The 31st, In The Forenoon, We Shot In Between Two Islands, Lying
About Four Leagues Asunder, With Intention To Pass Between Them.
The Southernmost Is A Long Island, With A High Hill At Each End;
This I Named Long Island.
The northernmost is a round high island
towering up with several heads or tops, something resembling a
crown; this I named Crown Isle from its form.
Both these islands
appeared very pleasant, having spots of green savannahs mixed among
the wood-land: the trees appeared very green and flourishing, and
some of them looked white and full of blossoms. We passed close by
Crown Isle, saw many cocoa-nut trees on the bays and sides of the
hills; and one boat was coming off from the shore, but returned
again. We saw no smoke on either of the islands, neither did we see
any plantations, and it is probable they are not very well peopled.
We saw many shoals near Crown Island, and reefs of rocks running off
from the points a mile or more into the sea: my boat was once
overboard, with design to have sent her ashore, but having little
wind, and seeing some shoals, I hoisted her in again, and stood off
out of danger.
In the afternoon, seeing an island bearing north-west-by-west, we
steered away north-west-by-north, to be to the northward of it. The
next morning, being about midway from the islands we left yesterday,
and having this to the westward of us, the land of the main of New
Guinea within us to the southward, appeared very high. When we came
within four or five leagues of this island to the west of us, four
boats came off to view us, one came within call, but returned with
the other three without speaking to us; so we kept on for the
island, which I named Sir R. Rich's Island. It was pretty high,
woody, and mixed with savannahs like those formerly mentioned.
Being to the north of it, we saw an opening between it and another
island two leagues to the west of it, which before appeared all in
one. The main seemed to be high land, trending to the westward.
On Tuesday, the 2nd of April, about eight in the morning, we
discovered a high-peaked island to the westward, which seemed to
smoke at its top: the next day we passed by the north side of the
Burning Island, and saw smoke again at its top, but the vent lying
on the south side of the peak, we could not observe it distinctly,
nor see the fire. We afterwards opened three more islands, and some
land to the southward, which we could not well tell whether it were
islands or part of the main. These islands are all high, full of
fair trees and spots of great savannahs, as well the Burning Isle as
the rest; but the Burning Isle was more round and peaked at top,
very fine land near the sea, and for two-thirds up it:
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