Departure From Cape Corrientes For The Ladrone Islands

We had previously resolved to go to the East Indies. But after accounting our voyage to Guam, and being unable to find provisions in Guam, most of our men were almost daunted at the thoughts going to the East Indies of it. We had less than 60 days’ provision:

• a little more than half a pint of maize a day for each man
• 3 meals of salted jew-fish

We had many rats aboard which we could not hinder from eating part of our maize.

Besides, there is a great distance between Cape Corrientes and Guam.

The Spaniards, who have the greatest reason to know best, make it to be between 2300 and 2400 leagues; our books also reckon it differently, between 90 and 100 degrees, which all comes short indeed of 2000 leagues.

But even that was a voyage enough to frighten us, considering our scanty provisions. Captain Swan, to encourage his men to go with him, persuaded them that the English books did give the best account of the distance; his reasons were many, although but weak. He urged among the rest that Sir Thomas Cavendish and Sir Francis Drake did run it in less than fifty days, and that he did not question but that our ships were better sailers than those which were built in that age, and that he did not doubt to get there in little more than 40 days.

This being the best time in the year for breezes, which undoubtedly is the reason that the Spaniards set out from Acapulco about this time; and that although they are sixty days in their voyage it is because they are great ships deep laden, and very heavy sailers; besides, they wanting nothing, are in no great haste in their way, but sail with a great deal of their usual caution.

When they come near the island Guam they lie by in the night for a week before they make land. In prudence we also should have contrived to lie by in the night when we came near land, for otherwise we might have run ashore, or have out-sailed the islands and lost sight of them before morning. But our bold adventurers seldom proceed with such wariness when in any straits.

But of all Captain Swan’s arguments that which prevailed most with them was his promising them, as I have said, to cruise off the Manilas. So he and his men being now agreed, and they encouraged with the hope of gain, which works its way through all difficulties, we set out from Cape Corrientes March the 31st 1686. We were two ships in company, Captain Swan’s ship and a bark commanded under Captain Swan by Captain Teat, and we were 150 men, 100 aboard of the ship, and 50 aboard the bark, besides slaves, as I said.

A TABLE OF EACH DAY’S RUN, ETC.

We had a small land-wind at east-north-east which carried us three or four leagues, then the sea-wind came at west-north-west a fresh gale, so we steered away south-west. By six o’clock in the evening we were about nine leagues south-west from the cape, then we met a land-wind which blew fresh all night; and the next morning about 10 o’clock we had the sea-breeze at north-north-east so that at noon we were thirty leagues from the cape. It blew a fresh gale of wind which carried us off into the true trade-wind (of the difference of which trade-winds I shall speak in the Chapter of Winds in the Appendix) for although the constant sea-breeze near the shore is at west-north-west yet the true trade off at sea, when you are clear of the land-winds, is at east-north-east. At first we had it at north-north-east so it came about northerly, and then to the east as we ran off. At 250 leagues distance from the shore we had it at east-north-east and there it stood till we came within forty leagues of Guam. When we had eaten up our three meals of salted jew-fish in so many days time we had nothing but our small allowance of maize.

After the 31st day of March we made great runs every day, having very fair clear weather and a fresh trade-wind, which we made use of with all our sails, and we made many good observations of the sun. At our first setting out we steered into the latitude of 13 degrees which is near the latitude of Guam; then we steered west, keeping in that latitude. By that time we had sailed twenty days, our men seeing we had made such great runs, and the wind like to continue, repined because they were kept at such short allowance. Captain Swan endeavoured to persuade them to have a little patience; yet nothing but an augmentation of their daily allowance would appease them. Captain Swan, though with much reluctance, gave way to a small enlargement of our commons, for now we had about ten spoonfuls of boiled maize a man, once a day, whereas before we had but eight: I do believe that this short allowance did me a great deal of good, though others were weakened by it; for I found that my strength increased and my dropsy wore off. Yet I drank three times every twenty-four hours; but many of our men did not drink in nine or ten days’ time and some not in twelve days; one of our men did not drink in seventeen days’ time, and said he was not adry when he did drink; yet he made water every day more or less. One of our men in the midst of these hardships was found guilty of theft, and condemned for the same to have three blows from each man in the ship, with a two inch and a half rope on his bare back. Captain Swan began first, and struck with a good will; whose example was followed by all of us.

