On returning to the captain’s house, we were sorry to find that he was not yet arrived; and the more so, as the time was almost elapsed which Captain Gore had fixed for our return to the boat.  The natives were desirous we should lengthen our stay; they even proposed our passing the night there, and offered to accommodate us in the best manner in their power.  I had observed, when we were in the house before, and now remarked it the more, that the man I have mentioned above frequently retired into one of the end rooms, and staid there some little time, before he answered the questions that were put to him; which led me to suspect that the captain was all the time there, though, for reasons best known to himself, he did not choose to appear; and I was confirmed in this opinion, by being stopped as I was attempting to go into the room.  At length, it clearly appeared that my suspicions were well founded; for, on our preparing to depart, the person who had so often passed in and out, came from the room, with a paper in his hand, and gave it to me to read; and I was not a little surprised to find in it a sort of a certificate, in French, as follows: 

PIERRE JOSEPH GEORGE, Eveque d’Adran, Vicaire Apost. de Cochin China, &c. &c.

Le petit Mandarin, porteur de cet ecrit, est veritablement Envoye de la cour a Pulo Condore, pour y attendre et recevoir tout vaisseau European qui auroit sa destination d’approcher ici.  Le Capitaine, en consequence, pourroit se fier ou pour conduire le vaisseau au port, ou pour faire passer les nouvelles qu’ll pourroit croire necessaire.

PIERRE JOSEPH GEORGE,

Eveque d’Adran.

A SAI-GON, 10 d’Aout, 1779.

We returned the paper, with many protestations of our being the Mandarin’s good friends, begging he might be informed that we hoped he would do us the favour to visit the ships, that we might convince him of it.  We now took our leave, well satisfied on the whole with what had passed, but full of conjectures about this extraordinary French paper.  Three of the natives offered their services to accompany us back, which we readily accepted, and returned by the way we came.  Captain Gore felt peculiar satisfaction at seeing us; for, as we had exceeded our time near an hour, he began to be alarmed for our safety, and was preparing to march after us.  He and his party had, during our absence, been profitably employed, in loading the boat with the cabbage-palm, which abounds in this bay.  Our guides were made exceedingly happy, on our presenting them with a dollar each for their trouble, and intrusting to their care a bottle of rum for the Mandarin.  One of them chose to accompany us on board.

At two in the afternoon we joined the ships, and several of our shooting parties returned about the same time from the woods, having had little success, though they saw a great variety of birds and animals, some of which will be hereafter noticed.