currents continued to set us from the land; and we saw nothing of it the
20th or 21st, although we had kept on those tacks by which we approached
it most. It became, however, necessary to make the coast, and to range
along it, near enough, so as not to commit any dangerous error, which
might make us miss the passage into the Indian Sea, and carry us into
one of the gulphs of Gilolo. The 22d, at break of day, we had sight of a
higher coast than any part of New Guinea that we had yet seen. We
steered for it, and at noon we set it, when it bore from S. by E. ½ E.
to S. W. where it did not seem to terminate. We passed the line for the
third time. [Sidenote: Cross the line again.] The land ran W. N. W. and
we approached it, being determined not to quit it any more till we
arrived at its extremity, which geographers call Cape Mabo. In the night
we doubled a point, on the other side of which the land, still very
high, trenched away W. by S. and W. S. W. The 23d at noon, we saw an
extent of coast, of about twenty leagues; the westmost part of which
bore from us S. W. thirteen or fourteen leagues. We were much nearer two
low islands, covered with wood, distant from each other about four
leagues. [Sidenote: Unsuccessful attempt on shore.] We stood within
about half a league; and whilst we waited for the Etoile, who was a
great distance from us, I sent the chevalier de Suzannet, with two of
our boats armed, to the northermost of the two islands. We thought we
saw some habitations there, and were in hopes of getting some
refreshments. A bank, which lies the length of the island, and extends
even pretty far to the eastward, obliged the boats to take a large
circuit to double it. The chevalier de Suzannet found neither dwellings,
inhabitants, nor refreshments. What had seemed to us at a distance to
form a village, was nothing but a heap of rocks, undermined and hollowed
into caverns by the sea. The trees that covered the island, bore no
fruits proper to be eaten by man. We buried an inscription here. The
boats did not return on board till ten o’clock at night, when the Etoile
had joined us. The constant sight of the land shewed us that the
currents set here to the N. W.
[Sidenote: Continuation of New Guinea.]
After hoisting in our boats, we strove to keep the shore on board, as
well as the winds, which were constantly at S. and S. S. W. would permit
us. We were obliged to make several boards, with an intent to pass to
windward of a large island, which we had seen at sun-set, bearing W. and
W. by N. The dawn of day surprised us, still to leeward of this island.
Its eastern side, which may be about five leagues long, runs nearly N.
and S. and off the south point lies a low island of small extent.
Between it and the coast of New Guinea, which runs here nearly S. W. by
W. there appeared a large passage, the entrance of which, of about eight
leagues, lay N. E. and S. W. The wind blew out of it, and the tide set
to the N. W. it was not possible to gain in turning to windward against
wind and sea; but I strove to do it till nine in the morning. I saw with
concern that it was fruitless, and resolved to bear away, in order to
range the northern side of the island, abandoning with regret a passage,
which I thought a fine one, to extricate me out of this everlasting
chain of islands.
[Sidenote: Hidden danger.]
We had two successive alarms this morning. The first time they called
from aloft, that they saw a long range of breakers a-head, and we
immediately got the other tacks on board. These breakers, at length,
more attentively examined, turned out to be the ripling of a violent
tide, and we returned to our former course. An hour after, several
persons called from the forecastle, that they saw the bottom under us;
the affair was pressing; but the alarm was fortunately as short as it
had been sudden. We should even have thought it false, if the Etoile,
who was in our wake, had not perceived the same shoal for near two
minutes. It appeared to them a coral-bank. Almost north and south of
this bank, which may have still less water in some places, there is a
sandy creek, in which are built some huts, surrounded with cocoa-trees.
This mark may so much the better serve for a direction, as hitherto we
had not seen any traces of habitations on this coast. At one o’clock in
the afternoon, we doubled the N. E. point of the great island; which
from thence extended W. and W. by S. near 20 leagues. We were obliged to
hug our wind to coast it; and it was not long ere we perceived other
islands, bearing W. and W. by N. We saw one at sun-set, which bore even
N. E. by N. to which there joined a ledge, which seemed to extend as far
as N. by W. thus were we once more hemmed in.
[Sidenote: Loss of the master of the ship.]
This day we lost our first master, called Denys, who died of the scurvy.
