John Mildenhall, mentioned in the foregoing article, left England on the 12th February, 1600, and went by Constantinople, Scanderoon, Aleppo, Bir, Caracmit, Bitelis, Cashbin, Ispahan, Yezd, Kerman, and Sigistan, to Candhar; and thence to Lahore, where he arrived in 1603.  He appears to have carried letters from Queen Elizabeth to the Great Mogul, by whom he was well received, and procured from him letters of privilege for trade in the Mogul dominions.  He thence returned into Persia, whence he wrote to one Mr Richard Staper from Cashbin, on the 3d October, 1606, giving some account of his travels, and of his negociations at the court of the Mogul.  This letter, and a short recital of the first two years of his peregrinations, are published in the Pilgrims, vol.  I. pp. 114—­116, but have not been deemed of sufficient importance for insertion in this collection.—­E.

SECTION XIX.

Eleventh Voyage of the East India Company, in 1612, in the Salomon.[103]

We sailed from Gravesend on the 1st February, 1611, according to the computation of the church of England, or 1612 as reckoned by others.  We were four ships in company, which were counted as three separate voyages, because directed to several parts of India:  The James, which was reckoned the ninth voyage, the Dragon and Hosiander the tenth, and our ship, the Salomon, as the eleventh.

[Footnote 103:  Purch.  Pilgr.  I. 486.  This unimportant voyage is only preserved, for the sake of continuing the regular series of voyages which contributed to the establishment of the East India Company.  We learn from Purchas that it was written by Ralph Wilson, one of the mates in the Salomon, who never mentions the name of his captain.  This voyage, as given by Purchas, contains very little information, and is therefore here abridged, though not extending to two folio pages in the Pilgrims.—­E.]

I would advise such as go from Saldanha bay with the wind at E. or S.E. to get to a considerable distance from the land before standing southwards, as otherwise the high lands at the Cape will take the wind from them; and if becalmed, one may be much troubled, as there is commonly in these parts a heavy sea coming from the west.  Likewise, the current sets in for the shore, if the wind has been at N.N.W. or W. or S.S.W.  And also the shore is so bold that no anchorage can be had.

The 18th October, we espied the land, being near Celeber in the island of Sumatra, in about 3 deg. of south latitude.  The 2d November, coming between Java and a ragged island to the westwards of the point of Palimbangan, we met a great tide running out so fast that we could hardly stem it with the aid of a stiff gale.  When afterwards the gale slacked, we came to anchor, and I found the tide to run three 1/2 leagues in one watch.  I noticed that this tide set outwards during the day, and inwards through the night.  This day at noon the point of Palimbangan bore N.E. by E. three leagues off, and from thence to the road of Bantam is five leagues, S.S.E. 1/3 E. The latitude of Bantam is 6 deg. 10’ S. and the long. 145 deg. 2’ E. This however is rather too much easterly, as I think the true longitude of Bantam is 144 deg.  E. from Flores.[104]