About a fortnight before we arrived, a boat, with eight men, a woman, and
two children, came on shore here, who told him they were the supercargo,
part of the crew, and passengers of an English brig, wrecked in these
seas. His house, which has ever been the asylum of the distressed, was
open for their reception. They drew bills on the British government, and
were supplied with every necessary they stood in need of.

The captain of a Dutch East Indiaman, who spoke English, hearing of the
arrival of Capt. Edwards, and our unfortunate boat, run to them with the
glad tidings of their Captain having arrived; but one of them, starting
up in surprise, said, "What Captain! dam'me, we have no Captain;" for
they had reported, that the Captain and remainder of the crew had
separated from them at sea in another boat. This immediately led to a
suspicion of their being impostors; and they were ordered to be
apprehended, and put into the castle. One of the men, and the woman, fled
into the woods; but were soon taken. They confessed they were English
convicts, and that they had made their escape from Botany Bay. They had
been supplied with a quadrant, a compass, a chart, and some small arms
and ammunition, from a Dutch ship that lay there; and the expedition was
conducted by the Governor's fisherman, whose time of transportation was
expired. He was a good seaman, and a tolerable navigator. They dragged
along the coast of New South Wales; and as often as the hostile nature of
the savage natives would permit, hauled their boat up at night, and slept
on shore. They met with several curious and interesting anecdotes in this
voyage. In many places of the coast of South Wales, they found very good
coal; a circumstance that was not before known. Our men were now
beginning to regain their strength; and Captain Dadleberg of the Rembang
Indiaman was making every possible dispatch with his ship to carry us to
Batavia.

During this time, the interment of Balthazar, King of Coupang, was
performed with much funeral pomp. The Governor, Lieutenant-Governor, and
all the Europeans were invited. Six months had been spent in preparations
for this fete, at which an emperor and twenty-five kings assisted and
attended in person with all their body-guards, standards, and
standard-bearers, were present. When the corpse was deposited in the
sepulchre, the Company's troops fired three vollies, and victuals and
drink were immediately served to four thousand peop