He was a native of St. Malo’s, and aged about fifty years; most of them
spent in the king’s service. The sentiments of honour, and extensive
knowledge, that distinguished him in his important charge, caused him to
be universally regretted among us. Forty-five other persons were
afflicted with the scurvy; lemonade and wine only suspended its fatal
progress.
[Sidenote: Difficult course.]
We spent the night upon our tacks; and the 25th, at day-light, found
ourselves surrounded with land. Three passages presented themselves to
us; one opened to the S. W. the second to W. S. W. and the third almost
east and west. The wind was fair for none but the east; and I did not
approve of it, as I did not doubt that it would carry us into the midst
of the isles of Papua. It was necessary to avoid falling any farther to
the northward; for fear, as I have before observed, we should be imbayed
in one of the gulphs, on the east side of Gilolo. The essential means
for getting out of these critical parts, was therefore to get into a
southern latitude; for on the other side of the S. W. passage we
observed to the southward an open sea, to the utmost extent of our view,
therefore I resolved to ply to windward, in order to gain that outlet.
All these islands, which inclosed us, are very steep, of a moderate
height, and covered with trees. We did not perceive the least appearance
of their being inhabited.
[Sidenote: Fourth passage of the line.]
At eleven o’clock in the afternoon, we sounded 45 fathom, a sandy
bottom; this was one resource. At noon we observed in 00° 5′ N.
latitude, having crossed the line a fourth time. At six in the evening
we were so far to windward, as to be able to fetch the W. S. W. passage,
having gained about three leagues by working the whole day. The night
was more favourable, thanks to the moon-shine, which enabled us to turn
to windward between the rocks and islands. The current, which had been
against us whilst we were passing by the two first passages, likewise
became favourable for us as soon as we opened the S. W. passage.
[Sidenote: Description of the channel through which we pass.]
The channel through which we at last passed out this night, may be about
three leagues broad. It is bounded to the westward by a cluster of
pretty high islands and keys. Its eastern side, which at first sight we
took for the westmost point of the great island, is also nothing but a
heap of small islands and rocks, which, at a distance, seemed to form
only one body; and the separations between these islands shew at first
the appearance of fine bays; this is what we discovered in each tack,
that we made towards that shore. It was not till half past four o’clock
in the morning, that we were able to double the southmost of the little
islands of the new passage, which we called the _French Passage_. We
deepened our water in the midst of this Archipelago of Islands, in
advancing to the southward. Our soundings were from 55 to 75 and 80
fathom, grey sand, ooze, and rotten shells. When we were entirely out of
the channel, we sounded and found no bottom. We then steered S. W.
[Sidenote: Pass the line a fifth time.]
The 26th, at break of day, we discovered an island, bearing S. S. W. and
a little after another bearing W. N. W. At noon we saw no more of the
labyrinth of islands we had left, and the meridian altitude gave us 00°
23′ south latitude. This was the fifth time of our passing the line. We
continued close on a wind, with the larboard tacks on board, and in the
afternoon we had sight of a small island in the S. E. The next day, at
sun-rise, we saw it somewhat elevated, bearing N. E. about nine or ten
leagues distance, seeming to extend N. E. and S. W. about two leagues. A
large hummock, very steep, and of a remarkable height, which we named
Big Thomas, (_Gros Thomas_) shewed itself at ten in the forenoon. At its
southern point there is a small island, and there are two at the
northern one. The currents ceased setting us to the northward; we had,
on the contrary, a difference to the southward. This circumstance,
together with our observed latitude, which made us to the southward of
Cape Mabo, totally convinced me that we were at length entered into the
Archipelago of the Moluccas.
[Sidenote: Discussion concerning Cape Mabo.]
Let me now ask, which this Cape Mabo is, and where it is situated? Some
make it the Cape, which, to the northward, terminates the western part
of New Guinea. Dampier and Woods Rogers place it the former, in one of
the gulphs of Gilolo in 30′ S. lat. The second, eight leagues at
farthest from this great island. But all this part is an extensive
Archipelago of little isles; which, on account of their number, were
called the Thousand Isles, by admiral Roggewein, who passed through them
in 1722. Then in what manner does this Cape Mabo, which is in the
neighbourhood of Gilolo, belong to New Guinea? Where shall we place it,
if (as there is so much reason to believe) all New Guinea itself is a
heap of great islands? the various channels between which are as yet
unknown. It must certainly belong to the westmost of these considerable
isles.
