Chap. I. Captain Willi 
NortH-weft Paffage : The Reafon whereof I attribute to 
their fearching for the Paffage at the Beginning thiriugh 
Davis’s or Hudfon’s Bay ; whereas, in my Opinion, the 
Search ought to have been begun in the South Seas, and 
thence along by California , and fo a Paffage made back into 
the Weft Seas. The fame Rule might be obferved in 
difcovering the North-eaft Paflage, viz. to winter about 
Japan , Corea , and the North-eaft Part of China, and fo 
take the Advantage of the approaching Spring and Sum- 
mer to go along the Coaft of 'Dartary, whence you may 
have time enough to reach Archangel , or fome other Port, 
on thefe Coafts. From hence we failed the 21ft towards 
California, with a North-weft and Weft North-weft Wind. 
After we came pail the Ifles of St. Maria, we had ftrong 
Winds at North North- weft, andatNorth, (the ufualTrade- 
wind) and confequently loft Ground till February 6 . fo that 
the 7th we were forced to the Eaft again, to the Marias, 
where we anchored the 7 th, at the Eaft End of the middle- 
moft of thefe Ifles, in eight Fathom, good clear Sand. This 
Ifle we called Prince George’s IJle. The Ifles called Marias 
are three Iflands, ftretching North-weft and South-eaft 
fourteen Leagues, of an indifferent Height, ftony, barren, 
and uninhabited, at 12 0 40' North Latitude, forty Leagues 
diftant from Cape St. Lucas on California, bearing Eaft 
South-eaft, and twenty Leagues from Cape Corientes , bear- 
ing upon the fame Points of the Compafs with Cape St. 
Lucas. They produce fome Cedars, and, near the Sea-fide, 
a green pricldy Plant, with Leaves not unlike the Penguin- 
leaf, and a Root like that of the Sempervive, but much 
longer. The Indians of California have a great Part of 
their Subfiftence from thefe Roots. We baked and eat 
fome of them, and found them to tafte like the Englijh 
Burdock boiled. I had been long lick of the Dropfy, fo 
I was laid in the Sand, and covered up to the Head for half 
an Hour. I fweated exceedingly, and, I believe, with good 
E fleet ; for I began to mend foon after. W e remained 
here careening till the 26th ; but as there is no frefh Water 
to be gotten here in the dry Seafon, we were forced to 
fail to the Valley of V alder as, where we anchored the 28 th, 
near the Mouth of the before-mentioned River ; which being 
alfo brackifh at this time, we failed three Leagues nearer to 
the Cape Corientes , and anchored by a fmall round Ifle, 
half a Mile from the Shore, four Leagues to the North of 
the Cape. The Rivulet, where we filled our Water, is on 
the Continent, juft oppofite to the Ifle. Being by this 
time fufficiently convinced of our Miftake concerning the 
Riches of this Coaft, and the Probability of finding fome 
Sea-ports worth our taking, founded upon an erroneous 
Opinion we had conceived, that the Commerce of this 
Country was carried on by Sea, whereas it is intirely ma- 
naged by Land, by the Help of Mules, we were the fooner 
prevailed upon to try our Fortune in the Eaft Indies. 
49. Our Men, being encouraged with the Hopes of bet- 
ter Succefs for the future, and thro’ the Perfuafions of Cap- 
tain Swan, failed from Cape Corientes March 31. with the 
Land-wind at Eaft North-eaft, till they got four Leagues 
at Sea, when a frefh Sea-wind at Weft North-weft carried 
us by Night nine Leagues South-weft from the Cape. Next 
Morning, the Sea-wind blowing brifkly at North North- 
eaft, we were, at Noon, thirty Leagues from the Cape ; 
for, fo foon as you are clear of the Shore and Land-winds, 
the Sea Breezes are at Eaft North-eaft, where it ftood, till 
we found ourfelves within forty Leagues of Guam. After 
the firft Day, we advanced apace in our Voyage, having 
very fair Weather, and a frelh Trade-wind. At our firft 
fetting out, we directed our Courfe to 13 0 North Latitude, 
which is much the fame Latitude with Guam .- Then we 
fleered W eft in that Latitude. In all this V oyage, we law 
neither Filh nor Fowl, except once, being then, according 
to my Account, 5975 Miles Weft from Cape Corientes in 
the Kingdom of Mexico, when we faw a vaft Number of 
Boobies, fuppofed to come from fome Rocks not far off, 
and mentioned in fome hydrographical Maps (but we did 
not fee them). After we had failed 1900 Miles, our Men 
began to murmur ; but, being encouraged with fair Words 
by Captain Swan, we failed forward ; and, feeing fome 
Clouds fetting in the W eft, they were looked upon as the 
Forerunners of Land. May 20. at four o’Clock in the 
Afternoon, being in 12 0 55' North Latitude, and fteering 
Numb. VIII, 
AM DamPIER; IO3' 
