1774* were much like thofeof Tanna.) and navigated in the fame
■ A“sult' ■ manner, or nearly fo. They readily gave us the names of
1'iiday 26. fuch parts as we pointed to ; but we could not obtain from
them the name of the ifland. At length, feeing our boats
coming, they paddled in for the fhore, notwithftanding all
we could fay or do to detain them.
When the boats returned, Mr. Cooper informed me, that
they had landed on the beach which is at the head of
the bay, near a fine river, or fiream of frefh water, fo large
and deep, that they judged boats might enter it at high
water. They found three fathoms depth clofe to the beach,
and fifty-five and fifty, two cables’ length off. Farther out
they did not found; and where we were with the Ihip, we
had no foundings with an hundred and feveoty fathoms line.
Before the boats got on board, the wind had fhifted to S. S. E.
As we were in want of nothing, and had no time to fpare, I
took the advantage of this Ihift of wind, and fleered down
the bay. During the fore-pait of the night, the country
was illuminated with fires, from the fea-fihore to the fum-
mits o f the mountains ; but this was only on the weft fide
of the fhore. I cannot pretend to fay what was the occafion of
thefe fires, but have no idea of their being on our account»
Probably, they were burning or clearing the ground for new
Saturday 27. plantations. At day-break on the 27th, we found ourfelves.
two-thirds down the bay; and, as we had but little wind, it
was noon before we were the length of the N. W. point,
which at this time bore N. 8a° Weft, diftant five miles. Latitude
obferved 14° 39' 30". .
Some of our gentlemen were doubtful of this being the
bay of St. Philip and St. Jago, as there was no place which
they thought could mean the port of Vera Cruz. For my
part,
part, I found general points to agree fo well with Qui-
rosls defeription, that I had not the leaft doubt about it;
As to what he calls the port of Vera Cruz, I underftand that
to be the anchorage at the head of the bay, which in fome
places may extend farther off than where our'boats landed-
There is nothing in his account of the port which contradicts
this fuppofition *. It was but natural for his people to
give a name to the place, independent of fo large a bay,
where they lay fo long at anchor. A port is a vague term;
like many others in geography, and has- been very often-
applied to places far lefs flickered than this.
'774- Auguft.
Saturday zji
Our officers obferved that grafs and other plants grew on;
the beach clofe to high water mark ; which is always a fure
fign of pacific anchorage, and an undeniable proof that there
never is a great furf on the fhore. They judged that the
tide rofe about four or five feet, and- that, boats and fuch
craft might, at high-water, enter the.river,.whichfeemed to
be pretty deep and broad within ; fo that this, probably, is
one of thofe mentioned by Quiros; and, if we were not deceived,
we faw the other-
The bay hath twenty leagues fea-coaft; fix on the eaft
fide, which lies in the direction of S .f Weft and N.4 Eaft;
two at the head; and twelve on the weft fide, the direction
of which is S. by E. and N. by W., from the head down to
two-thirds of its length, and then N. W. by N. to the N. W.
point. The two points which form the entrance, lie in the
direction of S. 53° Eaft and N. 530 Weft, from each other
diftant ten leagues. The bay is every where free from danger,.
and of an unfathomable depth, except near the fhores,.
which are for the moll part low. This, however, is only a,
* See Quiros’s Voyage, in Dairy male’s GoHe&ion, voK i, pY-136, 137»
very.