124 The V O Y 
other Malayans*. I cannot tell of what Religion thefe are * 
but I think they are not Mohammedans , by their drinking 
Brandy out of the fame Cup with us, without any Scruple. 
At this Ifland we continued till the 20th Inftant, having laid 
in Store of fuch Roots and Fruits as the Iiland afforded. 
On the 20th, at half an Flour after fix in the Morning, I 
weighed ; and, Handing out, we faw a large Boat full of 
Men, lying at the North Point of the Bland. As we paffed 
by, they rowed towards their Flabitations, where we fup- 
pofed they had withdrawn themfelves, for fear of us, (tho* 
we gave them no Caufe of Terror) or for fome Differences 
among themfelves ; which of the two, was out of our 
Power to determine, tho’ the former, however unreafonable, 
feemed to us the moft probable ; and their future Condubt 
confirmed us in that Opinion. 
22. After we left this Coaft, where we found it irnpof- 
fible to do any thing, in regard either to Difcoveries or 
Trade, we paffed by many fmall Blands, and through 
many dangerous Sholes, without meeting with any thing 
remarkable ; till, on February 4. we found ourfelves off 
the North- weft Cape of New Guiney , which is called by 
the Dutch Cape Malo. There lies off this Cape a fmall 
woody Ifland, which I fent my Boat to examine, intending 
to have anchored near it ; and as they brought me, at their 
Return, a Cockle of a prodigious Size, and reported that 
they had feen many more that were ftill bigger, I thought 
fit to call this Cockle Ifland. The next Day in the After- 
noon, I lent both Boats thither, one to cut Wood, and 
the other to fifti ; which Boats, at their Return, brought 
me feveral Cockles of ten Pounds Weight ; but, as it was 
High-water, they were not able to get any of the very large 
ones *, for the Shells they brought the Day before weighed 
78 lb. In the Afternoon, I went myfelf afhore on another 
Ifland, where I found more Pigeons than I had ever ob- 
ferved before, though all thefe Blands abound with that fort 
of Fowl. Here alfo were fuch Plenty of Cockles, that, in 
an Hour’s time, we could have loaded the Boat with them. 
This Place I called Pigeon Ifland ; and, on the 7th in the 
Afternoon, my Men brought me from thence one empty 
Cockle-fhell, weighing 258 lb. The fame Evening, we 
anchored near a very pleafant Bland, about two Leagues 
and an half in Length ; the Country high, and exceeding 
well cloathed with Wood : The Trees of them were of fe- 
veral Sorts, moft of them unknown to us, but all of them 
green and flourifhing many of them bore Flowers of dif- 
ferent Colours, fome white, fome purple, fome yellow, 
all exceedingly fragrant, fo as to be fmelt at a confiderable 
Diftance. Thefe Trees were, generally fpeaking, tall and 
ftrait, and one in particular of a clean, fmooth Body, with- 
out Knot or Limb, between fixty and feventy Feet high, 
and three Fathoms about. The Soil of the Ifland is black, 
but not deep. On this Ifland I went afhore the next Morn- 
ing, drank his Majefty’s Health, and called it King Wil- 
liam' s Ijland. On the 9th, being to the Eaftward of King 
William' s Ijland , we plied all the Day between the Main 
and feveral other Blands, having the Wind Eafterly, and 
fair Weather •, but it foon altered, and we had a great deal 
of Rain. On the 14th, we found ourfelVes about fix 
Leagues from the Continent of New Guiney , which ap- 
peared very high ; and we faw two Head-lands, at about 
twenty Leagues diftant from each other, the one Eaft, the 
other Weft ; the laft is called the Cape of Good Hope: The 
Variation of the Compafs here was 4 0 to tire Eaft. On 
the 1 5th, we faw an uninhabited Ifland, to which I gave 
the Name of Providence , which lies at no great Diftance 
from another fmall Ifland mentioned in the Dutch Charts, 
by the Name of William Sc outer's Ifland. 
