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 Deg.
35' N.[2] The variation here was 5 deg.
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 deg. 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, on which agreement their people came aboard our ship,
and voluntarily performed its duty as readily as any of our own
mariners. We steered N. by W. the pilots reckoning that we were thirty
leagues from Firando. One of the boats which came to us at this time
belonged to the Portuguese who dwelt at Nangasaki, being Christian
converts, and thought our ship had been the Portuguese ship from Makao;
but, on finding we were not, made all haste back again to advise them,
refusing every entreaty to remain with us.
[Footnote 5: The island of Tanao-sima is probably here meant, being the
most southerly of the Japanese islands. It may be proper to remark, that
the termination sima, in the names of islands belonging to Japan,
obviously means island, like the prefix pula in the names of islands
in the Malay Archipelago. - E.]
[Footnote 6: There is a considerable cluster of small islands south from
Tanaosima, between the latitudes of 29 deg. 30' and 30 deg. N. - E.]
[Footnote 7: Xima, or sima, only means island. Perhaps Mashama may be
that named Kaba-sima in modern maps, and Amaxay may possibly be Amacusa,
these islands being in the way towards Nangasaki. - E.]
[Footnote 8: This seems the same island called before Amaxay, or
Amacusa. - E.]
[Footnote 9: Cochinotzu is the name of a town on the south-west
peninsula of the island of Kiusiu; but Cochinoch in the text seems the
sound leading to Nangasaki, and the straits of Arima appear to be the
passage between the north side of Amacusa and Kiusiu.
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