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and are continually at war with the Native Diacks who are said to be a proud and fierce race of Men who live in the interior these Diacks are always at war Amongst themselves and like our Indians have many strange customs such as scalping taking heads &c. it is a custom amongst them tho not strictly carried out that no one can claim a wife until he has shown a head as proof that he is a warrior. Borneo City has many coal mines near it and the island is no doubt rich in all or nearly all of the precious metals. its resources would be immense if the people could all be brought under one government and learned to be industrious. There are Many long and Navigable rivers on the island Many tall Mountains and lots of fertile land. All kinds of wood can be obtained in abundance Teak abounds throughout the Whole Isle. Camphor forests extend miles and miles without interruption. the Chinese are fast settling this large island large junks every year bring numbers here these Chinese band themselves together by oaths &c are become from the persecutions of the Malays almost a band of brothers. I have not much doubt but that the whole of the east india isles will one day or other be over run by the Chinese who have already made a long stride towards it. We sailed from this place (Borneo) and stood to the Nd by encountering such a quantity of shoals stood to the south' & west' Again and endeavoured to find our way out of these dangerous seas. it was a common thing to run out of 20 faths in 6 or 7 suddenly one day we were standing along in sight of land we came very suddenly into 5 faths water traced aback and came too. in getting underway again we had to pass over a coral shoal near us and in doing so struck three times. It was a ticklish time to be wrecked would be a terrable [sic] misfortune for Many of us would be made slaves or killed by he Malays and Diacks and but few would ever find a chance to get home again. however we got off without much injury and stood along to the s' & w' every night coming to Anchor. May 10th ran into [crossed out: Cochin China] Touron bay Cochin China Touron Bay is a beautiful bay one of the largest and most convenient in the East. The scenery around it is beautiful the whole bay is shut in like an Amphitheatre by high and green Mountains on every side (except at the Mouth of the bay to seaward a narrow enterance) Their [?][?tops?] just above the clouds whilst further back are biger Mountains whose peaks tower high above the clouds.