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 I le 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 I le of Lantore , he wrote a letter vnto the sayd Generall , aduising him that the sayd I le 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 them 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 , 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 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 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 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 .