The governor, in answer to my request, informed me, that he could not consent to any vessel belonging to the company being employed as a transport, and that it was contrary to the established regulations of the company to permit that vessel, as Dutch property, to proceed from thence to Europe.

I desired that he would take the trouble to consider the nature of my application; and I begged he might understand, that I was not soliciting a favour to myself, as an individual, but that I was an officer in the king’s service, and that although I was not at that port in the command of one of his Majesty’s ships, that I nevertheless was in actual service, and had at that time a ship’s company, and their proper officers, under my command; that he would be pleased, therefore, to understand me correctly, that it was for his Majesty’s service I was then making the application he had heard; and I hoped, and believed, that himself and the council would find no difficulty or inconvenience to the company’s concerns, in deviating a little from their established rules for the accommodation of his Britannick Majesty’s service.

To this he only replied, he could do nothing of himself, and that my application must be made to the council; to which, I informed him, I had no sort of objection.

The Shebander, therefore, wrote an application from me in the Dutch language, founded on the letter which I had written to him on that subject; to which he added one paragraph that, he said, would very much facilitate the business, and prevent delay; this was, after having desired permission to let the vessel proceed to Europe, “That if it were impossible, consistent with the established rules of the company, to grant such a request, that they would be pleased to give permission for my purchasing the vessel, if I could settle the business with the proprietor.”

I waited on the governor and council in person, and received my answer from the governor, which was, that the council had complied with my request, and would permit me to purchase the vessel; a business which the proprietor and I had previously settled.  I cannot help noticing here, that this vessel was sometimes considered as belonging to the company, and at other times as the sole property of a private individual; probably, those gentlemen who hold considerable appointments under the company, and are at the same time employed in an extensive commerce on their own account, may be authorised to use the name of the company, whenever it may be necessary to promote their own private interest.

This gentleman, whose name was Engelhard, acted with much liberality in the equipment of his ship, although those whom he employed on that business did not act with the same good intention:  he was, upon every occasion, civil and attentive.

A short time before we arrived here, the town of Batavia had been very unhealthy, and was, though much better, still sickly.  Our sailors continued to enjoy good health until about a week before we were ready for sea, when they fell down fast with a fever which had raged much at Batavia:  this fever was, however, in some of the seamen, brought on by a little intemperance.  On the 19th of October died Daniel Buddle, seaman.