The trees in general are neither very straight, thick, nor tall; yet appear green and pleasant enough:  some of them bore flowers, some berries, and others big fruits; but all unknown to any of us.  Coconut-trees thrive very well here; as well on the bays by the seaside, as more remote among the plantations.  The nuts are of an indifferent size, the milk and kernel very thick and pleasant.  Here is ginger, yams, and other very good roots for the pot, that our men saw and tasted.  What other fruits or roots the country affords I know not.  Here are hogs and dogs; other land-animals we saw none.  The fowls we saw and knew were pigeons, parrots, cockadores, and crows like those in England; a sort of birds about the bigness of a blackbird, and smaller birds many.  The sea and rivers have plenty of fish; we saw abundance, though we caught but few, and these were cavallies, yellow-tails and whip-rays.

A burning island described.

We departed from hence on the 22nd of March, and on the 24th in the evening we saw some high land bearing north-west half west; to the west of which we could see no land, though there appeared something like land bearing west a little southerly; but, not being sure of it, I steered west-north-west all night, and kept going on with an easy sail, intending to coast along the shore at a distance.  At 10 o’clock I saw a great fire bearing north-west by west, blazing up in a pillar, sometimes very high for 3 or 4 minutes, then falling quite down for an equal space of time; sometimes hardly visible, till it blazed up again.  I had laid me down having been indisposed this 3 days:  but upon a sight of this my chief mate called me; I got up and viewed it for about half an hour and knew it to be a burning hill by its intervals:  I charged them to look well out, having bright moonlight.  In the morning I found that the fire we had seen the night before was a burning island; and steered for it.  We saw many other islands, one large high island, and another smaller, but pretty high.  I stood near the volcano and many small low islands with some shoals.

A new passage found.

March the 25th 1700 in the evening we came within 3 leagues of this burning hill, being at the same time 2 leagues from the main.  I found a good channel to pass between them, and kept nearer the main than the island.  At 7 in the evening I sounded, and had 52 fathom fine sand and oaze.  I stood to the northward to get clear of this strait, having but little wind and fair weather.  The island all night vomited fire and smoke very amazingly; and at every belch we heard a dreadful noise like thunder, and saw a flame of fire after it, the most terrifying that ever I saw.  The intervals between its belches were about half a minute, some more, others less:  neither were these pulses or eruptions alike; for some were but faint convulsions in comparison of the more vigorous; yet even the weakest vented a great deal