ance of another break ftill farther to leeward; and, a light breeze fpringing up
from the eaft:, we refolved to puih in there, though the paflage was but narrow,
which we happily accompliihed, being afiifted by the tide j and we anchored between
the reef and the ihore, in fifteen fathoms water; though, at the very edge
of thefe reefs, we had no founding at one. hundred and fifty-five fathoms. At our
firft entrance into this place we had very unequal founding^; fometimes finding no
bottom ; and one fathom farther finding it with twenty fathoms of line. This,
we apprehended, was occafioned by the coral rocks which rife up almoft perpendicular.
Latitude 12° 36'.
On the 17th, in the morning, we fent fome men in the boat to the reef for turtles
and clams, but they returned without any of the former, and with but few
clams, though they were of a large fize.
The reefs were covered with a numberlefs variety of beautiful corallines of all
colours and figures, having here and there interftices of very white fand. Thefe
made a pleaiing appearance under water' which was fmooth on the infide of the
reef, while it broke all along the outfide, and may be aptly compared to a
«rrove of flirubs growing under water. Numbers of beautiful coloured fifties make
their refidence amongft thefe rocks, and may be caught by hand on the high
part of the reef at low water. There are alfo crabs, molufca of various forts, and
a great variety of curious ihell-fiih, which adhere to the old dead coral that forms
-the reef.
On the 18th, we weighed anchor, and ftood along ihore on the infide of the
reef, thinking that would be the fafeft and beft way of finding the paflage between
New-Guinea and this land : we met with a great many iflands, ihoals, and j^efs,
and came to at night. We kept along ihore till the 21ft, and, at noon, in latitude
io° 36', we came to a great number of iflands near the main land, which tended
away to the S. W. We ftood through between two of thefe iflands, to the weft,
and found a very ftrong tide, which carried us along briikly, and gave us hopes
that this was a paflage between New Holland and New Guinea. At length we
came to, and the pinnace was fent on ihore to a fpot where we faw fome of the
natives ftand gazing at us 3 but when the boat’s company landed, they immediately
T O T H E S O U T H S E A S . 157
fled. The captain, and fome others, went up to the top of a hill, and, feeing a
clear paflage, they hoiftedajack, and fired a volley, which was anfwered by the
marines below, and the marines by three rvollies from the ihip, and three cheers
from the main ihrouds. The natives were armed with lances, and one of them
had a bow in his hand. In other refpe&s they were much like the people we faw
laft, being quite naked, and of a dark colour. , This land was more rocky, and lefs
fandy than we had lately feen, but ftill very barren ; though the flats, indeed, were
covered with many verdant trees. We alfo difcovered very high land at a great
diftance to the N. E. which we took for the land of/New Guinea. -
We were obliged to keep a conftant look-out while we pafled between the reef
and the land, as it was full of ihoals* reefs, fandy keys, and fmall iflands 3 and
had we not come in again, we ihould not have found a paflage.
On the 23d, we had light breezes from the N. and S.W. with fome calms, and
were certain of being in a ftrak* which feemed to be not very remote from the river
Van Speult in Carpentaria 5 the land to the n'orth being made up of a clufter of
iflands. We found ihallow water all through this ftrait, which we named Endeavour
Straits 3 and went over a bar that had only three fathoms and a half water.
About noon, we faw a fmall ifland covered with birds-dung of a white. colour 3
and fome of our people went off in a boat, and ihot a fcore of birds called Boobies.
On the 24th, in the morning, the cable broke in weighing up the anchor, which
obliged, us to. drop another, and detained us all day fweeping for it with much
trouble 3 but, the next morning, we got it up, and foon after were under way, and
ftood on to the N. W. with a fine breeze from the eaft. About two o’clock, in the
afternoon, we were much alarmed by finding ourielves amongft a parcel of fmall
ihoals. Thefe ihoals were difcovered by the water’s appearing a little browniih.
They confifted of rocks upon which there were only two and three fathoms water 5
and, though there was a pretty large fwell, they did not break. There was one
not half a cable’s length from the ihip. We had not more than from fix to eleven
fathoms water in this fea when we were out of fight of land. After examining
around for the fafeft way to get clear of thefe ihoals, we weighed anchor and ftood
out, firft foutherly, and then to the weft* till we deepened our water to eleven
fathoms;