Wed nef. 29.
• After fteering S.W. by W. fix miles, we had Ihoal water on
our ftarboard bow, which I fent the yawl to found, and at
the fame time hauled off upon a wind till-four o’clock, and
though during that time we had run fix miles, we had not
deepened our water an inch. I then edged away S. W. four
miles more; but finding it ftill fhoal water, I brought to and
called the boats aboard. At this time, being between three
and four leagues from the fhore, and the yawl having
found only three fathom water in the place to which I had
fent her to found, I hauled off clofe upon a wind, and weathered
the fhoal about half a mile.
Between one and two o’clock, we paffed a bay or inlet before
which lies a fmall ifland that feems to fhelter it from
the foutherly winds ; but I very much doubt whether there
is fufficient depth of water behind it for Ihipping. I could
not attempt to determine the queftion, becaufe the S. E. trade
wind blows right into the bay, and we had not as yet had
any breeze from the land.
We ftretched off to fea till twelve o'clock, when we were
about eleven leagues from the land, and had deepened our
water to twenty-nine fathom. We now tacked and flood in
Tfcu,fiJay3o. till five in the morning ; when, being in fix fathom and an
half, we tacked and laid the head of the veffel off till daylight,
when we faw the land, bearing N. W. by W. at about
the diftance of four leagues. We now made fail, and fleered
firft W. S. W. then W. by S.; but coming into five fathom and
an half, we hauled off S.W. till we deepened our water to.
eight fathom, and then kept away W. by S. and W. having
nine fathom, and the land juft in fight from the deck j wet
judged it to be about four leagues diftant, and it was ftill
very low and woody. Great quantities of the brown fcum
continued to appear upon the water, and the failors having
given
given up the notion of its being fpawn, found a new name 177°.
for it, and called it Sea-faw-duft. At noon, our latitude by ■ ,
obfervation was 8° 30'S .; our longitude 2220 34' W. ; and TWtfa>’
Saint Bartholomew’s ille bore N. 69 E. diftant feventy-four
miles.
As all this coaft appears to have been very minutely examined
by the Dutch, and as our track with the foundings
will appear by the chart, it is fufficient to fay, that we continued
our courfe to the northward with very fhallow water
upon a bank of mud, at fuch a diftance from the fhore as
that it could fcarcely be feen from the ftiip, till the 3d of September.
During this time we made many attempts to get
near enough to go on fhore, but without fuccefs; and having
now loft fix days of fair wind, at a time when we knew
the fouth eaft monfoon to be nearly at an end, we began to
be impatient of farther delay, and determined to run the
ftiip in as near to the fhore as poffible, and then land with
the pinnace, while fhe kept plying off and on, to examine
the produce of the country, and the difpofition of the inhabitants.
For the two laft days we had early in the morning
a light breeze from the fhore, which was ftrongly impregnated
with the fragrance of the trees, fhrubs, and herbage
that covered it, the fmell being fomething like that of Gum
Benjamin. On the 3d of September, at day-break, we faw Se tember
the land extending from N. by E. to S. E. at about four Mor,da>'
leagues diftance, and we then kept ftanding in for it with a
frefh gale at E. S. E. and E. by S. till nine o’clock, when
being within about three or four miles of it, and in three
fathom water, we brought to. The pinnace being hoifted
out, I fet off from the ftiip with the boat’s crew, accompanied
by Mr. Banks, who alfo took his fervants, and Dr.
Solander, being in all twelve perfons well armed; we rowed
I i 2 direftly