whiqh juts into the midft o f the duller o f iflands, the wind
fuddenly failed u s ; and the current hurried us with fuch velocity
diredLy towards the point, that we expeded momentarily
to be daihed in pieces ; but on coming within twice the length
o f the Chip o f the perpendicular precipice, which was forne
hundred feet high, the eddy fwept her round three feveral times
with great rapidity. The Captain would have dropped the
anchor, but an old Chinefe fiiherman, whom we had taken
on board to pilot us, made figns that it was too deep, and, at
the fame time, that there was no danger, except that o f the
bowfprit ftriking againft the mountain. T he Chinefe veffels
have no bowfprit, A t this moment the lead was thrown, but
we got no. foundings at the. depth o f one hundred and twenty
fathoms ; yet the yellow mud was brought up from the bottom
in fuch quantities, that the Nile, at the height o f its inundations,
or the great Yellow River o f China, could not be more
loaded with mud than the fea was in the whirlpool o f Kee-too
point. T h e current, in the Strait o f Faro, fetting diredly
upon the rocks o f Scylla, and the whirlpool o f Charybdis,
thofe celebrated objeds o f dread to ancient navigators, could not
poffibly have been more awfully terrific, though perhaps more
dangerous, than the currents and the eddies that boiled tutnul-
tuoufly round this, promontory o f the Chinefe continent, where,
« When the-tide raflvcs from her rumbling caves
“ The rough rock, rears 5 t«pii}ltuous ,-bpil the. waves;
“ They tofs, they foaro. a wild confufion raife,
Like waters bubbling o’er the fiery blaze.**
The ieoond whirl removed us to. a confiderable diftance from
the point, and, after the third, we were fwept rapidly: along
in
in a fmooth uniform current. Our interpréter, a Chinefe
prieft, who had been educated in the college de propaganda fid e
at Naples, was not quite fo compofed as his countryman the
pilot. T he poor fellow, indeed, had nearly been thrown
overboard by the boom o f the mainfail, in the firft, which was
the moft rapid, whirl o f the ihip ; the fame blow ftriking a
failor toffed his hat overboard ; and it afforded fome amufe-
ment, in our fuppofed perilous fituation, to hear the different '
ejaculations o f th e fe , two perfons on the fame occafion.
Sanâlifiima Maria, efi miraculum, efi miraeulum ! exclaimed the
prieft, with great eagernefs j whilft the failor, rubbing his head*
and walking away, with much compofure obferved, that the
d— n d boom had carried away his fore-top-gallant cap I
The Chinefe, it feemed, had already been apprized o f our
arrival, for we had not proceeded far before a large veffel borè
down towards us, and, hailing the brig in their own language*
defired we would bring her to anchor, arid that they would conduit
us early the following morning into the harbour o f Chu-fafl.
Some o f the officers came on board, were extremely civil, and
prefented us with a balket o f fruit ; but they affeded to know
nothing o f the occafion that had brought Us thither. Our old
fiiherman took out o f the fea, (among thoufands that had
floated round our veffel) one o f thofe animal fubftances which*
I believe, we vulgarly call fea blubbers (M o ix u s c a medufit
porpita). It was at leaft a foot in diameter. Having dreffed it
for his fupper, and feeing it wear the inviting appearance o f a
tranfparent colourlefs je lly , I was tempted to tafte it ; hut the
é ffed