The Man who resides here _^^{upon this Island} in behalf of the Dutch East India Company is a German by birth   his name is _^^{Johan Christopher Lange} it is hard to say upon what footing he is here, he is so far a Governor that the Natives dar[e] do nothing openly without his consent, and yet he can transact no sort of business with Foreigner's either in his own or that of the Companys name _^^{nor can it be a place of either honour or profit}, he is the only white man upon the Island and has resided there ever sence it hath been under the direction of the Dutch which is about 10 years He is allowd 50 Slaves / Natives of the Island / to attend upon him, these _^^{belong to and} are Mentain''d by the Company. He goes the circuit of the Island once in two Months, but on what account he did not tell us; when he makes these rounds he carries with him a certain quantity of spiret to treat the great men with, which he says he is obliged to look well after otherwise the[y] would steal it and get Drunk and yet at a nother time he told us that he never know'd a theft commited in the Island, but some of the Natives themselves contridicted him in this by stealing from us an Ax,   however from their behavour

Voyaging Accounts