A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 12: Arranged in Systematic Order: Forming a Complete History of the; Origin and Progress of Navigation, Discovery, and Commerce, by Sea; and Land, from the Earliest Ages to the Present TimeKerr, Robert
History
A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 12: Arranged in Systematic Order: Forming a Complete History of the; Origin and Progress of Navigation, Discovery, and Commerce, by Sea; and Land, from the Earliest Ages to the Present Time
Kerr, Robert
Voyages and travels
The island is mountainous and woody, but we found it pleasant when we
were ashore; it produces the cabbage and cocoa-nut tree in great plenty,
but the natives did not chuse to let us have any of the fruit. We saw
also some rice grounds, but what other vegetable productions Nature has
favoured them with, we had no opportunity to learn, as we stayed here
but two nights and one day. In the bay where the ship rode, there is
excellent fishing, though the surf runs very high: We hauled our seine
with great success, but could easily perceive that it gave umbrage to
the inhabitants, who consider all the fish about these islands as their
own. There are two fine rivers that run into this bay, and the water is
excellent: It was indeed so much better than what we had on board, that
I filled as many casks with it as loaded the boat twice. While we lay
here, some of the natives brought down an animal which had the body of a
hare, and the legs of a deer; one of our officers bought it, and we
should have been glad to have kept it alive, but it was impossible for
us to procure for it such food as it would eat; it was therefore killed,
and we found it very good food. All the while we lay here, we had the
most violent thunder, lightning, and rain, that I had ever known; and,
finding that nothing more was to be procured, we sailed again on
Thursday morning, with a fine breeze off the land. In the afternoon, we
tried the current, and found it set S.E. at the rate of a mile an hour.
The variation here was 38' W. We certainly made this passage at an
improper season of the year; for after we came into the latitude of Pulo
Condore, we had nothing but light airs, calms, and tornadoes, with
violent rain, thunder, and lightning.
At seven o'clock in the morning of Sunday the 10th, we saw the east end
of the island of Lingen, bearing S.W. by W. distant eleven or twelve
leagues. The current set E.S.E. at the rate of a mile an hour. At noon
it fell calm, and I anchored with the kedge in twenty fathom. At one
o'clock, the weather having cleared up, we saw a small island bearing
S.W. 1/2 S. distant ten or eleven leagues.
At one o'clock the next morning, we weighed and made sail; and at six
the small island bore W.S.W. distant about seven leagues, and some very
small islands, which we supposed to be Domines Islands, W. 1/2 N.
distant about seven or eight leagues, a remarkable double peak on the
island of Lingen, bearing at same time W. by N. distant about ten or
twelve leagues. Our latitude by observation was now 18'S. The latitude
of the east end of Lingen is 10' S. longitude 105° 15' E. Pulo Taya
bears from it nearly S. by W. and is distant about twelve leagues.
At ten o'clock in the morning of Tuesday the 12th, we, saw a small
Chinese junk to the north-east; and at seven the next morning a small
island, called Pulo Toté, bearing S.E. by E. distant about twelve
leagues. A little to the northward of Pulo Taya, is a very small island,
called Pulo Toupoa.
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