e Chinese, and was the only person among us who could
explain the transactions between our factory and the Chinese, of which I
was entirely ignorant. The messenger returned, saying that Mr Ball could
not be received, on which we all left the court.

The 1st September, having the wind off the land, we weighed in the
morning, and stood for point Ayre, keeping in seven fathoms till within
three miles of the point, where one cast we had a quarter less seven,
and the next cast only three fathoms. Some supposed we here touched, but
it was not perceived by me. Off this point there is a shoal almost even
with the surface of the water, but having seven fathoms within two
cables length of its edge. This afternoon, while standing towards three
Dutch ships that rode right in the fair-way, and when within a mile of
them, our ship grounded; but, God be praised, we got her off again
without any hurt, and so into the bay, where we again fell in with a
shoal, of which we came within two cables length, which lies one and a
half league from the Flemish islands. We got safely into the road of
Jacatra, [now Batavia road] in the afternoon of the 2d September, having
been providentially delivered from three several dangers the day before,
of which may we be ever thankful.

The 19th, the Angel, a Dutch ship of 500 tons, came in from Amboina,
laden with nutmegs and cloves, and departed again on the 25th. Early in
the morning of the 26th, I went to visit the king, and found him in a
good humour, and conferring with him upon some former business, we came
to a conclusion before I left him, to the following purpose: That he was
to give us a convenient piece of ground for building upon, for which we
were to pay 1500 dollars, and were to be free from all customs on
exports and imports on payment of 800 dollars yearly.

Sec.2. _Dutch Injustice, and Sea-fight between them and Sir Thomas Dale_.

The 27th of September, Mr Bishop arrived from Jappara in the roads in a
proa, in which was a _Cogee_, bringing a letter from the Matron to
Captain Ball, wherefore I sent him away to Bantam that night. He left
two English behind him at Jappara, one of whom had fled from the Dutch.
He likewise brought letters from several of our people who were
prisoners in the Moluccas, and one of these was directed to me, from Mr
Richard Tatten, in which he complained much of the gross usage of the
Dutch, who would hardly allow them a sufficiency of rice to subsist
upon, and