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.

March the 25th, 1700, in the evening we came within three leagues of this
burning hill, being at the same time two leagues from the main; I found a
good channel to pass between them, and kept nearer the main than the
island. At seven in the evening I sounded, and had fifty-two fathom fine
sand and ooze. 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 of fire; but the
largest made a roaring noise, and sent up a large flame, twenty or thirty
yards high; and then might be seen a great stream of fire running down to
the foot of the island, even to the shore. From the furrows made by this
descending fire, we could, in the day time, see great smoke arise, which
probably were made by the sulphurous matter thrown out of the funnel at
the top, which tumbling down to the bottom, and there lying in a heap,
burned till either consumed or extinguished; and as long as it burned and
kept its heat, so long the smoke ascended from it; which we perceived to
increase or decrease, according to the quantity of matter discharged from
the funnel: but the next night, being shot to the westward of the burning
island, and the funnel of it lying on the south side, we could not
discern the fire there, as we did the smoke in the day when we were to
the southward of it. This volcano lies in the latitude of 5 degrees 33
minutes south, and meridian distance from Cape St. George, three hundred
and thirty-two miles west.

The easternmost part of New Guinea lies forty miles to the westward of
this tract of land; and by hydrographers they are made joining together;
but here I found an opening