The 7th August arrived a pinnace from the island of St Lucia, in lat. 24 deg. 30’ S. about a mile from the coast of Madagascar, where they were forced to take shelter in the ship which left this on the 4th October, 1606, having been obliged to throw overboard 3000 sacks of pepper, besides other commodities of great value, to lighten the ship and preserve their lives.  They found this island an excellent place for refreshment, the natives having no knowledge of money; so that they bought a fat ox for a tin spoon, and a sheep for a small piece of brass.  The anchorage, as they reported, was very good, being in seven or eight fathoms; upon hard ground.

The 14th November, 1607, Captain David Middleton arrived here in the Consent.[135]

[Footnote 135:  Mr Saris gives here a long account of incidents concerning a Dutch fleet outward bound, having no connection with the affairs of Bantam, or with those of the English trade, and which is therefore omitted.—­E.]

The 2d October, 1608, the Dragon arrived here from Priaman, in which was General William Keeling, commander in the third voyage fitted out by our English East India Company.  He went to court on the 7th, and delivered our king’s letter to the King of Bantam, together with a present of five handsome muskets, a bason, an ewer, and a barrel of gunpowder.

Very early in the morning of the 13th, the governor of Bantam and his Jerotoolies were put to death by the Pangavas; the sabander, the admiral, Key Depatty Utennagarra, and others.  The conspirators assembled over night at the house of Keymas Patty, and beset the court, laying hold in the first place of the king and his mother.  They then hastened to the residence of the governor, thinking to have found him in bed; but he hid himself at the back of the bed, where they found him, and wounded him in the head.  He then fled for protection to the priest, called Key Finkkey, who came out to them, and entreated they would spare his life; but they were inexorable, and having forced their way in, they dispatched him.

The 9th November, Samuel Plummer went from hence for Succadanca in Borneo, where he intended to remain.  In the afternoon of Sunday the 4th December, our general, William Keeling, set sail from hence for England; but on the 6th he was forced back by bad weather and westerly winds.  He set sail again on the 10th, and returned a second time on the 13th, having met with the Dragon in the straits of Sunda, the men belonging to that ship being very weak in consequence of the scurvy; besides which the Portuguese of Damaun had treacherously seized their boats at Surat, taking nineteen of their men, together with cloths which had cost 9000 dollars at that place.  In their way for Bantam, the Dragon had captured a pinnace belonging to Columbo, out of which they took eleven packs of cloth, containing in all 83 pieces, thirteen pieces being poulings, which were sent to the island of Banda.  On the 23d, the Dragon, commanded by Captain Gabriel Towerson, set sail again for England.