1770. ROUND THE WORLD. 199 



lies in the latitude of 10 39' S., and in the longitude 

 of 218 S& W. It is formed by the main, or the 

 northern extremity of New Holland, on the S. E., 

 and by a congeries of islands, which I called the 

 Prince of Wales's Islands, to the N. W., and it is 

 probable that these islands extend quite to New 

 Guinea. They differ very much both in height and 

 circuit, and many of them seemed to be well clothed 

 with herbage and wood : upon most, if not all of 

 them, we saw smoke, and therefore there can be no 

 doubt of their being inhabited : it is also probable, 

 that among them there are at least as good passages 

 as that we came through, perhaps better, though bet- 

 ter would not need to be desired, if the access to it, 

 from the eastward, were less dangerous : that a less 

 dangerous access may be discovered, I think there is 

 little reason to doubt, and to find it, little more 

 seems to be necessary than to determine how far the 

 principal, or outer reef, which bounds the shoals to 

 the eastward, extends towards the north, which I 

 would not have left to future navigators if I had 

 been less harassed by danger and fatigue, and had 

 had a ship in better condition for the purpose. 



To this channel, or passage, I have given the name 

 of the ship, and called it Endeavour Straits. Its 

 length from N. E. to S. W. is ten leagues, and it is 

 about five leagues broad, except at the north-east en- 

 trance, where it is somewhat less than two miles, 

 being contracted by the islands which lie there. 

 That which I called Possession Island is of a moder- 

 ate height and circuit, and this we left between us 

 and the main, passing between it and two small round 

 islands which lie about two miles to the N. W. of it. 

 The two small islands, which I called Wallis's Islands, 

 lie in the middle of the south-west entrance, and 

 these we left to the southward. Our depth of water 

 in the strait was from four to nine fathom, with 

 every where good anchorage, except upon the bank, 

 which lies two leagues to the northward of Wallis's 



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