rung to* the wfeftward, and found it about a quarter.of a mile
- _ ■ broad, with' every* appearance of deep water.
. On the out fide, the reef inclined to the N :E for a few
•miles, and from thence to the M W : on the fouth fide of
the entrance, it inclined to the S. S W as far as I could fee it;
and I cdnjedlure that afimilar palfageto this which we now
entered, may be found. near the breakers that I fiift dif-
> covered, which are 23 miles S of'this .channel.
I did not recoiled: what latitude Providential channel rf.
lies in, but I confidered it -to fee within a few miles »of thisy
- which is fituate in #|| 51' S latitude.
1 Being now happily: within the reefs,.., and in fmoQth
water, I endeavoured to keep near them to try for fiih;
but the tide fet us to the N W, I therefore bore away in
that direction, and, having promifed to land on the firft
convenient fpot we could find, all our pafthardfhips deemed
already ro be forgotten.
At-noon, I had a good obfervation, by which our latitude
was id0 46' §, whence the foregoing fit nations may be confidered
as determined with fome exa&nefs. The ifiand firft
feen bore W S W five leagues.: | This, which T have called
the ifiand Direction, will in fair weather always. Ihew the
channel, from which it bears due W, and may be.f&qp j,s
foon 4s the reefs, from a flap’s .maft-head:-it lies in the
latitude of i f 51' S; Thefe, however, are marks too fm#M®r
% flap to hit, unlefe it'ean hereafter he afcertained that paf-
fages- through the reef are numerous along the coaft, which
I am inclined to think they are, in'which cafe there would
he little rifle, even i f the wind was diredtly on the fhore.
* Providential Channel._is laid down by Captain Cook, in 120 34'' tyfltftljllff '
My
My longitude, made by dead reckoning, from the ifiand VjÉ&j
Tofoa to our pafiage thr'ough the reef, is 40° 10' W. Provi- v _*_Y
d'ential channel, I imagine, muft lie very nearly under the
fame meridian with our pafiage; by which it appears we
had out-run-our redefining
We riöw returned ,God thank's for his gracious protection,
» and with much content took our miferable allowance',
of a 25th o f a pound of bread,, and a quarter- of a pint of-
water^for dinner«
C II A P.