P r in c e o f
W a l e s ’ s
ISLES.
T o r r e s ’ s
S t r e i g h t s .
F i r e - a r m s .
We muft therefore fteer along another dotted line till we
arrive at Prince of Wales's iilands, Lat. io° 33' fouth, Long. 142,"
eaft. The largeft is long and narrow, and lies parallel with the
coaft. This part o f the fea between New Guinea and New Holland
is called Torres's ftreights, for having been paffed in 1606
by Don Baes de Torres, admiral under Fernandez Suiros; corre-
fpondent to them, beyond another fet of iilands, named alfo the
Prince of Wales's, is the Endeavour ftreight, paffed, as X have
before mentioned, by our boafted Cook.
In proceeding along the coafts, I find names o f places, but
nothing more. Captain Cook, on his quitting the coaft o f New
Holland, crofled the intervening water, and touched in Lat. 6° 13'
at a place on this fide o f New Guinea, to which he has neither
left a name, nor yet even the mark o f landing in his chart. We
are told that it lay fixty-five leagues to the north-eaft of Waelche
cape. The country was low, but covered with fuch a luxuriancy
o f wood and herbage as fcarcely can be conceived; and among
them fuch numbers o f aromatic trees, as perfumed the air even
at a diftance from ihore. The natives were hoftije, went quite
naked, and had much the appearance o f the New Hollanders.
They ihouted defiance, and from a ihort flick or hollow cane
they fwung in their hands, was emitted flaihes of fire, exaftly
like the effe<ft o f gunpowder; thefe explofions were innocent,
nor could our navigators ever learn the caufe. After each explo-
fion, which was done by a fingle man, his companions flung their
bearded darts. All that we learn farther o f this < country is, that
it produced fine cocoa-nuts, plantanes, and bread fruit.
C afx
P A P U A S L A N D . 233
C a p e Waelche or Waljh, the moft weftern point o f this coaft, C a p e
W a e l c h e ,
lies in Lat. 8° 32' fouth, Long. 1370 eaft. From hence the -
land runs ftrait, inclining to the north-eaft, when it takes
another turn towards the north-weft‘. The fpace between the
trendings is occupied by the. trait, marked in Mr. Arrowfmitb's
map as pervious by two ftreights. The Arrou ifles lie tranf-
verfe, at fome diftance from this part o f New Guinea.
F a r t h e r to the north-weft, nearly parallel to the end o f
Ceram, is Frejhwater bay, in Lat. i° 33' fouth. This was viftted
by Dampier in 1699. The country was wooded and mounta-
nous, like the other parts o f New Guinea, and the trees o f great
fize; here his people killed one of thofe magnificent pigeons
called the crowned. The bay received its name from the plenty
o f frelh water; and another,a little farther north, was called
Mackerel bay, from the great quantity of that fiih, or one refem- m a c k e r e l B a t .
bling it, which was taken there.
O p p o s i t e to this bay, in Lat. 2° 4 3 ' fouth, is Pulo Sabuda, p 0io S a i u d a .
a lofty ifland, about three leagues long and two broad, not far
from the coaft of New Guinea; it is in general rocky, but fo
mixed with rich yellow and black foil, as to be produdtive of
many of the tropical fruits and trees. The fago tree and the
Jacca are found there. The natives gave Dampier two or three
nutmegs, feemingly freih gathered ; but he could not tell whether
they were the produce o f the ifle or o f New Guinea. The
inhabitants do not feem to be aboriginal. They are tawny, have
long black hair, and differ little from the Mindanayans, and the
people of the other eaftern ifles ; the women wear a callico co-
V o t. IV. H h vering;