and flat. With a gentle wind, we palled on'the well
fide of the iflands ; and at 22 h. 50 oi.-> twe, were diftant
two mil.es> from an high rocky ifland,; which ;is\ connected
by reefs with two finall iflesThat are furroimded
by breakers :. we had 25 fathfoms. * At.,iioon> the
wefternmoft ifland of the . groupe extended- frorn,
N.j76° E. to N.,.8.60 E. four or five miles; and we
had 27 fathoms. This ifland is of moderate elevation,
rocky and barren» of little, extent» and apparently uninhabited
: yet we faw feyeral boa|s fifhing f among
the reefs. High Ifland, in one bearing with, the
eaftem one-feen at day-light» now hore S_ 48° El.
At 3 h. we were a-breaft'of Filher’s Ifland.. On the
S. W. extreme we remarked an obelilk. of ftpnes raffed».
I Ihould imagine, as a land-mark. for the advantage
of the junks, trading to thefe iflands. In t^e j^ u ife
of the day there were many of them in fight, making
their coafting^ voyages..
This ifland is of fome extent,, and inhabitedfffit,
appeared alfo to be well cultivated. As we pafled,.,
we obferved many cattle feeding, and numbers of
boats differently employed. At the N.. E. extreme
the land falls back ; and within it» to the North, pro-
mifed good lhelter. A black rock extends a league
from
TO THE NORTH PACIFIC OCEAN. 22
from the'eh trance, 'and feemed^cOnneded with reefs' CHAP.
Ndkh o f!'it?.’ Indeed} in this^prart, the 'rocks and — •— 1
fancls'^uld'ndf%e r enumerated ; afid-fhe |)aflage be-* July.
twec'd'Them I 1 fliould fuppofe* veiy ^intricate. The
lfirge'"iflari^ * c a f ‘Petioe; ' 1 had* ho opportunity of
making any’tCTnark's upon f nre yiAAtn'ef bfiiWg hazy,
and dfiF dntWcO’* tOp^gre^??' At* ^feeiKg ,
brealhrs£’%CjTeaaf we'ffnered ■ ourA^uffeb north sex-'
treme HjI- Fiftrefl Iflah^Bea^ngM E.'By S." Awe had
1 '5 ; fathoms, 1 rro&ky bottom," fevenof eight' miles from
it. Bird Ifland, 'Ami^hAs the northernrnoft of the
y ^ ile ^ p d u p e ^ ^M ff pad; 6 hi K^^'Sl^S^E?; Ana the
Obelifli pomt; :g fT f°'W . Tlibfe Sfanfls,' called 'Cong-
hou dr Fetrde by the Chinefe, and^Eifcardorei by the
Englilh, ex^ejid from 23?f©'’N . to .^ P lo 'N ., by our
eftinihtioV f the 'wefternmbit in The longitude of
1 1 ^° 2 y E l Theyftre a duller of iflands »and rocks
abovfe] Arid eWh with; the watet^ The danger# furrounding
them may be f o ld e d by”attention, as they
appehr to ^flmw' themfeiyds ; and you may anchor .in
chfes 'of nbceffity. ’ Th'dy* are diftaht from Formofa
About eighf* leaeftel*; and tKetr - extent to the Weft
neatly the fame by Van Karlen. «;
, At midnight we hauled ouf'wihd till day-light; and
at 17 h. so'm: We faw Formofa; and at 22 h. 30 m. we W