[Sidenote: Entrance into the Archipelago of the Moluccas.]
On the 27th, in the afternoon, we discovered five or six islands,
bearing from W. S. W. ½ W. to W. N. W. by compass. During night we kept
the S. S. E. tack; so that we did not see them again the 28th in the
morning. We then perceived five other little isles, which we stood in
for. At noon they bore from S. S. W. 1° W. to S. 10° W. at the distance
of two, three, four, and five leagues. We still saw Big Thomas bearing
N. E. by E. ½ E. about five leagues. We likewise got sight of another
island, bearing W. S. W. seven or eight leagues distant. During the last
twenty-four hours we felt several strong tides, which seemed to set from
the westward. However, the difference between my reckoning, and the
observation at noon, and at the setting of the bearings, gave us ten or
eleven miles to S. W. by S. and S. S. W. At nine o’clock in the morning
I ordered the Etoile to mount her guns, and sent her cutter to the S. W.
isles, in order to see whether there was any anchorage, and whether
these isles had any interesting productions.
[Sidenote: Meeting with a negro.]
It was almost a calm in the afternoon, and the boat did not return
before nine o’clock in the evening. She had landed on two isles, where
our people had found no signs of habitation, or cultivation, and not
even any kind of fruits. They were going to return, when, to their great
surprise, they saw a negro, quite by himself, coming towards them in a
periagua, with two outriggers. In one ear he had a golden ring, and his
arms were two lances. He came up to our boat without shewing any marks
of fear or surprize. Our people asked him for something to eat and to
drink, and he offered them water, and a small quantity of a sort of
flour, which seemed to be his ordinary food. Our men gave him a
handkerchief, a looking-glass, and some other trifles of that sort. He
laughed when he received these presents, and did not admire them. He
seemed to know the Europeans, and we thought that he might possibly be a
run-away negro from one of the neighbouring islands where the Dutch have
settlements; or that he had perhaps been sent out a-fishing. The Dutch
call these islands the Five Isles, and send some people to visit them
from time to time. They told us that they were formerly seven in number,
but that two have been sunk by earthquakes, which happen frequently in
these parts. Between these isles there is a prodigious current, without
any anchorage. The trees and plants are almost all the same here as upon
New Britain. Our people took a turtle here of about two hundred weight.
[Sidenote: Sight of Ceram.]
From this time we continued to meet with violent tides, which set to the
southward, and we kept the course which came nearest to their direction.
We sounded several times without finding bottom, and till the 30th in
the afternoon, we got sight of no other land than a single isle to the
westward, ten or twelve leagues from us; but then we saw a considerable
land bearing south at a great distance. The current, which was of more
service to us than the wind, brought us nearer to it during night, and
on the 31st at day-break we were about seven or eight leagues from it.
This was the Isle of Ceram. Its coast, which is partly woody and partly
cleared, runs nearly east and west, and we could not see it terminated.
This isle is very high; prodigious mountains rise on it from space to
space, and the numerous fires which we saw on all sides of it, indicate
its being very populous. We passed the day and the next night in ranging
the northern coast of this isle, making our tacks in order to gain to
the westward, and double its westermost point. The current was
favourable to us, but the wind was scant.
[Sidenote: Observations on the monsoons in these parts.]
I shall here take an opportunity from the contrary winds we had now met
with for a long time, to observe, that in the Moluccas, they call the
westerly monsoon the northern one, and the easterly monsoon the southern
one; because, during the former, the winds blow more generally from N.
N. W. than from W. and during the latter, they come most frequently from
S. S. E. These winds likewise prevail in the isles of Papua, and on the
coasts of New Guinea; we got this information by fatal experience,
having employed thirty-six days to make four hundred and fifty leagues
in.
[Sidenote: 1768. September.]
