1770. September.

Tuesday 4.

Wednef. 5.

Thursday 6.

CHAP. VIII.

The Passage from New Guinea to the Island of Savu, and the Tranfactions there.

W

E made fail, from noon on Monday the 3d to noon on Tuesday the 4th, standing to the weftward, and all the time kept in foundings, having from fourteen to thirty fathom; not regular, but fometimes more, fometimes lefs. At noon on the 4th, we were in fourteen fathom, and latitude 6° 44′ S., longitude 223° 51′ W.; our course and distance fince the 3d at noon, were S. 76 W. one hundred and twenty miles to the weftward. At noon on the 5th of September, we were in latitude 7° 25′ S., longitude 225° 41′ W.; having been in foundings the whole time from ten to twenty fathom.

At half an hour after one in the morning of the next day, we passed a small island which bore from us N. N. W. diftant between three and four miles; and at day-light we difcovered another low ifland, extending from N. N. W. to N. N. E. diftant about two or three leagues. Upon this ifland, which did not appear to be very small, I believe I should have landed to examine its produce, if the wind had not blown too fresh to admit of it. When we passed this island we had only ten fathom water, with a rocky bottom; and therefore I was afraid of running down to leeward, left I should meet with fhoal water and foul ground. These islands have no place in the charts except they are the Arrou islands; and if

4

thefe,

thefe, they are laid down much too far from New Guinea. I found the fouth part of them to lie in latitude 7° 6′ S., longitude 225° W.

We continued to fteer W. S. W. at the rate of four miles and an half an hour, till ten o'clock at night, when we had forty-two fathom, at eleven we had thirty-feven, at twelve forty-five, at one in the morning forty-nine, and at three 120, after which we had no ground. At day-light, we made all the fail we could, and at ten o'clock, faw land, extending from N. N. W. to W. by N. diftant between five and fix leagues: at noon, it bore from N. to W. and at about the fame distance: it appeared to be level, and of a moderate height: by our distance from New Guinea, it ought to have been part of the Arrou Islands, but it lies a degree farther to the fouth than any of these islands are laid down in the charts; and by the latitude fhould be Timor Laoet: we founded, but had no ground with fifty fathom.

As I was not able to fatisfy myself from any chart, what land it was that I faw to leeward, and fearing that it might trend away more foutherly, the weather also being so hazy that we could not see far, I fteered S. W. and by four had loft fight of the island. I was now fure that no part of it lay to the fouthward of 8° 15′ S. and continued standing to the S. W. with an easy fail, and a fresh breeze at S. E. by E. and E. S. E.: we founded every hour, but had no bottom with 120 fathom.

1770.

September.

Thursday 6.

At day-break in the morning, we fteered W. S. W. and Friday 7, afterwards W. by S. which by noon brought us into the latitude of 9o 30'S. longitude 229° 34′ W. and by our run from New Guinea, we ought to have been within fight of Weasel Ifles, which in the charts are laid down at the distance of twenty or twenty-five leagues from the coast of New Holland;

Kk 2

1770. September.

Friday 7.

Saturday 8.

Sunday 9.

Monday to.

Tuesday 11.

land; we however faw nothing, and therefore they must have been placed erroneously; nor can this be thought ftrange, when it is confidered that not only these islands, but the coaft which bounds this fea, have been discovered and explored by different people, and at different times, and the charts upon which they are delineated, put together by others, perhaps at the distance of more than a century after the discoveries had been made; not to mention that the discoverers themselves had not all the requifites for keeping an accurate journal, of which thofe of the prefent age are poffeffed.

We continued our courfe, fteering W. till the evening of the 8th, when the variation of the compass, by several azimuths, was 12' W. and by the amplitude 5' W. At noon, on the 9th, our latitude, by obfervation, was 9° 46' S., longitude 232° 7 W. For the last two days we had fteered due W. yet, by obfervation, we made fixteen miles fouthing, fix miles from noon on the 6th to noon on the 7th, and ten miles from noon on the 7th to noon on the 8th, by which it appeared that there was a current fetting to the fouthward. At funs fet, we found the variation to be 2 W. and at the fame time, faw an appearance of very high land bearing N. W.

