ength, stretching from
east-north-east to west-south-west and, for ought I know, as far as to
those of Shark's Bay; and to a considerable breadth also (for we could
see 9 or 10 leagues in among them) towards the continent or mainland of
New Holland, if there be any such thing hereabouts: and, by the great
tides I met with a while afterwards, more to the north-east, I had a
strong suspicion that here might be a kind of archipelago of islands and
a passage possibly to the south of New Holland and New Guinea into the
great South Sea eastward; which I had thoughts also of attempting in my
return from New Guinea (had circumstances permitted) and told my officers
so: but I would not attempt it at this time because we wanted water and
could not depend upon finding it there. This place is in the latitude of
20 degrees 21 minutes, but in the chart that I had of this coast, which
was Tasman's, it was laid down in 19 degrees 50 minutes, and the shore is
laid down as all along joining in one body or continent, with some
openings appearing like rivers; and not like islands, as really they are.
See several sights of it, Table 4 Numbers 8, 9, and 10. This place lies
more northerly by 40 minutes than is laid down in Mr. Tasman's chart: and
beside its being made a firm, continued land, only with some openings
like the mouths of rivers, I found the soundings also different from what
the pricked line of his course shows them, and generally shallower than
he makes them; which inclines me to think that he came not so near the
shore as his line shows, and so had deeper soundings, and could not so
well distinguish the islands. His meridian or difference of longitude
from Shark's Bay agrees well enough with my account, which is 232
leagues, though we differ in latitude. And to confirm my conjecture that
the line of his course is made too near the shore, at least not far to
the east of this place, the water is there so shallow that he could not
come there so nigh.

HE ANCHORS ON A THIRD PART OF NEW HOLLAND, AND DIGS WELLS, BUT BRACKISH.

But to proceed: in the night we had a small land-breeze, and in the
morning I weighed anchor, designing to run in among the islands, for they
had large channels between them, of a league wide at least, and some 2 or
3 leagues wide. I sent in my boat before to sound, and if they found
shoal water to return again; but if they found water enough to go ashore
on one of the islands and stay till the ship came in: wh