A Continuation of a Voyage to New Holland | Page 6

2 parts,
Table 5 Number 1. At 3 in the afternoon we anchored in 14 fathom,
soft black oasy ground, about a mile from the shore. See 2 sights more
of the coast in Table 5 Numbers 2 and 3, and the island itself in the
particular map; which I have here inserted to show the course of the
voyage from hence to the eastward; as the general map shows the
course of the whole voyage. But in making the particular map I chose
to begin only with Timor, that I might not, by extending it too far, be
forced to contract the scale too much among the islands, etc., of the
New Guinea coast, which I chiefly designed it for.
The land by the sea on this south side is low and sandy, and full of tall
straight-bodied trees like pines, for about 200 yards inwards from the
shore. Beyond that, further in towards the mountains, for a breadth of
about 3 miles more or less, there is a tract of swampy mangrove land
which runs all along between the sandy land of the shore on one side of
it, and the feet of the mountains on the other. And this low mangrove
land is overflown every tide of flood by the water that flows into it
through several mouths or openings in the outer sandy skirt against the
sea. We came to an anchor right against one of these openings; and
presently I went in my boat to search for fresh water, or get speech of
the natives; for we saw smokes, houses, and plantations against the
sides of the mountains, not far from us. It was ebbing water before we
got ashore, though the water was still high enough to float us in without
any great trouble. After we were within the mouth we found a large

salt-water lake which we hoped might bring us up through the
mangroves to the fast land: but before we went further I went ashore on
the sandy land by the seaside, and looked about me; but saw there no
sign of fresh water. Within the sandy bank the water forms a large lake:
going therefore into the boat again we rowed up the lake towards the
firm land, where no doubt there was fresh water, could we come at it.
We found many branches of the lake entering within the mangrove land
but not beyond it. Of these we left some on the right hand and some on
the left, still keeping in the biggest channel; with still grew smaller, and
at last so narrow that we could go no farther, ending among the swamps
and mangroves. We were then within a mile of some houses of the
Indian inhabitants and the firm land by the sides of the hills: but the
mangroves thus stopping our way, we returned as we came: but it was
almost dark before we reached the mouth of the creek. It was with
much ado that we got out of it again; for it was now low-water, and
there went a rough short sea on the bar; which however we passed over
without any damage and went aboard.
The next morning at five we weighed and stood alongshore to the
eastward, making use of the sea and land-breezes. We found the
seabreezes here from the south-south-east to the south-south-west, the
land-breezes from the north to the north-east. We coasted along about
20 leagues and found it all a straight, bold, even shore, without points,
creeks or inlets for a ship: and there is no anchoring till within a mile or
a mile and a half of the shore. We saw scarce any opening fit for our
boats; and the fast land was still barricaded with mangroves; so that
here was no hope to get water; nor was it likely that there should be
hereabouts any European settlement, since there was no sign of a
harbour.
FAULT OF THE CHARTS.
The land appeared pleasant enough to the eye: for the sides and tops of
the mountains were clothed with woods mixed with savannahs; and
there was a plantation of the Indian natives, where we saw the coconuts
growing, and could have been glad to have come at some of them. In
the chart I had with me a shoal was laid down hereabouts; but I saw

nothing of it, going, or coming; and so have taken no notice of it in my
map.
Weary of running thus fruitlessly along the south side of the island to
the eastward I resolved to return the way I came; and compassing the
west end of the island, make a search along the north side of it. The
rather, because the north-north-west monsoon, which I had designed to
be sheltered from by