17 6 The VO Y 
fpouts one of which had like to have broken on the Mar- 
quis , but the Duchefs} by firing two Shot, broke it before 
it reached her. We law a very large Tree afloat, with a 
Multitude, of Fifh about it,* and two large Illands, the 
Southermoft bearing South-weft, diftant about eight 
Leagues, and the Northermoft Weft North- weft, feven 
Leagues, both being the fame Land wefaw the Day before ; 
and the latter we then fuppofed to be the South-eaft Part 
of Moratay % and the other, the North Part of Gilolo. In 
this Condition we failed till towards the latter End of the 
Month, with this additional Vexation, that our Ship was 
fo leaky, that it was as much as four Men were able to do 
to keep her free half an Hour. Captain Dampier difcou- 
raged us very much : He had been twice here, and there- 
fore what he faid amongft the Seamen, palled without 
Difpute ; and he laid it down as a thing certain, that if we 
could not reach ' Ternate , or find the Ifland of Tula, it was 
impoflible for us to get any Refrelhment, there being no- 
thing to be met with on the Coaft of New Guiney. There 
were, in the mean time, great Heart-burnings on board 
all the Ships about the Reduction of our Allowance, fo 
that we were obliged to inlarge it again •, fo little is Reafon 
able to prevail againft Hunger. We held frequent Con- 
fuitations, but to very little Purpofe ; and, though we 
failed the beft Part of the Month of May through the 
Streights of New Guiney , yet we were able to obferve no- 
thing worth mentioning, except that it is moft certain, 
thefe Elands, which are fcattered through the Streights, 
and few or none of which are peopled, would all of them 
bear Spice, and afford immenfe Riches to this Nation, if 
they were fettled. It may, indeed, be objected j That, 
from the Account I have given of the Difficulty of this 
Palfage, no great Encouragement can arife to the fixing 
Colonies or Plantations there : But to this I anfwer *, That 
this Difficulty arifes intirely from the Want of proper 
Charts, tor the Direftion of fuch as fail in thofe Seas ; 
and thefe might certainly be very foon provided, if fuch 
Settlement came once to be confidered as a national Con- 
cern. The Paffage, otherwife, is not either difficult or 
dangerous : But, when Men are at a Lofs how to fteer, 
are ftiort of Provifions, in leaky Ships, and clogged with 
great Cargoes, they may have many Reafons to complain, 
which, with good Management, might never befal any of 
the Veffels employed in fettling thofe Elands. On the 1 8th 
of May, we palled between the High-land of New Guiney 
and the Low-land of Gilolo : And, on the 20th, we made 
another high Ifland, which we took to be Ceram ; and 
Captain Dampier inclined to think our Conjecture was 
right. 
37. On May 24. being in the Latitude of the Ifland of 
Bouro , we expected to make that Land, which is about 
twenty Leagues to the South-weft of Ceram , and near the 
fame Diftance, in a Parallel, with Amboyna , which we de- 
figned to have touched at, if the Wind had proved fa- 
vourable : Byt, as the South-eaft Monfoon was now fet 
in, we were out of hopes of reaching it *, and, notwith- 
ftanding the Skill of Captain Dampier , we were ftill very 
doubtful, whether the Ifland we paffed by laft, was Ceram 
or Bouro. By an Obfervation we hadatNoon, it appeared, 
that we were in 4 0 30' South Latitude, and 237° 29' Lon- 
gitude Weft from London. As we were now in the La- 
titude of the Southern Part of Bouro , we imputed our not 
feeing it, to the Currents fetting us to the Weftward of it. 
The next Day, we came to a Refolution not to fpend any 
more Time in learching for Bouro ; as alfo to drop our De- 
fign of going to Amboyna , and to make the beft of our 
Way for the Streights of Bouton ; where, if we arrived 
fafely, we might get Provifions fufficient to carry us to 
Batavia . In purfuance of this Agreement, we haled 
away South- weft by South for them, having a frefh Gale 
of Wind at Eaft ; but, by two in the Morning, we fell 
In with a Parcel of Elands to the Eaftward of Bouton and 
had certainly been alhore on one of them, had not the 
Weather cleared up at once. We made a fhift, and wore : 
The Ships then flood off North-eaft from the Land till 
Day-break, when we faw it trending from South by Eaft, 
to South-weft by South, about fix Leagues Diftance, which 
made a fine large Bay but, as we ftood in, we perceived 
an Opening, and that there were two Elands, with three 
3 ' 
AGES oj Book I. 
lying thwart the Outlet to the Southward of both : We 
hoifted out our Pinnace, and fent her alhore'-, the Ducbefs 
did the fame, from whence they brought off fome Cocoa- 
nuts, of which there were Plenty there ; and told us, there 
were Malayan Inhabitants, who feemed to be very friendly. 