Weft, we difcovered, to bur great Joy, the Ifle of Guam , 
at eight Leagues Di fiance ; for, as our Bark patted over a 
rocky Shole, and no fuch Shole is in the Spanijh Charts, we 
were hot a little doubtful, whether the Land we faw was 
the Ifle of Guam for we had only three Days Provifion 
left. Now the Ifle of Guam bore North North-eaft eight 
Leagues. This gives 22' to my Latitude, and takes 9' froni 
my meridian Diftance •, fo that the Ifle is at 13 0 21' North 
Latitude, and the meridian Diftance from Corientes 7302 
Miles, of 125 0 1 1 Guam is one of the Ladrone Ifles, un- 
der the Spanijh JurifdiCHon. Its Length is twelve Leagues, 
and its Breadth four, lying North and South, defended by 
a fmall Fort, with fix Guns, and a Garifon of thirty Sol- 
diers, under a Spanijh Governor, for the Conveniency of 
the Philippine Ships, that touch here for Refrefhments in 
their Voyage from Apulco to Manilla. The Soil is indif- 
ferently fruitful, producing Rice, Pine-apples, Water-me- 
lons, Mufk-melons, Oranges, Limes; Cocoa-nuts, and a 
certain Fruit called the Bread-fruit, growing on a Tree as 
bigas our large Apple-trees, with dark Leaves. The Fruit 
is round, and grows on the Boughs, like Apples, of the 
Bignefs of a good Peny-loaf. When ripe, it turns yellow, 
foit, and fweet *, but the Natives take it green, and bake it 
in an Oven, till the Rind is black. This they ferape off* 
and eat the Infide, which is foft and white, like the Infide 
of new-baked Bread, having neither Seed nor Stone •, but, 
if it is kept above twenty-four Hours, it is harlh. As this 
Fruit is in Seafon eight Months in the Year, the Natives 
feed upon no other fort of Bread during that time. They 
told us, that all the Ladrone Ifles had Plenty of it. I never 
heard of it in any other Place. May 31. we came to an 
Anchor on the Weft Side of this Ifle, hear the Middle of 
it, one Mile from the Shore, there being no anchoring on 
the Eaft Side, by reafon of the Trade-wind, which forces 
the Waves with great Violence againft it on that Side, The 
Natives are ftrong-limbed, Copper-coloured, with long 
black Hair, fmall Eyes, high Nofes, thick Lips, very white 
Teeth, and of a ftern Countenance, tho’ they were very 
affable to us. The Air is accounted exceeding wholfome, 
except in the wet Seafon betwixt June and October. They 
are extremely ingenious in building certain Boats or Proes, 
(ufed all over the Eaft Indies ) of about twenty fix or twenty- 
eight Feet long, and about five or fix Feet high from the 
Keel, which is made of the Trunk of a Tree, like the Ca- 
noes, and fharp at both Ends. They manage thefe Boats 
by a Paddle, inftead of a Rudder, and a fquare Sail, with 
fuch incredible Swiftnefs, that they will fail twenty or 
twenty-four Miles an Hour. Thefe Boats are abfolutely 
flat on one Side, like a Wall; but the other is round, and 
full-bellied, like other Veffels. Along this Side, parallel 
with the Boat, at fix or feven Feet Diftance, is fattened a 
Log of light Wood of one Foot and an half wide, and Iharp 
at each End, by two Bamboes of eight or ten Feet long, 
laid at each End of the Boat. This Log keeps the Boat 
from overfetting. The Dutch and Englijh call it an Out- 
lier or Outlager. Thefe Indians inhabit in fmall Villages on 
the Weft Side near the Shore, and have certain Priefts to 
inftruCt them in the Chriftian Religion. By means of fome 
Prefents fent to the Governor, and an obliging Letter from 
Captain Swan, we obtained good Store of Hogs, Cocoa- 
nuts, Rice, Wheaten Bifcuits, and other Refrefhments,. 
befides fifty Pounds of Manilla Tobacco *, and, being in- 
formed by one of the Friers, that the Ifle of Mindanao , 
one of the Philippine Iflands, inhabited by Mahomedans, 
abounded with Provifions, we failed June 2. with a ftrong 
Eaft Wind, and arrived the 2ift at the Ifle of St. John > 
one of the Philippine Iflands. 
50. The Philippines are a Range of large Iflands, reach- 
ing from 5 0 North Latitude to 19 0 , and to 16 0 Longitude. 
The chief of them is Luconia , where Magellan Was killed 
with a poifoned Arrow, and is now intirely under the Spa- 
nijh Subjection. Their capital City here is Manilla, a large 
Town and Sea-port, feated at the South-eaft End, oppo- 
fite to the Ifle of Mindora, a Place of great Strength, and 
vaft Trade, becaufe the two great Ships from Acapulco 
fetch thence vaft Quantities of India Commodities, brought 
thither by the Chinefe and Portuguefe , and fometimes alfo 
by the Englijh of Fort St. George , tho’ by Stealth, the Spa- 
nijh allowing no Commerce here to the Englijh or Dutch , 
2 E . for 
