■ 774- retired and joined the others; and when the boat landed
they all fled to the woods. It was not long before the boat
Saturday*. xeturne(j) when the matter informed me that there were no
.foundings, without-the reef, over which, in one place only,
he found .a boat channel of fix feet water. Entering by it,
-he rowed in for the fhore, thinking to fpeak with the people,
not more than twenty in number, who were armed with
. clubs and fpears; but the moment he fet his foot on fhore,
. they retired to the woods. He left on the rocks fome medals,
■ nails, and a knife; which they, no doubt, found, as fome
• were feen near the place afterwards. This ifland is not quite
a league in length, in the direftion of N. E. and S. W. and
not half that in breadth. It. is covered with wood, and fur-
- -rounded by a reef of coral rocks, which, in fome places, extend
two miles from the Ihore. It feems to be too fmall to
contain many inhabitants^ and probably the few whom we
faw, may have come from fome ifle in the neighbourhood to
•fifh for turtle; as many were feen near this reef, and occasioned
that name to be given to the ifland, which is fituated
in latitude 190 48' South, longitude 178° 2' Weft.
■ Seeing breakers to the S. Si W., which I was defirous of
^knowing the extent of before night, I left Turtle Ifle, and
flood for them. At two o’clock we found they were occa-
fioned by a coral bank, of about four or five leagues in circuit.
By the bearing we had taken, we knew thefe to be the
fame breakers we had feen the preceding evening. Hardly
any part of this bank or reef is above water at the reflux of
the waves. The heads of fome rocks are to be feen near the
edge of the reef, where it is the fhoaleft; for in the middle
is deep water. In fhort, this bank wants only a few little
iflots to make it exadtly l.ke one of the half-drowned ifles fo
often
often mentioned. It lies S. W. from Turtle Bland, about five
or fix miles, and the channel between it and the reef o f that — k----'
• n t • n j Saturday z* ifle is three miles over. Seeing no more lhoals or lllands,
and thinking there might be turtle on this bank, two boats
were properly equipped and fent thither; but returned without
having feen one.
The boats were now hoifted in, and we made fail to the
Weft, with a brifk gale at Eaft, which continued till the 9th, Saturday 9;
when we had, for a few hours, a breeze at N. W., attended
with fqualls of rain. This was fucceeded by a fteady frefh
gale at S. E. with which we fleered N. W., being at this time
in the latitude of 20° 20' South, longitude 176° 8' Eaft.
On the 15th at noon, being in the latitude of iy° 9' South, Friday ij.
■ longitude 1710 16' Eaft, I fleered Weft. The next day the saturJay 16.
weather was foggy, and the wind blew in heavy fqualls, attended
with rain, which in this ocean, within the tropics,
generally indicates the vicinity of fome high land. This
was verified at three in the afternoon, when high land was
feen bearing S. W. Upon this we took in the fmall fails,
reefed the top-fails, and hauling up for it, at half paft five,
we could fee it extend from S. S. W. to N. W. by W. 4 W.
Soon after we tacked and fpent the night, which was very
flormy, in plying. Our boards were difadvantageous; for,
in the morning, we found we had loft ground. This, indeed, Sunday 17.
.was no wonder, for having anold fuit of fails bent, the mod
of them wefe fplit to pieces; particularly a fore-top fail,
.which- was rendered quite ufelefs. We got others to the
yards, and continued to ply, being defirous. of getting round
the South ends of the lands, or at leaft fo far to the South
as to be able to judge of their extent in that diredtion. For
no one:doubted that this was the Auftralia del Efpiritu Santo
Von. II. E of