A. Anchored, or arrived at.
W. Weighed, or went from.
W. From Spithead, about the same time with Commadore Matthews, who commanded a Squadron of 4 Sail to India, on the like Service; the Suppression of Pyrates.
A. At Madeira. In our Approach to the Island (for 30 or 40 Leagues) met abundance of Sea-weed floating; here also we overtook Commadore Matthews; two of his Squadron by hard Gales of Wind, had damaged their Masts, and left him at Sea.
W. Thence; and presently at Sea, found the Trade-Wind fresh.
We made the Cape De Verd Islands, and on the 30th, parted with the Weymouth, bound in with the Governor and Factors for Gambia River. Meeting after this, Calms, or small Breezes, (common near this Land) we took up several Turtle, who love sleeping on a smooth Surface.
A. At Sierraleon, the next noted River and Factory from Gambia; and on the 18th, visited Seignior Joseph, a generous and good-natur’d christian Negro, who had lately removed his People some Miles up the River. With his old Buildings wooded our Ship.
W. Sierraleon. The Winds 2 or 3 Points within the Land, always favourable for sailing to the Westward, which is therefore called down the Coast.
A. Off the Mouth of Sesthos River; a Bar before it, but commodious enough for watering. Here may be purchased considerable Quantities of Rice; the River abounds with Fish; and you are tolerably supplied with Goats and Fowls, or you imagine so from the great Scarcity that appears at most other Places, from Sierraleon to Whydah.
W. Thence, and sailed several Days along the Coast, low like Holland, anchoring now and then. The 30th, came before Bassam or Bassau. The 31st, before Assinee, passing by that unfathomable Place called the Bottomless Pit[38]; the Natives every where appearing shy of Correspondence, until we came upon the Gold Coast.
A. Cape Appollonia, the Land grows higher here, and the Natives more alert and prompt at Trade.
A. Axim, the first European Factory, belonging to the Dutch.
A. Cape Tres Puntas; the Fort formerly was the Brandenburghers, who deserting it, it’s now in the possession of a Negro, called John Conny. Ships constantly stop here to water, as the most convenient Place for taking in any large Quantity, and pay, each Ship, an Ounce of Gold for the Privilege.
W. Thence, and anchored the 15th at Dixcove, an English Factory. This, Succonda, Anamaboo, and others, tho’ called Factories, are the Residence only of two or three People from the principal one at Cape Corso, who have Commission over and above their Salary, for what Trade they transact.
W. Dixcove, and anchored next Day before Cape Corso Castle, our African Company’s chief Fort; the Residence of their Governor, stiled Director General; two Merchants, a Secretary, Chaplain, Surgeon, Factors, Writers, Artificers, and a Company of Soldiers; with Buildings and Conveniencies inside, for themselves or Slaves.
A. Anamaboo (just below it) a noted Place of stopping, for all our Windward trading Ships, to compleat their Slave Cargoes.
A. and W. Montford; the 30th, Barkee, and then Shallo. Through the whole from Sierraleon, it may be observed, that Wood, Candles, or any other Ships Necessaries are hard to get; the former, not from a Want in the Country (it being over-run) but an impassable Beach, where there is no navigable River, and the Diffidence of the Negroes, where it might be best supplied; and the other, because Merchant-Ships do not expect a Trade of that sort, and therefore unprovided.
A. Whydah. The whole Coast runs in a strait Line (without Gulphs or Bays) is thick set with Trees, a Tendency of the Sea with the Wind, and every where a very rough and turbulent Beach.
W. Whydah, and arrived the 28th at the Island of Princes, belonging to the Portuguese. In our Approach, saw every Day abundance of Whale, Thresher, and Petrel.——Cleaned our Ships, heaving down by one another, but became exceeding sickly by the Fatigue, each burying three and four Men a Day, for six Weeks together.
W Princes, both having purchased their Anchors with difficulty.
A St. Thomas’s, another Portuguese Island (the principal of three) on this Coast, abounding with fresh Provisions, especially Hogs and Fowls, exchanged like other Places of Poverty, at very easy Rates.
W Hence, and stretched with our Starboard Tacks to the Westward, designing to reach as far to Windward as possible, that if any Pyrates should be on the Coast, we might have them under our Lee. The 20th we fell in with Cape Apollonia, went from thence the 23d, and anchored at Axim.
W Axim, and came to Cape 3 Points, where neglecting to pay John Conny his Duties for Water, he panyarr’d some of our Men, till satisfied.
Left Cape 3 Points, and arrived next Day in Cape Corso Road again; it being every where confirmed to us in this Return down, that the Pyrates in August last (the time we were at Princes) had committed great Ravages upon the Merchant Ships.
