[FROM TIMOR.  TOWARDS MAURITIUS.]

MONDAY 14 NOVEMBER 1803

On the evening of the 14th we sailed from Coepang, and having passed round the north end of Pulo Samow, steered south-westward with a fair breeze; but the wind being light, and afterwards veering to S. S. W., our progress was slow.  At sunset on the 16th [WEDNESDAY 16 NOVEMBER 1803], the island Savu was seen to the N. W. by N., and next morning [THURSDAY 17 NOVEMBER 1803] at six o’clock, the following bearings were taken.

Savu., the highest part, N. 39 deg.  E.
Benjoar, a round hill on it, N. 22 E.
A rocky islet, distant 3 leagues, N. 48 W.

At noon, the rocky islet bore N. 63 deg.  E., and its position was ascertained to be 10 deg. 491/2’ south and 122 deg. 49’ east.  A small low island is laid down by admiral D’Entrecasteaux, about three leagues to the north-west of this position, and had been previously seen by captain Cook in 1770; it seems possible that these may be one and the same island, for the situation in D’Entrecasteaux’s chart is marked doubtful; but they are both laid down in Plate XVI., and such additions made to what little could be distinguished of Savu and Benjoar, as D’Entrecasteaux, Cook, Bligh. and Dalrymple could furnish.

It was my intention on quitting Timor, if the leaky condition of the schooner and the north-west monsoon did not oppose it, to pass southward of all the Sunda Islands and direct for the Cape of Good Hope; but if impeded, to run through some one of the eastern straits, get into the north-east monsoon, and make for Batavia, or any port where the vessel could be repaired.  The veering of the wind to the westward of south, accompanied by a swell and the occasional appearance of lightning in the north-western quarter, made me apprehensive of being forced to this latter plan; and we prepared a boarding netting to defend us against the Malay pirates, with which the straits between Java and Timor were said to be infested; the wind however came back to the eastward, although the south-west swell continued, and we had frequent rain with sometimes thunder and lightning.

FRIDAY 25 NOVEMBER 1803

On the 25th, our latitude was 12 deg. 48’ and longitude 103 deg. 6’, which was past the meridian of Java Head, and beyond the ordinary limits of the north-west monsoon.  The schooner was leaky, more so than before, and the pumps were getting worse; but hoping to reach the Cape of Good Hope, I had wholly given up the idea of Batavia as lying too far out of the track; Mauritius besides was in the way, should the vessel become incapable of doubling the Cape without repairs.