MAP OF THE EAST INDIES

It was very strange that in all this voyage we did not see one fish, not so much as a flying-fish, nor any sort of fowl, but at one time, when we were by my account 4975 miles west from Cape Corrientes, then we saw a great number of boobies which we supposed came from some rocks not far from us, which were mentioned in some of our sea-charts, but we did not see them.

After we had run the 1900 leagues by our reckoning which made the English account to Guam the men began to murmur against Captain Swan for persuading them to come this voyage; but he gave them fair words and told them that the Spanish account might probably be the truest and, seeing the gale was likely to continue, a short time longer would end our troubles.

As we drew nigh the island we met with some small rain, and the clouds settling in the west were an apparent token that we were not far from land; for in these climates, between or near the tropics, where the trade-wind blows constantly, the clouds which fly swift overhead, yet seem near the limb of the horizon to hang without much motion or alteration, where the land is near. I have often taken notice of it, especially if it is high land, for you shall then have the clouds hang about it without any visible motion.

The 20th day of May, our bark being about three leagues ahead of our ship, sailed over a rocky shoal on which there was but four fathom water and abundance of fish swimming about the rocks. They imagined by this that the land was not far off; so they clapped on a wind with the bark’s head to the north and, being past the shoal, lay by for us.

When we came up with them Captain Teat came aboard us and related what he had seen. We were then in latitude 12 degrees 55 minutes steering west. The island Guam is laid down in latitude 13 degrees north by the Spaniards, who are masters of it, keeping it as a baiting-place as they go to the Philippine Islands. Therefore we clapped on a wind and stood to northward, being somewhat troubled and doubtful whether we were right, because there is no shoal laid down in the Spanish charts about the island Guam. At four o’clock, to our great joy, we saw the island Guam at about eight leagues distance.

It was well for Captain Swan that we got sight of it before our provision was spent, of which we had but enough for three days more; for, as I was afterwards informed, the men had contrived first to kill Captain Swan and eat him when the victuals was gone, and after him all of us who were accessory in promoting the undertaking this voyage. This made Captain Swan say to me after our arrival at Guam, “Ah! Dampier, you would have made them but a poor meal;” for I was as lean as the captain was lusty and fleshy. The wind was at east-north-east and the land bore at north-north-east. Therefore we stood to the northward till we brought the island to bear east, and then we turned to get in to an anchor.

The account I have given hitherto of our course from Cape Corrientes in the kingdom of Mexico (for I have mentioned another cape of that name in Peru, south of the Bay of Panama) to Guam, one of the Ladrone Islands, has been in the gross. But for the satisfaction of those who may think it serviceable to the fixing the longitudes of these parts, or to any other use in geography or navigation, I have here subjoined a particular Table of every day’s run, which was as follows:

Now the island Guam bore north-north-east eight leagues distance. This gives 22 minutes to my latitude and takes 9 from my meridian distance. So that the island is in latitude 13:21; and the meridian distance from Corrientes 7302 miles; which, reduced into degrees, makes 125 degrees 11 minutes.

The Table consists of seven columns. The first is of the days of the month. The 2nd column contains each day’s course, or the point of the compass we ran upon. The 3rd gives the distance or length of such course in Italian or geometrical miles (at the rate of 60 to a degree) or the progress the ship makes every day; and is reckoned always from noon to noon. But because the course is not always made upon the same run in a direct line therefore the 4th and 5th columns show how many miles we ran to the south every day, and how many to the west; which last was our main run in this voyage. By the 17th of April we were got pretty near into the latitude Guam, and, our course then lying along that parallel, our northing and southing consequently were but little according as the ship deviated from its direct course; and such deviation is thenceforward expressed by north or south in the 5th column, and the ship’s keeping straight on the west-rumb by 0, that is to say, no northing or southing. The 6th column shows the latitude we were in every day where R. signifies the dead reckoning by the running of the logs, and Ob. shows the latitude by observation. The 7th column shows the wind and weather.

To these I would have added an 8th column to show the variation of the needle; but as it was very small in this course so neither did we make any observation of it above once, after we were set out from the Mexican coast. At our departure from Cape Corrientes we found it to be 4 degrees 28 minutes easterly: and the observation we made of it afterwards, when we had gone about a third of the voyage, showed it to be so near the same, to be decreasing: neither did we observe it at Guam, for Captain Swan, who had the instruments in his cabin, did not seem much to regard it: yet I am inclined to think that at Guam the variation might be either none at all or even increasing to the westward.

