Page 422
An.1687
Grafton, Monmouth, Bathee, Goat Isles.
The other two great Islands are about 4 or 5 leagues to the Eastward of this. The Northermost of them, where we first anchored, I called the D. of Grafton's Isle, as soon as we landed on it: ha- ving married my Wife out of his Dutchess's Fami- ly, and leaving her at Arlington house, at my going aboard. This Isle is about 4 leagues long, and one league and a half wide, stretching North and South. The other great Isle our Seamen called the Duke of Monmouth's Island. This is about a league to the Southward of Grafton Isle. It is about 3 leagues long, and a league wide, lying as the other. Between Monmouth and the South end of Orange Island, there are two small Islands of a roundish form, lying East and West. The Easter- most Island of the two, our men unani- mously called Bathee Island, from a Liquor which we drank there plentifully every day, after we came to an anchor at it. The other which is the smallest of all, we called Goat Island, from the great number of Goats there: and to the North- ward of them all, are two high Rocks.
Orange Island, which is the biggest of them all, is not inhabited. It is high Land, flat, and even on the top, with steep cliffs against the Sea; for which reason we could not go ashore there, as we did on all the rest.
I have made it my general observation, that where the Land is fenced with steep Rocks and Cliffs against the Sea, there the Sea is very deep, and seldom affords anchor ground; and on the other side where the Land falls away with a de- clivity into the Sea, (altho the Land be exrraordi- nary high within, yet) there are commonly good foundings, and consequently anchoring; and as the visible declivity of the Land appears near, or at the edge of the Water, whether pretty steep, or more sloping, so we commonly find our anchor ground