vessel's, the other from its largeness, we imagined to be on shore. We pulled towards the one we took for the brig's. In about half an hour we were extremely alarmed by losing both the lights. We knew not which way to pull; to lay-to was impossible, and we had no hope but in Providence who is ever attentive to the exertions of unhappy men. We kept pulling and baling all night; once or twice we heard breakers very loud, and we anxiously waited for the morning to know our situation, particularly as the night was cloudy and squally.

At day-light on the 8th we were much surprised to be just in sight of high land to the northward. We judged it to be the northward by the sun's rising, for we had no compass in the boat. The wind we found to be northerly-we in with our oars, up with the foremast, and set the only sail we had-we stood to the eastward all day, and at sunset put about, and stood to the westward-we still saw the land, but it appeared further offabout midnight finding ourselves in rollers we tacked and stood to the eastward --it blew fresh and rather squally, and we were obliged to reef the sail.

When day broke on the 9th, to our mortification there was no land in sight. The Captain and I consulted what was best to be done, and expecting that we should have the wind fresh from the E. and N.E. judged it best to make a fair wind of it, and run for the Coromandel coast. At noon we up helm, and went with a flowing sheet to the westward in hopes of crossing the bay in five days, or else of falling in with some ship. During the day a flying fish dropped into the boat, when all hands jumped at it. Fortune favouring my exertions, I gained the prize and soon devoured it.

Thursday the 10th and Friday the 11th we had fine fresh breezes, chiefly from the eastward, with clear weather. On the 12th we found ourselves so very thirsty that water was much in request by all. Every morning and evening, we bathed ourselves, and during the day kept throwing water over our heads; this allayed our thirst very much, which had now be come our greatest enemy. This day we had very light airs from the N.W. with a heavy swell; we expected a gale of wind from that quarter, which if it had come,

in all probability would have overwhelmed us, and put us out of our misery. Just before sunset we had the high consolation of observing a vessel bearing N.W.; there being little wind we pulled right for her, and by her movements I believe she saw us, for soon after she came down towards us, with studding sails set, low and aloft. This sight rejoiced us, and infused into us such a degree of temporary strength as made us pull with double vigour. We thought our troubles at an end, but, alas! Providence ordained that greater misfortunes were still to be endured by us. Captain Harman thinking we did not near the vessel fast enough, ordered our sail to be taken in, supposing that it impeded our going through the water as we were pulling in the wind's eye. No sooner was that done, than the vessel took in her studding sails and hauled her wind to the eastward. We hoisted our sail again, but to no purpose, she still kept to the eastward, which was a heart-breaking sight to us all. The temporary strength which the sight of her had excited, now forsook us: our spirits sunk, and we could no longer pull. As night approached we stood as nearly as we could judge to the W.N.W. When the vessel hauled her wind to the eastward, we could plainly make out that she was a brig; we saw her top sails, and part of her courses, main sail, &c.

Sunday the 13th. This day our thirst was great indeed; we had undergone such fatigue, and were so much weakened, that we expected every hour to be our last. The water thrown over our bodies did not allay our thirst as at first, and being reduced to the last extremity, we were forced to drink our urine, which I must say revived and consoled us exceedingly. Monday and Tuesday nothing happened to break in upon our state of painful suspence. We had the wind light from the northward with a very heavy swell from the N.W.; we still kept bathing every morning and evening, and drinking as before-mentioned.

Wednesday the people began to be very dull. Some of them found their thirst so intolerable that they drank a great quantity of salt water, although the Captain and I advised them not to do so. About ten o'clock at night, we were all roused by hearing the cry of fresh water along

side. One of the people being excessively dry, in drinking the water alongside really thought it had been fresh; we all began to drink immediately, and it was some time before we found out our mistake, so much was our taste injured. On the 17th at sunset we thought we saw very high land right ahead, but having been often disappointed by mistaking clouds for high land, we paid but little attention to it. During the night the heavy swell from the N.W. went down, when a cross sea took its place, and a fine breeze sprung up from the eastward.

On Friday at day-light the water was much discoloured, a general sign of being near land, but still none could be seen. One of the men was now so senseless, and so weak, that he could not sit upright. As the sun arose, and cleared away the clouds, we had the heartfelt satisfaction of seeing high land. "What a joyful sight was this to poor creatures nearly sinking under fatigue and want of food. As we neared the land, we saw a number of huts and the natives walking on shore. About noon we ran the boat on the beach, but were in a condition too weak to walk. The natives assisted us, and as soon as they knew our situation, fetched us hot congy (the water in which rice is boiled) and gave it us to drink, of which we took a great quantity. Each man was led between two people to the hut appointed to us, and we were furnished with every thing we wished for, except cold water. We had no desire to eat, but craved cold

water, which the natives would not give us, but supplied us plentifully with hot congy. Just as we were sitting down on the straw, we were informed that one of our people was dead. It was the poor man who had been so bad in the morning.

