CHAPTEE XIV 



AUSTRALIA TO SAVU ISLAND 

 AUG. 27 SEPT. 21, 1770 



"Sea-sawdust" New Guinea Landing Vegetation Natives throw fire- 

 darts Home-sickness of the crew Coast along Timor Rotte Aurora 

 Savu Island Signs of Europeans A boat sent ashore to trade Anchor 

 Reception by natives Their Radja Mynheer Lange House of 

 Assembly Native dinner Obstacles to trading Mynheer Lange's 

 covetousness Trading Dutch policy concerning spices. 



27 th August. Lay to all night ; in the morning a fresh trade 

 and fine clear weather made us hope that our difficulties 

 were drawing to an end. It was now resolved to haul up 

 to the northward in order to make the coast of New Guinea, 

 so as to assure ourselves that we had really got clear of 

 the South Sea, which was accordingly done. At dinner- 

 time we were alarmed afresh by the usual report of a shoal 

 just ahead ; it proved, however, to be no more than a band 

 or regular layer of a brownish colour, extending upon the 

 sea, having very much the appearance of a shoal while at 

 a distance. It was formed by innumerable small atoms, 

 each scarcely half a line in length, yet, when looked at 

 under a microscope, consisting of thirty or forty tubes, each 

 hollow and divided throughout the whole length into many 

 cells by small partitions, like the tubes of Conferva. To 

 which of the three kingdoms of nature they belong I am 

 totally ignorant. I only guess that they are of a vege- 

 table nature, because on burning them I could perceive no 

 animal smell. We have before this during this voyage 

 seen them several times on the coast of Brazil and of New 



