At Ten
O'clock I Saw A Great Fire Bearing North-West-By-West, Blazing Up In
A Pillar, Sometimes Very High For Three Or Four Minutes, Then
Falling Quite Down For An Equal Space Of Time, Sometimes Hardly
Visible, Till It Blazed Up Again.
I had laid me down, having been
indisposed these three days; but upon a sight of this, my chief mate
called me; I got up and viewed it for about half an hour, and knew
it to be a burning hill by its intervals:
I charged them to look
well out, having bright moonlight. In the morning I found that the
fire we had seen the night before was a burning island, and steered
for it. We saw many other islands, one large high island, and
another smaller but pretty high. I stood near the volcano, and many
small low islands, with some shoals.
March the 25th, 1700, in the evening we came within three leagues of
this burning hill, being at the same time two leagues from the main;
I found a good channel to pass between them, and kept nearer the
main than the island. At seven in the evening I sounded, and had
fifty-two fathom fine sand and ooze. I stood to the northward to
get clear of this strait, having but little wind and fair weather.
The island all night vomited fire and smoke very amazingly, and at
every belch we heard a dreadful noise like thunder, and saw a flame
of fire after it the most terrifying that ever I saw; the intervals
between its belches were about half a minute, some more, others
less; neither were these pulses or eruptions alike, for some were
but faint convulsions, in comparison of the more vigorous; yet even
the weakest vented a great deal of fire; but the largest made a
roaring noise, and sent up a large flame, twenty or thirty yards
high; and then might be seen a great stream of fire running down to
the foot of the island, even to the shore. From the furrows made by
this descending fire, we could, in the day time, see great smoke
arise, which probably were made by the sulphurous matter thrown out
of the funnel at the top, which tumbling down to the bottom, and
there lying in a heap, burned till either consumed or extinguished;
and as long as it burned and kept its heat, so long the smoke
ascended from it; which we perceived to increase or decrease,
according to the quantity of matter discharged from the funnel: but
the next night, being shot to the westward of the burning island,
and the funnel of it lying on the south side, we could not discern
the fire there, as we did the smoke in the day when we were to the
southward of it. This volcano lies in the latitude of 5 degrees 33
minutes south, and meridian distance from Cape St. George, three
hundred and thirty-two miles west.
The easternmost part of New Guinea lies forty miles to the westward
of this tract of land; and by hydrographers they are made joining
together; but here I found an opening and passage between, with many
islands, the largest of which lie on the north side of this passage
or strait. The channel is very good, between the islands and the
land to the eastward. The east part of New Guinea is high and
mountainous, ending on the north-east with a large promontory, which
I named King William's Cape, in honour of his present Majesty. We
saw some smoke on it, and leaving it on our larboard side, steered
away near the east land, which ends with two remarkable capes or
heads, distant from each other about six or seven leagues: within
each head were two very remarkable mountains, ascending very
gradually from the sea-side, which afforded a very pleasant and
agreeable prospect. The mountains and the lower land were
pleasantly mixed with woodland and savannahs; the trees appeared
very green and flourishing, and the savannahs seemed to be very
smooth and even; no meadow in England appears more green in the
spring than these. We saw smoke, but did not strive to anchor here,
but rather chose to get under one of the islands (where I thought I
should find few or no inhabitants), that I might repair my pinnace,
which was so crazy that I could not venture ashore anywhere with
her. As we stood over to the islands, we looked out very well to
the north, but could see no land that way; by which I was well
assured that we were got through, and that this east land does not
join to New Guinea; therefore I named it Nova Britannia. The north-
west cape I called Cape Gloucester, and the south-west-point Cape
Anne; and the north-west mountain, which is very remarkable, I
called Mount Gloucester.
This island which I called Nova Britannia, has about 4 degrees of
latitude: the body of it lying in 4 degrees, and the northernmost
part in 2 degrees 32 minutes, and the southernmost in 6 degrees 30
minutes south. It has about 5 degrees 18 minutes longitude from
east to west. It is generally high mountainous land, mixed with
large valleys, which, as well as the mountains appeared very
fertile; and in most places that we saw, the trees are very large,
tall and thick. It is also very well inhabited with strong well-
limbed negroes, whom we found very daring and bold at several
places. As to the product of it, I know no more than what I have
said in my account of Port Montague; but it is very probable this
island may afford as many rich commodities as any in the world: and
the natives may be easily brought to commerce, though I could not
pretend to it under my present circumstances.
Being near the island to the northward of the volcano, I sent my
boat to sound, thinking to anchor here, but she returned and brought
me word, that they had no ground till they met with a reef of coral
rocks about a mile from the shore, then I bore away to the north
side of the island, where we found no anchoring neither.
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