L O R D A N S O N ’ S V O Y A G E 3 4 -2
halyard, and railing the yard, and carrying the heel of it along the
lee-fide of the Proa, they fix it in the oppofite Pocket; whilft the
boom at the fame time, by letting fly the Iheet (M), and hauling
the Iheet, (N) Fig. i, fhifts into a contrary fituation to what it had
before, and that which was the Hern of the Proa, now becomes
the head, and (he is trimmed on the other tack. When it is ne-
ceflary to reef or furl the fail, this is done by rolling it round the
boom. The Proa generally carries fix or feven Indians; two of
which are placed in the head and (tern, who (leer the veflel alternately
with a paddle according to the tack (he goes on, he in the
ftern being the fteerfman ; the other Indians are employed either in
baling out the water which (he accidentally (hipsi or in Petting and
trimming the fail. From the delcription of thefe velfels it is fuf-
ficiently obvious, how dextroufly they are fitted for ranging this
collection of Illands called the Ladrones: Since as thefe lilands bear
nearly N. and S. of each other, and are all within the limits of the
trade-wind, the Proas, by failing mod excellently on a wind, and
With either end foremoft, can run from one of thefe Illands to the
other and back again, only by (hifting the fail, without ever put-
tihg about; and, by the flatnefs o f their lee-lide, and their fmall
breadth, they:are capable of lying much nearer the wind than any
other veflel hitherto known, and thereby have an advantage, which
no Ve-flels that go large can ever pretend to : The advantage I mean
is that of running with a velocity nearly as great, and perhaps fome-
timeS greater than what the wind blows with. This, however
paradoxical it may appear, is evident enough in fimilar inftances on
(bore : Since it is well 'known, that the fails o f a windmill, often
move fafter than the wind; and one great fuperiority of common
windmills over all others, thatever were or ever will be contrived
to move with an horizontal motion, is analogous to the <cafe ,we
have mentioned of a veflel'oipon n wind and before the windu For
the fails-of an horizontal Windmill, the fafter they move, the more
they detract from the impulfe o f the wind upon them j whereas
the
the common windmills, by moving perpendicular to the wriayjt of
air, are nearly as forcibly aCted on by the wind, when they ate.ip
motion».'3« when they are-at. reft. . .
Thus much may fuffice as to the defcrrption and nature o f thefe
Angular embarkations. I muft add, that-veflels beatingfomeob-
feure refembbmce to-thefe, are-to be met with u> various parts of
the •BoH^IndSes, 'but nane of them, that l.can learn, to b.e.ccm-
nared with -thefe of<he Ladrones, .eitherfor .theit copltuiaian ot
celerity which would induce one to .believe, that thjs^was .originally
thé invention of feme genius of. thefe Iflarids, andwttS afterwards
imperfealy copied by the neighbouring nations . For though
the Ladrlnes have no immediate intercourfe with any other people,
there lie to the S. and S. W . of them a great number of Illands
which are imagined^ extend to the coaft of New Guinea. Thefe
I (lands are fo nwr the Ladrones, that canoes from them have fome-
times by diftrefs, been driven to Guam; and the Spaniards did
oTce difpatch a bark for their difcovery, which left two Jefuits
amongft them, who were afterwards murdered: Whence it may
— I that the inhabitants of th. Ladrones, with their Proas
may by dorms or cafnalties, have be.en driven amongft thofe Illands.
1 (hould conceive, that the fame range o f Iflands ftretches
I Ü c i as Well as to the S. W. and to a prodigious diftance: For
Ibouten who traverfed the-South part of the Pacific Ocean in the
I f i ffiet with a large double canoe full of people, above a
y.ea f u^ieagües from the Ladrones towards the S. E. I f that
■ canoeSwas arty diftant imitation of the flying Proa, which
fs°no very improbable conjectureI it muft then be fuppofed, that
■ a range of Iflands, near enough to each other to be capable of an
accidental communication, is continued.thither from the Ladrones.
T h l feems to be farther evincedfrom hence, that all thofe who
This teem - ■ t0 the Eafi-Indtes in afouthern latitude,
I Z l never f i l e d o f difeovering feveral very fmall Iflands feattered
_tV.ni- immp.nfc ocean.. . -