fathoms j and then fuppofed that we paffed near fome part of that great fhoal,
fetching round part of theiiland of Hogeland, on the north of Carpentaria.
On the 26th, we fleered weft all day, with a fine'breeze from the eaft, and
deepened our water to twenty-five fathoms, in latitude io° 1 o'.
On the 27th, fleering northward for the coaft of New Guinea, we were fur-
prized again by the appearance of a fhoal all round us j on examination, however,
we found it was only a fort of fpawn fwimming upon the water, fuch as we had
often feen before, that gave it that appearance. We had, on this day, twenty-
nine fathoms water and under. Latitude 90 56'.
On the 28th, about noon, we got into very broken ground, the foundings being,
on a fudden, from three fathoms to ten, and continued very irregular all the afternoon,
with hard ground. This, however, did not prevent us from making all
the fail we could, and without a boat ahead. About four o’clock in the afternoon',
we fa w low land. Toward the evening it blew very hard from the S'. E. and we
flood E. N. E. and were in great danger of ftriking. As the water wasfo fhoal, we
flood backwards and forwards all night j and, through the good providence of
GoJ, met with no accident. Latitude 8° 54/.
On the 29th, we flood in for the land of New Guinea, which looked very flat,
and was covered with trees, among which we faw a great many palms that overtopped
the reft j but whether there were cocoa-nuts we could not get near enough,
for the fhoals, to determine. We faw an opening which had the appearance of a
river’s niouth j and many fmokes on the land. In the afternoon we were abreaft
of a point of land, which we fuppofed was that diftinguifhed in the maps by the
name of Cape Valfch, or Falfe Cape : From this cape the land continued low, but
did not tend to the S.E. as we expefted. We could not keep near the fhore, the
foundings being only from five tb ten fathoms, at three or four leagues diftance from
land. The 'water Was very white and muddy, like that of a river, and had a
fandy bottom. Latitude 8° 19'.
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On the 30th] we coafted along about three or four leagues from the land, which
was very flat. Our foundings were much the fame as the day before. This fand-bank
extends about a league farther out to fea, as we judged from the dark-coloured
water which we faw from the thip. In the evening, the land feemed to end in a
point, and tend away to the north. The fea was very full of fome fluff like chaff,
and we faw fomefmoke upon land. Latitude 8° 39'.
On the 31ft, in the night, a current carried us away fo far to weftward, that it
was evening, the next day, before we made land again. We were now pretty
certain that we had got round Cape Valfch by the fmoothnefs of the water, and
thought the fand-bank would have broken off here, bat it rather increaféd, for we
had only four fathoms water, and, at the fame time, could not fee the land.
After beating about for three days in quell of land, being prevented getting in
with it by the wind fetting eaft, on the 3d, in the morning, we made the coaft
again, and approached to within three or four leagues of the fhore : A party of
our people went, in the pinnace, to examine the country while we flood off and
on. They foon returned with an account that a great number of the natives
threatened' them on the beach, who had pieces of bamboo, or canes, in their
hands, out of which they puffed fome fmoke, and then threw fome darts at them
about a fathom long, made of reeds, and pointed of Etoa wood, which were barbed,
but very blunt. Our people fired-upon them, but they did not appear to be intimidated
; our men, therefore, thought proper to embark. They obfervedr that
thefe' people were not negroes, as has been reported, but are much like the
natives' of New Holland, having (hock hair, and being entirely naked. They
alfo faw a plenty of cocoa-nuts growing on the trees, as well às lying in heaps
on the ground ; and plantains, bread-fruit, and Peea. The country appeared very
fertile, having a great number of different forts of trees; which formed very thick
woods. The foil is very rich, and produces much lafger plants than grow on the
iflands. Latitude 6“ j 5'.
On the 5th, in the morning, which was moon-light, about one o’clock, we
paffed two- low iflands, which, we fuppofed, are the fouthermoft of the Arow
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