ns many precious commodities, as rich metals and
valuable spices, especially as most of the countries hitherto
discovered under the same parallel are not deficient in such riches.
He was afterwards assured, that some of the free burgesses in the
Moluccas go annually to New Guinea, where they exchange small pieces
of iron for nutmegs. Schouten and other navigators conceived high
ideas of this country, and represented it as one of the finest and
richest in the world; but they were unable to penetrate any way into
the interior, which could not be done with a small force, as it is
extremely populous, and the natives are mostly well armed, and of a
martial disposition.

Roggewein and his officers were at this time in considerable doubts,
whether to prosecute the route formerly followed by Dampier, or to go
by Ternate, Tidore, and Bacian, as the less dangerous passage. To
gain time, however, they chose the former, as they most otherwise
have coasted round the last-mentioned islands, in their way to the
Moluccas. In this view, they steered along shore, or rather through an
innumerable chain of small islands, extending from the western point
of New Guinea to the island of Gilolo, making their passage with much
difficulty and danger, and were greatly delighted and astonished on
getting sight of the island of _Bouro_, in lat. 2 deg. S. [3 deg. 30' S. and
long. 127 deg. E.] the most eastern country in which the Dutch East-India
Company, maintain a factory. This island is mostly pretty high land,
and abounds every where with trees and shrubs of various kinds. On
their arrival upon its coast, they were spoken with by a small vessel,
in which were two white men and several blacks. The white men examined
them very strictly to whom they belonged, whence they came, and
whither they were bound. To which they answered, that they came from
New Guinea, and were going to Batavia, but wisely concealed belonging
to the West-India Company, knowing that the East-India Company
permitted no vessels, except their own, to navigate these seas, and
had given strict orders to capture all strange vessels that might
appear there. Yet, in spite of these precautions, the English
sometimes find their way among these islands, to the no small
displeasure of the Dutch company, although they keep ships cruizing
here during both monsoons, to preserve their monopoly of spices.

The island of _Bouro_ is about forty or fifty leagues in
circumference, and is indif