On the 26th I assembled my mercantile council to consult about leaving a factory here in Firando, upon these considerations. 1.  The encouragement we had privately received at the Moluccas. 2.  That the Dutch had already a factory here. 3.  The large privileges now obtained from the emperor of Japan. 4.  The certain advice of English factories established at Siam and Patane. 5.  The commodities remaining on hand appointed for these parts, and the expected profit which farther experience might produce.  It was therefore resolved to leave a factory here, consisting of eight Englishmen, three Japanese jurebassos or interpreters, and two servants.  They were directed, against the coming of the next ships, to explore and discover the coasts of Corea, Tushmay, other parts of Japan, and of the adjoining countries, and to see what good might be done in any of them.

The 5th of December, 1613, Mr Richard Cockes, captain and Cape merchant of the English factory now settled at Firando in Japan, took his leave of me aboard the Clove, together with his company, being eight English and five others, as before mentioned.  After their departure, we mustered the company remaining aboard, finding forty-six English, five swarts or blacks, fifteen Japanese, and three passengers, in all sixty-nine persons.  We had lost since our arrival in Japan ten Englishmen; two by sickness, one slain in a duel, and seven who deserted to the Portuguese and Spaniards, while I was absent at the court of the emperor.  The English whom we left in the factory were Mr Richard Cockes, William Adams, now entertained in the service of the company at a hundred pounds a year, Tempest Peacock, Richard Wickham, William Eaton, Walter Carwarden, Edward Saris, and William Nelson.

Sec.12. Voyage from Japan to Bantam, and thence Home to England.

That same day, being the 5th December, we set sail with a stiff northerly gale, steering S. by W. 1/2 a point westerly.  By exact observation on shore, we found the island of Firando to be in lat. 33 deg. 30’ N. and the variation 2 deg. 50’ easterly.[42] We resolved to keep our course for Bantam along the coast of China, for which purpose we brought our starboard tacks aboard, and stood S.W. edging over for China, the wind at N.N.E. a stiff gale and fair weather.  The 7th it blew very hard at N.W. and we steered S.S.W. encountering a great current which shoots out between the island of Corea[43] and the main land of China, occasioning a very heavy sea.  The 8th, being in lat. 29 deg. 40’ N. we steered W.S.W, on purpose to make Cape Sumbor on the coast of China.  The sea was very rough, and the wind so strong that it blew our main course out of the bolt ropes.  The 9th, in lat. 28 deg. 23’, we sounded and had forty-nine to forty-five fathoms on an oozy bottom.  The weather was clear, yet we could not see land.  The 11th we had ground in forty-nine, forty-three, thirty-eight, thirty-seven, and thirty fathoms, the water being very green, and as yet no land to be seen.