1770* ROUND THE WORLD. 241 



when we had forty-two fathom, at eleven we had 

 thirty-seven, at twelve forty-five, at one in the morn- 

 ing forty-nine, and at three 120, after which we had 

 no ground. At day-light, we made ail the sail we 

 could, and at ten o'clock, saw land, extending from 

 N. N. W. to W. by N., distant between five and six 

 leagues : at noon, it bore from N. to W., and at 

 about the same distance : it appeared to be level, and 

 of a moderate height. By our distance from New 

 Guinea, it ought to have been part of the Arrou 

 islands, but it lies a degree farther to the south than 

 any of these islands are laid down in the charts ; and 

 by the latitude should be Timor Laoet : we sounded, 

 but had no ground with fifty fathom. 



As I was not able to satisfy myself from any chart, 

 what land it was that I saw to leew T ard, and fearing 

 that it might trend away more southerly, the weather 

 also being so hazy that we could not see far, I steered 

 S. W., and by four had lost sight of the island. I 

 was now sure that no part of it lay to the southward 

 of 8 15' S., and continued standing to the S. W. with 

 an easy sail, and a fresh breeze at S. E. by E. and 

 E. S. E. : we sounded every hour, but had no bot- 

 tom with 120 fathom. 



At day-break, in the morning, we steered W. S. W., 

 and afterwards W. by S., which by noon brought us 

 into the latitude of 9 30' S., longitude 229 34' W., and 

 by our run from New Guinea, we ought to have been 

 within sight of Weasel isles, which in the charts are 

 laid down at the distance of twenty or twenty-five 

 leagues from the coast of New Holland ; we, however, 

 saw nothing, and, therefore, they must have been 

 placed erroneously ; nor can this be thought strange, 

 when it is considered that not only these islands, but the 

 coast which bounds this sea, have been discovered and 

 explored by different people, and at different times, and 

 the charts upon which they are delineated, put toge- 

 ther by others, perhaps at the distance of more than 

 a centurv after the discoveries had been made ; not 



VOL. II. R 



