1780. bath. Whilft we Were Ivina; off the South end o f this ifland,
February. n r% 1
t v-— » we fent a boat with the Matter on ihore, to look for w a te r ;
but after having landed with fome difficulty, he returned
unfuccefsful.
Cracatoa is efteemed very healthy, in companion o f the
neighbouring countries. It confifts o f h igh land, riling
gradually on all fides from the fe a ; and the whole is covered
with trees, except a few fpots which the natives have
cleared for rice fields. The number o f people on the ifland
is very inconliderable. T h e ir Chief, as are thofe o f all the
other iflands in the Straits, is fubjeCt to the K in g o f Bantam.
T he coral reefs afford plenty o f fmall turtles ; but other re-
freihments are very fcarce, and fold at an enormous price.
Latitude o f the road where the Refolution
anchored - - - 8' 6' South.
Longitude, b y Mr. Bayly’ s time-keeper - 104° 48' Eaft.
Ditto, b y obfervation - - 105* 36' Eaff.
Dip o f the South end o f the magnetic needle 26° 3' .
Variation o f the compafs - 1° o' Weft.
On the fu ll and change days, it is high-water at 7h in
the morning. T he water rifes three fee t two inches perpendicular.
A t eight o’clock in the evening, it began to blow freih
from the Weftward, with violent thunder, lightning, and
Friday 11. rain ; and at three the next morning, we weighed and flood
over for Prince’s Ifland, but the Wefterly wind dying away,
was fueceeded by a breeze from the South Eaft, and, at the
fame time, a ftrong tide fetting to the South Weft prevented
our fetching the ifland, and obliged u s , at two in the afternoon,
to drop anchor in flxty-five fathoms,, over a muddy
C* •, bottom,
bottom, at three leagues diftance from i t ; the high hill
bearing South Weft by South, and the peak on Cracatoa <— -»
North b y Eaft. We had ligh t airs and calms till fix next
mprning, when we weighed and made fail, having, in our Saturday 12.
endeavours to heave the anchor out o f the ground, twice
broken the old meffenger, and afterward a new one, cut out
o f our beft hawfer. This, however, was intirely owin g to
the wretched ftate o f pur cordage, as the ftrain was not very
confiderable, and we had befides affifted the cable in coming
in, b y c lip pin g the cat-tackle on it. T h e wind continuing
fair, at noon we came to a ij. anchor o ff the South Eaft end
o f Prince’s Ifland, in twenty-fix fathoms, over a fandy bottom
j th,e Eaft end o f the ifland bearing North North Eaft,
the Southernmoft point in fight South Weft by South, the
h igh peak North Weft h a lf Weft, diftant from the neareft
Ihore h a lf a mile.
As foon as we had come to anchor, Lieutenant Lannyon,
who had been here fyefore with Captain Cook, in the year
1770, was fent along with the Mailer, to Iqok for the watering
place. The brook from which, according to the beft o f
his recollection, the Endeavour had been fupplied, was
found quite fait. Further inland, they f a w ' a dry bed,
where the water feemed to have lodged in rainy feafons;
and, about a cable’s length below, another run, fupplied
from an extenfive pool, the bottom o f which, as well as the
furface, was covered with dead leaves. This, though a
little brackiih, being much preferable to the other, we began
watering here early the next morning, and finiihed the Sund»y 13 .
fame day.
The natives, who came to us foon after w e anchored,
brought a plentiful fupply o f large fowls, and fome turtles j
3 P 2 but