d
due W., yet, by observation, we made sixteen miles southing, six miles
from noon on the 6th to noon on the 7th, and ten miles from noon on the
7th to noon on the 8th, by which it appeared that there was a current
setting to the southward. At sun-set, we found the variation to be 2 W.,
and at the same time, saw an appearance of very high land bearing N.W.

In the morning of the 10th, we saw clearly that what had appeared to be
land the night before, was Timor. At noon, our latitude, by observation,
was 10 deg. 1' S., which was fifteen miles to the southward of that given by
the log; our longitude, by observation, was 233 deg. 27' W. We steered N.W.
in order to obtain a more distinct view of the land in sight, till four
o'clock in the morning of the 11th, when the wind came to the N.W. and
W., with which we stood to the southward till nine, when we tacked and
stood N.W., having the wind now at W.S.W. At sun-rise the land had
appeared to extend from W.N.W. to N.E., and at noon, we could see it
extend to the westward as far as W. by S. 1/2 S. but no farther to the
eastward than N. by E. We were now well assured, that as the first land
we had seen was Timor, the last island we had passed was Timor Laoet, or
Laut.[104] Laoet, is a word in the language of Malaca, signifying Sea,
and this island was named by the inhabitants of that country. The south
part of it lies in latitude 8 deg. 15' S., longitude 228 deg. 10' W., but in the
charts the south point is laid down in various latitudes, from 8 deg. 30' to
9 deg. 30': It is indeed possible that the land we saw might be some other
island, but the presumption to the contrary is very strong, for if Timor
Laut had lain where it is placed in the charts, we must have seen it
there. We were now in latitude 9 deg. 37' S.; longitude, by an observation
of the sun and moon, 233 deg. 54' W.; we were the day before in 233 deg. 27';
the difference is 27', exactly the same that was given by the log: This,
however, is a degree of accuracy in observation that is seldom to be
expected. In the afternoon, we stood in shore till eight in the evening;
when we tacked and stood off, being at the distance of about three
leagues from the land, which at sun-set extended from S.W. 1/2 W. to
N.E.: At this time we sounded, and had no ground with 140 fathom. At
midnight, having but little wind, we tacked and stood in, and at noon
the next day, our latitude, by observation, was 9 deg. 36' S. This day, we
saw