A New Voyage Round The World

A pirate at heart before he joined the Royal Navy (and even after), an avid explorer who ended up penniless even if he contributed important scientific (and commercial) discoveries, the author provides us great reading throughout his memoirs, far from the dry reports of Western officials.

His notations regarding Cambodia in the 17^th century include:

• Local mores and women: ​“They are so free of their Women, that they
  

  Would bring them aboard and offer them to us ;

  and many of our Men hired them for small Matter.

  This is a Custom used by several Nations in

  the East-Indies as at Pegu, Siam, Cochinchina and

  Cambodia, as I have been told. It is used at Tunquin [Tonkin] also to my Knowledge, for I did afterwards make a

  Voyage thither, and most of our Men had Women

  aboard all the time of our abode there.” 

  (p. 395)
• Geography: ​“The 23^d Day we arrived at Pulo Ubi, or the Island

  Ubi [now Hon Khoai in South Vietnam, known for its peculiar squirrels and geckos]. This Island is about 40 Leagues to the westward

  of Pulo Condore. It lies just at the entrance of the Bay

  of Siam, at the S.W. point of Land that makes the

  Bay, namely, the Point of Cambodia. This Island

  is about seven or eight Leagues round, and it is

  higher Land than any of Pulo Condore Isles. Against

  the South-East part of it there is a small Key, about

  a Cables length from the main Island. This Puh

  Vbi is Very woody, and it has good Water on the

  North-side, where you may anchor but the best anchoring is on the Easl-side against a small Bay ;

  then you will have the little Island to the southward

  of you.”

  (p. 399)
• Cambodian rice: ​“At Pulo Ubi we found two small Barks laden with

  Rice. They belonged to Cambodia, from whence

  they came not above two or three Days before, and

  they touched here to fill Water. Rice is the general

  Food of all these Countries, tranfported by Sea from one Country to another, as

  Corn in these parts of the World. For in some Countries

  they produce more than enough for themselves,

  and send what they can spare to those Places where

  there is but little.” 

  (ibid.)
• Regional trade: ​“These barks were laden with Rice and Laquer, which is used in Japanning of Cabineis. One of

  these barks came from Champa, bound to the Town of

  Malacca, which belongs to the Dutch, who took it

  from the Portugueze; and this shows that they have

  a Trade with Champa. This was a very pretty neat

  Vessel, her bottom very clean and curiously coated, she had about forty Men all armed with Cortans,

  or broad Swords, Lances, and some Guns, that

  went with a Swivel upon their Gunnal. They were

  of the Idolaters, Natives of Champa, and some of

  the brilghtest, moft sociable, without Fearfulness or

  Shyness, and the most neat and dextrous about their

  Shipping, of any such I have met with in all my

  Travels,

  The other Vessel came from the River of

  Cambodia, and was bound towards the Streights ot

  Malacca.’

  (p 400) [Note that the lower part of the Mekong River is always referred to as ​‘River of Cambodia’] 

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