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⚫and fqualls with rain, the wind blowing very unsteadi

1767.

Sptember

ly from E. S. E. to E. N. E. till the 22d, when it became variable. Our latitude was then 53' S. longitude Tuesday 2140° 5' E. the variation was 4° 40' E.

On the 24th we saw two small iflands to the fouth- Thurf. 24. weft, but it being calm, with light airs, and a strong wefterly current, we could not get nearer to them than four or five leagues: they had a green, pleafant appearance, and were well covered with trees; but whether they are inhabited I do not know. They run about N. W. by W. S. E. by E. One is about three miles long, and the other about fix: the paffage between them appeared to be about two miles broad. They lie in latitude 22'S. longitude 138° 29' E. and I gave them the name of STEPHENS'S ISLANDS. We kept fteering N. Stephen's W. by W. with a light variable wind, and a ftrong Inlands. north-weft current.

On the 25th we faw land a-head, which proved to be Friday 25. three small islands; and before it was dark, we got pretty near them. Several canoes foon came off, filled with the natives, who, after making figns of peace, came on board without the leaft fign of fear or miftruft: they had nothing with them but a few cocoa-nuts, which they fold with great joy for a few pieces of an iron hoop; we foon found that they were not unacquainted with that metal which they called Parram, and they made us understand, by figns that a fhip like ours fometimes touched their islands for refreshment. I gave one of them three pieces of an old iron hoop, each about four inches long, which threw him into an extacy little short of distraction: I could not but fympathize in his joy, nor obferve, without great pleasure, the changes of countenance, and extravagance of gefture, by which it was expreffed. All these people indeed appeared to be more fond of iron than any we had feen before, and I am fure, that for iron tools we might have purchafed every thing upon the islands which we could have brought away. They are of the Indian copper colour, the first of that complexion that we had feen in these parts, with fine long black hair, and little beards, for we obferved that they were continually plucking the hair from their chin and upper lip by the roots. Their features are pleafing, and their teeth remarkably white

and

1767. and even: they were of the common stature, but nimSeptember. ble, vigorous, and active in a surprising degree, running up to the mast-head much faster than our own people. Their difpofition was free and open, they eat and drank whatever was given them, went without hesitation into every part of the ship, and were as familiar and merry with the crew, as if they had been of long and intimate acquaintance. They were not, like the people on all the other islands that we had vifited, quite naked, though they had only a flight covering for the waift, which confifted of a narrow piece of fine matting. Their canoes were very well and neatly made, having a hollow tree for the bottom, and planks for the fides, with a fail of fine matting, and an outrigger: their ropes and netting were also very good. They urged us ftrongly to go on fhore, offering to leave an equal number of their own people behind, as a pledge of their safe return; and indeed I would gladly have confented if it had been in my power, but a strong wefterly current hurried me to fo great a distance, that I had no opportunity to feek for anchorage, and night coming on, we purfued our course. When our visitors perceived this, one of them infifted upon going with us, and, notwithstanding all that I and his companions could fay or do, obftinately refused to go on fhore. As I thought it poffible that this man might be the means of our making fome useful difcovery, I did not put him a-fhore by force, but indulged him in his defire: we learnt from him that there were other islands to the northward, the inhabitants of which he faid had iron, and always killed his countrymen when they could catch them out at fea. It was with great concern that I perceived this poor fellow, whom I called Jofeph Freewill, from his readiness to go withus, became gradually fickly after he had been fome time at fea: he lived till I got to the iflands of Celebes, and there died. As the islands from which I had taken him were very small and low, the largest being not more than five miles in compafs, I was furprised to fee with how many of the productions of Celebes he was acquainted; betide the cocoa-nut and palm, he knew the beetle-nut and the lime, and the moment he got a bread-fruit, he went to the fire and roast

ed

1767.

ed it in the embers. He made us understand alfo, that in his country they had plenty of fifh, and turtle in their season. It is however very probable, notwithstanding September. the number of people who fubfift upon these islands, that they have no fresh water but what falls in rain : how they catch and preferve it, I had no opportunity to learn, but I never met with a spring in a spot so small and low, and in fuch a place I believe no spring was ever found. The largest of these islands, which the natives call Pegan, and to which I gave the name of FREEWILL ISLAND, lies fifty minutes north of the line, Freewill and in 137° 51' eaft longitude. They are all furround- Island. ed by a reef of rocks. The chart of these islands I drew from the Indian's description, who delineated them with chalk upon the deck, and afcertained the depth of water by ftretching his arms as a fathom.

