OF LA PER0USE. 299 



On the 19th, being in the latitude ofc i&' 

 fouth, and longitude of 130 52' eaft, and at two 

 kilometers diftance from New Guinea, we found- 

 ed with a line of a hundred fathoms, without 

 itrikmg ground. 



The. rft indications we had of this country 

 being inhabited, were two fires, the fmokc of 

 which we faw rifing from the foot of the large 

 trees fituated near the coaft. 



We were at this time not far from the Cape of 

 Good Hope of New Guinea, which we doubled, 

 at the diftance of two kilometers. It is in lati- 

 tude o 20' fouth, and i3o34.'eaft. We were 

 aftonifhed that Forreft, in other refpe&s a very 

 accurate navigator, fhould have been fo greatly 

 miftaken with refpect: to its true latitude; that 

 which he has given differed from ours, by being 

 more than a third of a degree to the northward. 



The eafterly variation of the compafs, after 

 having gradually diminiilied, was now no more 

 than a degree and a half eaft. 



Being detained by the calms, we were waiting. 

 in order to range along the coaft of New Guinea 

 for the fea breeze, which did not ipring up till 

 about three o'clock in the afternoon. Thg banks 

 of the more were, for the mo ft part, perpen- 

 dicular. I remarked, however, a few fpots, the 

 gentle declivity of which afforded a (mall fandy 

 beach, where it would have been eafy to land. 



In 



