Dampier, who has given a large description of the island of Timor, says, that it is seventy leagues long, and sixteen broad, and that it lies nearly N.E. and S.W. I found the east side of it to lie nearest N.E. by E. and S.W. by W. and the south end to lie in latitude 10° 23’ S. longitude 236° 5’ W. We ran about forty-five leagues along the east side, and found the navigation altogether free from danger. The land which is bounded by the sea, except near the south end, is low for two or three miles within the beach, and in general intersected by salt creeks: behind the low land are mountains, which rise one above another to a considerable height. We steered W.N.W. till two in the afternoon, when, being within a small distance of the north end of Rotte, we hauled up. N.N.W. in order to go between it and Semau: after steering three leagues upon this course, we edged away N.W. and W. and by six, we were clear of all the islands. At this time, the south part of Semau, which lies in latitude 10° 15’ S. bore N.E. distant four leagues, and the island of Rotte extended as far to the southward as S. 36 W. The north end of this island, and the south end of Timor, lie N. ½ E. and S. ½ W. and are about three or four leagues distant from each other. At the west end of the passage between Rotte and Semau, are two small islands, one of which lies near the Rotte shore, and the other off the south west point of Semau: there is a good channel between them, about six miles broad, through which we passed. The isle of Rotte has not so lofty and mountainous an appearance as Timor, though it is agreeably diversified by hill and valley: on the north side, there are many sandy beaches, near which grew some trees of the fan palm, but the far greater part was covered with a kind of brushy wood, that was without leaves. The appearance of Semau was nearly the same with that of Timor, but not quite so high. About ten o’clock at night, we observed a phænomenon in the heavens, which in many particulars resembled the aurora borealis, and in others, was very different: it consisted of a dull reddish light, and reached about twenty degrees above the horizon: its extent was very different at different times, but it was never less than eight or ten points of the compass: through, and out of this, passed rays of light of a brighter colour, which vanished, and were renewed nearly in the same time as those of the aurora borealis, but had no degree of the tremulous or vibratory motion which is observed in that phænomenon: the body of it bore S.S.E. from the ship, and it continued, without any diminution of its brightness, till twelve o’clock, when we retired to sleep, but how long afterwards, I cannot tell.

Voyaging Accounts