As we ran along shore, we could not perceive any place of shelter for a vessel on the east side of the island, but there probably is on some part of it.  The island is surrounded by a sandy beach, on which the surf beats with some violence:  a number of canoes were lying on the beach, and some parts of the shore were covered with the natives; but none of them attempted to come off, although the vessel was not more than a mile and a half from the shore.  We saw several houses amongst the trees, which appeared to be large and well constructed.  This island has a luxuriant and picturesque appearance, and there can scarcely be a doubt but it is very fertile and well peopled.  The natives were quite naked, and seemed to be the same sort of people we had seen at Tench’s Island; and their canoes were apparently of the same construction.

At ten o’clock in the forenoon, being abreast of the south-east point of the island, we bore up and made sail, steering west-north-west.  Lieutenant Ball requesting me to name this island, I called it Prince William-Henry Island, in honour of his Royal Highness the Duke of Clarence.  In making this island from the eastward, a very high mount rises in the center of it, which Lieutenant Ball named Mount Phillip, in honour of Governor Phillip:  it lies west-north-west from Tench’s-Island, and is situated in 1 deg. 32’ south latitude, and 149 deg. 30’ east longitude.

At midnight on the 22d, we had a perfect deluge of rain, but it did not continue more than a quarter of an hour.  We had now a vast number of tropic birds and ganets round the vessel:  the sea was covered with trees of the largest size, which had both roots and branches to them; there were also cocoa-nut trees, sugar-cane, bamboo, and a variety of other drift wood:  many of the trees were so large, that we could plainly see them at the distance of two leagues:  most of the roots lay to the west-north-west, from which circumstance, and the vessel being considerably to the westward of account by the time-keeper, we were induced to suppose that a strong current set in that direction.  We steered west-north-west until the 4th of June, with moderate breezes from the eastward, and pleasant weather:  the sea was constantly covered with large entire trees, junks of wood, bamboos, and a variety of other drift wood and rock weed.  Our latitude at noon on the 4th, was 4 deg. 33’ north, and the longitude, by the time-keeper, 127 deg. 58’ east.

At day-light the next morning, we saw an island bearing north-west, which is called Kercolang in the charts; finding we could not weather the south end, we bore up to go to the northward of it.  At noon, it bore from north 68 deg. west to south 41 deg. west:  our latitude was 4 deg. 25’ north, and the longitude, by lunar observation, 126 deg. 50’ east.  Another island, called Kerolang in the charts, bore from north to north 14 deg. east; having a remarkable hummock on the east end of it.