Up the Bay we faw feveral Boats, Houfes, and abundance 
of the native Malayans walking along the Shore : We 
fent in our Boats for Provifions and Pilots, and myfelf and 
the Marquis turned up very near to the Town ; but, found- 
ing feveral times, found no Ground. The Natives informed 
11s, there v/as a Bank, oppolite to the Town, where we 
might anchor. Abundance of People came off with In- 
dian Wheat, Cocoa-nuts, Yams, Potatoes, Papas, Hens, 
and feveral forts of Birds, to truck with us for Cloaths, 
Knives, Sciffars, and other Toys, being very civil to all 
Appearance. They are Mohammedans , of a middle Sta- 
ture, and tawny ; but the Women are fomewhat clearer 
than the Men ; having very long black Hair, their Mouths, 
Lips, Notes fmall ; they wear a Linen Waiftcoat, which 
reaches only to the lower Part of their Breafts ; and about 
their Waift a Piece of Cloth, three or four Yards wide, 
and a Yard deep, which they wrap about them, inftead of 
a Petticoat. The Men that came off were all naked, 
having only a Cloth rolled about their Middle, to cover 
what ought to be ; fome of the better fort of People had 
a loofe fort of Waiftcoat, and a Piece of Linen rolled 
about their Heads, with a Cap of Palm-tree-leaves, to 
keep the Sun from fcorching. They brought off feveral 
Cicatoes and Parrots, very fine Birds. Along the Shore- 
fide, we faw feveral Weirs they had to catch Fifh. In 
turning up, we found the Current very ftrong againft us, 
and the Prize loft Ground confiderably wherefore, in the 
Evening, the Duchefs fired a Gun ; we ran out, and drove all 
Night. The Names of thefe two Illands are Cambava and 
Wanjhut: Thefe Elands lie in Latitude 5 0 13', Longitude 
238 Weft from London. We ftood from thofe Illands to 
the Weftward, and ran along-fhore, as near as we durft, 
to weather the Weftermoft Point of Land, where we ex- 
pected to find an Harbour ; but, as we neared it, found a 
long Trad of High-land, trending to the Southward as 
far as South- weft and by South : We agreed in Opinion 
That was the Ifland Bouton , but that we had overlhot the 
Streights. We made Sail to fee if we could difcover any 
Land farther to the Southward but, finding none, we 
failed on, keeping the Wind as near as poffible, becaufe 
of the Current, which fets ftrong to the South-weft. By 
two a Clock in the Morning, we were near a fmall Ifland, 
that bore South South* weft: of us about two Leagues but, 
having clear Weather, we ftood from it till Day-break, 
there being no other Land near it that we faw, except that 
we came from, which we had opened live Points farther 
to the Weftward. I was unwilling to a£t any longer with- 
out the Confent of the Committee : So the major Part of 
us met aboard the Duchefs , where we agreed to Hand back 
and make the Land plain, fo as to be fully fatisfied what it 
was, and withal to find a Recruit of Water and Wood, be- 
fore we proceeded any farther, being in want of every thing, 
being then in South Latitude 5 0 50', Longitude 238° 38' W. 
from London. In purfuance of this Agreement, we ftood 
back the next Day, and made little or no Sail all Night : 
In the Morning, we had very fine clear Weather, and made 
the Land exceeding plain, which was very high, with 
Elands under it. It looked moft of it as if inhabited, be- 
ing pretty thick of Wood, and promiling us, in other re- 
fpeCls, Plenty of Refrelhments ; but our Misfortune was, 
that we could not meet here with any Ground that would 
hold our Anchors and, the next Day, the Duchefs , Hand- 
ing over to the other Side of the Bay, had no better For- 
tune, but was forced to return, without anchoring, to us 
again. A little before Ihe came back, our Boat, which we 
had fent on Ihore, returned ; the People on board having, 
by Prefents, engaged fome of the Malayans to come on 
board with them - s in which they certainly judged right, 
tho 5 we could make no Ufe of their Intelligence for want 
of an Interpreter : I fent to the Batchelor , vdio had one •, 
but Captain Dover refufed to let him come to me, not- 
withftanding he had no Ufe for him : Then Ifentafecond 
time, that I might know the beft Anchoring-place for our 
Ships, and treated the People with Sweetmeats, and other 
Things 
