brai coil o f rope, in the ftore-room, to fix to the buoy, but were
<— ---- 1 obliged to fet about unreeving the ftudding-fail geer, the
topfail-halliards, and tackle-falls, for that purpofe; and the
boat was at this time driving to the Southward fo fail, that
it was not before we had veered away two cables, and al-
moft all our running rig ging, that ihe could fetch the
buoy.
Tiurfdayio. I was now under the neceflity o f waiting till the ilrength
o f the tide fhould abate, which did not happen till the next
morning, when Mr. Williamfon got on board the ihip, and
learnt, that ihe had been feven months from Europe, and
three from the Cape o f Good Hope ; that before £he failed,
France and Spain had declared war againft Great Britain ;
and that ihe left Sir Edward Hughes, with a fquadron o f
men o f war, and a fleet o f Eaft-India ihips, at the Cape.
Mr. Williamfon having, at the fame time, been informed,
that the water at Cracatoa was very good, and always preferred,
by the Dutch ihips, to that o f Prince’s liland, I refolded
to rejoin the Refolution at. the former p la c e ; and a
fair breeze fpringing up, we weighed and flood over toward
the ifland, where we foon after faw her at anchor;
but the wind falling, and the tide fetting ftrong againft us,
I was obliged to drop anchor, at the diftance o f about five
miles from the Refolution, and immediately fen't a boat on
board, to acquaint Captain Gore with the intelligence we
had received.
As foon as the Refolution faw us preparing to come to,
ihe fired her guns, and hoifted an Engliih jack at the enfign
Half, the fignal at fea to lead ahead. This we afterward
underftood was intended to prevent our anchoring, on account
o f the foul ground, which the maps £he had on board
placed
placed here. However, as we found none, having a muddy '780.
bottom, and good holding ground, in fixty fathoms water,
we kept fail till the return o f the boat, which brought orders
to proceed the next morning to Prince’s liland. We
were at this time two miles diftant from the ih o re ; the peak
o f Cracatoa bore North Weft by North ; Bantam Point Eaft
North Eaft ha lf Ea ft; Prince’s Ifland South Weft by Weft.
The ifland o f Cracatoa is the Southernmoft o f a group
fituated in the entrance o f the Straits o f Sunda. It has a
h igh peaked hill on the South end*, which lies in latitude
6° 9' South, and longitude 105° 15' Eaft; the whole circuit
o f the ifland is not more than three leagues. Off the North
Eaft end lies a fmall ifland, which forms the road where
the Refolution anchored; and within a r e e f that runs o ff
the South end o f the latter, there is good ihelter againft all
Northerly winds, with eighteen fathoms water near the
reef, and twenty-feven in the mid-channel. To the North
Weft, there is a narrow pafs for boats between the two
iflands.
T h e ihore, which forms the Weftern fide o f the road, is
in a North Weft diredlion, and has a batik o f coral ftretching
into the fea, about one third o f a cable’s length, which makes
the landing difficult for boats, except at high water ; but the
anchoring ground is very good, and free from rocks. The
place where the Refolution watered is a fmall fpring, fituated
abreaft o f the South end o f the fmall ifland, at a fhort
diftance from the water-fide. A little to the Southward,
there is a very hot fpring, which is ufed by the natives as a
¡1 The ifland of Tamarin, or Sambouricou, which lies about four leagues to the
North of Cracatoa, may be eafily miftaken for the latter, having a hill of nearly the
fame fize and form, fituated alfo near its Southern extremity.