DAMPIER's ACCOUNT OF THE PHILIPPINES. 63

fetting us through, had like to have ruined us afterwards; for there are two fmalliflands lying at the fouth end of the channel we came through, and towards thefe iflandsthe tide hurried us fo fwiftly, that we very narrowly efcaped being driven alhore ; forthe little wind we had before at north dying away, we had not one breath of windwhen, we came there, neither was there any anchor-ground. But we got out our oarsand rowed, yet all in vain : for the tide fet wholly on one of thefe fmall iflands, thatwe were forced with might and main ftrength to bear off the {hip, by thrufting withour oars againft the fhore, which was a deep bank, and by this means we prefentlydrove away clear of danger; and having a little wind in the night at north, we fleeredaway fouth-fouth-weft. In the morning again we had the wind at weft-fouth-weft, andfleered fouth, and the wind coming to the weft-north-weft we fleered fouth-wefl to getclear of the fouth-wefl end of theifland Timor. The 29th day we faw the north-weftpoint of Timor fouth-eaft by eaft, diflant about eight leagues.

Timor is a long high mountainous ifland ftretching north-eaft and fouth-wefl. It isabout feventy leagues long and fifteen or fixteen wide, the middle of the iflandis in latitude about nine degrees fouth. I have been informed that the Portuguefedo trade to this ifland ; but I know nothing of its produce befides coire for makingcables.

The 27th day we faw two fmall iflands which lie near the fouth-wefl end of Timor .They bear from us fouth-eaft. We had very hard gales of wind, and ftill with a greatdeal of rain, the wind at weft and weft-fouth-weft.

Being now clear of all the iflands we flood off fouth, intending to touch at NewHolland, a part of Terra Auflralis Incognita, to fee what that country would afford us.Indeed as the winds were we could not now keep our intended courfe, which was firftwefterly and then northerly, without going to New Holland, unlefs we had gone backagain among the iflands : but this was not a good time of the year to be among anyiflands to the fouth of the equator, unlefs in a good harbour.

The 31ft day we were in latitude thirteen degrees twenty minutes ftill Handing to thefouthward, the wind bearing commonly very hard at weft, we keeping upon it under twocourfes, and our mizen and fometimes a maintop-fail rift. About ten o’clock at nightwe tacked and flood to the northward, for fear of running on a fhoal which is laid downin our drafts in latitude thirteen degrees fifty minutes, or thereabouts: it bearing fouthby weft from the eaft end of Timor ; and fo the ifland bore from us by our judgmentsand reckoning. At three o’clock we tacked again, and flood fouth by weft and fouth-fouth-weft.

In the morning as foon as it was day, we faw the fhoal right a-head : it lies m thirteendegrees fifty minutes by all our reckonings. It is a fmall fpit of fand, juft appearing abovethe water’s edge, with feveral rocks about it, eight or ten feet high above water.It lies in a triangular form, each fide being about a league and a half. We Hemmedright with the middle of it, and flood \yithin half a mile of the rocks, and founded, butfound no ground. Then we went about and flood to the north two hours ; and thentacked and flood to the fouthward again, thinking to weather it, but could not; fo webore away on the north fide, till we came to the eaft point, giving the rocks a fmallbirth; then we trimmed fharp and flood to the fouthward, palling clofe by it, andfounded again, but found no ground.

u ^is fhoal is laid down in our drafts not above fixteen or twenty leagues from NewHolland, but we did run afterwards fixty leagues due fouth before we fell in with it;and I am very confident, that no part of New Holland hereabouts lies fo far northerlyby forty leagues as it is laid down in our drafts. For if New Holland were laid down

true,