We sailed from Mayotta on the 17th of April, and anchored at Hinzuan on the 19th, before a town named Demos, which appears from its ruins to have been a strong place, the houses being built of hewed freestone, and what remains being as large as Plymouth, but the walls are almost ruined.  The queen used us in a most friendly manner, yet would not allow any of us to see her.  In these islands we had rice, oxen, goats, cocoas, bananas, oranges, lemons, and citrons.  The inhabitants are negroes, but smooth-haired, and follow the Mahometan religion.  Their weapons are swords, targets, bows and arrows.  These islands are very beautiful and fertile; and among them we found merchants of Arabia and India, but I could not learn what commodities they yielded.  They greatly coveted weapons and iron, and were fond of procuring paper.  The 28th we departed from Hinzuan, passing through the islands of Mascarenhas and the Shoals of Almirante.

The 23d of May, we fell in with the islands called Maldives, which are very low close to the water, and are so covered with cocoa-nut trees, that we saw only trees and no shore.  Many of the native boats passed close by us, but none would come to us, wherefore our baas sent a ship’s boat to take one of them, which on the 24th brought a boat to us, which was covered with mats like a close barge.  In this boat was a gentleman and his wife.  He was dressed in very fine white linen, made after the Turkish fashion, having several rings with red stones; and his countenance was so modest, his behaviour so sweet and affable, and his speech so graceful, that we concluded he could not be less than a nobleman.  He was very unwilling to let his wife be seen; but our baas went into the boat along with him to see her, and even opened her casket, in which were some jewels and ambergris.  He reported that she sat in mournful modesty, not speaking a word.  What was taken from them I know not, but on departing, this gentleman shewed a princely spirit.  He was a man of middle stature, of a black colour, with smooth or lank hair.  There is considerable trade in these islands, by reason of the cocoa-trees; for they make ropes, cables, sails, wine, oil, and a kind of bread from that tree and its fruit.  It is said that there are 11,000 of these islands.

The 27th of May we set sail, and that morning there came on board of us an old man who could speak a little Portuguese, who piloted us through the channel, as by chance we had fallen upon the right channel called Maldivia, in lat. 4 deg. 15’ N. Here the compass varied 17 deg. westerly.  It is a very dangerous thing to miss the right channel, the trade and navigation through which is very great of various nations, to most places of India, as I hope in your lordship’s presence to inform you at large.  The 3d June we fell in with the coast of India near Cochin, in lat. 8 deg. 40’ N.[37] and coasting along the shore, we shaped our course eastwards for Cape Comorin, and thence to the island of Sumatra.