I77°-
July-
Sunday I»
Monday 2«
Tuefday 3.
Tip the river, and Mr. Gore, the Second Lieutenant, picked'
up the hufk of a cocoa nut; which had been call upon the
beach-, and was full o f barnacles: this probably;might come
from fome ifland to windward, perhaps from the Terra del
Efpirito Santo of Quiros, as we;were now;in the latitude
where it is faid tolie^. This day the thermometer in the fliade-
rofe to 87, which was higher than, it had been on any day;
fince we came upon this coaft.
Early the next morning, I fent the Maffer in the pinnace,,
out óf the harbour, to found about the flioals in the offings
and look for a channel to the northward: at this time we-
had a breeze from the land, which continued till about nine
o’clock, and was the firft we had had ftnee our coming into
the river. At low water we lalhed fome empty calks under
the Ihip’s bows, having fome hope that as the tides were;
rifing flie would float the next high water. We ftill conti-
nued to fifli with great fuccefs, and at' high water we again,
attempted to heave the fliip off,. but our utmoft efforts were
Hill ineffectual.
The next day at noon, the Mailer returned, and reported,
that he had found a paffage out to fea between the flioals,.
and deferibed its fituation. The flioals, he faid, confifted of
coral rocks, many of which were dry at low water, and upon
one of which he had been afliore.. He found here fome
cockles of fo enormous a fize that one of them was more
than two men could eat, and a great variety of other fliell-
fifh, of which he brought us a plentiful fupply: in thé evening,
he had alfo landed in a bay about three leagues to the
northward of our llation, where he difturbed fome of the natives
who were at fupper: they all fled with the greateft precipitation
at his approach, leaving fome frefli fea eggs, and
a fire ready kindled behind them, but there was neither
houfe
houfe nor hovel near the place. We obferved, that although »710.
the flioals that lie juft within fight of the coaft, abound with ■
Ihell-fifli, which may be eafily caught at low water; yet we Tuca‘,y 3'
flaw no flich fliells about the fire places on fliore. This day
an allegator was feen to fwim about the fliip for-fome time,
and ,at high water we made another effort to float her,
which happily fucceeded: we found however that by lying
fo long with her head a-ground, and her ftern a-float, ihe
had fprung a plank between decks, a-breaft of the main
chains, fo that it was become neceffary to lay her afliore again.
The next morning was employed in trimming her upon wednef.,,
an even keel, and in the afternoon, having warped her over,
and waited for high water, we laid her afliore on the fand
bank on the fouth fide of the river, for the damage Ihe had
received already from the great defeent of the ground, made
me afraid to lay her broad-fide to the fliore in the fame place
from which we had juft floated her. ■ I was now very defirous
to make another trial to come at her bottom, where the
fheathing had been rubbed off, but though Ihe had fcarcely
four feet water under her, when the tide was out, yet that
part was not dry.
On the 5th, I got one of the carpenter’s crew, a man in Thurfday 5.
whom I could confide, to go down again to the fliip’s bottom,
and examine the place. He reported, that, three ftreaks
of the fheathing, about eight feet long, were wanting,
and that the main plank had been a little rubbed; this account
perfectly agreed with the report of the Matter, and
others, who had been under her bottom before: I had the
comfort however to find the carpenter of opinion that this
would be of little confequence, and therefore the other damage
being repaired, Ihe was again floated at high-water,
and moored along-fide the beach, vhere the ftores had been
X s depofited;