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. We saw
several people, and some cocoa-nut trees, but could not send ashore
for want of my pinnace, which was out of order. In the evening I
stood off to sea, to be at such a distance that I might not be
driven by any current upon the shoals of this island, if it should
prove calm. We had but little wind, especially the beginning of the
night; but in the morning I found myself so far to the west of the
island, that the wind being at east-south-east, I could not fetch
it, wherefore I kept on to the southward, and stemmed with the body
of a high island about eleven or twelve leagues long, lying to the
southward of that which I before designed for. I named this island
Sir George Rook's Island.
We also saw some other islands to the westward, which may be better
seen in my draft of these lands than here described; but seeing a
very small island lying to the north-west of the long island which
was before us, and not far from it. I steered away for that, hoping
to find anchoring there; and having but little wind, I sent my boat
before to sound, which, when we were about two miles' distance from
the shore, came on board and brought me word that there was good
anchoring in thirty or forty fathom water, a mile from the isle, and
within a reef of the rocks which lay in a half-moon, reaching from
the north part of the island to the south-east; so at noon we got in
and anchored in thirty-six fathom, a mile from the isle.
In the afternoon I sent my boat ashore to the island, to see what
convenience there was to haul our vessel ashore in order to be
mended, and whether we could catch any fish. My men in the boat
rowed about the island, but could not land by reason of the rocks
and a great surge running in upon the shore. We found variation
here, 8 degrees 25 minutes west.
I designed to have stayed among these islands till I got my pinnace
refitted; but having no more than one man who had skill to work upon
her, I saw she would be a long time in repairing (which was one
great reason why I could not prosecute my discoveries further); and
the easterly winds being set in, I found I should scarce be able to
hold my ground.
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