128 
paiifon of the more vigorous : Yet even the weakeft vented 
a great deal of Fire ; but the largeft made a roaring Noife, 
and fent up a large Flame twenty or thirty Yards high ; 
and there might be feen a great Stream of Fire running down 
to the Foot of the Ifland, even to the Shore. From the 
Furrows made by this defcending Fire, we could, in the 
Day-time, fee great Smokes arife, which probably were 
made by the fulphurous Matter thrown out of the Funnel at 
the Top, which, tumbling down to the Bottom, and there 
lying in an Fleap, burned, till it was either confumed or 
extinguifhed *, and fo long as it burnt, and kept its Fleat, 
fo long the Smoke afcended from it, which we perceived to 
inereafe or decreafe, according to the Quantity of Matter 
difcharged from the Funnel. But the next Night, being (hot 
to the Weftward of the burning Ifland, and the Funnel of 
it lying on the South Side, we could not difcern the Fire 
there, as we did the Smoke in the Day, when we were to 
the Southward of it. This Vulcano lies in the Latitude of 
5 ° 33' South, and its meridian Diftance from Cape St. 
George is 332 Miles Weft. The Eaft Part of New Guiney 
lies forty Miles to the Weft of this Tradt of Land; and, 
in moft of the Charts, they are laid down as contiguous ; 
but I found a large Paflage between them, calling the North- 
eaft Promontory of New Guiney , King William' s Cape ; and, 
when I had perfectly difcovered the Ifland, I called it Nova 
Britannia. It lies from 2 0 30' to 6° 30' South Latitude, 
and has about 5 0 18' Longitude. It appears to be, for the 
moft part, high Land, mixed with Valleys, and every- 
where abounding with large and ftately Trees. The Ifland 
feems to be very fully inhabited by a Race of ftrong, well- 
made Negroes, with whom I : could enter into no Corre- 
fpondence, becaufe my Pinnace was in fuch a Condition, 
that we could not fafely make ufe of it to go on fhore. I 
iikewife difcovered another Ifland, about eleven or twelve 
Leagues long, which I called Sir George Pooke's IJland', 
and not long after another, which, from its Form, I named 
Crown IJland ; and, to the North-weft of that, we dif- 
cerned a ftill larger Ifle, which I called Sir Robert Rich's 
IJland. On April 2. we difcovered another burning Ifland, 
and foon after many other I (lands, amongft which we difco- 
vered three V effels with Sails ; a thing unufual, and which 
we had never feen before, fince we were upon thefe Coafts. 
On April 12. the Sky, at Sun-riling, looked very red in 
the Eaft, near the Horizon ; and there were many black 
Clouds both to the South and North of it. About a quar- 
ter of an Hour after the Sun was up, there was a Squall to 
the Windward of us, when, on a fudden, one of our Men 
on the Forecaftie called out, that he faw fomething a-ftern ; 
but could not tell what. I looked out for it, and immedi- 
ately faw a Spout beginning to work within a quarter of a 
Mile of us, exa&ly in the Wind. We prefently put right 
before it. It came very fwift, whirling the Water up in a 
Pillar, about fix or feven Y ards high. As yet I could not 
fee any pendulous Cloud, from whence it might come, and 
was in hopes it would foon lofe its Force. In four or five 
Minutes time, it came within a Cable’s Length of us, and 
pafled away to Leeward ; and then I faw a long pale Stream 
coming down to the whirling Water. This Stream was 
about the Bignefs of a Rainbow. The upper End feemed 
vaftly high, not defcending from any dark Cloud ; and 
therefore the more ftrange to me, as I never had feen the 
like before. It pafled about a Mile to Leeward of us, and 
then broke. This was but a frnall Spout, not ftrong, nor 
lafting ; yet I perceived much Wind in it, as it pafled by 
ns. The Current ftill continued at North-weft, a little 
Wefterly, which I allowed to run a Mile per Hour. I guefled 
From hence, that the Land is disjoined here ; and that there 
is a Paflage to the Southward. 
