CHA P. X.

The Run from King George's Islands to the Ilands of Saypan, Tinian, and Aguigan; with an Account of feveral lands that were discovered in that Track.

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E pursued our courfe to the westward the 1765. fame day, and the next, about three June. o'clock in the afternoon, we saw land again, bear- Thurf. 13. ing S. S. W. diftant about fix leagues. We immediately stood for it, and found it to be a low and very narrow ifland, lying eaft and weft: we ran along the south 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 diftance, and many rocks and fmall islands fcattered at about three leagues from the fhore. 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 the PRINCE OF WALES'S ISLAND. It lies in lati- Prince of tude 15° S. and the westermoft end of it in lon- Mand. gitude 151° 53′ W. It is diftant from King George's Inlands about eight and forty leagues, in the direction of S. 80 W.; the variation here was 5° 30′ E.

Wales's

From the western extremity of this ifland, we sunday 16. fteered N. 82 W. and at noon on the 16th, were

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in

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1765. in latitude 14° 28′ S., longitude 156° 23′ W.; the variation being 7° 40′ E. The wind was now Sunday 16. easterly, and 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 some days before, we faw vast flocks of birds, which we obferved always took their flight to the fouthward when evening was coming on. These 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 discovery, if our people had been healthy, for having obferved that all the islands we had feen were full of inhabitants, I was still more confirmed in my opinion; as I could account for their being peopled only by fuppofing a chain of islands reaching to a continent; but the fickness of the crews, in both fhips, was an infuperable impediment.

Monday 17.

The next day, we again faw many birds of various forts about the fhip, and therefore supposed that fome other inland 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 islands in this part of the ocean render the navigation very dangerous, they being fo low, that a ship may be close in with them before they are seen. We faw nothing, however, Wednef. 19. on the 18th, the 19th, nor the 20th, during which

Tuesday 18.

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we

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Thurfd. 20.

we continued to steer the fame course, though the birds ftill continued about the veffel in great numbers. Our latitude was now 12° 38′ S., longitude 167° 47′ W. The Prince of Wales's Inland was diftant three hundred and thirteen leagues, and the variation of the needle was 9° 15′ E. The next morning about feven o'clock, we difcovered a Friday 21. most 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 maft-head, bearing W. N. W. and distant about eight leagues: it had the appearance of three islands, with rocks and broken ground between them. The fouth east fide of these 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 sea breaks to a tremendous height. We failed round the north end, and upon the northweft and weft fide, faw innumerable rocks and fhoals, which stretched near two leagues into the fea, and were extremely dangerous. The islands themselves had a more fertile and beautiful appearance than any we had seen before, and, like the reft, fwarmed with people, whofe habitations we saw standing in clusters all along the coaft. We faw alfo a large veffel under fail, at a little diftance from the fhore; but to our unspeakable 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 advan

June.

1755. tage we might procure. At this time, I took thefe for part of the islands called Solomon's Friday 21. Islands, and was in hopes that I fhould 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 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 fteered 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 squall of wind, with rain, rendered the more neceffary. About nine o'clock, having just gone down into my cabbin, I heard a great noise above, and when I inquired what was the matter, I was told that the Tamar, who was ahead, had fired a gun, and that our people faw breakers to leeward: I ran instantly 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 therefore bore away after the Tamar, but did not get fight of her till an hour afterwards,

Nothing

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June.

Monday 24.

Nothing worthy of notice happened till Monday 1765. the 24th, when, about ten o'clock in the morning, we discovered another ifland, 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 Inland: it is near thirty miles in circumference, a dreadful fea breaks upon almost every part of the coast, 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 refreshments for the fick : they landed with great difficulty, and brought off about two hundred cocoa-nuts, which to perfons in our circumftances, were an ineftimable treasure. The people who were on fhore, reported that there were no figns of its having ever been inhabited, but that they found thousands of sea fowl fitting upon their nests, which were built in high trees: these birds were fo tame that they fuffered themfelves 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 inland was the fame that in the Neptune François is called Maluita, and laid down about a degree to the eastward of the great ifland of Saint Elizabeth, which is the