insisted that it should be weighed in the island.  They demanded fifty dollars the bahar, which much displeased me, as the Acheen man had desired me only to offer sixteen:  But that was his craft, for he was a merchant, and wished to have engrossed much pepper before I bought, and then to have re-sold it to me at his own price.  After much time and many words, we agreed at 22-1/2 dollars the bahar, besides six per centum custom.  I at first refused to pay two other customs, or exactions rather, the one of 160 dollars, and the other not much less; but at length I consented, and writings were drawn up between us.  During the last night a man lay on board my ship who spoke Portuguese, who offered, in the name of the widow of the former governor, calling her queen, to give me half the town if I would help her in taking it from the present governor.  But I refused any interference, as not answerable for my sovereign, and sent him on shore.  I this day sold cloth to Nakhada[173] for 159 masses of gold.

[Footnote 173:  Nakhada, or Nakhadah, signifies the captain or commander of a ship in Arabic—­ASTL.  I. 519. d.]

The town and bounds of Priaman do not yield above 500 bahars of pepper yearly; but, with the parts adjoining, as Passaman, Tecu, Beroose, and the mountains over the town, there are gathered about 2500 bahars yearly, which quantity will load two good ships, and may be bought very reasonable, if a factory had means to buy all the year.  Their pepper harvest is in August and September, and is fetched away only by those of Acheen and Java, the Guzerates not being permitted to trade here, by the express command of the King of Acheen.  Therefore, a ship touching at Surat, and buying there especially blue calicos, white calicos, blue and white striped and chequered stuffs, with some small fine painted cloths, and then leaving a factory at Priaman, might lay the best foundation for profit that can be wished, against next year.  I say against another year, for it does not seem to me that a ship could go to Surat and come hither in time the same year.  For this purpose, however, the licence of the King of Acheen must be procured for our safe proceeding in these parts.

We made sail from Priaman on the 18th September, and on the 4th October got into the road of Bantam, where we found six ships of Holland, two of which were almost laden with cloves, and other two were to load with pepper.  I found thirteen Englishmen here alive, and received a letter from Captain David Middleton of the Consent.  The 6th I paid Uncte and Tegin, the two Chinese, their wages, and dismissed them.  The 20th I called the merchants together, having formerly resolved to return with the Dragon for England, and we now concluded that our pinnace, when finished, should go for Banda with Brown and Sidall.  John Hearne, John Saris, and Richard Savage, were to remain at Bantam; and when the pinnace returned from Banda, John Saris was to go in her to Sackadanea, in Borneo.  The 15th November, I sent for Jaques L’Ermite, the commander of the Dutch vessels at Bantam, and discovered to him a plot of the Javans for cutting the throats of all the Hollanders, of which I had received particular intimation.