p m *
wounded -the. plank, and beat it to fhivers. Had the ftroke been
between „the- -ribs o f the fliip, it muft have gone, through, and wo
had'probably never returned, to adore.the Author o f our mercies.
Thus the gracious Cord, who ftill guarded us with a fhepherd’s care,
was pleafed to Ihew us the infufficiericy o f human' prudencer'and
that; except. We* ;are kept j by himfelf; “ the watchman waketh, hut
*‘l# j .’vain.” : O ithàt he’ would give r s hearts of? gratitude, and
thahkfiilnefe; in feme meafure proportioned; toi his. daily mercies , extended'tt>
us hisiunworthy creatures !
When the day-fhewedus the dahgers whicfc fcy hid on every fide»'
i t appeared’ wonderful hoW ’we had éföaped f e well, and .taade us
very defirous to; get clear o f ; them as iàft às pbffible. : With . this
yiew ; we fleered N vN .W . betwixt feverâl; ftnall reefs, not larger in
çirgûmrfèrdnçç than the fhip, and with fca£ee<a wafli. o f . the Tea upon
then}.' . They feemed. -to- extend onbothjJSdfes . o f useras far -as we
could „IfêsKu; ^ h e h ;w e hàd pafïéd
iflands àftern, We thought ; outfelveS quifeufeE,,' ahd ■ sWère rég'rét*
ting th a frw e cóiild Kave hoc intereoiirfe -with i the ^inhabitants’;:
whb,‘Ï we~ had. no .doubt, would la v e been wiMih^ toi
had Wfe : fbtfnft fkfeariehorage for. the fhip^; for with thëfe.f^opfc|1fee
Friendly iflahders carry on a trade with the articles they got ffoiri us.
A t nine ‘A .;M . 'ànotter ifland c am e d h a ^ iito th e 3SLW.: for Which
we fhaped brir ebupfe, to try' i f anchorage .cou>ld'be -found- j hear i *it ;j
and the weather fide appearing on our approach to be clear o f reefs,, jj
it gave us hopes that the le e fide would be the fame ; but it proved
otherwife. A t noon the body o f fhe ifland bore fouth, diftarit one
mile, .apdiibur rlatitude'by tdjfert^cm ^^^ ^ifiS;; Isó^itutfö^per chro-
nometer AIorig.-tKisi north fide, there bèing no reef, ’the
féa ’broke violently againft the cliffs, which are high^ and from the
face o f them huge fragments have fallen off, and lie fcattered at
their bafe. Thefe cliffs, efpecially towards the north-weft end, have a
lefs fertile appearance than thofe we had already paffed j but towards
the eaft end the ifland wears a better afpeét • arid at this part there'
Sept-^
were natives. .and houfes upon the top o f the hill, Probably thereIs
loW grouridf 6nl the^fowtfl;.'weft*>"fldé; where we intended to anchor *
Sut Tcc[mirig to the nortbj-wfeftr piSjnfcu.we - faw a, fhoal cfefe to us,, and
a large flat rani'S.W. off the, i f l andupon which we.hauled our
wind.j; and' as'-jhis was^thefaft w e few o f this dangerous group,, it
recêived’cthe name of. Farewell iflamdi’dj
Thefe are probably fhe.fa'me as flffifman got entangled arriong, and
Which he calls Prince William’s iflands : however, it may’ be pre-
-femèffllkh-ferit'part. ofbthan^have been: y e t féen by Europeans',' as
•it was evident-that -many largeiflahds la y ,to.the S.Wi. tbeinêareft o f
■ whith we Could-but.faintlyfdSffinguifh, and-feme were;at a diftance
from the traacIcf^lapfalhfMgh^in thé. launch-Of the-Bounty^rind
afterwards’ in the. Providence. f
They doabtlefs. are'conhèéte^i with thofe which the’ people at Ton-
gatgW> "call llhesFeèfeés, as they lie in ,tfefrdg$&iob pointed o|it!b y
tltem. Vfe* general tfa e jrn e high| and all ,w$ <&®8| diftinéfcly fee
•appeared fertile: "the loftieft.hills..wérri wooely.tatheir furnmitsl rand
ori the top o f feveral 'was- abundance -o f cckoaèriuit threes, whikljfpn
feme iflands thrive only. on. thé ffèw’grounH;. n o tis fït .*here%Si 'at
Ólaheite,' where the middle region isrebramonfy nothing but? fun-
burnt gtafs’j for;' from the‘ beach to thStbprof the hills }S one continued*
groye o f trees, and many o f them haVe fruitful;fkir.ts o f loW
fend. • T h e valleys o f Middleton’s ifland appeared djdfghtfullyqplea-
fant, ahd muft abound in all tEerfiniltfe aridfoStsfcommen: tefethefe
parts of-the world! Infome places Wé fawfpotkicffidSftivafed grèund-,
prbhably o f 'kavav?' I.
- Coral reefs furround every 3 ifland, and thofe; which lie neatpach
other’are connected Sytthemr Thaughithdfeappeared to us’ ter be no
openings through thefe reefs to . the refpedtive- iflands they ericlofe,
-yet we cannot venture to fay that there is no fuch thing, but think
i t highly probable that by ar-möfé diligent féarch both.'openings and
iafichorage might be found. But as the 'captain propofed making
■ fome ftay at the Pelew iflands, and had to reach China at a fpecified