33. We were now returning, and therefore I fliall be 
ftiorter in my Accounts. On the 26th, we faw the Ifland 
of Ceram, and endeavoured to pafs between it and the 
Ifland of Bonao ; but could not. We then made the Ifland 
of Bouro , where we met with a Chinefe Veffel, which, thro’ 
a Miftake, gave us a good deal of Trouble ; for, about 
eight at Night, file came clofe by us on our Weather-flde ; 
which occafioned our getting all our Guns ready, Matches 
lighted, and Small-arms upon the Quarter-deck ; but fhe 
Landing one Way, and we another, we were foon far 
Book 1. 
enough afunder. At ten the next Morning, having little 
Wind , I fent the Yawl aboard of her. She was laden with 
Rice, Arrack, Tea, Porcelane, and other Commodities, 
bound for Amboy na. The Commander faid, that his Boat 
was gone aftiore for Water ; and alked our Men, if they 
faw her ; for fhe had been miffing two or three Days, and 
they knew not what was become of her. They had their 
Wives and Children aboard, and probably came to fettle at 
fome new Butch Fadlory. The Commander alfo informed 
us, that the Butch had lately fettled, at Ampulo, Monippe , 
Bonao , and on a Point of Ceram. The next Day, we pafled 
between Kellan and Bouro. After this, we had, for feverai 
Days, an high-rolling Sea, occafioned more by a Current, 
than Wind, which carried us five-and-twenty Miles to the 
South of our true Courfe. We were now on the Coafts of a 
known Country ; and therefore I refolved to take the firft 
Opportunity that offered of putting into Port, in order to 
procure fuch Neceffaries as I wanted, and for the making the 
Repairs requifite in my Ship, which, by being fo long out, 
was now become very foul and crazy, tho’ we did not, at 
that time, fufpeclher being in fo rotten and ruinous a Condi- 
tion, as we afterwards found her ; neither was it long be- 
fore we met with the Opportunity we wifhed for. 
34. On the 14th, we difcovered the Ifland Mifacomby ; 
and, the next Day, failed along to the Weft, on the North 
Side of the Ifland. In fome Charts it is called Omba, a 
mountainous Ifland, diverflfied with Woods and Savannas, 
about twenty Leagues long, and five or fix broad. We faw 
no Signs of Inhabitants on it. We fell in neareft to the Weft 
End of it, and therefore I chofe to pafs on, intending to get 
through to the Southward between this and the next Ifle to 
the Weft of it, or between any other two Iflands to the 
Weft, where I fhould find the cleared: Paflage, becaufe the 
Winds were now at North-eaft, and Eaft North-eaft, and 
the Ifle lies nearly Eaft and Weft; fo that, if the Winds 
continued, I might be a long time in getting to the Eaft 
End of it, which yet I knew to be the the belt Paflage. After- 
noon, being near the End of the Ifle Pentare , which lies 
Weft from Mifacomby , we faw many Ploufes and Plantations 
in the Country, and abundance of Cocoa-nut-trees growing 
by the Sea- fide. We alfo faw feverai Boats failing crois a 
Bay or Chanel at the Weft End of Mifacomby , between it 
and Pentare. We had but little Wind, and that at North, 
v/hich blows right in, with a Swell ; wherefore I was afraid 
to venture in, tho’ probably there might have been good 
Anchoring, and a means of acquiring a Commerce with the 
Natives. I continued fleering to the Weft, becaufe, the 
Night before at Sun-fetting, I faw a frnall, round, high 
Ifland to the Weft of Pentare , where I expected a good 
Paflage. We could not that Day reach the Weft End of 
Pentare ; but faw a deep Bay to the Weft of us, where, I 
thought, there might be a Paflage through between Pentare 
and Laubana ; but the Lands were fhut within one another, 
fo that we could not fee any Paflage. I ordered them to 
fail feven Leagues more Wefterly, and lie-by till next Day. 
In the Morning, we looked out for an Opening ; but could 
fee none: Yet, by the Diftance and Bearing of an high 
round Ifland, called Potoro , we were got to the Weft of 
the Opening ; but not far from it. I therefore tacked, and 
flood to the Eaft ; and the rather becaufe I had Reafon to 
fuppofe this to be the Paflage I came through in the Cyg- 
net , mentioned in my Voyage round the World ; but I was 
not yet fure of it, becaufe we had rainy Weather ; fo that 
we could not now fee the Land fo well as we did then. We 
accidentally faw the Opening at our firft falling in with the 
Blands, which now was a Work of Time and Difficulty to 
difeover; However, before ten o’clock, we faw the Open- 
ing. The Wind was South South-weft, and we plied to 
get through before Night ; for we found a good Tide help- 
ing us to the South. About feven or eight Leagues Weft 
of us, we faw an high, round, peaked Mountain, from the 
Top of which a Smoke feemed to afeend, as from a Vul- 
cano. There were three other very high peaked Moun- 
tains, two on the Eaft, and one on the Weft of that which 
fmoked. It was twelve at Night before we got clear of two 
other finall Elands ; and there we had a very violent T ide 
fetting us through againft a brifk Gale of Wind, When we 
were through, we continued our Courfe for Timor, m Sight 
of 
The VOYAGES of 
