of success, in going forward to New Guinea.  Add to this the particular danger I should have been in upon a lee shore, such as is here described, when the north-west monsoon should once come in; the ordinary season of which was not now far off, though this year it stayed beyond the common season; and it comes on storming at first, with tornadoes, violent gusts, etc.  Wherefore quitting the thoughts of putting in again at New Holland, I resolved to steer away for the island Timor; where, besides getting fresh water, I might probably expect to be furnished with fruits and other refreshments to recruit my men, who began to droop; some of them being already to my great grief afflicted with the scurvy, which was likely to increase upon them and disable them, and was promoted by the brackish water they took in last for boiling their oatmeal.  It was now also towards the latter end of the dry season; when I might not probably have found water so plentifully upon digging at that part of New Holland as when I was there before in the wet season.  And then, considering the time also that I must necessarily spend in getting in to the shore through such shoals as I expected to meet with; or in going about to avoid them; and in digging of wells when I should come hither:  I might very well hope to get to Timor and find fresh water there as soon as I could expect to get it at New Holland; and with less trouble and danger.

On the 8th of September therefore, shaping our course for Timor, we were in latitude 15 degrees 37 minutes.  We had 26 fathom coarse sand; and we saw one whale.  We found them lying most commonly near the shore or in shoal water.  This day we also saw some small white clouds; the first that we had seen since we came out of Shark’s Bay.  This was one sign of the approach of the north-north-west monsoon.  Another sign was the shifting of the winds; for from the time of our coming to our last anchoring place, the seabreezes which before were easterly and very strong had been whiffling about and changing gradually from the east to the north, and thence to the west, blowing but faintly, and now hanging mostly in some point of the west.  This day the winds were at south-west by west, blowing very faint; and the 9th day we had the wind at north-west by north, but then pretty fresh; and we saw the clouds rising more and thicker in the north-west.  This night at 12 we lay by for a small low sandy island which I reckoned myself not far from.  The next morning at sun-rising we saw it from the top-masthead, right ahead of us; and at noon were up within a mile of it:  when by a good observation I found it to lie in 13 degrees 55 minutes.  I have mentioned it in my first volume, but my account then made it to lie in 13 degrees 50 minutes.  We had abundance of boobies and man-of-war-birds flying about us all the day; especially when we came near the island; which had also abundance of them upon it; though it was but a little spot of sand, scarce a mile round.