23. We crofted the Line on the 16th, and found the 
Variation 6° 26' to the Eaft •, but, in a few Days, the Va- 
riation increafed to very near 9 0 . We faw, on the 23d 
in the Afternoon, two Snakes ; and, the next Morning, 
another pafling by us, which was vigoroufly attacked by 
two Fifties, that had kept us Company five or fix Days : 
They were ftiaped like Mackrel, and were about their Big- 
nefs and Length, and of a yellow Colour, inclined to 
green. The Snake fwam away from them very fall, keep- 
ing his Head above Water : One Fifh fnapt at his Tail ; 
but, when he turned himfelf, the Fifh would withdraw, and 
the other would fnap 5 fo that, by turns, they kept him 
4 
A G E S of Book I. 
employed ; yet he ftill defended himfelf, and fwam away 
a great Pace, till they were all out of Sight. The 2 5th, 
betimes in the Morning, we faw an Ifland to the Southward 
of US, at about fifteen Leagues Diftance : We bore away 
for it, fuppofing it to be that which the Dutch called 
Wijhart's Ifland *, but, finding it another Place, I called it 
Matthias , it being that Saint’s Day. This Ifland is about 
nine or ten Leagues long, mountainous, and woody, with 
many Savannas, and fome Spots of Land, which feemed 
to be cleared. At eight in the Evening we lay by, intend- 
ing, if we could, to anchor under Matthias Ifie : But, the 
next Morning, feeing another Ifland about feven or eioftt 
Leagues to the Eaftward of it* we fleered away for it : °At 
Noon, we came up fair with its South-weft End, intending 
to run along by ip and anchor on the South-eaft Side ; but: 
the Tornadoes came in fo thick, that I could not venture 
in. This Ifland is pretty low and plain, and cloathed with 
Wood. The Trees were very green, and appeared to be 
large and tall, as thick as they could ftand one by another. 
It is about two or three Leagues long ; and, at the South- 
weft Point, there is another low, fmall, woody Ifland, 
about a Mile round, and about a Mile from the other! 
Between them there runs a Riff of Rocks, which joins 
them ; the biggeft of thefe I called Squally Ifland, on ac- 
count of the tempeftuous Weather we met with upon its 
Coafts. The Defire of making Difcoveries obliges a Man 
to lay hold of every Circumftance that is in the leaft pro- 
miftng, and to negledl nothing that may gain him a tolerable 
Acquaintance with the Coafts he vifits. Subfequent Voyagers 
may eaffly difcover great feeming Errors in fuch a Man’s 
Conduct j but impartial Judges will be always ready to al- 
low, that it is one thing to attempt, and another to pro- 
fecute Difcoveries. He who engages in the former, actu- 
ally fleers in the Dark, and moves without Guide or In- 
formation ; whereas the latter follows the Lights which 
the other had ftruck out, and not only improves the Ef- 
fects of his Sagacity, but acquires Wifdom alfo by attend- 
ing to his Miftakes. Yet the Pleafure of the Difcoverer 
is certainly more quick and lively, than that of any critical 
Inquirer into the Conduft of his Voyage. In this Expe- 
dition, however, the Difcoveries were not great enough to 
excite Envy ; and yet, poflibly, they may deferve Atten- 
tion and Profecution •, fince, though the Countries were not 
rich which we faw, yet they were pleafant, and appeared ex- 
tremely capable of Improvement. It is alfo to be obferved, 
that we vifited the Out-fkirts only of the Country f ancff 
by the Fringes of a Carpet, it is very hard to judge of 
the whole Piece. In order to conquer this Difficulty !~and s 
at the fame time, to rid ourfelves of the Dangers and Di- 
ftreffes we continually experienced in fleering among thefe 
Blands, we refolved to bear away for the Continent, in 
hopes of indemnifying ourfelves for the Sufferings and 
Difappointments we had hitherto met with on the Coaft 
of New Guiney. 
24. The Continent appeared high and mountainous, 
adorned with flourifhing Trees. The Sides of the Hills 
had many large Plantations, and Pieces of cleared Land, 
which, together with the Smokes we faw, are certain Signs 
of its being well inhabited ; and I was defirous of entering 
into Commerce with the Inhabitants : Being nigh the Shore, 
we faw firft one Proe ; a little after two, or three more $ 
and, at laft, a great many Boats came from all the adjacent 
Bays: When they were forty-fix in Number, they ap- 
proached fo near us, that we could fee each others Signs, 
and hear each other fpeak, though we could not underftand 
them, nor they us. They made Signs for us to go in to- 
wards the Shore, pointing that Way : It was fqually Wea- 
ther, which at firft made me cautious of going too near ; 
but the Weather beginning to look pretty clear, I endea- 
voured to get into a Bay a head of us, which we could have 
got into well enough at firft ; but, while we lay by, we 
were driven fo far to Leeward, that now it was more diffi- 
cult to get in. The Natives lay in their Proes round 
us, to whom I fliewed Beads, Knives, and Glaffes, to al- 
lure them to come nearer ; but they would not come fo 
nigh, as to receive any thing from us : Therefore I threw 
out fome Things to them, viz. a Knife faftened to a Piece 
of Bo^rd, and a Glafs Bottle corked up with fome Beads 
in it, which they took up, and feemed well pleaded, They 
often 
