o purchases of any kind could be
made. We availed ourselves of the opportunity which this circumstance
afforded us, to walk about the town; and did not forget to search, though
in vain, for the remains of a fort, which had been built by our countrymen
near the spot we were now upon, in 17O2.[108]

On returning to the captain's house, we were sorry to find that he was not
yet arrived; and the more so, as the time was almost elapsed which Captain
Gore had fixed for our return to the boat. The natives were desirous we
should lengthen our stay; they even proposed our passing the night there,
and offered to accommodate us in the best manner in their power. I had
observed, when we were in the house before, and now remarked it the more,
that the man I have mentioned above frequently retired into one of the end
rooms, and staid there some little time, before he answered the questions
that were put to him; which led me to suspect that the captain was all the
time there, though, for reasons best known to himself, he did not choose to
appear; and I was confirmed in this opinion, by being stopped as I was
attempting to go into the room. At length, it clearly appeared that my
suspicions were well founded; for, on our preparing to depart, the person
who had so often passed in and out, came from the room, with a paper in his
hand, and gave it to me to read; and I was not a little surprised to find
in it a sort of a certificate, in French, as follows:

PIERRE JOSEPH GEORGE, Eveque d'Adran, Vicaire Apost. de Cochin China, &c.
&c.

Le petit _Mandarin_, porteur de cet ecrit, est veritablement Envoye de la
cour a Pulo Condore, pour y attendre et recevoir tout vaisseau European qui
auroit sa destination d'approcher ici. Le Capitaine, en consequence,
pourroit se fier ou pour conduire le vaisseau au port, ou pour faire passer
les nouvelles qu'll pourroit croire necessaire.

PIERRE JOSEPH GEORGE,

Eveque d'Adran.

A SAI-GON, 10 d'Aout, 1779.

We returned the paper, with many protestations of our being the
_Mandarin_'s good friends, begging he might be informed that we hoped he
would do us the favour to visit the ships, that we might convince him of
it. We now took our leave, well satisfied on the whole with what had
passed, but full of conjectures about this extraordinary French paper.
Three of the natives offered their services to accompany us back, which we
readily accepted, and returned by the way we came. Captain Gore felt
pecu