BOATS OF THE ABORIGINES. 101 
Dampier (1686), Woodes Rogers (1710), Anson (1742), and Crozet 
(1772). Dampier’s description is as follows: “ 
The natives are very ingenious beyond any people in making boats, or ‘‘proes,’’ 
as they are called in the East-Indies, and therein they take great delight. These 
are built sharp at both ends. The bottom is of one piece, made like the bottom of a 
little canoa, very neatly dug and left of a good substance. This bottom part is 
instead of a keel. It is about 26 or 28 foot long. The under part of this keel is made 
round, but inclining to a wedge and smooth, and the upper part is almost flat, hav- 
ing a very gentle hollow, and is about a foot broad. From: hence both sides of the 
boat are carried up to about 5 foot high with narrow plank, not above 4 or 5 inches 
broad, and each end of the boat turns up round very prettily. But what is very 
singular, one side of the boat is made perpendicular, like a wall, while the other side 
is rounding, made as other vessels are, with a pretty full Jelly. Just in the middle 
it is about 4 or 5 foot broad aloft, or more, according to the length of the boat. 
The mast stands exactly in the middle, with along yard that peeps up and down 
like a mizzen-yard. One end of it reacheth down to the end or head of the boat, 
where it is placed in a notch that is made there purposely to receive it and keep it 
fast. The other end hangs over the stern. To this yard the sail is fastened. At the 
foot of the sail there is another small yard to keep the sail out square and to roll up 
the sail on when it blows hard; for it serves instead of a reef to take up the sail to 
what degree they please, according to the strength of the wind, Along the belly 
side of the boat, parallel with it, at about 6 or 7 foot distant, lies another small boat, 
or canoa, being a log of very light wood, almost as long as the great boat, but not so 
wide, being not above a foot and an half wide at the upper part and very sharp like 
a wedge at each end. And there are two bamboes of about 8 or 10 foot long and as 
big as ones leg placed over the great boat’s side, one near each end of it, and reach- 
ing about 6 or 7 foot from the side of the boat, by the help of which the little boat is 
made firm and contiguous to the other. These are generally called by the Dutch 
and by the English from them “outlayers.’’> The use of them is to keep the great 
boat upright from oversetting * * * and the vessel having a head at each end, 
so as to sail with either of them foremost (indifferently) they need not tack, or go 
about, as all our vessels do, but each end of the boat serves either for head or stern 
as they please. When they ply to the windward and are minded to go about he 
that steers bears away a little from the wind, by which means the stern comes to the 
wind, which is now become the head only by shifting the end of the yard. This 
boat is steered with a broad paddle instead of a rudder, 
I have been the more particular in describing these boats, because Ido believe they 
sail the best of any boats in the world. IT did here for my own satisfiaction try the 
swiftness of one of them. Sailing by our log, we had 12 knots on our reel, and she 
run it all out before the half-minute glass was half out; which, if it had been no 
more, is after the rate of 12 mile an hour; but I do believe she would have run 24 
mile an hour. It was very pleasant to see the little boat running along so swift by 
the other’s side. 
The native Indians are no less dextrous in managing than in building these boats. 
By report they will go hence to another of the Ladrone Islands about 30 leagues off 
and there do their business and return again in less than 12 hours. I was told that 
one of these boats was sent express to Manila, which is about 400 leagues, and per- 
formed the voyage in 4 days time. There are of these proes, or boats, used in many 
places of the East-Indies, but with a belly [curve] and a little boat [outrigger] on 
each side. Only at Mindanao I saw one like these, with the belly and little boat 
only on one side and the other flat, but not so neatly built. 
«New voyage, pp. 298 to 300, 1717. bOr ‘“outriggers.”’ 
