[Early Australian Voyages by John Pinkerton]@TWC D-Link book
Early Australian Voyages

CHAPTER XXI: REMARKS UPON THE VOYAGE
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It is about a league long, pretty high, and very woody; it is about five miles from the main, only at the west end it reaches within three miles of it.

At some distance off at sea the west point appears like a cape-land, the north side trends away north-north-west, and the east side east-south-east.
This island lies in latitude 3 degrees 4 minutes south, and the meridian distance from Babao five hundred and twelve miles east.

After we were out to sea, we plied to get to the northward, but met with such a strong current against us, that we got but little, for if the wind favoured us in the night, that we got three or four leagues, we lost it again, and were driven as far astern next morning, so that we plied here several days.
The 14th, being past a point of land that we had been three days getting about, we found little or no current, so that, having the wind at north- west-by-west and west-north-west, we stood to the northward, and had several soundings: at three o'clock thirty-eight fathom, the nearest part of New Guinea being about three leagues' distance; at four, thirty-seven; at five, thirty-six; at six, thirty-six; at eight, thirty-three fathom; then the Cape was about four leagues' distant, so that as we ran off we found our water shallower; we had then some islands to the westward of us, at about four leagues' distance.
A little after noon we saw smoke on the islands to the west of us, and having a fine gale of wind, I steered away for them.

At seven o'clock in the evening we anchored in thirty-five fathom, about two leagues from an island, good soft oozy ground.

We lay still all night, and saw fires ashore.


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