To conclude, May 20th at noon (when we begin to call it 21st) we were in latitude 12 degrees 50 minutes north by R. having run since the noon before 134 miles directly west. We continued the same course till two that afternoon, for which I allow 10 miles more west still, and then, finding the parallel we ran upon to be too much southerly, we clapped on a wind and sailed directly north till five in the afternoon, having at that time run eight mile, and increased our latitude so many minutes, making it 12 degrees 58 minutes. We then saw the island Guam bearing north-north-east distant from us about eight leagues, which gives the latitude of the island 13 degrees 20 minutes. And according to the account foregoing its longitude is 125 degrees 11 minutes west from the Cape Corrientes on the coast of Mexico, allowing 58 or 59 Italian miles to a degree in these latitudes, at the common rate of 60 miles to a degree of the Equator, as before computed.

THE DIFFERENT ACCOUNTS OF THE SIZE OF THESE SEAS.

As a corollary from hence it will follow that, upon a supposal of the truth of the general allowance seamen make of 60 Italian miles to an equinoctial degree, that the South Sea must be of a greater breadth by 25 degrees than it’s commonly reckoned by hydrographers, who make it only about 100, more or less.

We found the distance from Guam to the eastern parts of Asia to be much the same with the common reckoning it follows by way of necessary consequence from hence that the 25 degrees of longitude, or thereabouts, which are under-reckoned in the distance between America and the East Indies westward are over-reckoned in the breadth of Asia and Africa, the Atlantic Sea, or the American continent, or all together; and so that tract of the terraqueous globe must be so much shortened.

Thus, the Ethiopic or Indian Sea must be smaller than it is generally calculated to be if it be true what I have heard over and over from several able seamen, whom I have conversed with in these parts, that ships sailing from the Cape of Good Hope to New Holland (as many ships bound to Java or thereabouts keep that latitude) find themselves there (and sometimes to their cost) running aground when they have thought themselves to be a great way off; and it is from hence possibly that the Dutch call that part of this coast the Land of Indraught (as if it magnetically drew ships too fast to it) and give cautions to avoid it: but I rather think it is the nearness of the land than any whirlpool or the like that surprises them. As to the breadth of the Atlantic Sea I am from good hands assured that it is over-reckoned by six, seven, eight, or ten degrees; for besides the concurrent accounts of several experienced men who have confirmed the same to me, Mr. Canby particularly, who has sailed as a mate in a great many voyages, from Cape Lopez on the coast of Guinea to Barbados, and is much esteemed as a very sensible man, has often told me that he constantly found the distance to be between 60 and 62 degrees; whereas it is laid down in 68, 69, 70, and 72 degrees in the common charts.

As to the supposition itself, which our seamen make, in the allowing but 60 miles to a degree, I am not ignorant how much this has been canvassed of late years especially, and that the prevailing opinion has been that about 70 or upwards should be allowed. But till I can see some better grounds for the exactness of those trials that have been made on land by Mr. Norwood and others considering the inequality of the Earth’s surface as well as the obliquity of the way; in their allowing for which I am somewhat doubtful of their measures. Upon the whole matter I cannot but adhere to the general sea-calculation, confirmed as to the main by daily experience, till some more certain estimate shall be made than those hitherto attempted. For we find ourselves, when we sail north or south, to be brought to our intended place in a time agreeable enough with what we expect upon the usual supposition, making all reasonable allowance, for the little unavoidable deviations east or west: and there seems no reason why the same estimate should not serve us in crossing the meridians which we find so true in sailing under them. As to this course of ours to Guam particularly we should rather increase than shorten our estimate of the length of it, considering that the easterly wind and current being so strong, and bearing therefore our log after us, as is usual in such cases; should we therefore, in casting up the run of the log, make allowance for so much space as the log itself drove after us (which is commonly three or four miles in 100 in so brisk a gale as this was) we must have reckoned more than 125 degrees; but in this voyage we made no such allowance: (though it be usual to do it) so that how much soever this computation of mine exceeds the common charts, yet it is of the shortest, according to our experiment and calculation.