo was small, having only 100 _quoines_ of rice, and
our cloth w