In the afternoon I went ashore on a small woody island about 2 leagues from us.  Here I found the greatest number of pigeons that ever I saw either in the east or West Indies, and small cockles in the sea round the island in such quantities that we might have laden the boat in an hour’s time:  these were not above 10 or 12 pound weight.  We cut some wood and brought off cockles enough for all the ship’s company; but having no small shot we could kill no pigeons.  I returned about 4 o’clock; and then my gunner and both mates went thither, and in less than three-quarters of an hour they killed and brought off 10 pigeons.  Here is a tide:  the flood sets west and the ebb east; but the latter is very faint and but of small continuance.  And so we found it ever since we came from Timor.

The wind hereabouts.

The winds we found easterly, between north-east and east-south-east; so that, if these continue, it is impossible to beat farther to the eastward on this coast against wind and current.  These easterly winds increased from the time we were in the latitude of about 2 degrees south; and as we drew nigher the Line they hung more easterly.  And now, being to the north of the continent of New Guinea where the coast lies east and west, I find the tradewind here at east; which yet in higher latitudes is usually at north-north-west and north-west; and so I did expect them here, it being to the south of the Line.

An empty cockleshell weighing two hundred fifty-eight pound.

The 7th in the morning I sent my boat ashore on Pigeon Island and stayed till noon.  In the afternoon my men returned, brought 22 pigeons, and many cockles, some very large, some small:  they also brought one empty shell that weighed 258 pound.

King William’s island.  A description of it.

At 4 o’clock we weighed, having a small westerly wind and a tide with us; at 7 in the evening we anchored in 42 fathom, near King William’s Island, where I went ashore the next morning, drank His Majesty’s health, and honoured it with his name.  It is about 2 leagues and a half in length, very high, and extraordinarily well clothed with woods.  The trees are of divers sorts, most unknown to us, but all very green and flourishing; many of them had flowers, some white, some purple, others yellow; all which smelt very fragrantly.  The trees are generally tall and straight-bodied, and may be fit for any uses.  I saw one of a clean body, without knot or limb, 60 are 70 foot high by estimation.  It was 3 of my fathoms about, and kept its bigness without any sensible decrease even to the top.  The mould of the island is black but not deep; it being very rocky.  On the sides and top of the island are many palmetto-trees whose heads we could discern over all the other trees, but their bodies we could not see.