A ll profpeia o f examining more nearly the South Eaft
parts o f Mowee b e in g now deftroyed, w e bore away, and
ran a lon g the South Eaft fide o f Tahoorowa. As w e were
flee rin g clofe round its Weftern extremity, w ith an intention
o f fe tch in g the Weft fide o f MSwee, w e fuddenly
fhoaled our water, and obferved thé fea b re a k in g on fome
detached rocks, almoft righ t ahead. T his obliged us to
ke ep awa y a lea gu e and a ha lf, w h en w e a gain fleered to
the Northward ; and, a fter p alling over a .bank, w ith nineteen
fathoms water, flood for a paflàge between Mowee and
an ifland called Ranai. At noon, the latitude was, b y ob-
fervation, 20° 42' North, and the longitude 203* 22' Eaft ;
th e Southern extremity o f Mowee bearing Eaft South Eaft,
quarter Eaft;, the Southern extremity o f Ranai Weft North
Weft, quarter W e ft; Morotoi, North Weft and b y N o r th ;
and the Weftern extremity o f Tahoorowa, South b y Eaft,
feven miles, diftant. Our long itude w a s accurately deduced,
from obfervations made b y thé time-k eep èr b efore and after
noon, compared w ith the longitude fou n d by a great many
diftanees o f the moon from the fun and ftars, w h ich were
alfo obferved the fame day.
I n the a f t e r n o o n , the weather b e in g calm, w ith ligh t airs
from th e Weft, w e flood on to the North North Weft; but;
‘ at fun-fet, obferving a fhoal, w h ich appeared to ftretch to
a confiderable diftance from the Weft point o f Mowee, toward
the middle o f the paffage, and the weather b e in g u n -
fettled, w e tacked, and flood toward the South;
T h e South Weft fide o f this ifland, which we now had
paffed without being able to get near the ihore, forms the-
fame diftant view with the North Eaft, as feen on our return,
from the North,,in November 1778; , the mountainous parts,
which.
w h ich are connected by a low, flat ifthmus, appearing at firft
lik e two feparate iflands. This deception continued on the > — ->
South Weil fide, till w e approached w ith in e ight or tert
leagues o f the coaft, w h ich , bending inward, to a great
’ d epth, formed a fine capacious bay. T he Wefternmoft poinr,.
o ff w h ich the fhoal we have juft mentioned runs, is made
remarkable by a fmall h illo ck , to the Southward o f w h ich ,
there is a fine fandy bay, w ith feveral huts on the ihore, and
a number o f cocoa-nut trees g row in g about them.
Du rin g the courfe o f the day, w e were vifited b y feveral
o f the natives, w ho came o ff to fell provifions; and we foon
found, that th e y had heard o f ou r late unfortunate tranf-
a¿lions at O w h yh e e . 'T h e y were ve ry curious to lea rn the
particulars, from a woman w ho had concealed h e r fe lf on.
board the Refolution, in order to take he r paflage to A to o i;
in q u ir in g eage rly a fter Pareea, and fome other Chiefs, and:
appearing m u ch fhocked at the death o f Kaneena, and his
brother. We had, however, the fatisfadtion to find, -that, in-;
w hatever ligh t the woman m igh t have reprefented this b u -
finefs, it had no bad e ffe it on their behaviour, w h ich w as.
rema rkably civ il and fubmiffive..
The weather continued variable, d u r in g the n ig h t ;: but in
the morning o f the 25th, h a v in g the wind at Eaft, we ran Thurfdajiaji.
a long the South fide o f Ranai, till near noon ; after which,
w e had calms and ba fflin g winds till evening, when w e
fleered, w ith a ligh t Eafterly breeze, fo r the Weft part o f
Morotoi. In the courfe o f the day, th e current; w h ic h ,.
from the time we left Karakakooa Bay, had fet from the
North Eaft, changed its direction to the South Eaft. .
D u rin g the n ight, the w ind was again variable ; but e a r ly Friday 2S*.
next morning, it fettled, at Eaft, and blew fo frefli, as to
oblige-.