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guardships put on both sides of us, which all the night long went the rounds with great diligence. All the Chinese junks that put to sea this day were each of them attended by a guardship until they got out of the harbour into the open sea. Not far from our ship we saw a fleet of forty pleasure-boats coming to an anchor, being the usual pompous train of a great man who had been on a voyage. * * This little fleet made a fine show with its many lights at night. * * * On the top of the neighbouring mountains stand guard-houses with guards in them, who with their spying-glasses are observing whatever happens at sea, of which they give immediate information to the government, and by this method they had notice of our arrival already two days before. We dropt anchor at about 300 paces from the city, and as far from Decima, the habitation of the Dutch on a separate island formed purposely near the shore without the city. Then came to us two gentlemen of the governor’s with many subordinate clerks, interpreters and soldiers, who called on all those that were newly arrived and made them pass in review before them one after the other, viewing everyone from top to toe, and writing his name, age and business, with a pencil on paper. Besides this about six persons more were examined concerning our voyage, whence we came, when we set out, etc., etc.—the answers were carefully written down. The review being over, soldiers and clerks were put into every corner, and the whole ship with her cargo taken as it were in possession by the Japanese. The boat and skiff were left to our men, only for this day, in order to look to our anchors. But pistols, cutlasses, etc. were taken into custody, the gunpowder packed in barrels. In our voyage everyone was obliged to give his prayer-book and other books of Divinity to the captain, who hid them from the Japanese until our return. * * To went on shore to Decima, on which occasion one is obliged to take out a passport from the Japanese ship-guard to those on store and on return another from the land-guard to that on board.”—Such
