the channel
or strait, which I left in possession of its ancient name, New Britain,
there is some high land, and three remarkable hills close to each other,
which I called the _Mother and Daughters_. The Mother is the middlemost
and largest, and behind them we saw a vast column of smoke, so that
probably one of them is a volcano: They are easily seen in clear weather
at the distance of twenty leagues, and will then, by those who do not
know them, be taken for islands; they seem to lie far inland, and the
Mother bears about west from the Duke of York's Island. To the east of
these hills there is a point making like a cape land, which I called
_Cape Palliser_; and another to the westward, which I called _Cape
Stephens_. Cape Stephens is the northernmost part of New Britain. North
of this Cape is an island, which I called the _Isle of Man_. Cape
Palliser and Cape Stephens bear about N.W. and S.E. of each other; and
between them is a bay, the land of which near the water-side is low,
pleasant, and level, and gradually rises, as it retires towards the
Mother and Daughters, into very lofty hills, in general covered with
vast woods, but having many clear spots like plantations intermixed.
Upon this part of the country we saw many fires in the night, and have
therefore reason to suppose that it is well inhabited. The Duke of
York's Island lies between the two points, Cape Palliser and Cape
Stephens. As it was not safe to attempt either of the passages into
which the strait was divided by this island in the dark, we brought to
for the night, and kept sounding, but had no ground with one hundred and
forty fathom. The strait here, including the two passages, is about
fifteen leagues broad. The land of the Duke of York's Island is level,
and has a delightful appearance: Inland it is covered with lofty woods,
and near the water-side are the houses of the natives, which stand not
far from each other, among groves of cocoa-nut trees, so that the whole
forms a prospect the most beautiful and romantic that can be imagined.
We saw many of their canoes, which are very neatly made, and in the
morning, soon after I made sail, some of them came off towards the ship;
but as we had a fresh gale at that time, we could not stay for them. The
latitude of this island is 4 deg. 9' S., longitude 151 deg. 20' E.; and it is
five-and-twenty leagues distant from Cape George. As I coasted not New
Britain, but the northermost coast of the strait, I passed