In the morning of the roth, we saw clearly that what had appeared to be land the night before, was Timor. At noon, our latitude, by obfervation, was 10° 1 ́S. which was fifteen miles to the fouthward of that given by the log; our longitude, by observation, was 233° 27′ W. We steered N. W. in order to obtain a more diftinct view of the land in fight, till four o'clock in the morning of the 11th, when the wind came to the N. W. and W. with which we flood to the fouthward till nine, when we tacked and stood N. W. having the wind now at W. S. W. At fun-rife, the land had appeared to extend from W. N. W. to N. E. and at noon, we could fee it

1770: September.

Tuesday 11,

extend to the weftward as far as W. by S. S. but no farther to the eastward than N. by E. We were now well affured, that as the first land we had feen was Timor, the last island we had paffed was Timor Laoet, or Laut. Laoet, is a word in the language of Malaca, fignifying Sea, and this island was named by the inhabitants of that country. The fouth part of it lies in latitude 8° 15′ S. longitude 228° 10′ W. but in the charts the fouth point is laid down in various latitudes, from 8° 30′ to 9° 30': it is indeed poffible that the land we faw might be fome other island, but the prefumption to the contrary is very strong, for if Timor Laut had lain where it is placed in the charts, we must have seen it there. We were now in latitude 9° 37′ S.; longitude, by an observation of the fun and moon, 233° 54′ W. we were the day before in 233° 27′; the difference is 27, exactly the fame that was given by the log: this, however, is a degree of accuracy in obfervation that is feldom to be expected. In the afternoon, we stood in shore till eight in the evening, when we tacked and stood off, being at the distance of about three leagues from the land, which at fun-set extended from S. W. W. to N. E.: at this time we founded, and had no ground with 140 fathom. At midnight, having but little wind, we tacked Wednef. 12. and stood in, and at noon the next day, our latitude, by ob fervation, was 9° 36′ S. This day, we saw smoke on shore in feveral places, and had seen many fires during the night. The land appeared to be very high, rising in gradual slopes one above another: the hills were in general covered with thick woods, but among them we could diftinguish naked fpots of a confiderable extent, which had the appearance of having been cleared by art. At five o'clock in the afternoon, we were within a mile and a half of the fhore, in fixteen fathom water, and abreast of a small inlet into the low land, which lies in latitude 9° 34′ S. and probably is the same that

Dampier

1770. September.

Wednes. 12.

Thursday 13.

Friday 14.

Dampier entered with his boat, for it did not feem to have fufficient depth of water for a ship. The land here answered well to the description that he has given of it: close to the beach it was covered with high spiry trees, which he mentions as having the appearance of pines; behind these there feemed to be falt water creeks, and many mangroves, interspersed however with cocoa-nut trees: the flat land at the beach appeared in fome places to extend inward two or three miles before the rife of the first hill; in this part, however, we faw no appearance of plantations or houses, but great fertility, and from the number of fires, we judged that the place must be well peopled.

I

When we had approached within a mile and an half of the shore, we tacked and stood off, and the extreams of the coast then extended from N. E. by E. to W. by S. S. The fouth westerly extremity was a low point, distant from us about three leagues. While we were standing in for the fhore, we founded several times, but had no ground till we came within about two miles and a half, and then we had five and twenty fathom, with a foft bottom. After we had tacked, we flood off till midnight, with the wind at S.; we then tacked and stood two hours to the weftward, when the wind veered to S. W. and W. S. W. and we then flood to the fouthward again. In the morning, we found the variation to be 1° 10′ W. by the amplitude, and by the azimuth 1° 27′. At noon, our latitude was, by observation, 9° 45′ S. our longitude 234° 12′ W.; we were then about feven leagues distant from the land, which extended from N. 31 E. to W. S. W. W.

I

༧

With light land breezes from W. by N. for a few hours in a morning, and sea breezes from S. S. W. and S. we advanced to the weftward but flowly. At noon on the 14th, we were between fix and feven leagues from the land, which ex

tended