C H A P. X.
Proceedings on the Coaft o f New Caledonia, with Geogra
phical and Nautical Obfervations.
>774- T Y 'V E R Y thing being in readinefs to put to fea, at fun-
.Septemben r;$Jj on-the 13th of September, we weighed, and with
Tueiday 13. a gne g a ] e at £. by S., flood out for the fame -channel we
came in by. At half pall feven we were in the middle of it.
Obfervatory Me bore S. 50 Eaft, diftant four miles, and the
Me of Balabea W. N. W. As foon as we were clear of thé
reef, we hauled the wind on the ftarboard tack, with a view
of plying in to the S. E.; but as Mr. Gilbert was of opinion
that he had feen the end or N. W. extremity of the land, and
that it would be eafier to get round by the N. W., I gav
over plying, and bore up along the out-fide of the reef,
fleering N. N. W., N. W., and N. W. by W., as it trended.
At noon, the ifland of Balabea bore S. by W. diftant thirteen
miles; and what we judged to be the weft end of the great
land, bore S. W. 4.S., and the direction of the reef was N. W.
by W„ latitude obferved 19°* 53' 20". Longitude from Obfervatory
Ifle 14 'W. We continued to fleer N. W. byW.
:along the autfide of the reef till three o’clock, at which time
the ifle of Balabea bore S, by E. 4 E. In this direction we
obferved a partition in the reef, which we judged to be a
channel, by the ftrong tide which fet out of it. From this
place the reef inclined to the North, for three or four
leagues, and then to N. W. We followed its direction, and
as we advanced to N. W., railed more land, which feemed
to
to be connected with what we had feen before; fo that Mr. 1774-
Gilbert was miftaken, and did not fee the extremity of the , cPtcmber'i
coaft. At five o’clock this land bore W. by N. 4 N., diftant TueHa5, ‘3’
twenty miles; but what we could fee of the reef trended in
the direction o f N. W. by N.
Having hauled the wind on the ftarboard tack, and fpent Wednef. 14.
the night plying, on the 14th at fun-rife, the Ifland of Balabea
bore S. 6° Eaft, and the land feen the preceding night
Weft, but the reef Hill trended N. W., along which we
fleered with a light breeze at E. S. E. At noon we obferved
in latitude 190 28', longitude from Obfervatory Me 27' Weft.
We had now no fight of Balabea; and the other land, that
is, the N. W. part of it, bore W. by S. 4. S., but we were not
fure if this was one continued coaft, or feparate iflands. For
though fome partitions were feen, from fpace to fpace,
which made it look like the latter, a multitude of fhoals
rendered a nearer approach to it exceedingly dangerous.
if not impracticable. In the afternoon, with a fine
breeze at E. S. E., we ranged the outfide of thefe fhoals,
which we found to trend in the direction of N. W. by W.,
N. W. by N., and N. N. E. At three o’clock, we palled a low
fandy ifle, lying on the outer edge of the reef, in latitude
3 9° 2s', and in the direction o f N. E. from the north-weftern-
moft land, fix or feven leagues diftant. So much as we could
fee of this fpace was ftrewed with fhoals, feemingly detached
from each other; and the channel leading in amongft
them, appeared to be on the S. E. fide of the fandy ifle; at
leaft there was a fpace where the fea did not break. At fun-
fet, we could but juft fee the land, which bore S. W. by S ,
about ten leagues diftant. A clear horizon produced the discovery
of no land to the weftward of this direction; the
V ol. II. . s reef