I now steered N. W. by N. to get from under the fun, and had light winds at E. S. E. with which almost any ship but the Swallow would have made good way, but with every poffible advantage she went at a heavy rate. We now found our variation begin again to decrease, as will appear by the following table:

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On the 28th, being in latitude 2° 53' N. longitude Monday 28. 136° 10' E. we fell in with a very dangerous fhoal, which is about eleven or twelve miles in circuit, and furrounded with small stones that just shew themfelves above water. We found here a strong northerly current, but could not determine whether it inclined to the east or west.

In the evening we difcovered from the mast-head another ifland to the fouthward of us: the east end of it feemed to rife in a peak, and had the appearance of a fail, but we did not go near enough to fee any thing of it from the deck. I fuppofe its latitude to be about 2° 50' N. and its longitude, caft of London, about 1 36° 10′E.

We

1767.

October.

Monday 12.

Current
Inland.

We continued to have a current to the northward, till Monday the 5th of October, when, being in latitude Monday 5. 4° 30' N. I found it foutherly, and very strong; I had, among other deficiencies and misfortunes, no fmall boat, on board, fo that I could not try these currents, which I had a great defire to do; but I am of opinion, that when the current fet fouthward it inclined to the east, and that when it fet northward it inclined to the west. On Monday the 12th, we difcovered a fmall ifland with trees upon it, though scarcely bigger than a rock, and I called it CURRENT ISLAND. It lies in latitude 40 40' N. longitude 14° 24' W. of Queen Charlotte's Foreland. The next day we discovered two other Saint An- fmall islands, which I called SAINT ANDREW's IsLANDS: they lie in latitude 5° 8' N. longitude 14° 47' W. of Queen Charlotte's Foreland. I called the fmall ifland Current Ifland, because we had here a foutherly current fo ftrong that it set us from twenty-four to thirty miles fouthward every day, befides the difference it might make in our longitude. The wind was now variable, blowing by turns from every point in the compafs, with much rain, and hard fqualls. On Tuesday the Tuesday 20. 20th, being in latitude 8° N. it blew with such violence that we were obliged to lie to fixty-four hours. This gale, which made a very great fea, I fuppofed to be the Thifting of the monfoon, and notwithstanding the foutherly current, it drove us, while we lay to, as far as ninè degrees northward.

drew's Inlands.

Monday 26.

CHAP. VIII.

Some Account of the Coast of Mindanao, and the Islands near it, in which feveral Mistakes of Dampier are corrected.

N the 26th we difcovered land again; but not be→

ON

ing able to make an observation, we could ascertain our latitude and longitude only by our dead reckoning; the next day, however, was more favourable, Tuesday 27. and I then found the effect of the current had been fo great, that I was obliged to add to the log S. W. by S. no less than 64 miles for the last two days. We now knew that the land we had feen was the north-east part of the island of Mindanao: as I had many fick people on board, and was in the most preffing need of refreshments, I determined to try what could be procured in

a bay

1767

October.

a bay which Dampier has defcribed as lying on the fouth-eaft part of the ifland, and which, he fays, furnished him with great plenty of deer from a Savannah. I therefore coafted that fide of the island, and that I might be fure not to miss the bay, I fent out the Lieutenant with a boat and a proper number of hands, to keep in shore a-head of the ship. No fuch bay however was to be found, but at the very fouthermoft extremity of the island they opened a little nook, at the bottom of which was a town, and a fort. As foon as our boats were discovered by the people on fhore, they fired a great gun, and fent off three boats or canoes full of people. As the Lieutenant had not a fufficient force to oppose them, he made towards the ship, and the canoes chaced him till they came within fight of her, and being then over-matched in their turn, they thought fit to go back. Being thus disappointed in my fearch of Dampier's Bay and Savannah, I would have anchored off this town notwithstanding these hostile appearances, if it had not been neceffary first to get up fome guns from the hold, and make a few neceffary repairs in the rigging; this however being the cafe, I ran a little to the eastward, where, on the 2d of November, I came to an anchor in a little bay, having a bottom of foft mud, and seven fathoms Mond. 2. of water, at the distance of a cable's length from the fhore; the westermoft point of the bay bore W. S. W. distant about three miles; the eastermost point bore E. by S. diftant about one mile; a river, which empties itfelf into the bay about N. W. and the peak of an Island, called Hummock Island, S. 7° E. diftant about five leagues. Before it was dark the fame day, our two boats went to the river, and brought off their loads of water: they faw no figns of ir habitants where they were on fhore, but we obferved a canoe come round the westermost point of the bay, which we supposed had been difpatched from the town, to learn what we were, or at least to see what we were doing. As foon as I difcovered this canoe, I hoifted English colours, and was not without hope that she would come on board, but, after viewing us fome time, the returned. As we had feen no inhabitants, nor any figns of inhabitants, where we got our water, I intended to procure a further fupply the next day from the fame place, and endeavour alto to recruit our wood; but about nine o'clock at night,

November.

we

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