The Iflands on the Coaft of India; 115
a high Land, and full of fmall Hills, which are cover" d one of the Phillipincs, and repiefented by Gimelli as a fa-
with Trees.     The Soil feems to be a good fat Mould, mous Place, yielding Pearls and Amber in its Seas, and
and may produce Corn and Fruits,   but has been very Plenty of Rice, Fruits, Pepper, Cattle, and Elephants on
little vifited. its Land;   The  Air  is wholefome,  and   refreihed  with
frequent Rains.
XOLLO, a fmall Iiland on the South Weft of Minda- bouring Minds refort   hither.
nao, in the Midway between it and Borneo,  is reckon'd Mart.
The Ships from Borneo and the neigh-
and  make it  a kind  of
T   HE
LA DRONES   IS LAND S.
THESE Iflands were firft difcover'd and taken
poffeffion of in the Name of King Philip II. A.D.
1565. They called them at firft Has das Velas,
afterwards de las Ladrones, becaufe when they
touched at them in their Voyages from Mexico to the
Phillipincs, the Inhabitants ufed to fteal their Goods, and
then run up into the Mountains ; fo they called them the
Iflands of Thieves. Of late, the Ifland Guam, having
obtained the Name of Maria, thefe Iflands are thence denominated the Marian Iflands. They are many in Number, lying North and South at various Diftances, from
13 to 28 Deg. North Lat. The Spaniards having taken
Poffeffion of as many as they thought convenient, and
built Forts on them, where a Governor and Garrifon re-
fide. Altho' the Soil of thefe Iflands be in general pretty
good, and produces Neceffaries for Life, yet they afford
ft> little Commodity for Profit, that the Government cofts
the King of Spain 34000 Pieces of Eight, as Gimelli tells
us. But they lying in the Road of the Aauapulca Ships,
the Poffeffion of them by an Enemy would be as inconvenient, as the Liberty of touching there for Refreihments
is convenient to that Trade. They lie 700 Leagues Eaft
from the Coaft of Luzonia, and 7302 Miles Weft from the
Coaft of America, as by Dampeir's Obfervations is made
appear.
Guahon or Guam, as Dampeir calls it, which I fuppofe
to be the fame which Gimelli names Ifuana, is the Principal of them, as being that where the Aauapulca Ships
touch ; it lies in Lat. 13. 21. twelve Leagues long, and
four broad, lying from North to South.   The Soil is in
differently fruitful; yielding Rïcè- Pine-apples, Melons,
Oranges, Lilies; Coco's, and a particular Sort of Fruit
which Dampeir calls the Bread-Fruit ; this is a Kind of
very large Apple, which being baked, eats like Bread,
and is very good Food : This Fruit lairs eight Months in
the Year, and fupplies the Natives with Food ; for tho'
fome Rice be produced, the Soil is too dry to yield very
much. The Natives are ftrong Body'd, large Lirab'd,
and well Shap'd : They have no mariner of Religion in
them, fays Gimelli, from the Reports of the Miffionaries ;
and were very rude to thofe Fathers, whereof ten have
fuffered Martyrdom in thefe Iflands. The wet Seafon,
which begins at June, and lafts to OSober, is not fo violent here as elfewhere in the Indies. Upon Guam the
Spaniards have a Fort, and a Garrifon, fuppofed to be 80
or 90 Men ; but Dampeir fays, the Fort had but 6 Guns,
a Governor, and 2° or 3° Men, when he was there.
The other of thefe Iflands of moft Note are, Sarpanta
in Lat. 14. Buen vifta in Lat. 15. Saefpara in Lat. t'y. 40.
Anatan in Lat. 17.20. Sarigan in Lat. 17. 25. Guagam
inLat. 18. Alamaguan in Lat. 18. 18. Pagan inLat.1'8.4.
The Burning Mountain of Qriga in Lat. 19, 33. Tina and
Manga in Lat. 20. 45. Urrac in Lat» 20.55. Three othes
burning Mountains. Ijle dePatas in Lat. 25. 30. LeDifc
cmoc'ida in Lat 25. "jo. Malahr'igo in Lat. 27.40, &ci
This I take from Gimelli, who failed by them in his
Voyage to New Spain.
And here we finifti out Account of the Iflands in the
Indian Sea ; as looking upon the Japonefe not to belong
to this Oafs.
Part II,
P i
d H I N AS