1770- ROUND THE WORLD. 245 



the plantations, which were inclosed by a fence, 

 reached almost to the tops of the highest hills. We 

 saw, however, neither people nor cattle, though our 

 glasses were continually employed, at which we were 

 not a little surprised. 



We continued our course, with little variation, till 

 nine o'clock in the morning of the 16th, when, we 

 saw the small island called Rotte ; and at noon the 

 island Semau, lying off the south end of Timor, 

 bore N. W. 



Dampier, who has given a large description of the 

 island of Timor, says, that it is seventy leagues long, 

 and sixteen broad, and that it lies nearly N. E. and 

 S. W. I found the east side of it to lie nearest N. E. 

 by E. and S. W. by W., and the south end to lie in 

 latitude 10 23' S,, longitude 236 5' W. We ran 

 about forty-five leagues along the east side, and 

 found the navigation altogether free from danger. 

 The land, which is bounded by the sea, except near 

 the south end, is low for two or three miles within 

 the beach, and in general intersected by salt creeks : 

 behind the low land are mountains, winch rise one 

 above another to a considerable height. We steered 

 W. N. W. till two in the afternoon, when being with- 

 in a small distance of the north end of Rotte, we 

 hauled up N. N. W. in order to go between it and 

 Semau : after steering three leagues upon this course, 

 we edged away N. W. and W., and by six we were 

 clear of all the islands. At this time, the south part 

 of Semau, which lies in latitude 10 15' S., bore 

 N. E., distant four leagues, and the island of Rotte 

 extended as far to the southward as S. 36 W. The 

 north end of this island, and the south end of Timor, 

 lie N. 1 E. and S. % W., and are about three or four 

 leagues distant from each other. At the west end of 

 the passage between Rotte and Semau, are two small 

 islands, one of which lies near the Rotte shore, and 

 the other off the south-west point of Semau : there is 

 a good channel between them, about six miles broad, 



R 3 



