45' N. and is
consequently two and a half degrees from N. to S. about 174 English
miles, but does not any where exceed thirty miles from E. to W. - E.]
At six in the morning of the 29th of January, they began to pass through
the straits between Panama and Negro islands, and, after proceeding
sixteen leagues, they found a fair opening in these straits, trending
S.W. by S. About this time, being rejoined by their boat, which had been
sent before them in the morning, Candish sent a Spanish prisoner on
shore, with a message to his captain, who commanded a ship which lay at
Panama the night before, desiring him to provide an abundant supply of
gold against the return of the Desire, as he meant to pay him a visit at
Manilla, and as that was a long voyage, it merited good entertainment.
He said farther, that he would have come now, to weigh some of his
Spanish gold in English scales, if he had possessed a larger boat for
landing his men on the island.
Proceeding on the voyage, they saw Batochina on the 8th of February, an
island near Gilolo, in the lat. of 1 deg. N. The 14th of that month they
fell in with eleven or twelve small flat low islands, almost level with
the sea, in lat. 3 deg. 10' S. near the Moluccas. March 1st, having passed
the straits between Java Major and Java Minor, they anchored under the
S.W. part of Java Major, where they saw some people fishing in a bay
under the island.
