but in lefs than half an hour, I was awakened by the beating
of the fhip upon a bank: I inftantly ftarted up, and ran
upon the deck, where I foon found that we had grounded
upon a hard fand. It was happy for us, that at this time it
was flark calm; and I immediately ordered out the boats
to carry an anchor aftern, where the water was deepelt: the
anchor took the ground, but before we could work the cap-
flern, in order to heave the fhip off to it, {he went off, by
the mere riling of the tide. It happened fortunately to be
juft low water when fhe went aground, and there was fifteen
feet forward, and fix fathom .a very little way aftern. The
Mailer told me, that at the laft call o f the lead, before we
were aground, he had thirteen fathom; fo that the water
fhoaled at once no lefs than fi'xty-three feet.
This bank, which has not been mentioned by any navigator
who has paffed the Streight, is extremely dangerous |*
efpecially as it lies diredtly in the fair way between Cape:
Virgin Mary and the £rft Narrow, and juft in the middle between
the fouth and north lhores. It is more than two.
leagues long, and full as broad; in many places alfo it is
very fteep. When we were upon it, Point Poffellion bore
N .E . diftant three leagues; and fhe entrance of the Narrow;
S. W. diftant two leagues. I afterwards faw many parts o f it
dry, and the fea breaking very high over other parts o f it,
where the water was fhallow. A fhip that fhould ground
upon this fhoal in a gale o f wind, would probably be very
foon beaten to pieces.
About fix o’clock in the morning, we anchored in fifteen
fathom, the fhoal bearing N. N.W. 4. W. at the diftance o f
about half a mile. At noon, we weighed with a light breeze
at N. E. and worked with the ebb tide till two, but finding
the water fhoal, we anchored again in fix fathom and an
7 half,
1765.
January.
Su-iday 6.
half, at about the diftance o f half a mile from the fouth fide 1765.
o f the fhoal. The Allés Ears then bearing N. W. by W. ■ Januar),-_.
diftant four leagues, and the fouth point o f the entrance o f Sunday s'
the firft Narrow W, S. W. diftant about three leagues. At this
time the opening o f the Narrow was fhut in, and upon
fending out the boats to found, they difcovered a channel
between the fhoal and the fouth fhore o f the Streight. The
Tamar in the mean time, as fhe was endeavouring to. come
near us, was very near going on fhore, having once got into
three fathom, but foon after came to an anchor in the channel
between the fhoal and the north fhore.
The next morning, about eight o’clock, we weighed, with Monday 7.
little wind at W. S. W. and fleered about h alf a mile S. E, by E.
when, having deepened our water to thirteen fathom, we
fleered between the E. and E. N. E. along the fouth fide o f
the fhoal, at the diftance of about feven miles from the fouth
fhore, keeping two boats at fome diftance, one on each bow> '
to found. The depth of water was very irregular, varying
continually between nine and fifteen fathom; and upon
hauling nearer to the fhoal, we had very foon no more than
feven fathom: the boats went over a bank, upon which they
had fix fathom and an half ; it being then low water, but
within the bank they had thirteen fathom. At noon, we
were to the eaftward of the fhoal, and as we hauled over to
the north fhore, we foon deepened our water to twenty
fathom. Point Polïelîion at this- time bore N. N.W. diftant
between four and five leagues, the Allés Ears W. N. W. diftant
fix leagues, and Cape Virgin Mary N. E. 4 E. diftant about
feven leagues. From this fituation we fleered N. E. by E. for
the fouth end of the fpit which runs to the fouthward of the
Cape, and had no foundings with five and twenty fathom.
At four in the afternoon, Cape Virgin Mary bore N. E. and
the fouth end of the fpit N. E. by E. diftant three leagues. At
G a ' - , ' eight