W. Cape Corso Road, leaving the Weymouth, (now too disabled to weigh her Anchor,) and plying to Windward, fell in with Succonda the 15th, repeating our Visits in a Month’s Cruise, to Dixcove, cquedah, Cape 3 Points, Axim, Cape Apollonia, Assinee, Bassam, Jaque a Jaques, &c. our Purpose in it being to secure Trade, air a sickly Ship, be in the way of Intelligence, and impress Men from the Merchant-Ships. Many prevented this indeed, by escaping to us themselves from ill Treatment (they said) bad or short Diet; but then, as more again on the same Pretence took on with the Pyrates, it shews Caprice and Humour to be the principal Point that determines Seamen to this or that Service.
A De Elmina, the Dutch African Company’s principal Fort, of great Trade, there being seldom less than 5 or 6 Sail of Dutch Ships in the Road, often more.
A. Cape Corso Road, and left it the 10th in pursuit of the Pyrates; the Governor here, having received two or three Expresses, that they had chased and taken a Ship nigh Axim, a Place we had just come from.
A Apong to Leeward, not following too fast lest we over-shot them, but after certain Intelligence that the Rogues had passed this Road (off at Sea) we followed.
A Accra, a considerable trading Place, (for Salt particularly) and where the Dane, the Dutch, and English, have a Castle.
A Whydah, and learned that the Pyrates had plundered and ransomed 11 Sail of Ships, and left the Place two Days before, on the Report of our following them.
W. Thence, and followed the Pursuit, coming before the Isle of Princes the 29th, and found the Portuguese Strangers to the News.
A. The Mouth of the River Gabone, a snug Harbor we thought, for their Reception, the Navigation being difficult; but finding by our Boats we had missed them, left it the 3d, and continued our Search to Cape Lopez.
Made the Cape, and soon after discovered the three Pyrate Ships at Anchor in that Bay. One of them upon the Heel, righted at sight of us, slipped her Cable and chased, bending some of her Sails as she came out, by which we judged the Rashness of our Enemy, who fell a Prize to us before Night.
Recovered the Cape again, and found the Prize’s Consorts (according to expectation) very easy in the Bay, and stayed so long that we doubted whether they would stir for us; but at length, as their Eyes cleared in our nearer Advance, all mad and frightned, they cut their Cable, set their Sails, up went the black Flag, and down their Courage; they continued a running Fight, while only our chace Guns could play upon them, and struck presently when our Broadside reached, without the least Damage done to us.
A. Cape Lopez Bay, seizing there the third Pyrate Ship, that had been deserted for a better Escape or Defence in the other.
W. Thence, having wooded and watered, bound with our Prizes and Prisoners to Cape Corso; the General, and chief Merchants there, being in the Commission, (brought out of England with us) for the Tryal of them. Stopped at Princes, from the 21st to the 24th.
A. Cape Corso Road; the Pyrates in this Passage were very troublesome to us, from a Project or two they had formed for their Deliverance, and hoped by the Weakness of our Ship’s Company, would have succeeded.
W. Cape Corso, the General’s Daughter of the Coast taking a Passage with us to England, a fair, flaxen-hair’d, young Lady, tho’ born of a Mulatto.
I shall here observe at leaving the Center, that in respect to Trade, Guinea needs only this threefold Division, viz. the Gold, the Ivory, and the Slave-Coast; all to Windward of this, might be called the one, and all to Leeward the other; not because either of these Parts of Trade would be entirely wanted in such respective Division, but each abounds more under that Denomination.
A Whydah, and left it the 5th, arriving at Cape Lopez the 26th, where both Ships wooded, watered, and purchased Wax for making Candles, now exceeding scarce; and is the most convenient Place for Ships of War, at leaving the Country.
W. Cape Lopez, and after a few Days at Sea, by foggy Weather lost Company with our Consort the Swallow.
Made Cape Augustine in Brasil, a Portuguese Colony, and anchored the 4th in Pernambuca Road, the next great Port of Trade in this Province, to Bahia.
W Brasil, having found the Trade-Winds blow home, and increased in their Strength to this Continent, bringing a dangerous Swell into the Road.
A Barbados, took in a Supply of Rum and Provisions, and left it the 9th.
A Port-Royal in Jamaica, where we found the Swallow had arrived, a Week before.
A Hurricane[39] that drove the Prize ashore, blew away all our Masts, with other Damages that detained us here 6 Months to repair.
W Port-Royal, and anchored at the Kays.
W. The Kays, bound for England.
A Donna Maria Bay in Hispaniola (the Windward Passage) to water, &c.
W. Thence, and arrived at Spithead, April 8th, whence we were ordered to Woolwich, and paid off May 11th, 1723.
FINIS.