1767. November, being Saint Auguftina, at the distance of five, fix, and feven leagues, lie ten or twelve iflands, though Dampier says there are only two, and that together they are about five leagues round. The islands that I faw could not be contained in a circuit of less than fifteen leagues, and from the number of boats that I faw among them I imagine they are well inhabited. The largest of thefe lies to the S. W, of the others, and makes in a remarkable peak, fo that it is first seen in coming in with the land, and is indeed visible at a very great distance. Its latitude I make 5° 24' N., and its longitude, by account, 126° 37′E. This ifland, which I called HUMMOCK ISLAND, Hummock bears from Saint Auguftina S. 40 W. at the distance of between twenty and two and twenty leagues; and from the fame Cape, the fouthermoft part of the island Mindanao bears S. W. W. at 44 the distance of between twenty-one and twentythree leagues. This fouthermoft extremity consists of three or four points, which bear east and weft of each other for about feven miles. They lie in latitude 5° 34' N., longitude 126° 25′ E. according to my account. The variation here was one point east. I paffed between these islands and the main, and found the paffage good, the current fetting to the weftward. Dampier has placed his Bay and Savannah four leagues N. W. from the castermost island, and there I fought it, as inK 2 deed Inland. 1767. November. deed I did on all the S. E. part of the island till we came to the little creek which ran up to the town. All the fouthern part of Mindanao is extremely pleasant, with many fpots where the woods. had been cleared for plantations, and fine lawns of a beautiful verdure: this part also is well inhabited, as well as the neighbouring islands. Of the town I can give no account, as the weather was fo thick that I could not fee it; neither could I fufficiently diftinguish the land to fet off the points, at which I was not a little mortified. When I came to open the land to the weftward of the fouthermoft point, I found it trend from that point W. N. W. and N. W. by W. forming first a point at the distance of about seven or eight leagues, and then a very deep bay running fo far in to the N. and N. E. that I could not fee the bottom of it. The weftermost point of this bay is low, but the land foon rifes again, and runs along to the N. W. by W., which feems to be the direction of this coaft, from the fouthermoft point of the island towards the city of Mindanao. To the weftward of this deep bay, the land is all flat, and in comparison of the other parts of the island, but thinly wooded. Over this flat appears a peak of ftupendous height, which rifes into the clouds like a tower. Between the entrance of this bay and the fouth point of the inland there is another very high hill, the top of which has the funnel shape of a volcano, but I did not perceive that it emitted either fire or smoke. It is poffible that this deep bay is that which, Dampier mentions, and that it is misplaced by an error of the prefs; for if, instead of saying it bore N. W. four leagues from the eastermost of the islands, he had faid it bore N. W. fourteen leagues from the westermost of the islands, it would correspond well with his description, the bearings being the fame, and the land on the east side of it high, and low on the west: he is also nearly right in the latitude of his iflands, which he makes 5° 10' N,; for probably fome parts of the fouthermoft of them may lie in that' latitude; but as I did not go to the southward of them, this is only conjecture. Between Hummock Island, which is the largest and weftermost of them, and the islands to the eastward of it, which are all flat and even, is a paffage running north and fouth, which appears to be clear. The north-eaftermost of these islands is small, low, and flat, with a white fandy beach all round it, and a great many trees in the middle. East, or north-east of this island, there are fhoals and breakers; and I saw no other appearance of danger in these parts. Neither did I fee any of the islands which are mentioned by Dampier, and laid down in all the charts, near Mindanao in the offing: perhaps 1767. November. 1767 they are at á more remote distance than is com November. monly fuppofed; for without great attention navigators will be much deceived in this particular by the height of the land, as I have obferved already. As I coafted this island, Ì found the current fet very strong to the fouthward along the shore, till I came to the fouth end of it, where I found it run N. W. and N. W. by W. which is nearly as the land trends. We had the winds commonly from S. W. to N. W. with light airs, frequent rain, and unfettled weather. We now bid farewel to Mindanao, greatly disappointed in our hope of obtaining refreshments, which at firft the inhabitants fo readily promised to furnish. We fufpected that there were Dutchmen, or at leaft Dutch partifans in the town; and that, having difcovered us to be, English, they had dispatched an armed party to prevent our having any intercourse with the natives, who arrived about two hours after our friendly conference, and were the people that defied us from the fhore. CHAP. CHA P. IX. The Paffage from Mindanao to the Island of FTER leaving Mindanao, I ftood to the 1767. November. A weftward for the paffage between the Nove iflands of Borneo and Celebes, called the Streight of Macaffar, and made it on Saturday the fourteenth. I observed, that during the whole of this run we had a strong north-westerly current; but that while we were nearer to Mindanao than Celebes, it ran rather towards the north than the weft; and that when we came nearer to Celebes than we were to Mindanao, it ran rather towards the west than the north. The land of Celebes on the north end runs along to the entrance of the paffage, is very lofty, and feems to trend away about W. by S. to a remarkable point in the paffage, which makes in a hummock, and which at first we took for an island. I believe it to be the fame which in the French charts is called Stroomen Point, but I gave it the name of HUMMOCK POINT. Its latitude, according to my account, is 1° 20′ N., longitude 121° 39′ E.; K 4 and Saturd. 14. |