The great annual ship between Manilla and Acapulco touches here for refreshments, and the Spaniards said there were sometimes eight ships in one year at this place from the East Indies.  They said also, that they had built a ship here, in 1684, of 160 tons, to trade with Manilla, and pretended to have a garrison here of 600 men, most of the Indians being in rebellion.

The Nicholas sailed from Guam W. by S. and on computing that they were 206 leagues from that island, they changed to due W. The 23d, when they reckoned themselves 560 leagues west of Guam, they met with a very strong current, resembling the race of Portland, and fell in with a cluster of islands in lat. 20 deg. 30’ N. to the north of Luconia, [the Bashee Islands.] They sent their boat ashore on the northermost of these islands, in order to get some fish, and to examine the island, on which they found vast quantities of nutmegs growing, but saw no people, and as night was drawing on they did not venture to go any distance from the shore.  To this island they gave the name of Nutmeg Island, and called the bay in which they anchored English Bay.  They observed many rocks, shoals, and foul ground near the shore, and saw a great many goats on the island, but brought off very few.

On the 26th of April they were off Cape Bojadore, the N.W. point of Luconia, and came soon after to Cipe Mindato, where they met the S.W. monsoon, on which they bore away for Canton in China, where they arrived in safety and refitted their ship.  They had here an opportunity of making themselves as rich as they could desire, but would not embrace it; as there came into the port thirteen sail of Tartar vessels, laden with Chinese plunder, consisting of the richest productions of the East.  The men, however, would have nothing to do with any thing but gold and silver, and Captain Eaton could not prevail upon them to fight for silks, as they alleged that would degrade them into pedlars.  The Tartars therefore quietly pursued their affairs at Canton, unconscious of their danger.

Having repaired the ship, Captain Easton sailed for Manilla, intending to wait for a Tartar ship of which they had information, bound from that port, and half laden with silver.  They even got sight of her, and chased her a whole day to no purpose, as she was quite clean, and the Nicholas was as foul as could well be.  They then stood for a small island, to the north of Luconia, to wait for a fair wind to carry them to Bantam.  Instead of one island, they found several, where they procured refreshments.[158] Learning from an Indian that in one of these islands there were plenty of beeves, they sent a boat thither with thirty men, who took what they wanted by force, though the island was well inhabited.

[Footnote 158:  The indications in the text are too vague to point out the particular islands at which the Nicholas refreshed.  Immediately north from Luconia are the Babuvanes Isles, in lat 19 deg. 30’, and still farther, the Bashee Islands, in 20 deg. 30’, both N.]