270 FRENCH VOYAGE TO BANTAM book iii
left
Nantes with his brother on the vessels which M. de MontÂmorency sent to
India. I shall record the history of it in a few words, and this short
digression will possibly not be displeasing to the reader. A French
Company of Commerce established for India sent there four vessels,
three large and one small one of eight guns, on board which among
others were the two brothers Renaud, who entered the service of the
Company. Their journey was the shortest and the most fortunate of any
ever heard of, as they arrived off Bantam in less than four months. The
King received them with great joy, and in eight or ten days' time he
gave them as much pepper as they asked for, and at a very fair price,
more than 20 per cent, cheaper than the Dutch do. But as our Frenchmen
had not come for pepper only, but wished also to obtain information
about the trade in cloves, nutmegs, and mace, they sent the smaller
vessel with the greater part of their money to Macassar, where the
King's stores are generally full, as I have elsewhere said, because the
Dutch, with all their skill, are unable to prevent the people of this
island trading with the other islands where the spices grow ; 1 this annoys them much, since they desire to compel the trade of all other nations to pass through their hands.
Our
Frenchmen having obtained their cargo of pepper so quickly at Bantam,
had not patience to await the return of the small vessel which they had
sent to Macassar, and, to amuse themselves, decided to go to Batavia,
which is not more than 14 leagues distant from Bantam. When the wind is
favourable one can go there in a single tide, and they reached the
roads at 8 o'clock in the morning. As soon as they had cast anchor the
(Jeneral of the French fleet sent to pay his compliments to the General
of Batavia, who did not fail to reply to this civility by asking the
General to come on shore that he might entertain him. He sent at the
same time to those who remained in the vessel a quantity of
refreshments, and especially Spanish and Rhine wine, with instructions
to those who carried it to make them drink well and to intoxicate them.
This order was so well obeyed that it was easy for the Dutch afterwards
to set fire to the • Vol. ii. 13.
