The World Displayed, Or, a Collection of Voyages and Travels (Volume 3) (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1815. Excerpt: ... CHAP. XIL The Centurion's run from Tinian to Macao. The commodore's proceedings at that port. Having refitted, he sails to cape Kspiritu Santo, takes the Manilla galleon, and returns back. His transactions in the river of Canton, and in the city of that name, where the English extinguish a dreadful fire. A short character of the Chinese. The Centurion returns to England. THE Centurion departed from Tinian on the twenty-first of October, in the evening, when the eastern monsoon being settled, she generally ran from forty-three to fifty leagues a day. On the 3d of November, they saw an islet or rock, and about an hour after, the island called Botel Tobago Xima. Having doubled the southern extremity of Formosa, which is in the latitude of 21 50' north, they passed by the rock Vele Rete; but at this instant the people in the Centurion were alarmed by an outcry of fire in the forecastle, upon which the whole crew immediately flocked together in the utmost confusion, so that for some time the officers found it difficult to appease the uproar. The people being at length reduced to order, it was perceived, that the fire proceeded from the bricks in the furnace being over-heated, which had occasioned their communicating the fire to the adjacent wood-work; but by pulling down the brick-work it was easily extinguished. In the evening they were surprised with the sight of what they at first took to be breakers, but on a strict examination they were found to be only a great number of fires on the island of Formosa, which they imagined were in tended by the inhabitants as signals to invite them tot touch there; but they were too impatient to Teach the port of Macao, to consent to this delay. At about midnight they got sight of the main land of China, at four leagues di...