the pearls, which the oysters at this place contained, were overlooked by the natives, and it is more than probable that if we could have continued here a few weeks, we might have obtained fome of great value in exchange for nails, hatchets, and bill-hooks, upon which the natives, with more reafon, fet a much higher value. We obferved, that in the lake, or lagoon, there were two or three very large veffels, one of which had two mafts, and fome cordage aloft to fupport them. 1765. June. George's To these two islands, I gave the name of KING King GEORGE'S ISLANDS, in honour of his Majefty. That which we laft vifited, lies in latitude 14° 41' S. longitude 149° 15′ W. the variation of the compass here was 5o E. CHA P. X. The Run from King George's Islands to the Islands of Saypan, Tinian, and Aiguigan; with an Account of feveral Islands that were discovered in that Track. WE E purfued our courfe to the weftward the Thurfd. 13. fame day, and the next, about three o'clock in the afternoon, we saw land again, bearing S. S. W. distant about fix leagues. We immediately stood for it, and found it to be a low and very narrow island, lying eaft and weft: we ran along the fouth fide of it, which had a green and pleasant appearance, but a dreadful furf breaks upon every part of it, with foul ground at fome distance, and many rocks and small islands scattered at about three leagues from the shore. We found it about twenty leagues in length, and it appeared to abound with inhabitants, though we could get only a tranfient glance of them as we paffed along. To this place I gave the name of PRINCE OF Prince of WALES'S ISLAND. It lies in latitude 15o S. and the Wales's westermost end of it in longitude 151° 53′ W. It is diftant from King George's Iflands about eight and forty leagues, in the direction of S. 8o. W. the variation here was 5o 30' E. From the western extremity of this ifland, we feered N. 82 W. and at noon on the 16th, were in latitude Inland. 1765. latitude 14° 28' S. longitude 156° 23' W; the variaJune. རིགས་ཁ་བ་བརྗོད་ཀྱང་ཞམས་ཀྱི tion being 7° 40' E. The wind was now eafterly, and Sunday 16, we had again the fame mountainous fwell from the fouthward that we had before we made the Islands of Direction, and which, from that time to this day we had loft: when we lost that fwell, and for fome days before, we faw vaft flocks of birds, which we obferved always took their flight to the fouthward when evening was coming on. Thefe appearances perfuaded me that there was land in the fame direction, and I am of opinion, that if the winds had not failed me in the higher latitudes, I fhould have fallen in with it: I would indeed at this time have hauled away to the fouthward, and attempted the difcovery, if our people had been healthy; for having observed that all the iflands we had seen were full of inhabitants, I was still more confirmed in my opinion; as I could account for their being peopled only by supposing a chain of iflands reaching to a continent; but the fickness of the crews, in both fhips, was an infuperable impedi Monday 17. ment. The next day, we again faw many birds of various forts about the fhip, and therefore fuppofed that some other ifland was not far diftant, for the fwell continuing, I concluded that the land was not of very great extent I proceeded, however, with caution; for the iflands in this part of the ocean render the navigation very dangerous, they begin fo low that a fhip may be clofe in with them before they are feen. We faw Tuefd. 18. nothing, however, on the 18th, the 19th, nor the Wednef 19. 20th, during which we continued to fteer the fame Thurfd. 20. courfe, though the birds ftill continued about the vessel Friday 21. in great numbers. Our latitude was now 12° 33′ S. longitude 167° 47' W. The Prince of Wales's Island was diftant three hundred and thirteen leagues, and the variation of the needle was 9o 15' E. The next morning, about seven o'clock, we difcovered a moft dangerous reef of breakers, bearing S. S. W. and not farther diftant than a fingle league. In about half an hour afterwards, land was feen from the mast-head, bearing W. N. W. and diftant about eight leagues : it had the appearance of three iflands, with rocks and broken ground between them. The fouth-east fide of thefe thefe islands lies N. E. by N. and S. W. by S. and is about three leagues in length between the extreme points, from both which a reef runs out, upon which the fea breaks to a tremendous height. We failed round the north end, and upon the north-west and weft fide, faw innumerable rocks and fhoals, which ftretched near two leagues into the fea, and were extremely dangerous. The islands themselves had a more fertile and beautiful appearance than any we had feen before, and, like the reft, fwarmed with people, whofe habitations we faw ftanding in clusters all along the coaft. We faw alfo a large veffel under fail, at a little distance from the fhore; but to our unfpeakable regret we were obliged to leave the place without farther examination, for it was furrounded in every direction by rocks and breakers, which rendered the hazard more than equivalent to every advantage we might procure. At this time, I took thefe for part of the islands called Solomon's Iflands, and was in hopes that I should fall in with others of them, in fome of which we might find an harbour. The reef of rocks which we firft faw as we approached these islands, lies in latitude 10° 15' S. longitude 169° 28' W. and it bears from the Prince of Wales's Inland N. 76° 