CHAPTER XIV 
AUSTRALIA TO SAVU ISLAND 
Aug. 27—Srpt. 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. 
27th 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 Conferve. 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 
