athing. Rings of a yellow Metal
like Gold. Their Houses built on remarkable Precipices. Their
Boats and Employments. Their Food, of Goat Skins, Entrails,
&c. Parcht Locusts. Bashee, or Sugar-cane Drink. Of their
Language and Original, Launces and Buffaloe Coats. No Idols,
nor civil Form of Government. A young Man buried alive by
them; supposed to be for Theft. Their Wives and Children, and
Husbandry. Their Manners, Entertainments, and Traffick. Of the
Ships first Entercourse with these People, and Bartering with
them. Their Course among the Islands; their stay there, and
provision to depart. They are driven off by a violent Storm,
and return. The Natives Kindness to 6 of them left behind. The
Crew discouraged by those Storms, quit their design of Cruising
off Manila for the Acapulco Ship; and 'tis resolved to fetch
a Compass to Cape Comorin, and so for the Red-Sea.

[The first part of this chapter, as is seen by the above list of
contents, relates to China and islands near the Chinese coast. Most
of the second half of the chapter relates to the Bashee or Batanes
Islands and is as follows.]

We stayed here [i.e., at the Piscador Islands near China] till the
29th Day [of July, 1687], and then sailed from hence with the Wind
at S.W. and pretty fair Weather. We now directed our course for
some Islands we had chosen to go to, that lye between Formosa and
Luconia. They are laid down in our Plots without any name, only with
a figure of 5, denoting the number of them. It was supposed by us,
that these Islands had no Inhabitants, because they had not any name
by our Hydrographers. Therefore we thought to lye there secure, and
be pretty near the Island Luconia, which we did still intend to visit.

In going to them we sailed by the South West end of Formosa, leaving
it on our Larboard-side. This is a large Island; the South-end is
in Lat. 21 d. 20 m. and the North-end in 25 d. 10 m. North Lat. the
Longitude of this Island is laid down 142 d. 5 m. to 143 d. 16
m. reckoning East from the Pike of Tenariffe, so that 'tis but narrow;
and the Tropick of Cancer crosses it. It is a High and Woody Island,
and was formerly well inhabited by the Chinese, and was then frequently
visited by English Merchants, there being a very good Harbour to
secure their Ships. But since the Tartars have conquered China,
they have spoiled the Harbour, (as I have been informed) to hinder
the Chines