The first of September, at the dawn of day, we were at the entrance of a
bay, in which we saw several fires. Soon after we perceived two vessels
under sail, built in form of the Malay boats. We hoisted a Dutch ensign
and pendent, and fired a gun, by which I committed a fault without
knowing it. We have since learnt that the inhabitants of Ceram are at
war with the Dutch, and that they have expelled the latter from almost
every part of their isle. Therefore we made a board into the bay without
success, the boats retreated on shore, and we profited of the fresh
breeze to proceed on our course. The shore at the bottom of the bay is
low and level, surrounded by high mountains; and the bay itself contains
several islands. We were obliged to steer W. N. W. in order to double a
pretty large island, at the point of which you see a little isle or key,
and a sand bank, with some breakers which seem to extend a league out to
sea. This island is called _Bonao_; it is divided into two by a very
narrow channel. When we had doubled it, we steered W. by S. till noon.
It blew very fresh from S. S. W. to S. S. E. and we plyed the remainder
of the day between _Bonao_, _Kelang_, and _Manipa_, endeavouring to make
way to the S. W. At ten o’clock in the evening we discovered the lands
of the isle of Boero, by means of the fires which burnt on it; and as it
was my intention to put in there, we passed the night on our tacks, in
order to keep within reach, and if possible to the windward of it.
[Sidenote: Project for our safety.] I knew that the Dutch had a weak
factory on this isle, which was however abundant in refreshments. As we
were perfectly ignorant of the situation of affairs in Europe, it was
not prudent to venture to learn the first intelligence concerning them
among strangers, but at a place where we were almost the strongest.
[Sidenote: Sad condition of the ship’s companies.]
Excessive marks of joy accompanied our discovering the entrance of the
gulph of Cajeli, at break of day. There the Dutch have their settlement;
there too was the place where our greatest misery was to have an end.
The scurvy had made cruel havock amongst us after we had left Port
Praslin; no one could say he was absolutely free from it, and half of
our ship’s companies were not able to do any duty. If we had kept the
sea eight days longer, we must have lost a great number of men, and we
must all have fallen sick. The provisions which we had now left were so
rotten, and had so cadaverous a smell, that the hardest moments of the
sad days we passed, were those when the bell gave us notice to take in
this disgusting and unwholesome food. I leave every one to judge how
much this situation heightened in our eyes the beautiful aspect of the
coasts of Boero. Ever since midnight, a pleasant scent exhaled from the
aromatic plants with which the Moluccas abound, had made an agreeable
impression upon our organs of smell, several leagues out at sea, and
seemed to be the fore-runner which announced the end of our calamities
to us. The aspect of a pretty large town situated in the bottom of the
gulph; of ships at anchor there, and of cattle rambling through the
meadows caused transports which I have doubtless felt, but which I
cannot here describe.
We were obliged to make several boards before we entered into this
gulph, of which the northern point is called the point of _Lissatetto_,
and that on the S. E. side, point Rouba. It was ten o’clock before we
could stand in for the town. Several boats were sailing in the bay; we
hoisted Dutch colours, and fired a gun, but not one of them came
along-side; I then sent a boat to sound a-head of the ship. I was afraid
of a bank which lies on the S. E. side of the gulph. At half an hour
past noon, a periagua conducted by Indians came near the ship; the chief
person asked us in Dutch who we were, but refused to come on board.
However, we advanced, all sails set, according to the signals of our
boat, which sounded a-head. [Sidenote: Shoal of the gulph of Cajeli.]
Soon after we saw the bank of which we had dreaded the approach. It was
low water, and the danger appeared very plain. It is a chain of rocks
mixed with coral, stretching from the S. E. shore of the gulph to within
a league of point Rouba, and its extent from S. E. to N. W. is half a
league. About four times the length of a boat from its extremities, you
have five or six fathoms of water, a foul coral bottom, and from thence
you immediately come into seventeen fathoms, sand and ooze. Our course
was nearly S. W. three leagues, from ten o’clock to half past one, when
we anchored opposite the factory, near several little Dutch vessels, not
quite a quarter of a league off shore. We were in twenty-seven fathoms,
sand and ooze, and had the following bearings:
_Point Lissatetto_, N. 4° E. two leagues.
_Point Rouba_, N. E. 2° E. half a league.
_A peninsula_, W. 10° N. three quarters of a league.
_The point of a shoal, which extends above half a league to the offing
from the peninsula_, N. W. by W.
_The flag of the Dutch factory_, S. by W. ½ W.
