In the afternoon I went ashore on a small woody island, about two 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 ten or twelve pounds’ 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 four 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 ten 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 Timer:  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 trade-wind 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.

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

At four o’clock we weighed, having a small westerly wind and a tide with us; at seven in the evening we anchored in forty-two 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 two 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 use.  I saw one of a clean body, without knot or limb, sixty or seventy feet high by estimation; it was three 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.

About one in the afternoon we weighed and stood to the eastward, between the main and King William’s Island, leaving the island on our larboard side, and sounding till we were past the island, and then we had no ground.  Here we found the flood setting east-by-north, and the ebb west-by-south; there were shoals and small islands between us and the main, which caused the tide to set very inconstantly, and make many whirlings in the water; yet we did not find the tide to set strong any way, nor the water to rise much.