The 3d of November, about three in the afternoon, we faw an
Ifland, which at firft we imagined to be Botel Tobago Xima : But
on our nearer approach we found it to be much fmaller than that
is ufually reprefented; and about an hour after we faw another
liland, five or fix miles farther to the weftward. As no chart,
or journal we had feen, took notice o f any Ifland to the eaftward
o f Formofa, but Botel Tobago Xima, and as we had no obfervation
of our latitude at noon, we were in fome perplexity, apprehending
that an extraordinary current had driven us into the neighbourhood
o f the Bajhee IJlands. We' therefore, when night came on,
brought to, and continued in that pofture till the next morning,
which proving dark and cloudy, for fome time prolonged our uncertainty
; but it clearing up about nine o’clock, we again difcerned
the two Iflands above-mentioned ; and having now the day before
us, we preft forwards to the weftward, and by eleven got a fight of
the fouthern part of the Ifland of Formofa. This fatisfied us that
the fecond Ifland we faw was Botel Tobago Xima, and the firft a
ftnall iflet or rock, lying five or fix miles due Eaft o f it, which,
not being mentioned in any o f our books or charts, had been the
occafion o f all our doubts.
When we had made the Ifland of Formofa, we fleered W. by S.
in order to double its extremity, and kept a good look out for the
rocks o f Vele Rete, which we did not difcover till two in the afternoon.
They then bore from us W. N. W, three miles diftant,
the South end of Formofa at the fame time bearing N. by W. i W,
about five leagues diftant. To give thefe rocks a good birth, we
immediately hauled up S. by W, and lo left them between us and
the land. Indeed we had reafon to be careful of them; for tho’
they appeared as high out o f the water as a (hip’s hull, yet they
are environed with breakers on all fides, and there is a (hoal ftretch-
ing from them at lead: a mile and a half to the fouthward, whence
they may be truly called dangerous. The courfe from Botel Tobago
Xima to thefe rocks, is S. W . by W, and the diftance about twelve
or thirteen leagues: And the South end of Formofa, off which
they
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they lie, is in the latitude of 210 : 50' North, and, according to
our moft approved reckonings, in 23® : 50' Weft longitude from
Tinian, though fome of our accounts made its longitude above a
degree more.
While we were palling by thefe rocks of Vele Rete, there was
an outcry of fire on the fore-caftle; this occafioned a general alarm,
and the whole crew inftantly flocked together in the utmoft con-
fufion, fo that the officers found it difficult for fome time to appeafe
the uproar : But having at laft reduced the people to order, it was
perceived that the fire proceeded’ from the furnace; where the
bricks being overheated, had begun to communicate the fire to
the adjacent wood-work : Hence by pulling down the brick-work,
it was extinguiffied with great facility. In the evening we were
furprized with a view o f what we at firft fight conceived to have
been breakers, but, on a ftridler examination, we difcerned them to
be only a great number of fires on the Ifland of Formofa. Thefe,
we imagined, were intended by the inhabitants of that Ifland as
fignals to invite us to touch there, but that fuited not our views,
we being impatient to reach the port of Macao as foon as poflible.
From Formofa we fleered W. N. W, and fometimes (till more
northerly, propofing to fall in with the coaft of China, to the eaftward
of Pedro Blanco ; as the rock fo called is ufually efteemed an
excellent diredtion for (hips bound to Macao. We continued this
courfe till the following night, and then frequently brought to,
to try i f we were in foundings : But it was the 5th of November
at nine in the morning, before we (truck ground, and then we
had forty-two fathom, and a bottom of grey fand mixed with
(hells. When we had run about twenty miles farther W. N. W,
we had thirty-five fathom and the fame bottom; then our foundings
gradually decreafed from thirty-five to twenty-five fathom;
but foon after, to our great furprize, they jumped back again to
thirty fathom. This was an alteration we could not very well account
for, fince all the charts laid down regular foundings every
where to the northward of Pedro Blanco ; We for this reafon kept a
Y y 2 _ very