At the island of Ceram the inhabitants are said to be favourable to the English, but Dutch vessels of war cruise often about there, and are very jealous.

Bouton, a small island with a Rajah under Dutch protection, situate at the south-east end of Celebes, and off the bay of Boni, is a place where prows assemble and get vast quantities of shells and beche-de-mer.  Nearly all these prows proceed with their cargoes to Singapore for a Chinese market.

Fine cattle are to be had at about four dollars a head at the town of Bally, in the Straits of Allass, between Lombok and Sumbawa.

New Guinea produces good beeswax, pearls, tortoise-shell, trepang, birds-of-paradise, etc.

(Footnote.  Another authority says:  Tidore near Ternate is a good friendly place.  Articles for trade are looking-glasses of a better kind, knives and forks, beads, watches, printed calicos, blue Pondicherry cloth, Salimpores, arms, powder, flints, lead or shot, razors, scissors, handkerchiefs; in return for which you may get pearls, pearl-shell, tortoiseshell, birds-of-paradise, nutmegs, etc.)

...

FIELD FOR ENTERPRISE.

I shall conclude this subject with some remarks of Mr. John Sullivan.  R.N., a gentleman who possesses a vast fund of information regarding the Indian Archipelago, and to whom I am indebted for many details regarding its commerce.  He says: 

To suppose that the almost countless islands in the ocean before-named (the Pacific) do not give many valuable articles, and particularly tortoiseshell and pearl, would be no less an error than to doubt the existence of the islands altogether.

No, the case is otherwise; and it is needless to say that in the quarter alluded to there are already a few American merchants, who have discovered by their China, whaling, and sealing voyages many sources of wealth, and who are at this moment reaping rich rewards for their toil, while 999 out of every thousand of the European world know nothing at all about it.  Nevertheless there is yet a vast field open to the speculator, which must ever promise ample recompense for his confidence and outlay.

CHAPTER 13.  AT SWAN RIVER.

PLAN FOR RETURNING TO THE NORTH-WEST COAST. WHY ABANDONED.

On arriving at the Mauritius I found that my stay would be unavoidably protracted from the state of my wound, which the want of rest and attention had prevented from healing during the expedition, whilst my men were still suffering under the effects of the hardships and privations they had recently been subjected to; my first step therefore was to discharge the Lynher, and the next to consider a plan for future operations.