the trees appeared very green and flourishing, and some of them looked white and full of blossoms.  We passed close by Crown Isle, saw many cocoa-nut trees on the bays and sides of the hills; and one boat was coming off from the shore, but returned again.  We saw no smoke on either of the islands, neither did we see any plantations, and it is probable they are not very well peopled.  We saw many shoals near Crown Island, and reefs of rocks running off from the points a mile or more into the sea:  my boat was once overboard, with design to have sent her ashore, but having little wind, and seeing some shoals, I hoisted her in again, and stood off out of danger.

In the afternoon, seeing an island bearing north-west-by-west, we steered away north-west-by-north, to be to the northward of it.  The next morning, being about midway from the islands we left yesterday, and having this to the westward of us, the land of the main of New Guinea within us to the southward, appeared very high.  When we came within four or five leagues of this island to the west of us, four boats came off to view us, one came within call, but returned with the other three without speaking to us; so we kept on for the island, which I named Sir R. Rich’s Island.  It was pretty high, woody, and mixed with savannahs like those formerly mentioned.  Being to the north of it, we saw an opening between it and another island two leagues to the west of it, which before appeared all in one.  The main seemed to be high land, trending to the westward.

On Tuesday, the 2nd of April, about eight in the morning, we discovered a high-peaked island to the westward, which seemed to smoke at its top:  the next day we passed by the north side of the Burning Island, and saw smoke again at its top, but the vent lying on the south side of the peak, we could not observe it distinctly, nor see the fire.  We afterwards opened three more islands, and some land to the southward, which we could not well tell whether it were islands or part of the main.  These islands are all high, full of fair trees and spots of great savannahs, as well the Burning Isle as the rest; but the Burning Isle was more round and peaked at top, very fine land near the sea, and for two-thirds up it:  we also saw another isle sending forth a great smoke at once, but it soon vanished, and we saw it no more; we saw also among these islands three small vessels with sails, which the people of Nova Britannia seem wholly ignorant of.

The 11th, at noon, having a very good observation, I found myself to the northward of my reckoning, and thence concluded that we had a current setting north-west, or rather more westerly, as the land lies.  From that time to the next morning we had fair clear weather, and a fine moderate gale from south-east to east-by-north:  but at daybreak the clouds began to fly, and it lightened very much in the east, south-east, and north-east.  At sun-rising, the sky looked very red in the east