A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels, Vol. 9 | Page 6

on the 1st of May to sound the
western point of the bay, where the water was found very deep. On
landing at that part of the coast our people found the ruins of several
huts, among which were some brass pans, which shewed the place had
been lately inhabited, but, as we supposed, the inhabitants had been
hunted from their houses by the wars.
We set sail on the 12th May, 1613, from this island of Doy, being the
north-eastmost island of _Batta-China_, or Gilolo, in the Moluccas, in
latitude 2° 35' N.[2] The variation here was 5° 20' easterly. By noon of
this day we were fourteen leagues N. by E. from the place where we
had been at anchor for twenty days.[3] The 1st June, passed the tropic
of Cancer. The 2d, being in lat 25° 44' N. we laid our account with
seeing the islands of _Dos Reys Magos._[4] Accordingly, about four
p.m. we had sight of a very low island, and soon afterwards of the high

land over the low, there being many little islands, to the number of ten
or eleven, connected by broken grounds and ledges, so that we could
not discern any passage to the westward. At night we stood off and
took in our top-sails, and lay close by in our courses till morning. The
islands stretch from S.W. to N.E. The 3d, we stood in for the land,
which appeared to us a most pleasant and fertile soil, as much so as any
we had seen from leaving England, well peopled, and having great
store of cattle. We proposed to have come to anchor about its north-east
point, and on sounding, had sixty fathoms. We saw two boats coming
off to us, and used every means to get speech of them, wishing for a
pilot, and desiring to know the name of the island, but the wind was so
strong that we could not get in, wherefore we stood away N.W. and had
sight of another island bearing N.N.W. for which we steered, and
thence descried another, N.E. half E. about seven or eight leagues off.
Coming under the western island, we observed certain rocks about two
miles offshore, one of which was above water, and the other, to the
north, under water, a great way without the other, and the sea breaking
on it.
[Footnote 2: The latitude in the text, which we have reason to believe
accurate, as Captain Saris was so long at this place, indicates the
northern end of the island of Morty, east and a little northerly of the
northern peninsula or leg of Gilolo.--E.]
[Footnote 3: We have omitted in the text the naked journal of daily
winds, courses, and distances, as tending to no useful information
whatever.--E.]
[Footnote 4: The indicated latitude, considering the direction of the
voyage between Morty and Japan, nearly coincides with the small
islands of Kumi and Matchi, west from the south end of the great
Liqueo.--E.]
On the 7th, we supposed ourselves about twenty-eight or thirty leagues
from Tonan.[5] In the morning of the 8th, we had sight of a high round
island, bearing E. six leagues off, with various other islands, in six or
seven directions westwards, five or six leagues off.[6] In the morning
of the 8th we had sight of land bearing N.N.E. and of six great islands
in a row N.E. from the island we descried the preceding evening; and at
the northern end of all were many small rocks and hummocks. In a bay
to the eastwards of these, we saw a high land bearing E. and E. by S.

and E.S.E. which is the island called Xima in the charts, but named
Maihma by the natives, while the former island is called Segue, or
Amaxay.[7] The 10th, four great fishing-boats came aboard, about five
tons burden each, having one large sail, like that of a skiff. They had
each four oars of a side, resting on pins fastened to the gunwales, the
heads of the pins being let into the middle of the oars, so that they hung
in just equipoise, saving much labour to the rowers. These people make
much more speed in rowing than our men, and perform their work
standing, by which they take up less room. They told us we were just
before the entrance to Nangasaki, which bore N.N.E.; the straits of
Arima being N.E. by N. and that the high hill we saw yesterday was
upon the island called Uszideke,[8] making the straits of Arima, at the
north end of which is good anchorage, and at the south end is the
entrance to Cahinoch.[9] We agreed with two of the masters of these
fishing-boats for thirty dollars each, and rice for their food, to pilot us
to Firando,