From Saint George's Channel to Mindanao
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Having passed these islands, we continued our course W. by N. with a fine eastern breeze, and smooth water. On the 16th in the morning, we found the variation, by a medium of several azimuths, to be 6° 3° E, our latitude being 2° 1° S., and our longitude 145° 4° E. by observation. I was surprised to find the variation on this side the land of New Britain and New Ireland so much, as we had found it gradually decreasing during our progress to the N.W. but I recollected that about two years before I had found nearly the same variation in this meridian, about the island of Tinian.
On Saturday evening the 19th, we discovered two small islands, both low land, level, and green: one of them we saw only from the main-top-gallant-mast head; this I called DUROUR's ISLAND. Its latitude is about 1° 14' or 1° S., its longitude 143° 21' E. The other island, which I called MATTY' S ISLAND, we coasted during the night, and saw the inhabitants, in great numbers, run along the beach, abreast of the ship, with lights: the side along which we sailed seemed to be about six miles in length, E. by N. and W. by S. As it was dark we could see no more of it, and having a fine breeze, which we could not afford to lose, we kept on. Its latitude is about 4° 4° S., and its longitude about 143° ° E.: the variation here was 4° 4° E. and we found a strong north westerly current. We had now fresh gales and squalls, with rain, the wind blowing very unsteadily from E.S.E. to E.N.E. till the 22d, when it became variable. Our latitude was then 5° S., longitude 140° ° E.; the variation was 4° 4° E.
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Voyaging Accounts |  |
© Derived from Volume I of the London 1773 Edition: National Library of Australia call no. FERG 7243, page 606, 2004
Published by kind permission of the Library
To cite this page use: https://paulturnbull.org/project/southseas/journals/hv01/606.html