1767.

November.

and it is a good mark for those to know the paffage that fall in with the land coming from the Saturd. 14 eastward, who, if poffible, fhould always make this fide of the paffage. From Hummock Point the land trends more away to the fouthward, about S. W. by W. and to the fouthward of it there is a deep bay, full of islands and rocks, which appeared to me to be very dangerous. Just off the Point there are two rocks, which, though they are above water, cannot be feen from a fhip till fhe is close to the land. To the eastward of this Point, close to the fhore, are two iflands, one of them very flat, long, and even, and the other fwelling into a hill: both these islands, as well as the adjacent country, are well covered with trees: I ftood clofe in a little to the eastward of them, and had no ground with an hundred fathom, within half a mile of the fhore, which feemed to be rocky. A little to the weftward of these islands, we faw no less than fixty boats, which were fishing on fome fhoals that lie between them and Hummock Point. This part of the fhore appeared to be foul, and I think should not be approached without great caution. In this place I found the currents various and uncertain, sometimes fetting to the fouthward, and fometimes to the northward, and fometimes there was no current at all; the weather alfo was very unfettled, and fo was the wind; it blew, however, chiefly to

the

November.

the fouth and fouth-weft. quarter, but we had 1767. fometimes fudden and violent gufts, and tornadoes from the N. W. with thunder, lightning, Saturd. 14. and rain: these generally lafted about an hour, when they were fucceeded by a dead calm, and the wind would afterwards fpring up fresh from the S. W. or S. S. W. which was right against us, and blow ftrong. From these appearances I conjectured that the fhifting feason had commenced, and that the weft monfoon would foon fet in. The fhip failed fo ill that we made very little way; we frequently founded in this pas fage, but could get no ground.

On the 21ft of November, as we were stand- Saturd. 21. ing towards Borneo, we made two fmall islands, which I judged to be the fame that in the French chart are called Taba Islands: they are very small, and covered with trees. By my account, they lie in latitude 1° 44′ N., longitude 7° 32′ W. off the south end of Mindanao, and are distant from Hummock, or Stroomen Point, about fifty-eight leagues. The weather was now hazy, but happening fuddenly to clear up, we saw a fhoal, with breakers, at the distance of about five or fix miles, from the fouth to the northweft. Off the north end of this fhoal we faw four hummocks close together, which we took for small islands, and feven more from the S. W. to the W. S.: whether these are really islands, or some hills on the island of Borneo, I

2

could

1767. November.

could not determine. This fhoal is certainly very dangerous, but may be avoided by going Saturd. 21. to the weftward of Taba Iflands, where the paffage is clear and broad. In the French chart of Monfieur D'Apres de Mandevillette, published in 1745, two fhoals are laid down, to the eastward, and a little to the north of these islands: one of them is called Vanloorif, and the other, on which are placed two iflands, Harigs; but these fhoals and iflands have certainly no existence, as I turned through this part of the paffage from fide to fide, and failed over the very spot where they are fuppofed to lie. In the fame chart feven small islands are also laid down within half a degree to the northward of the line, and exactly in the middle of the narroweft part of this paffage; but neither have thefe iflands any existence, except upon paper, though I believe there may be fome small islands clofe to the main land of Borneo: we thought we had feen two, which we took to be those that are laid down in the charts off Porto Tubo, but of this I am not certain. The fouthermost and narrowest part of this paffage is about eighteen or twenty leagues broad, with high lands on each fide. We continued labouring in it till the 27th, before we croffed the line, fo that we were a fortnight in failing eight and twenty leagues, the distance from the north entrance of the ftreight, which we made on the 14th. After

Friday 27.

we

November.

we got to the fouthward of the line, we found a 1767. flight current fetting against us to the northward, which daily increased: the weather was ftill un- Friday 27. fettled, with much wet: the winds were chiefly S. W. and W. S. W. and very seldom farther to the northward than W. N. W. except in the tornadoes, which grew more frequent and violent; and by thein we got nothing but hard labour, as they obliged us to hand all our fails, which indeed with our utmost effort we were fcarcely able to do, our debility daily increasing by the falling fick of the few that were well, or the death of fome among the many that were fick. Under thefe circumftances we ufed our utmoft endeavours to get hold of the land on the Borneo fide, but were not able, and continued to struggle with our misfortunes till the 3d of De. December. cember, when we fell in with the small islands and fhoals called the Little Pater-nofters, the southermoft of which, according to my account, lies in latitude 2o 31′ S. and the northermost in 2° 15′ S. the longitude of the northermoft I made 117° 12′ E: they bear about S. E. S. and N. W. N. of each other, diftant eight leagues, and between them are the others; the number of the whole is eight. They lie very near the Celebes fide of the ftreight, and being unable either to weather them, or get to the weftward of them, we were obliged to go between them and the island. We had here tem

peftuous

Thurfd.

3.

1767. December,

Thurfd. 3.

peftuous weather and contrary winds, with fudden and impetuous gufts, which, as we had not a number of hands fufficient to bend the fails, often endangered our mafts and yards, and did great damage to our fails and rigging, efpecially at this time, as we were obliged to carry all the fail we could to prevent our falling into a deep bight, on the Celebes fhore. The ravages of the scurvy were now univerfal, there not being one individual among us that was free, and the winds and currents being fo hard against us, that we could neither get wefting nor fouthing to reach any place of refreshment; the mind participated in the fufferings of the body, and a univerfal despondency was reflected from one countenance to another, especially among those who were not able to come upon the deck. In this deplorable fituation we continued till the Thurfd. 10. 10th, and it is not perhaps very easy for the moft fertile imagination to conceive by what our danger and distress could poffibly be increased; yet debilitated, fick, and dying as we were, in fight of land that we could not reach, and exposed to tempefts which we could not refift, we had the additional misfortune to be attacked by a pirate that this unexpected mifchief might lofe none of its force, it happened at midnight, when the darkness that might almost be felt, could not fail to co-operate with whatever tended to produce confufion and ter

ror.