The name of the place at which we arrived, is Poondy. It is situated about sixty miles to the southward of Ganjam, and thirty to the northward of Calingapatam. On the 25th Captain Harman went to Calingapatam to procure a supply of money and clothes from the Beach master at that place. He returned on the 28th, and on the 29th, after furnishing the men with money enough to carry them to Bengal, the Captain and myself started in Doolis carried by four men. We followed the coast and travelled almost without intermission night and day. On the 15th of December we reached Tombuke, when we took a boat for Calcutta, and on going up the river, to our very great astonishment saw our brig at anchor waiting for the flood tide to carry her up. We went alongside, and every soul on board was thunderstruck to see us, having given us up as dead. They waited four days at Diamond Island, expecting our return. In running across the bay they had bad weather, and on seeing any drifts went down to them, expecting they might be the boat. We weighed on the flood and arrived at Kuddupore on the 16th of December, and on the 23d our poor fellow sufferers arrived, looking very well after so long a march.

No country has greater reputation of being rich in mines than the country of Siam, and the great quantity of idols and other cast works which are there seen, evinces that they have been better cultivated in former times than they now are. It is believed, likewise, that they thence extracted that great quantity of gold wherewith their superstition has adorned, not only their almost innumerable idols, but the wainscot and roofs of their temples. They discover daily pits anciently dug, and the remains of a great many fur

naces, thought to have been abandoned during the ancient wars of Pegu.

Nevertheless the king that now reigns has not been able to find any vein of gold or silver, that is worth the pains he has therein employed, although he has applied to this work some Europeans; among the rest a Spaniard from Mexico, who found, if not a fortune, at least his subsistence for twenty years, even to his death, by flattering the avarice of the prince with imaginary promises of infinite treasures. After having dug and mined

in several places they light only on some very mean copper mines, but intermixed with a little gold and silver, five hundred weight of ore scarce yielding an ounce of metal; neither understood they how to make the separation of metals. But the king of Siam, to make this mixture more precious, caused some gold to be added to it: this is called tambac. It is said that the mines of Borneo do naturally produce it very rich; the scarcity of it augments its price, as formerly that of the Corinthian brass: but the quantity of gold may be believed to make its true value; for when the king ordered crucifixes to be made to present to the christians, the most noble and smallest part, which is the Christ, was of gold, the cross alone of tambac. Vincent le Blanc relates, that the Peguers have a mixture of lead and copper, called gauze, or ganza, of which they make statues, and a small money, which is not stamped with the royal mark, but which every one has a right to make.

From Siam we brought away Mr. Vincent, who had come from France with the bishop of Babylon to go into Persia: understanding the mathematics and chemistry, the king of Siam had retained him some time to work in his mines.

He informed me that he had rectified the labours of the Siamese in some things, so as to render them more profitable. He shewed them a mine of very good iron at the top of a mountain. He discovered to them one of crystal, one of antimony, one of emeril (emery), and some others, with a quarry of white marble. Besides this he found out a gold mine, which to him appeared very rich, but he has not shewed it them. Several Siamese, mostly Talapoins*, came secretly to consult him about the art of purifying and separating metals, and brought divers specimens of very rich ore: from some he extracted a very good quantity of fine silver, and from others a compound of several metals.

As for tin and lead, the Siamese have long since obtained it from very plentiful

Talapoin is a name given to the priests or Rahaans.-Editor.

:

In the neighbourhood of the city of Louvo they have a mountain of loadstone. They have also another near Jonsalan (Junksilan), a city seated in an island of the gulph of Bengal, which is not above the distance of a man's voice from the coast of Siam; but the loadstone dug at Junksilan loses its virtue in two or three months. I know not whether it is not the same in that of Louvo. In the mountains they find very curious agate; and Mr. Vincent has seen, he tells me, in the hands of the Talapoins, some samples of sapphire and diamond from the

mine.

I have already said, that the city of Campeng-pell is famous for mines of excellent iron. The inhabitants forge arms of them after their fashion, as sabres, poinards, and knives. The knife they call pen is used by all, and is not looked upon as arms, although it may serve upon occasion: the blade is three or four fingers broad, and about a foot long.

They know how to melt the iron of their mines, but have very little of it, and are besides bad forgemen. For their gallies they have wooden anchors, and to the end that these anchors may sink they fasten stones to them. They have neither pins nor needles, nor nails, chisels, nor saws. They use pins of bambu in building their houses, even as our ancestors used thorns.

+ Cadmia is the name given by the Latins to brass ore, but brass is itself a compound of copper and zinc, the latter metal is therefore most probably that intended.-Editor.