48' W. diftant 352 leagues. The islands bear from the reef W. N. W. diftant nine leagues I called them the ISLANDS OF DANGER, and steered from them N. W. by W. allowing for the variation. After having feen the breakers foon after it was light in the morning, I told my officers that I apprehended we should have frequent alarms in the night; at night, therefore, every body was upon the watch, which a very hard fquall of wind, with rain, rendered the more neceffary. About nine o'clock, having just gone down into my cabin, I heard a great noife above, and when I enquired what was the matter, I was told that the Tamar, who was a-head, had fired a gun, and that our people faw breakers to leeward: I ran inftantly upon deck, and foon' perceived that what had been taken for breakers was nothing more than the undulating reflection of the moon, which was going down, and fhone faintly from behind a cloud in the horizon; We 1765. June. 1765. June. Monday 24. Duke of we therefore bore away after the Tamar, but did not get fight of her till an hour afterwards. Nothing worthy of notice happened till Monday, the 24th, when, about ten o'clock in the morning, we discovered another island, bearing S. S. W diftant about seven or eight leagues: we fteered for it, and found it to be low, but covered with wood, among which were cocoa-nut trees in great abundance. It had a pleasant appearance, and a large lake in the middle, like King George's Ifland: it is near thirty miles in circumference, a dreadful fea breaks upon almost every part of the coaft, and a great deal of foul ground lies about it. We failed quite round it, and when we were on the lee-fide, fent out boats to found, in hopes of finding anchorage: no foundings, however, were to be got near the fhore, but I fent the boats out a fecond time, with orders to land, if it were poffible, and procure fome refreshment for the fick: they landed with great difficulty, and brought off about two hundred cocoa-nuts, which, to persons in our circumstances, were an inestimable treasure. The people who were on fhore reported, hat there were no figns of its having ever been inhabited, but that they found thousands of fea fowl fitting upon their nefts, which were built in high trees: these birds were so tame that they fuffered themselves to be knocked down without leaving their nefts: the ground was covered with land crabs, but our people faw no other animal. At first I was inclined to believe that this island was the fame that in the Neptune François is called Maluita, and laid down about a degree to the eastward of the great Island of Saint Elizabeth, which is the principal of the Solomon's Iflands; but being afterwards convinced of the contrary, I called it the DUKE of YORK'S ISLAND, in honour of his late Royal Highness, and I am of opinion that we were the first human beings who ever faw it. There is indeed great reason to believe that there is no good authority for laying down Solomon's Islands in the fituation that is affigned to them by the French: the only person who has pretended to have seen them is Quiros, and I doubt whether he left behind him any account of them by which they might be found by future navigators. We 1765. June. We continued our courfe till the 29th, in the track of these islands, and being then ten degrees to the weftward of their fituation in the chart, without hav- Saturd. 29. ing feen any thing of them, I hauled to the northward, in order to cross the equinoxial, and afterwards shape my course for the Ladrone Islands, which, though a long run, I hoped to accomplish before I fhould be diftreffed for water, notwithstanding it now began to fall short. Our latitude, this day, was 8° 13'S. longitude 176° 20' E. and the variation was 10° 10′ E. On Tuesday the 2d of July, we again faw many July. birds about the ship, and at four o'clock in the after- Tuesday 2. noon, discovered an island bearing north, and distant about fix leagues: we stood for it till fun-fet, when it was distant about four leagues, and then kept off and on for the night. In the morning, we found it a low Wednef. 3. flat island, of a moft delightful appearance and full of wood, among which the cocoa-nut tree was very confpicuous: we faw, however, to our great regret, much foul ground about it, upon which the fea broke with a dreadful furf. We steered along the fouth-west fide of it, which we judged to be about four leagues in length, and foon perceived not only that it was inhabited, but very populous; for presently after the ship came in fight, we faw at least a thousand of the natives affembled upon the beach, and in a very short time more than fixty canoes, or rather proas, put off from the shore, and made towards us. We lay by to receive them, and they were very foon ranged in a circle round us. Thefe veffels were very neatly made, and fo clean that they appeared to be quite new: none of them had fewer than three perfons on board, nor any of them more than fix. After these Indians had gazed at us some time, one of them fuddenly jumped out of his proa, fwam to the ship, and ran up the fide like a cat: as foon as he had stepped over the gunwale, he fat down upon it, and burft into a violent fit of laughter, then started up, and ran all over the fhip attempting to steal whatever he could lay his hands upon, but without fuccefs, for being stark naked, it was impoffible to conceal his booty for a moment. Our seamen put on him a jacket and trowfers, which produced great merriment, for he had all the geftures of a monkey |