te's Foreland, the south-west part of New Hanover, lies in
latitude 2 deg. 29' S., longitude 148 deg. 27' E.; and the middle of Portland's
Islands in latitude 2 deg. 27' S., longitude 148 deg. 3' E. The length of this,
streight or channel, from Cape Saint George to Cape Byron, the southwest
extremity of New Ireland, is above eighty leagues; the distance from
Cape Byron to Queen Charlotte's Foreland is about twelve leagues, and
from the foreland to Portland's Islands about eight leagues; so that the
whole length of Saint George's Channel is about one hundred leagues, or
three hundred miles.

Though we cleared the streight in the morning of Sunday the 13th of
September, we had no observation of the sun till the 15th, which I could
not but greatly regret, as it prevented my being so exact in my latitude
and longitude as might be expected. The description also of the country,
its productions and people, would have been much more full and
circumstantial, if I had not been so much enfeebled and dispirited by
sickness, as almost to sink under the duty that for want of officers
devolved upon me, being obliged, when I was scarcely able to crawl, to
keep watch and watch, and share other duties with my lieutenant, whose
health also was, greatly impaired.

SECTION VII.

_The Passage from Saint George's Channel to the Island of Mindanao, with
an Account of many Islands that were seen, and Incidents that happened
by the Way._

As soon as we had cleared Saint George's Channel, we steered westward,
and the next day we discovered land bearing W.N.W. and hauled up for it;
it proved to be an island of considerable extent, and soon afterwards we
saw another to the north-east of it, but this appeared to be little more
than a large rock above water. As I had here strong currents, and for
several days had not been able to get an observation of the sun, I
cannot so exactly ascertain the situation of these islands as I might
otherwise have done. As we proceeded to the westward, we discovered more
land, consisting of many islands lying to the southward of the large one
which we had first discovered. As the nights were now moonlight, we kept
on till eleven o'clock, and the lieutenant, who was then officer of the
watch, finding that the course we were steering would carry us among
them, and not being willing to awaken me till it was my turn to watch,
hauled off S. by E. and S.S.E. I came upon deck about midnight, and at
one in the morning,