9»
•n v and unpleafant. The fhoal on which the fhip had grounded is of fome
» ----1 extent, it ftretches to the northward, lies between fix and feven miles
from the main land, and is near a league from the weft fide of the ifland;
where alfo a flat extends fome diftance into the river.
The objebl I had had in view being now fully accomplithed, in having
afcertained that the weftern fhore behind the ifland was compact, I determined
to proceed immediately to the furtheft extent of Captain Cook’s
refearches, and from thence to carry my examination into execution as
circumftances fhould direft. For this purpofe, about feven in the evening,
the weather being nearly calm, we weighed, and committed our-
felves to the influence of the ebb tide, a meafure that in regions fo unknown
cannot be defended as being the moft prudent; yet in fervices of
this nature a very confiderable degree of rifk muft frequently be encountered,
or the accomplifhment of particular objebls would neceflarily be
prolonged to a very diftant and indefinite period. The truth of this ob-
• fervation was very foon exhibited. By the time we had pafled about a
• league in a direction s. 38 w. from the anchorage that we had quitted in
the forenoon, we again fuddenly found ourfelves in a very fhallow water,
and were under apprehenfions of being aground every inftant,
which, with the falling tide, muft have-been attended with very unpleafant,
if not ferious, confequences. Whilft in this irkfome ftate, and at
the moment when our depth had decreafed to 3 fathoms, a light breeze
of wind providentially fprang up, which rendered the fhip manageable,
and permitted us to fleer to the eaftward ; our depth then foon increafed
to 7, and afterwards gradually to 30, fathoms. Having kept a fouth-
wefterly courfe until midnight, and at ithat time reaching no bottom
with 40 fathoms of line, I concluded we were far to the fouthward of
the fhoal laid down in Captain Cook’s chart, as extending from the fouth
point of the ifland.
For the purpofe of taking the advantage of the flood tide, to aflift our
progrefs up the river, although we confidered the fhoal to lie far to the
north of us, yet that we might run no rifk we hauled gradually to the fouth
and s . s . e . , in order to pafs it at fome diftance; this precaution, however,
availed us little, for we had not advanced far before the depth of water was
again
again under 9 fathoms; and inftantly decreafing to 4, the fhip ftruck' with
fome degree of violence, occafioned by a very heavy fwell from the ocean, 1---- v----1
that for fome days paft had been attendant on the flood tide. About
one o’clock, having a fine commanding breeze from the n . e . , we fleered
to the weftward and s.w., but to no purpofe, the tide having more influence
on the body of the fhip than the wind On her fails; in this very
unpleafant predicament we remained nearly ftationary for about an hour
and an half, the fhip frequently ftriking, and fometimes fo heavily as
to occafion conflant apprehenfion left the mads fhould come by the
board, or fome worfe accident befall us. . Every effort to get to the
weftward 'of the fhoal proving ineffeftual, we had no other alternative
than to crofs it if poflible, by purfuing an oppofite line of direbtion;
this attempt however feemed to be full of danger, as its (halloweft part appeared
by the breakers to be at its eaftern extremity, which had induced
me to perfevere fo long in my endeavours to get to the weftward. The
attempt was made, and was happily crowned with a fuccefs far beyond
my moft fanguine expeblations. After having got the fhip’s head to
the eaftward fhe ftruck but once more, (though that was the moft violent
and alarming fhock we had fuftained) in crofiing the fhoal; the
water foon after ^deepened to 10 and 13- fathoms, and we had the further
fatisfablion of finding that the fhip made no water, nor, were we able to
perceive that fhe had in any other refpebl received the leaft damage.
We arrived in deep water juft as the dawning of day enabled us to
procure fome angles, which fhewed that we had pafled the fhoal about ;
a league to the fouth-weft of the fouth point of the ifland, and (by the
appearance of the broken water in our paflage) nearly over its middle,
as it feemed to extend full a league further in that direftion. From the
great variety in the foundings in palling over it, it fhould appear to be .
very uneven, as ■ in feveral inftances, when the fhip ftruck violently, or
when fhe relied on the ground, the depth by the lead line was frequently
near 4 fathoms, and the rife and fall of the waves was by no means
equal to this difference. It is not improbable that this fhoal might have
arrefted fome fragments of rocks fimilar to thofe before mentionedand
O 2 if