C H A P . VIII.
The Pajfage from ]Vew Guinea to the ijland o f Saitu, and
the TranfaSiions there.
T T 7 E made fail, from noon on Monday the 3d to noon on
September. W Tuefday the 4th, Handing to the weftward, and all
Tuefdajr 4. 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 courfe and diftance
fince the 3d at noon, wereS. 76 W. one hundred and twenty
Wednef. ?. miles to the weftward. At noon on the 5th of September,
we were in. latitude 70 25' S., longitude 2250 41' W .; having
been in foundings the whole time from ten to twenty fathom.
Thurfday 6. At half an hour after one in the morning of the next day,
we pafled a fmall illand which bore from us N. N. W. diftant
between three and four miles; and at day-light we difeo-
vered another low illand, extending from N. N. W. to N. N. E.
diftant about two or three leagues. Upon this illand, which
did not appear to be very fmall, I believe I Ihould have
landed to examine its produce, if the wind had not blown
too frelh to admit of it. When we pafled this illand we had
only ten fathom water, with a rocky bottom; and therefore
I was afraid of running down to leeward, left I Ihould meet
with Ihoal water and foul ground. Thefe lflands have no
place in the charts except they are the Arrou illands; and if
thefe,
thefe, they are laid down much too far from New Guinea.
I found the fouth part of them to lie in latitude 7 0 6' S., longitude
3 25° W.
1770.
September-.
Thurfday 6,.
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-live, 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 diftance -
it appeared, to be level, and of a moderate height: by our
diftance from New Guinea, it ought to have been part of the
Arrou Illands, but it lies a degree farther to the fouth than
any of thefe illands are laid down in the charts; and by the-
latitude Ihould be Timor Laoet: we founded, but had no
ground with fifty fathom.
: As I was not able to fatisfy myfelf from any chart, what
land it was that I faw to leeward, and fearing that it might
trend away more foutherly, the weather alfo being fo hazy
that we could not fee far, I fleered S, W. and by four had loft
fight of the illand. I was now fure that no part of it lay to-
the fouth ward of 8° 15' S. and continued Handing to the
;S, W. with an eafy fail, and a frelh breeze at S. E. by E. and
E. S.E. : we founded every hour, but had no bottom with
120 fathom.
At day-break in the morning, we fleered' W. S. W; and Friday 7 -
afterwards W. by S. which by noon brought us into the latitude
of 90 30'S, longitude 229? 34'W. and by our run from
New Guinea, we ought to have been within fight of Weafel
Illes, which in the charts- are laid' down at the diftance of
twenty or twenty-five leagues from- the eoaft of New Hob
K. k 2 land,;;
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