[Sidenote: We put in at Boero.]
The Etoile anchored near us more to the W. N. W. We had hardly let go
our anchor, when two Dutch soldiers, without arms, one of them speaking
French, came on board to ask me on the part of the chief of the factory,
what motives brought us to this port, when we could not be ignorant that
the ships of the Dutch India company alone had the privilege of entering
it. I sent them back with an officer to declare to the chief, that the
necessity of taking in provisions forced us to enter into the first port
we had met with, without permitting us to pay any regard to the treaties
that exclude our ships from the ports in the Moluccas, and that we
should leave the harbour as soon as he should have given us what help we
stood most in need of. [Sidenote: Embarrassment of the chief.]The two
soldiers returned soon after, to communicate to me an order, signed by
the governor of Amboina, upon whom the chief of Boero immediately
depends, by which the latter is expressly forbid to receive foreign
ships into his port. The chief at the same time begged me to give him a
written declaration of my motives for putting in here, in order that he
might thereby justify his conduct in receiving us here, before his
superior, to whom he would send the above declaration. His demand was
reasonable, and I satisfied it by giving him a signed deposition, in
which I declared, that having left the Malouines, and intending to go to
India by the South Seas, the contrary monsoon, and the want of
provisions, had prevented our gaining the Philippinas, and obliged us to
go in search of the indispensable supplies at the first port in the
Moluccas, and that I desired him to grant me these supplies in
consideration of humanity, the most respectable of obligations.
[Sidenote: Good reception he gives us.]
From this moment we found no difficulties; the chief having done his
duty for his company, happily acted a very good natured character, and
offered us all he had in as easy a manner as if he had every thing in
his disposal. Towards five o’clock I went on shore with several
officers, in order to pay him a visit. Notwithstanding the embarrassment
which our arrival had caused him, he received us extremely well. He even
offered us a supper, and we did not fail to accept of it. When he saw
with what pleasure and avidity we devoured it, he was better convinced
than by our words, that we had reason to complain of being pinched by
hunger. All the Hollanders were struck with the highest degree of
surprise, and none of them durst eat any thing for fear of wronging us.
One must have been a sailor, and reduced to the extremities which we had
felt for several months together, in order to form an idea of the
sensation which the sight of greens and of a good supper produced in
people in that condition. This supper was for me one of the most
delicious moments of my life, especially as I had sent on board the
vessels what would afford as good a supper as ours to every one there.
We agreed that we should have venison every day to supply our companies
with fresh meat, during their stay; that at parting we were to receive
eighteen oxen, some sheep, and almost as much poultry as we should
require. We were obliged to supply the want of bread with rice, which
the Dutch live upon. The islanders live upon sago bread, which they get
out of a palm of that name; this bread looks like the cassava. We could
not get great quantities of pulse, which would have been extremely
salutary to us. The people of this country do not cultivate them. The
chief was so good as to give some to our sick from the company’s garden.
[Sidenote: Police of the company.]
Upon the whole, every thing here, directly or indirectly, belongs to the
company; neat and small cattle, grain, and victuals of all kinds. The
company alone buys and sells. The Moors indeed have sold us fowls,
goats, fish, eggs, and some fruit, but the money which they got for them
will not long remain in their hands. The Dutch know how to get at it, by
selling them very coarse kinds of cloth, which however bear a very great
price. Even stag-hunting is not allowed to every one, for the chief
alone has a right to it. He gives his huntsmen three charges of powder
and shot, in return they are obliged to bring him two deer, for which
they are paid six-pence a-piece. If they bring home only one, he deducts
from what is due to them the value of one charge of powder and shot.
On the 3d in the morning we brought our sick on shore, to ly there
during our stay. We likewise daily sent the greatest part of the crews
on shore, to walk about and divert themselves. I got the slaves of the
company, whom the chief hired to us by the day, to fill the water of
both ships, and to transport every thing from the shore to the ships,
&c. The Etoile profited of this time to adjust the caps of her lower
masts, which had much play. We had moored at our arrival, but from what
the Dutch told us of the goodness of the bottom, and of the regularity
of the land and sea breezes; we weighed our small bower. Indeed, we saw
all the Dutch vessels riding at single anchor.