ABout the Month of December 1620. the Dutch Generall hauing prepared a force of 16. ships, declared to our President, that he intended an exploit for the good of both Com­panies, without mentioning any particulars of his designes.

And seeing vs to haue no such forces ready to ioyne with him, he sayd he would attempt it alone. And the third of Ianuary. 1620. he did set sale from Iaquatra with his sayd forces, and arriued at Banda about the third of February following.

Presently vpon his arriuall he made great prepa­ration against the Iland of Lantore, which Iland was formerly by the inhabitants thereof deliuered ouer vnto our people for the vse, and vnder the subiecti­on of the Kings Maiestie of England, whereof our Captaine of the Ile of Polaroone had taken posses­sion and had also setled a factory there.

When our chiefe Factor in our sayd Ile of Pola­roone heard of the purpose of the Dutch Generall against the sayd Ile of Lantore, he wrote a letter vn­to [Page 2]the sayd Generall, aduising him that the sayd Ile of Lantore did belong vnto the King of England, and that therefore hee should not attempt any vio­lence against it, seeing there is an accord made in England betweene vs. Which letter, the sayd Ge­nerall threw from him in a great rage scarce vouch­safeing to reade it ouer, and caused the Messenger to be thrust out of doores, requiring him to aduise our Factor of Polaroone presently to send to Lan­tore; and fetch away all such of our people and goods as were vpon that Iland; for whomsoeuer he should find there: he would take them as his vtter enemies, and they should fare no better then the in­habitants.

And within ten or twelue dayes after he landed all his forces there, & subdued the said Iland. So long as the fight endured, our Factors and feruants there (being three English and eight Chineces) kept them­selues within doores, and afterwards our people came out of their houses, and told them, the house wherein they were, was the English house, and that therefore they should not meddle therewith.

Neuerthelesse they sacked our house, tooke a­way all our goods, murthered three of our Chines seruants, bound the rest (as well English as Chinesses) hand & foote, & threatned thē to cut their throats binding them three seuerall times to seuerall stakes with their weapons ready drawne out, and did put a halter vpon our principall Factors necke, draw­ing vp his head, and stretching out his necke, ready to put them to death, yet did not execute them, but as they were bound hand and foote (as aforesayd) tumbled them downe ouer the rockes like dogs, [Page 3]and like to haue broken their neckes, and thus bound, carryed them aboord their ships, and there kept them prisoners in Irons 14. or 16. dayes.

After the conquest of the Iland of Lantore the Dutch Generall threatned to doe the like vnto Po­laroone wherefore our principall Factor of Po­laroone being there but newly arriued, went vnto the Dutch Generall vnto the castle of Nera, and told him that he heard that he purposed to take Pola­roone by force, which hee could not beleeue, al­though his owne messenger sent to Polaroone to speake with our Factors, had giuen it out also, that the General himselfe should say, that if the English did not come presently vnto him & yeeld the sayd fort of Polaroone vnto him, he would send his forces, and ouer-run all the countrey, but hoped he would enterprize no such thing against that place, conside­ring the Articles of agreement, and knowing how many yeeres (to the great losse and charge of the company) we held possession and maintained the place to the vse of his Maiesty of England.

The sayd Generall made little answer to it, as though there were no such matter intended, where­upon our sayd Factot tooke his leaue & came away.

But the next day hee was followed to Polaroone with and Armado of 26. Prowes & one ship, which did put the inhabitants of Polaroone in such a feare, as they knew not what to do; whereupon our chiefe Factor there asked the commander of those forces, what his purpose was with such a fleete there, and that if he attempted any thing against Polaroone, it was a breach of the Articles it being in our posses­sion. This could not preuaile with him, but sayd the [Page 4]land was theirs, and they would haue it by faire meanes or force, and as for our profession, they would not acknowledge it (the inhabitants and not we being maisters of the place) and so the Dutch Commander went a shore vnto the inhabitants.

Whereupon the said inhabitants asked vs if we could and would defend them, but perceiuing wee were not able to defend our selues, much lesse to secure them: they were forced to yeeld themselues and the Iland into his hands.

The Dutch tooke downe the English colours, and set vp their owne, and caused the inhabitants presently to bring in all their weapons, and to throw downe all their walles, and would haue for­ced them to haue taken all our Ordnance out of our Fort, which they at the first refused to doe, al­leding that they had formerly giuen and sur­rendred the land to the King of England, and in respect they had liued so long with the English, they would not now offer vs any iniury or vio­lence.

And when our chiefe Factor went a shore to ex­postulate the matter with the Dutch Comman­der, he could obtaine nothing at his hands, but that the land was theirs, and things must bee so, and should be so.

Whereupon our sayd Factor went again vnto the Dutch General to the castle of Nera to conferre with him thereabouts, but he would giue no other answer, but that he had referred those businesses to his sayd Lieutenant sent thither, with whom hee might conferre: who in the absense of our sayd chiefe Factor, had brought some of his souldiers a [Page 5]shore vpon Polaroone, and forced the Ilanders to throw all our Ordnance ouer the rocke from the place where they were planted (being nine peeces) whereof foure broke with the fall, and were all car­ryed away by the Dutch.

Moreouer our Captaine of Polaroone who had defended the Iland foure yeeres together going to Lantore (at the request of the inhabitants) to receiue the surrendry thereof for our Kings Maiesties vse (as aforesaid) and returning backe againe about the beginning of Nouember 1620. was slaine by the Dutch. And it is very probable, they did it after the time they had intelligence of the publication of the accord at Bantam in March 1619. For presently vpon the said publication, they sent secretly to the Ilands in those parts, where they had trade, to pre­uent vs of our part of the spices due vnto vs by the accord.

After the said Dutch Generall had subdued the fore mentioned Iland of Lantore, he constrained them to deliuer vnto him, the principall of all their children for hostages: Then he tooke away from them all their small vessels and boats, and then he also required all the men of Lantore to be brought vnto him, and they brought him all the prncipall men, but this did not satisfie him, but he would haue al the Bandinesses, which had ayded them, as al­so all their wiues and children, small and great to [...]e brought as prisoners aboord his ships.

Which when the Bandinesses perceiued doubting [...]hat he meant to make them all slaues and to carry [Page 6]them to some other places) they agreed together to retire themselues into the highest and strongest pla­ces of the land, and there did fortifie themselues, whereupon the Dutch slue of them and tooke 1200 persons prisoners, most of them being women and children, which they hauesince carryed to Iaquatra and other places.